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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Harvey Fierstein

Aired June 08, 2003 - 18:21   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.


ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Some of the brightest stars from Broadway will be at Radio City Music Hall in New York tonight waiting to see who will take home this year's Tony awards, as CNN's Whitney Casey, who's in New York with some lovely lady, or man, right, from "Hairspray?"
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes. You probably wouldn't recognize him if you've seen "Hairspray," because this is the man that is supposedly supposed to win by a hemline, the only man that may win a Tony as a woman. But he's here with us, Harvey Fierstein. And he's here -- you're up for best actor in a musical. Nervous? Excited? Deserve it?

HARVEY FIERSTEIN, ACTOR: I'm nervous, I'm excited, and we still have work to do. I still have to go backstage, turn into a woman, sing a song, turn back into a man, and go sit in my seat and then wait and see what happens. But it's an exciting night. You know, it's Broadway's night, and it's always exciting. I mean, and it's, you know, then there's the historic stuff, about only being the second person ever nominated for playing someone of the opposite sex; the other person being Mary Martin (ph), for Peter Pan. And also, if I won tonight, I'd be the first person -- or second person ever to win in four categories, because I've already won in three categories, so that would be fun.

CASEY: And "Hairspray" is up for 13.

FIERSTEIN: Thirteen awards, and that's the great part, is to get to watch everybody else and hopefully they'll all win and we'll just have the best party.

CASEY: What about your cohort, your cohort, who's up for best actress in a musical, what do you think?

FIERSTEIN: Well, she's getting dressed right now, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. No one on Broadway works harder than my daughter. Nobody works harder than my daughter.

CASEY: But Bernadette Peters, she's a veteran, and she's a rookie, so you've got the veteran/rookie due, you know? What's going to happen?

FIERSTEIN: You know, look, I love Bernadette, we've been friends for years, but my daughter works really hard, and she's my daughter. I've got to wish for my daughter, don't I? CASEY: Good luck. You're going to have so much, and I know you have all sorts of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in your pocket, a good luck. Let's just show -- this is kind of interesting.

FIERSTEIN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

FIERSTEIN: You have to have your suckers. I have an extra battery, so I can call my mother who's over at my brother's house, so that -- if my battery runs out, so I can call her, because I (ph) wouldn't let them come.

CASEY: You're supposed to be the man of the night. And is this like a good luck charm or something? Do we know something about that?

FIERSTEIN: These earrings, I actually wore as studs when I won my first two Tonys, because I had lost two studs, and a friend gave them to me, her earrings, to wear as studs, to keep my shirt closed, and I wore them the next year when I won for "La Cage," and so she wanted me to (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CASEY: So you were wearing earrings even before you were playing a woman on Broadway?

FIERSTEIN: Oh, honey, I've been wearing earrings since I was about 5. Don't tell my mother. She kept saying, what happened to my jewelry? Where did my makeup go?

CASEY: Well, we'll see you tonight. Good luck with your performance too. Can't wait.

FIERSTEIN: You can grow up and be a star of a Broadway show.

CASEY: Fantastic. Maybe not tonight.

(CROSSTALK)

CASEY: I think I already won. I talked to you. Right? Oh there, I'm such a little sycophant. I can't believe it, on the red carpet.

All right, well, we'll have much more too, because they start about 8:00 tonight, and the whole fanfare. It's going to be a big night here. CBS is hoping they can boost the ratings from last year. We'll see. We have got a whole lineup, and Billy Joel is supposed to kick it off at 8:00. So back to you guys.

KOPPEL: It sounds like a fun evening, Whitney. Enjoy. And we'll be checking back in with you later. Thanks so much, Whitney Casey in New York.

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 June 8, 2003 - 18:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Some of the brightest stars from Broadway will be at Radio City Music Hall in New York tonight waiting to see who will take home this year's Tony awards, as CNN's Whitney Casey, who's in New York with some lovely lady, or man, right, from "Hairspray?"
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes. You probably wouldn't recognize him if you've seen "Hairspray," because this is the man that is supposedly supposed to win by a hemline, the only man that may win a Tony as a woman. But he's here with us, Harvey Fierstein. And he's here -- you're up for best actor in a musical. Nervous? Excited? Deserve it?

HARVEY FIERSTEIN, ACTOR: I'm nervous, I'm excited, and we still have work to do. I still have to go backstage, turn into a woman, sing a song, turn back into a man, and go sit in my seat and then wait and see what happens. But it's an exciting night. You know, it's Broadway's night, and it's always exciting. I mean, and it's, you know, then there's the historic stuff, about only being the second person ever nominated for playing someone of the opposite sex; the other person being Mary Martin (ph), for Peter Pan. And also, if I won tonight, I'd be the first person -- or second person ever to win in four categories, because I've already won in three categories, so that would be fun.

CASEY: And "Hairspray" is up for 13.

FIERSTEIN: Thirteen awards, and that's the great part, is to get to watch everybody else and hopefully they'll all win and we'll just have the best party.

CASEY: What about your cohort, your cohort, who's up for best actress in a musical, what do you think?

FIERSTEIN: Well, she's getting dressed right now, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. No one on Broadway works harder than my daughter. Nobody works harder than my daughter.

CASEY: But Bernadette Peters, she's a veteran, and she's a rookie, so you've got the veteran/rookie due, you know? What's going to happen?

FIERSTEIN: You know, look, I love Bernadette, we've been friends for years, but my daughter works really hard, and she's my daughter. I've got to wish for my daughter, don't I? CASEY: Good luck. You're going to have so much, and I know you have all sorts of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in your pocket, a good luck. Let's just show -- this is kind of interesting.

FIERSTEIN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

FIERSTEIN: You have to have your suckers. I have an extra battery, so I can call my mother who's over at my brother's house, so that -- if my battery runs out, so I can call her, because I (ph) wouldn't let them come.

CASEY: You're supposed to be the man of the night. And is this like a good luck charm or something? Do we know something about that?

FIERSTEIN: These earrings, I actually wore as studs when I won my first two Tonys, because I had lost two studs, and a friend gave them to me, her earrings, to wear as studs, to keep my shirt closed, and I wore them the next year when I won for "La Cage," and so she wanted me to (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

CASEY: So you were wearing earrings even before you were playing a woman on Broadway?

FIERSTEIN: Oh, honey, I've been wearing earrings since I was about 5. Don't tell my mother. She kept saying, what happened to my jewelry? Where did my makeup go?

CASEY: Well, we'll see you tonight. Good luck with your performance too. Can't wait.

FIERSTEIN: You can grow up and be a star of a Broadway show.

CASEY: Fantastic. Maybe not tonight.

(CROSSTALK)

CASEY: I think I already won. I talked to you. Right? Oh there, I'm such a little sycophant. I can't believe it, on the red carpet.

All right, well, we'll have much more too, because they start about 8:00 tonight, and the whole fanfare. It's going to be a big night here. CBS is hoping they can boost the ratings from last year. We'll see. We have got a whole lineup, and Billy Joel is supposed to kick it off at 8:00. So back to you guys.

KOPPEL: It sounds like a fun evening, Whitney. Enjoy. And we'll be checking back in with you later. Thanks so much, Whitney Casey in New York.

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