WELCOME BACK.

MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS AN EMMY-AWARD-WINNING STAR OF

STAGE, TELEVISION, AND FILM.

HE NOW STARS IN "THE BLACKLIST".

>> NOW, GIVEN THE PUBLICITY SURROUNDING THE ASSISTANCE I

REPRESENTEDDERRED TO SPECIALAGE ELIZABETH KEENE DURING HER

RECENT STINT AS A FUGITIVE, I UNDERSTAND WHERE ONE SUSPICION

MAY COME FROM, BUT IT IS UNFOUNDED.

AND BEFORE THIS DINNER IS OVER, I WILL NOT ONLY PROVE THAT I

HAVE NOT BETRAYED US.

I WILL IDENTIFY THE PERSON WHO HAS.

>> SAVE YOUR BREATH.

YOUR GRAVE'S ALREADY BEEN DUG.

>> I'M SORRY BUT "BEEN DUG."

IS THAT CORRECT?

THAT DOESN'T SOUND CORRECT.

>> I THINK IT IS DIG.

>> I SUPPOSE THEY'RE BOTH GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT.

SOUNDS FUNNY EITHER WAY.

I'M SORRY, YOU WERE SAYING.

>> Stephen: PLEASE WELCOME JAMES SPADER.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THAT'S VERY NICE.

DO YOU-- DO YOU AND JONUE GUYS KNOW EACH OTHER?

>> NO, NOT AT ALL.

NOT AT ALL.

YOU ARE GREAT, GREAT.

>> Stephen: AREN'T THEY AMAZING?

INCREDIBLE BAND.

>> Stephen: THANK YOU.

.

>> Stephen: THAT WAS A VERY FRIENDLY THING TO DO.

I DON'T THINK ANY OF MY GUESTS HAVE-- HAS ANYONE ELSE HUGGED

YOU, JON?

>> OPRAH.

>> Stephen: OPRAH.

YOU REMIND ME A LOT OF OPRAH.

>> PROBABLY A BETTER HUG THAN MINE.

BUT ANYWAY, YOU'RE GREAT.

>> Stephen: ONE OF THE REASONS I'M EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ON THE

SHOW IS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED THE STRANGEST MAN ON

TELEVISION.

( LAUGHTER ) DO YOU LIKE THAT?

>> I'LL TAKE THAT.

>> Stephen: DO YOU LIKE THAT MONIKER?

>> YEAH, I'M TAKE THAT.

>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK IT'S FROM?

IS IT THE PARTS YOU GET OR THE WAY YOU DO THEM?

>> I THINK THAT THERE'S-- I THINK THERE'S A SEARCH ENGINE IN

ME FOR THAT.

I THINK THAT'S WHAT I -- >> YOU'VE GOT A FILTER PROCESS

THAT ONLY THE WEIRD GETS THROUGH?

( LAUGHTER ) I-- I THINK THAT'S-- WELL, I'VE

BEEN WITH THE SAME AGENT FOR DECADES AND DECADES AND DECADES,

SO I THINK AT THIS POINT NOW, I'M SENT THOSE THINGS.

( LAUGHTER ) BUT --

>> NO ONE SENT YOU A PERFECTLY NORMAL SUBURBAN DAD AND REALLY

NICE GUY?

>> THERE WAS A FILM I DID YEARS AGO CALLED "SECRETARY" THAT WAS

A VERY SORT OF.

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: YOU WERE NOT THAT

NORMAL IN "SECRETARY."

I SAW THAT.

I'M NOT POPPING THAT IN WITH MY 14-YEAR-OLD.

>> OKAY.

YOU'D BE SURPRISED AT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME UP WHO SAY THEY

LOVED THAT FILM.

>> Stephen: REALLY?

NO, I LOVED THAT FILM.

I'M NOT SURPRISE THEY HAD LOVED IT--

>> I JUST MEAN VERY, VERY STAID, AND-- WHICH I GUESS IS

APPROPRIATE CONSIDERING THAT CONTENT.

>> Stephen: EXACTLY.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT GOES ON BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.

>> YOU NEVER KNOW.

THANK GOODNESS.

>> Stephen: EXACTLY.

NONE OF OUR BUSINESS.

NONE OF OUR BUSINESS.

>> IT'S NICE TO HEAR ABOUT IT EVERY SO OFTEN.

s LOVE THAT.

>> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT JAMES SPADER PARTS ARE FOR.

>> YES, YES.

I THINK THERE'S BEEN EYE LOOK FOR THAT IN MY LIFE, IN MY

PERSONAL LIFE.

I'M ALWAYS DRAWN TO THE ECCENTRIC AND--

>> Stephen: YOU DO ECCENTRIC THINGS, LIKE-- OR YOU JUST LIKE

TO BE AROUND ECCENTRIC PEOPLE?

>> YEAH, I LIKE THAT A LOT.

AND I LIKE-- I'M DEFINITELY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ON THE STREET

WHEN THERE'S SOMETHING STRANGE AND MAYBE EVEN DISTURBING GOING

ON IN THE STREET, I TEND TO BE DRAWN TO IT.

( LAUGHTER ) AND --

>> SO, JON, IT'S NOT THAT MUCH OF A COMPLIMENT THAT HE CAME

OVER TO YOU.

( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )

>> I THINK JON AND I ARE DOING JUST FINE.

>> Stephen: REALLY?

OKAY, ALL RIGHT.

>> I THINK JON AND I ARE DOING JUST FINE.

>> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD.

>> I THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO JUST FINE.

>> Stephen: DO YOU EVER GET, LIKE--

>> GETTING BACK TO THAT, I THINK I'VE LOOKED FOR THAT WITH MY

FRIENDS, MY-- ( LAUGHTER )

MY FAMILY.

WE'RE VERY ECCENTRIC.

AND THE ONES THAT ARE STILL ALIVE, STILL ARE QUITE

ECCENTRIC.

( LAUGHTER ) AND I THINK THAT ULTIMATELY, I

PROBABLY-- I ACTUALLY HAD NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT UNTIL

JUST NOW, BUT I THINK PROBABLY I HAVE LOOKED FOR THOSE CHARACTERS

TO HAVE AS MY FRIENDS AS WELL, AND THE WORK THAT I DO.

AND I CAN'T HELP MYSELF IN THE THINGS THAT I PLAY ALLOWING MY

PECULARRITIES TO BE-- THE PECULIARITIES OF THE CHARACTER

TO BE THE THING THAT IS MOST COMPILGAND INTERESTING TO ME.

THE CHARACTER I PLAY IN THAT SHOW IS A VERY PECULIAR GUY.

>> Stephen: EXACTLY.

FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, HE IS AN INFORMANT.

HE IS A-- >> HE'S A CRIMINAL, REALLY.

>> Stephen: HE'S A CRIMINAL WHO HAS TURNED INFORMANT FOR THE

F.B.I.

>> YES, YES.

IT'S FUNNY, THOUGH, HE -- >> FUNNY HA-HA?

OR...

( LAUGHTER ) FUNNY ODD.

>> IT IS SOMETIMES FUNNY HA-HA.

>> Stephen: THAT SCENE WAS FUNNY BUT ALSO THREATENING AT

THE SAME TIME.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: THAT'S JAMES SPADER-- THREATENING AND FUNNY

AT THE SAME TIME.

( LAUGHTER ).

>> I HOPE SO.

I HOPE SO.

>> Stephen: SO YOU LIKE DISCOMFORT AND--

>> I'M PERFECTLY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT.

I'M COMFORTABLE WITH DISCOMFORT.

>> Stephen: YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH DISCOMFORT AND AWKWARDNESS.

>> AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT THAT

CHARACTER, FOR INSTANCE.

IT WAS SOMETHING THEY SAW IMMEDIATELY WHEN I READ THE

PILOT IS THAT PUT IN THE MOIST CHAOTIC AND EXTREME SET OF

CIRCUMSTANCES, HE'S QUITE COMFORTABLE IN THAT.

AND I THINK THAT PART OF IT IS A LACK OF FEAR, WHICH I WISH WE

HAD MORE OF IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY IS A FEARLESSNESS IN THAT--

( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: WHERE DO YOU THINK

THAT FEAR COME FROM?

WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT FEAR COMES FROM?

>> INSECURITY, I THINK, TO A GREAT DEGREE.

AND ALSO INSECURITY IS PROVOKED BY PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA AND

SPOKESPEOPLE FOR POLITICIANS AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, DEPENDING ON

HOW IT CAN SERVE THEM EXPWHRT.

>> Stephen: THE FEAR CAN BE COMODDIFIED.

THERE IS A WAY TO MAKE MONEY OFF--

>> WITHOUT A DOUBT.

FEAR IS A CURRENCY.

IT ALSO COMES FROM THE FACT THAT WE HEAR ABOUT THINGS THAT SAY

WHEN I WAS A CHILD, YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY HEAR ABOUT BECAUSE

OF THE AMOUNT OF ACCESS THAT THERE IS WITH-- FIRST IT STARTED

WITH TELEVISION, AND THEN IT'S ONLY BLOSSOMED WITH THE

INTERNET, IF THERE WAS AN ARGUMENT BETWEEN TWO NEIGHBORS

SOMEWHERE DECADES AND DECADES AGO, IT WAS BETWEEN THE TWO

NEIGHBOR.

AND THOSE TWO NEIGHBORS CAN BE COUNTRIES WITH ONE ANOTHER OR

COMMUNITIES WITH ONE ANOTHER.

IF THERE WAS AN ARGUMENT OR A DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO OF

THEM, IT WAS BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM, WITH THE ADVENT OF

TELEVISION, SUDDENLY, THIRD PARTIES WERE BROUGHT INTO THE

MIX TO TRY AND INFLUENCE AN OUTCOME.

>> Stephen: NOW YOU TWEET YOUR ARGUMENT.

>> YEAH, AND NOW IT'S-- NOW WITH THE INTERNET, IT'S EXPLODED.

>> Stephen: YOU INSTAGRAM HOW THEY RAKED THEIR LEAVES ON TO

YOUR PROPERTY.

>> YES.

>> Stephen: DO YOU DO ANY OF THAT, DO YOU SHARE YOURSELF

INTIMATELY ON THE INTERNET, ANYTHING LIKE THAT?

>> NO.

>> Stephen: I BET YOU'D GET A LOT OF FOLLOWERS IF YOU DID,

JAMES SPADER.

WOULDN'T YOU FOLLOW HIM?

( APPLAUSE ) I RIGHT NOW, I RIGHT NOW AM THE

DEVIL ON YOUR SHOULDER.

>> RIGHT.

>> Stephen: TELLING YOU TO JOIN THE GREAT SHARING ECONOMY.

>> I THINK THE DEVIL PROBABLY HAS MUCH MORE INTERESTING THINGS

TO TRY AND MOTIVATE ONE TO DO.

>> Stephen: REALLY.

>> THAN TWEETING.

>> Stephen: I DOUBT A MORE INTERESTING TARGET THAN JAMES

SPADER.

>> MAYBE.

>> Stephen: YOU'D BE QUITE A CATCH FOR OUR INFERNAL FATHER

>> WHERE THE TIME COMES FROM -- >> I DON'T HAVE TIME.

I DON'T KNOW HOW PEOPLE HAVE TIME FOR ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND

AFFAIRS.

THERE IS NO TIME FOR THAT.

NOT IF YOU HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB.

>> ONE HAS TO MAKE TIME FOR CERTAIN THINGS.

( APPLAUSE ).

>> Stephen: FAIR ENOUGH.

SOUND ADVICE, SOUND VASE, JAMES SPADER.

"THE BLACKED LIST IS ON THURSDAY 9:00 P.M. ON NBC AND STREAMING

ON NETFLIX.

JAMES SPADER, EVERYBODY, WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.