WEBVTT

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(Jack gasps)
(Karen gasps)

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(Jack gasps)
(Karen gasps)

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(hands slapping)

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(upbeat music)

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<v Will>It'll be different this time.</v>

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<v ->Will it?
<v ->Yes!</v>

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Cause all the other times we've done this,

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we thought it would be different,

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but this time we know it's gonna be exactly the same.

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(audience laughing and cheering)

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<v ->It was '97, almost twenty years ago.</v>

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<v ->NBC came to us,</v>

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and said we need another romantic comedy.

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♪ Oh I get that feeling ♪

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<v ->I auditioned for the role of Will in December.</v>

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♪ Oh I get that feeling ♪

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<v ->We offered it to him, and he said no.</v>

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<v ->Max called me, "This is the best part</v>

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"you're ever going to get in your whole life,

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"you're insane if you walk away!"

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But I did, I walked away for about a month,

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and then I said, "I think I made a terrible mistake."

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(Will and Jack screaming)

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<v ->I had a film at Sundance,</v>

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the casting director asked if I would read

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for this new pilot called Will &amp; Grace.

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I didn't have the money

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to change my ticket to fly home so soon,

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so I was like, "Thank you anyway."

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And then I came home and they had cast Will

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and they said would I read for the other guy?

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There's no shame in getting old,

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there's only shame in getting ugly.

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(audience laughs)

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<v ->He was perfect, and then he walked to the door to leave,</v>

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turned around, and said,

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"Stop looking at my ass, Mutchnick."

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That was just everything we wanted.

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<v ->I auditioned originally for the role of Grace.</v>

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They were like, "Next!"

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They brought her in a few weeks later

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to read for Karen, and we loved her.

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<v ->Denied, denied,</v>

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approved.

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(audience laughs)

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<v ->And we said to her in the room--</v>

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<v ->You're so good, why have we never seen you before.</v>

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<v ->And she said something you can't say on TV.</v>

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Warren Littlefield then called and said,

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"There is an actress, I'm certain that she's the one."

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<v ->I had just wrapped a drama.</v>

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I said, "I just think I'm too tired." (laughs)

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And then they convinced me to read with Eric McCormack.

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<v ->And she laughed, that big Grace laugh.</v>

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(Debra laughs)

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<v ->Everybody in the room went, "Hello, Grace!"</v>

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(dramatic beat)

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<v ->So we've come back after 11 years,</v>

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we shot our very first episode,

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and the lights just bang on,

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and we're all standing there.

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<v ->The audience went insane</v>

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and every one of us just started to cry.

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<v ->We got done shooting the first scene,</v>

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and there were so many laughs from the audience.

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<v ->I'm so busy, what can I do that's</v>

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low effort, high impact.

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<v ->Fart in an elevator?</v>

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<v ->That was not me!</v>

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(audience laughs)

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<v ->And we looked and Jim Burrows, our director,</v>

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was crying, and Eric said, "Jimmy, are you alright?"

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and he goes, "Yeah, I just haven't heard laughs

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"like this in 11 years."

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You're not still living together.

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<v ->Oh, no, I mean, she's living here right now.</v>

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<v ->Staying here.
<v ->Staying.</v>

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<v ->For just a couple of weeks until the dust settles.</v>

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<v ->On your genitals?</v>

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(audience laughs)

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<v ->On my divorce.</v>

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<v ->Because of your genitals?</v>

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(audience laughs)

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("Theme from Will &amp; Grace" by Jonathan Wolff)