Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Interview With John Mahoney

Aired July 17, 2003 - 14:52   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The long-running NBC comedy "Frasier" is an annual Emmy favorite. This year John Mahoney is up for best supporting actor in a comedy and he's up against his TV son David Hyde Pierce for the honor.
So will there be any father-son rivalry between the "Frasier" actors? Dad knows best. Actor John Mahoney, who plays Martin Crane on the show, joins us now live on the phone from Chicago.

Hi, John.

JOHN MAHONEY, ACTOR: Hi. How are you doing, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Good. It's great to have you with us.

MAHONEY: Thank you. It's wonderful circumstances to be with you.

PHILLIPS: Oh, I can understand why you're in a good mood. You got to tell me -- is it hard being nominated against your own cast?

MAHONEY: Not really, no.

You know, David and I have been nominated against each other before -- and, no, there's no hard feelings either way, believe me. I'm just delighted for him.

PHILLIPS: You don't call each other and harass each other, John?

MAHONEY: We probably will. We'll have a good little good- natured ribbing but I haven't had a chance to call him yet.

PHILLIPS: Well, how much longer do you think this series is going to continue to air? It's had such a good run.

MAHONEY: I think this is the final year. That's what we've been told, anyway. We go back -- we start shooting again in August for year number 11 and that's going to be it.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

MAHONEY: It's just been great. You know, it's been so honored and it's just been so much fun. You know, it's -- it's just a real family. The show ending isn't going to hurt me as much as leaving the guys, Kelsey and David and Jamie Perry. That will be murder. PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about that. Ninth season now -- let's talk about behind the scenes. I'll get to the social stuff in a minute.

MAHONEY: Sure.

PHILLIPS: But what do you think after nine seasons -- tell me a funny moment. Tell me something that happened behind the cameras that we never knew about.

MAHONEY: Well, you know, there have been a lot of things. But most of them have been seen on, you know, bloopers and things like that. We just -- you know, you've got to remember that he show is just as funny to us as it is to the people watching it. So it sometimes takes us a week of rehearsal before we can -- so we're not laughing all the way through it ourselves.

But sometimes it just happens, you know? And we'll be doing a scene and you'll get to the end of the scene, the scene when David came out all covered with shaving cream that exploded in the bathroom and said his line. It took us line 14 takes because first of all, I went, then Jane went, then David went and Kelsey went and it just -- it's sometimes it's very, very hard to get through the show because we're laughing so hard. But the audience doesn't mind. They have a good time.

PHILLIPS: Well, any hints for next season?

MAHONEY: No, you know, they guard those scripts like Woody Allen does. They just -- they want to hear a table read before the actors have had a chance to read the script and think up improvements. You know what I mean? They want to hear what it's going to sound like and then we're allowed to put in any input we want. They don't always take it, but they're very good about it. They're almost pathological about wanting the actor's input into all the scripts.

PHILLIPS: Well, John, maybe we can get some of those "Soprano" actors to go in there and hijack some of those scripts.

MAHONEY: Yes, that would be fun.

PHILLIPS: Knock a few knees.

MAHONEY: I have a feeling I might be ending up maybe married or something like that or...

PHILLIPS: Really?

MAHONEY: We might, yes. I have a feeling that they're going -- I'm going to have a permanent girlfriend by the end of the show. I'm sure Kelsey will be married. I just -- I have never read anything about it, but or even heard anything about it, but...

PHILLIPS: The gut feeling.

MAHONEY: I have a gut feeling that Frasier and Roz will end up together. I mean, I hope they do.

PHILLIPS: Yes, that would be a neat little love story.

MAHONEY: Right. Yes. That will be great. So we'll see what happens, but really they just haven't told us anything.

PHILLIPS: Well, from the stage to the TV screen, John Mahoney we enjoy you. Thanks so much for giving us a bit of your time.

MAHONEY: Thanks a lot. It's a pleasure.

PHILLIPS: All right. Congratulations.

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 July 17, 2003 - 14:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The long-running NBC comedy "Frasier" is an annual Emmy favorite. This year John Mahoney is up for best supporting actor in a comedy and he's up against his TV son David Hyde Pierce for the honor.
So will there be any father-son rivalry between the "Frasier" actors? Dad knows best. Actor John Mahoney, who plays Martin Crane on the show, joins us now live on the phone from Chicago.

Hi, John.

JOHN MAHONEY, ACTOR: Hi. How are you doing, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Good. It's great to have you with us.

MAHONEY: Thank you. It's wonderful circumstances to be with you.

PHILLIPS: Oh, I can understand why you're in a good mood. You got to tell me -- is it hard being nominated against your own cast?

MAHONEY: Not really, no.

You know, David and I have been nominated against each other before -- and, no, there's no hard feelings either way, believe me. I'm just delighted for him.

PHILLIPS: You don't call each other and harass each other, John?

MAHONEY: We probably will. We'll have a good little good- natured ribbing but I haven't had a chance to call him yet.

PHILLIPS: Well, how much longer do you think this series is going to continue to air? It's had such a good run.

MAHONEY: I think this is the final year. That's what we've been told, anyway. We go back -- we start shooting again in August for year number 11 and that's going to be it.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

MAHONEY: It's just been great. You know, it's been so honored and it's just been so much fun. You know, it's -- it's just a real family. The show ending isn't going to hurt me as much as leaving the guys, Kelsey and David and Jamie Perry. That will be murder. PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about that. Ninth season now -- let's talk about behind the scenes. I'll get to the social stuff in a minute.

MAHONEY: Sure.

PHILLIPS: But what do you think after nine seasons -- tell me a funny moment. Tell me something that happened behind the cameras that we never knew about.

MAHONEY: Well, you know, there have been a lot of things. But most of them have been seen on, you know, bloopers and things like that. We just -- you know, you've got to remember that he show is just as funny to us as it is to the people watching it. So it sometimes takes us a week of rehearsal before we can -- so we're not laughing all the way through it ourselves.

But sometimes it just happens, you know? And we'll be doing a scene and you'll get to the end of the scene, the scene when David came out all covered with shaving cream that exploded in the bathroom and said his line. It took us line 14 takes because first of all, I went, then Jane went, then David went and Kelsey went and it just -- it's sometimes it's very, very hard to get through the show because we're laughing so hard. But the audience doesn't mind. They have a good time.

PHILLIPS: Well, any hints for next season?

MAHONEY: No, you know, they guard those scripts like Woody Allen does. They just -- they want to hear a table read before the actors have had a chance to read the script and think up improvements. You know what I mean? They want to hear what it's going to sound like and then we're allowed to put in any input we want. They don't always take it, but they're very good about it. They're almost pathological about wanting the actor's input into all the scripts.

PHILLIPS: Well, John, maybe we can get some of those "Soprano" actors to go in there and hijack some of those scripts.

MAHONEY: Yes, that would be fun.

PHILLIPS: Knock a few knees.

MAHONEY: I have a feeling I might be ending up maybe married or something like that or...

PHILLIPS: Really?

MAHONEY: We might, yes. I have a feeling that they're going -- I'm going to have a permanent girlfriend by the end of the show. I'm sure Kelsey will be married. I just -- I have never read anything about it, but or even heard anything about it, but...

PHILLIPS: The gut feeling.

MAHONEY: I have a gut feeling that Frasier and Roz will end up together. I mean, I hope they do.

PHILLIPS: Yes, that would be a neat little love story.

MAHONEY: Right. Yes. That will be great. So we'll see what happens, but really they just haven't told us anything.

PHILLIPS: Well, from the stage to the TV screen, John Mahoney we enjoy you. Thanks so much for giving us a bit of your time.

MAHONEY: Thanks a lot. It's a pleasure.

PHILLIPS: All right. Congratulations.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com