SHOW.

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

HOW NICE TO SEE YOU.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

WHERE ARE YOU AT THE MOMENT?

>> I AM IN NEWARK.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY LOVE.

IT IS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> James: IT IS SO NICE TO SEE YOU.

NOW HOW WAS YOUR BREAK?

HOW WAS YOUR FESTIVITIES?

>> I MEAN I GOT TO DO ALL THE FUN THINGS, YOU KNOW.

THE MAKING OF THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE WITH THE KID, WHICH IS

ALWAYS SO NICE.

>> James: NICE.

>> I WANT TO PUT IT ON DISPLAY.

HE MADE ME A REALLY COOL PRESENT.

AND WE GOT LITTLE M & MS WHICH CORY WOULD WANT ME TO SAY WAS

MID IN NEW JERSEY BECAUSE HE HAS ALL THE NEW JERSEY TRIVIA, WITH

LITTLE PICTURES OF US ON IT.

>> James: LOOK AT THAT.

>> JUST ENJOYING LITTLE THINGS AND SPENDING SOME TIME.

>> NOW YOU MENTIONED YOUR MAN THERE, SENATOR CORY BOOKER WHO I

AM A BIG FAN OF.

BUT I UNDERSTAND HE GOT YOU QUITE A PECULIAR CHRISTMAS

PRESENT THIS YEAR, CAN YOU-- ARE YOU OKAY TALKING ABOUT THIS?

CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHAT HE GOT YOU.

>> OH YEAH.

LIKE I SAY, I REALLY LOVE, I MEAN I LOVE COSPLAY, I LOVE ALL

THE THINGS, THE I LIKE THE HOMEMADE, THE PERSONAL, THE

INDIVIDUAL.

SO MY MAN KNOWING THAT I LOVE AND HAVE I A BIG HUGE TEDDY

BEAR, DECIDED FOR CHRISTMAS I NEEDED A LITTLE MINI HIM.

YEAH.

SO YOUR BOYFRIEND, GIRLFRIEND OUT THERE DECIDE TO MAKE YOU A

LITTLE VERSION OF THEMSELVES TO SPEND THE HOLIDAYS WITH, BECAUSE

MINE DID.

>> James: YOU CAN HOLD HIS FACE UP A BIT CLOSE TO THE

CAMERA?

>> I MEAN IT IS SO SOFT T IS VERY A DOCIAL.

AND HE'S LITERALLY THE SAME SIZE AS GROGOSS I HAVE BEEN DOING

PHOTO SHOOTS WITH THE TWO OF THEM.

BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU DO IN A QUAIRN TEEN WHEN ARE YOU AT

HOME.

>> James: SURE, I WILL BE HONEST, I DON'T KNOW, PART OF ME

IS GOING OH, THE OTHER HALF OF ME IS GOING RUN, ROSS

OR-- ROSARIO, RUN, NOW.

BUT YOU MOVED IN TOGETHER.

YOU HAVE MOVED IN TOGETHER THIS SUMMER.

I MEAN YOU DROVE AN RV FROM VENICE, CALIFORNIA, TO NEWARK,

NEW JERSEY TO GET THERE.

I MEAN THAT IS AS LONG A JOURNEY AS YOU CAN REALLY EVER TAKE.

HOW LONG DID YOU TAKE AND HOW WAS IT.

>> IT WAS ONLY ABOUT SIX DAYS.

AND GOT THIS REALLY AMAZING BUS FROM OUTDOORSY, THE ONLY VEHICLE

THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO DRIVE CROSS COUNTRY BECAUSE PEOPLE

DON'T WANT THEIR RV'S MESSED UP.

AND JUST DROF THIS HUGE BUS.

I WAS TELLING MY DAD, YOU KNOW, HE HAS BEEN ON THIS PANCREATIC

CANCER JURY, IS HE CANCERFREE RIGHT NOW, IT IS AMAZING.

BUT BECAUSE OF COVID HE REALLY WAS AFRAID OF FLYING.

I WAS LIKE I DON'T KNOW THAT DRIVING NECESSARILY 3,000 MILES

IN A BIG BUS REDUCES CHANCES OF INCIDENTS, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

I HAD POPEYE ARMS BY THE END OF IT BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE DRIVING A

BOAT.

AND I HAD TO DO ALL THE DRIVING MYSELF.

AND WHEN I LANDED BACK HERE, HE SAID I COULD PROBABLY GET MY

PILOT'S LICENSE BECAUSE HE SAW ME REALLY TAKE ON THE ROAD AND

GAVE ME A LOT OF KF DENSZ THAT IF I COULD TAKE CARE OF HIM THAT

WAY I COULD PROBABLY TAKE CARE OF-- .

>> James: IT SOUNDS LIKE MY IDEA-- I FEEL LIKE I LIKE THE

IDEA OF A SICK DAY ROAD TRIP IN AN RV BUT BY HOUR FOUR I'M LIKE

YEAH, KNOW, I'M DONE NOW, I'M DONE, I'M DONE WITH THIS.

>> IT WAS AMAZING.

BUT YOU KNOW I WENT ON A ROAD TRIP WITH MY MOM CROSS COUNTRY

WHEN I WAS 11.

AND I WAS THE NAVIGATOR.

AND YOU KNOW, IT IS AN AMAZING THING.

I THINK THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED SO MUCH IN THIS PAST YEAR IS REALLY

JUST CHERISHING THAT MUCH MORE THAT TIME WITH FAMILY AND

FRIENDS.

AND TO HAVE THAT WITH MY DAD DURING THIS PERIOD.

AND TO TURN SOMETHING THAT CAME FROM A WORRY INTO JUST A

LIFE-LONG MEMORY-- MEMORY WAS JUST REALLY, REALLY POWERFUL.

I WORKED SO MUCH.

AND I HAVE HAD TO BE AWAY AND I TRAVELED SO MUCH BECAUSE OF IT.

AND I FEEL SO GRATEFUL.

IT WAS JUST SO MEANINGFUL TO SPEND THAT TIME WITH MY DAD AND

TO GET HERE TO BE WITH CORY.

BECAUSE WITH HIM CAMPAIGNING AND WITH THIS QUARANTINE AND MY

DAD'S HEALTH, WE WERE REALLY SEPARATED.

AND IT JUST MAKES YOU TAKE ON THOSE RISKS BECAUSE THE PAYOFF

IS SO BIG.

>> I MEAN HOW HAS THE TRANSITION BEEN, MOVING IN TOGETHER, LIVING

BACK ON THE EAST COAST, HOW HAS IT BEEN?

>> I WAS WATCHING WHILE WE WERE SEEING THE BALL DROP IN NEW

YORK, THEY WOULD PLAY YOU KNOW FRANK SINATRA, AND AT THE END I

WAS GOING NEWARK, NEWARK.

♪ BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE NEVER IMAGINED IF I WAS MOVING BACK TO

THE EAST COAST THAT I WOULD BE LIVING IN NEW JERSEY.

BUT IT HAS BEEN SO GOOD.

IT IS SO GOOD TO BE WITH MY DAUGHTER AND DO ALL THE ZOOMS

WITH FAMILY, MOST OF MY FAMILY LIVES ALONE.

IT FELT REALLY POWERFUL TO MAKE THIS MOVE AND TRANSITION

TOGETHER RIGHT IN THIS MOMENT.

AND HE IS IN D.C. RIGHT NOW DOING VOTES BUT JUST FOCUSING ON

SERVICE AND WHATEVER TIME THAT WE CAN EKE OUT TOGETHER AS MUCH

AS POSSIBLE.

AND BEING ON THE SAME TIME ZONE REALLY HELPS WITH THAT.

>> James: WELL, IT DOES.

YOU ARE HAVING THIS REALLY INCREDIBLE MOMENT IN YOUR

CAREER.

YOU RECENTLY MADE YOUR DEBUT AS AHSOKA ON THE MANDALORIAN, AND

YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING A SPINOFF AS THAT CHARACTER.

WHEN I WAS READING ABOUT THIS I KEPT READING THIS TERM WHICH I

DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANT AT THE TIME, PEOPLE SAY HAT YOU FROM

FAN CASTED IN THE SHOW, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO BE FAN-CASTED

IN SOMETHING.

>> WELL, THERE WAS AN IMAGE MADE OF ME AS THIS CHARACTER YEARS

AGO.

-- HAD SENT TO ME I BELIEVE, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AS ME AS A

CHARACTER.

AND I REPLIED BACK ON TWITTER AND THAT GOT TO DAVE WHO THEN

COMPARTMENTALIZED IT A LITTLE WHILE UNTIL THIS SHOW CAME UP.

AND THEN HIM AND JON FAVREAU CALLED ME BEFORE THE FIRST

SEASON OF MANDALORIAN CAME OUT AND HAD ALREADY HAD PICTURES OF

ME UP AS THIS CHARACTER BEING FROM THIS FAN CAST.

AND THIS IDEA THAT WAS FEEDED IN.

AND APPROACHED ME ABOUT THIS, THAT THEY WANTED TO BRING OUT IT

IS SO WILD THAT I CAN EVEN TALK ABOUT IT NOW, I WAS FREAKING

OUT, I WAS FILMING BRIARPATCH AT THE TIME.

AND NOW IT IS ALL THIS TIME LATER AND I GET TO TALK TO

PEOPLE ABOUT IT BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE THE PERSON TO BREAK

THE SECRET THAT I KNEW THIS CHARACTER, THIS HOLDBACK STORY

HAD ALL THIS INFORMATION FOR THE FANS.

AND THE FANS ARE THE ONES WHO PUT ME THERE, AND IT HAS BEEN

REALLY TOUGH HOLDING BACK.

AND I LOVE, YOU KNOW, I LOVE WHAT THE ESSENTIALS THAT FOLKS

DON'T NECESSARILY THINK ARE ESSENTIAL IN SOME MOMENTS LIKE

THIS.

AND SO MANY PEOPLE, IT IS SO POWERFUL WATCHING THE PROM AND

SEEING HOW MANY PEOPLE WE GOT TO WORK AND SHOWCASING THEIR

TALENTS AND THEIR ABILITIES, AND YOURS AS WELL, AND JUST HOW MUCH

DELIGHT THAT BRINGS TO PEOPLE.

AND JUST HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS.

SO I WAS REALLY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO JOIN THIS SHOW AND KNOW

THAT WE WILL HAVE MORE WORK THAT WE ALL GET TO BE TOGETHER.

IT IS REALLY AMAZING THAT YOU KNOW, THAT, WELL, I HAVE A

COUPLE, IT WASN'T JUST THIS STUFF, I HAD A COUPLE OF THINGS

THAT I WANTED TO SHOWCASE, THIS TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THE

DIFFERENT PEOPLE I WORKED WITH OVER THE YEARS AND THINK BEING

THEM AND HOPE REQUESTING WE ARE CAN BE REALLY SMART GOING

FORWARD AND GET PEOPLE TO WORK TOGETHER IN THESE BIG CROWDS.

YOU GOT TO DO THINGS LIKE-- LIKE-- RENT.

>> IN IS-- I HAVE BEEN REMINISCING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO

HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING AND THINKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY, YOU

KNOW, AGAIN THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS WHO ARE OUT THERE ON THE

FRONT LINES IN HEALTH CARE.

AND WHO GAVE SO MUCH OF THEIR TALENTS SO THAT PEOPLE WHO WERE

STAYING HOME OR COULD STAY HOME COULD WATCH ALL OF THIS STUFF.

TO KNOW YOU FINISHED THE PROM DURING COVID.

WE CREATED THIS BUBBLE FOR GO BIG SHOW.

AND GIVE A SHOUT OUT FOR ALL THE FOLKS OUT THERE WHO ORK SO HARD

TO JUST LIVE THEIR DREAMS AND THEIR PASSIONS, WITH SUCH

AUDACITY AND DISCIPLINE AND HOPING THAT WE KIND OF CONTINUE

T DO SO MOVING FORWARD.

YOU WILL SEE WITH THIS SHOW, THERE IS SO MUCH TALENT OUT

THERE AND YOU HAVE TO DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU CAN

TOO CELEBRATE EACH OTHER AND PROMOTE THAT WORK.

PEOPLE REALLY NEED IT.

THEY NEED THE ESCAPE AND THEY ALSO, THEY NEED THE WORK.

SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, BECAUSE IT WAS SO WILD WATCHING