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CNN Live Today
Interview with Kelsey Grammer
Aired November 15, 2002 - 11:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The countdown is on until Christmas now, and the holiday movies are already out, and a heartwarming tale called "Mr. St. Nick" is going to be airing Sunday night on ABC.
And joining us now from Los Angeles to tell us all about it is Mr. St. Nick himself, Kelsey Grammer -- good morning. How you doing today?
KELSEY GRAMMER, ACTOR: Good morning. I'm very well. How are you?
HARRIS: I'm quite well, and I'm surprised -- I shouldn't be surprised. I already knew you were the man at NBC, but here is how big you are. You can be a star on two networks at the same time. How do you you pull that off?
GRAMMER: Well, that was a funny bit of politicking, but I think everybody's fine with it now.
HARRIS: Well, good for you. Now, how -- tell us a bit about this story here.
GRAMMER: Basically, the son of Santa Claus, the next in line for the throne of the great Claus, has been kind of running away from his destiny. Every hundred years, they're supposed to take over, the new guy is supposed to step into the shoes of the former, and I've been running away from the whole responsibility. I live in Miami, I'm having a good time.
But finally, the powers that be and destiny knocking on his door sends this man to his proper way, and finally he assumes the full regalia.
HARRIS: And that is the perfect segue into the next piece of tape we have got from the show. Let's see it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My father wants me to be Connie Chung, but besides not being blond...
GRAMMER: That's very funny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what about your father? What does he expect?
GRAMMER: He wants me to take over the family business. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh. What's that?
GRAMMER: Christmas. Gifts, shipping -- toys mostly. He refuses to listen to any of my ideas, he won't let me update anything. Seems he's just stuck in the last century.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How does he make his deliveries, pony express?
GRAMMER: Reindeer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Obviously, this is not necessarily just for kids this time around.
GRAMMER: No. You know what, it is a family movie, obviously, but it's really just a story of a man who hasn't quite found himself yet, finds love, and that takes him to the next place in his life, which is basically happiness and joy and love everlasting.
HARRIS: Now, as I understand it, you wife produced this movie? You have got to tell me how this works out, man. We know what it is like when they are the boss at home, but when you go to work too, how in the world does that work out?
GRAMMER: Yes, well, I'm just a glutton for punishment I guess. My wife is very funny -- obviously, one of the reasons she got the job is because she knows the leading man, but I would stack up her producerial skills against anybody I've ever worked with. She has great insight, and she has the nerve to tell me when I'm wrong.
HARRIS: Now did she produce that bit you just did there, or was that coming from the heart?
GRAMMER: No, no, that was coming from the heart. I've learned a great many lessons the last five years of marriage, and one of the chief ones is just shut up and listen.
HARRIS: Speaking of your last five years, you've got a great story, and it's really good to see where you are right now because I'm a long time "Frasier" fan, I have always felt that has been one of the best shows -- and best written shows on television, and what's amazing to me is how after all of these different -- you've been on what, three different incarnations with "Frasier," and yet, you still aren't type cast. My kids know you as well as I do, but they know you as Stinky Pete from the "Toy Story" or from as Side Show Bob from the "Simpsons," as well.
What's the secret, keeping from being type cast, even though you've been the same character for so long?
GRAMMER: Well, I think the blessing that I've enjoyed is the fact that I just really am an actor who likes to loan himself to as many possible different incarnations as I can, and it seems to have paid off. I've had some really good fortune that way, and I guess I was given a certain gift that has helped me sustain a varied career.
HARRIS: You've been able to keep the one career, this ubiquitous "Frasier" career, you have managed to keep it fresh as well. What's the secret there, if you can actually divulge it?
GRAMMER: Well, actually, I think the real thing is, as long as you're alive, you should try to keep your perceptions fresh about life from day to day, and also we have the writers who are so twisted in their own way of looking at the universe, and they have a skill at lending that to the writing, and I think that's what keeps it open. You know, you just keep a fresh perspective and that translates into the work.
HARRIS: I can tell you -- I can speak with the voice of experience on that as well, twisted writers do help out quite a bit.
Before we let you go, I've got to ask you, we got the nibble about Niles going under the knife for some surgery. What's up with that? What's going to happen here?
GRAMMER: Well, I can tell you he makes it, and...
HARRIS: That's it?
GRAMMER: Yes, I directed the next episode that is coming up, and actually, we're thrilled with the response, and I hope everybody tunes in to watch because it's a really nice, touching, warm and funny show, and you realize that there's an emotional value that has resonated for the last decade about all these characters, and it's a very rewarding feeling.
HARRIS: Yes -- well, look, it is a reward for us to have you with us today, and here's wishing you a lot more to come, a lot more success to come. You're a great guy, and you have a great career going. Keep it going. Kelsey Grammer, good luck.
GRAMMER: Thanks very much.
HARRIS: We will watch you both -- on both networks. What the heck. We like ABC around here now.
All right, Kelsey Grammer, take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 15, 2002 - 11:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The countdown is on until Christmas now, and the holiday movies are already out, and a heartwarming tale called "Mr. St. Nick" is going to be airing Sunday night on ABC.
And joining us now from Los Angeles to tell us all about it is Mr. St. Nick himself, Kelsey Grammer -- good morning. How you doing today?
KELSEY GRAMMER, ACTOR: Good morning. I'm very well. How are you?
HARRIS: I'm quite well, and I'm surprised -- I shouldn't be surprised. I already knew you were the man at NBC, but here is how big you are. You can be a star on two networks at the same time. How do you you pull that off?
GRAMMER: Well, that was a funny bit of politicking, but I think everybody's fine with it now.
HARRIS: Well, good for you. Now, how -- tell us a bit about this story here.
GRAMMER: Basically, the son of Santa Claus, the next in line for the throne of the great Claus, has been kind of running away from his destiny. Every hundred years, they're supposed to take over, the new guy is supposed to step into the shoes of the former, and I've been running away from the whole responsibility. I live in Miami, I'm having a good time.
But finally, the powers that be and destiny knocking on his door sends this man to his proper way, and finally he assumes the full regalia.
HARRIS: And that is the perfect segue into the next piece of tape we have got from the show. Let's see it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My father wants me to be Connie Chung, but besides not being blond...
GRAMMER: That's very funny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what about your father? What does he expect?
GRAMMER: He wants me to take over the family business. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh. What's that?
GRAMMER: Christmas. Gifts, shipping -- toys mostly. He refuses to listen to any of my ideas, he won't let me update anything. Seems he's just stuck in the last century.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How does he make his deliveries, pony express?
GRAMMER: Reindeer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Obviously, this is not necessarily just for kids this time around.
GRAMMER: No. You know what, it is a family movie, obviously, but it's really just a story of a man who hasn't quite found himself yet, finds love, and that takes him to the next place in his life, which is basically happiness and joy and love everlasting.
HARRIS: Now, as I understand it, you wife produced this movie? You have got to tell me how this works out, man. We know what it is like when they are the boss at home, but when you go to work too, how in the world does that work out?
GRAMMER: Yes, well, I'm just a glutton for punishment I guess. My wife is very funny -- obviously, one of the reasons she got the job is because she knows the leading man, but I would stack up her producerial skills against anybody I've ever worked with. She has great insight, and she has the nerve to tell me when I'm wrong.
HARRIS: Now did she produce that bit you just did there, or was that coming from the heart?
GRAMMER: No, no, that was coming from the heart. I've learned a great many lessons the last five years of marriage, and one of the chief ones is just shut up and listen.
HARRIS: Speaking of your last five years, you've got a great story, and it's really good to see where you are right now because I'm a long time "Frasier" fan, I have always felt that has been one of the best shows -- and best written shows on television, and what's amazing to me is how after all of these different -- you've been on what, three different incarnations with "Frasier," and yet, you still aren't type cast. My kids know you as well as I do, but they know you as Stinky Pete from the "Toy Story" or from as Side Show Bob from the "Simpsons," as well.
What's the secret, keeping from being type cast, even though you've been the same character for so long?
GRAMMER: Well, I think the blessing that I've enjoyed is the fact that I just really am an actor who likes to loan himself to as many possible different incarnations as I can, and it seems to have paid off. I've had some really good fortune that way, and I guess I was given a certain gift that has helped me sustain a varied career.
HARRIS: You've been able to keep the one career, this ubiquitous "Frasier" career, you have managed to keep it fresh as well. What's the secret there, if you can actually divulge it?
GRAMMER: Well, actually, I think the real thing is, as long as you're alive, you should try to keep your perceptions fresh about life from day to day, and also we have the writers who are so twisted in their own way of looking at the universe, and they have a skill at lending that to the writing, and I think that's what keeps it open. You know, you just keep a fresh perspective and that translates into the work.
HARRIS: I can tell you -- I can speak with the voice of experience on that as well, twisted writers do help out quite a bit.
Before we let you go, I've got to ask you, we got the nibble about Niles going under the knife for some surgery. What's up with that? What's going to happen here?
GRAMMER: Well, I can tell you he makes it, and...
HARRIS: That's it?
GRAMMER: Yes, I directed the next episode that is coming up, and actually, we're thrilled with the response, and I hope everybody tunes in to watch because it's a really nice, touching, warm and funny show, and you realize that there's an emotional value that has resonated for the last decade about all these characters, and it's a very rewarding feeling.
HARRIS: Yes -- well, look, it is a reward for us to have you with us today, and here's wishing you a lot more to come, a lot more success to come. You're a great guy, and you have a great career going. Keep it going. Kelsey Grammer, good luck.
GRAMMER: Thanks very much.
HARRIS: We will watch you both -- on both networks. What the heck. We like ABC around here now.
All right, Kelsey Grammer, take care.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
