-How are you doing? How is everything going? -Life is very, very good.
-Hey, you look great. -Thank you. I'm glad to be working in theater in New York.
-Yeah. I think you Zoomed with us last time, which was very nice of you to do. -Yes.
-Thank you for helping us. -That was a long time ago now. -Yeah, well.
-Well, not as long as it feels. -Yeah, exactly. But we do appreciate it 'cause we -- Thank you.
We needed guests. -You stayed in business. -Yes, we stayed in business, yeah.
[ Laughter ] I was asking about your husband on Instagram because he had a thing that he was doing, and I go, "How long has he been doing this? " He's a great artist. -He is a great artist.
-And did you always know he was a painter? -I knew that he was -- He studied art in school. When I was met him, he was a graphic designer.
And this is so funny. We've been together almost 20 years next month it'll be, and I -- [ Cheers and applause ] -Very nice. -You know it's funny.
You understand getting applause for a length of a relationship the longer it goes on. [ Laughter ] Before it was always like, it's just a pleasure. And it is still just a pleasure.
But it's like, yeah, it's an accomplishment. -Yeah, that's right. 20 years.
Not too shabby. -We've been together -- for the first 18 years, I didn't see him paint or draw more than twice I'd say. And he's kind of had a renaissance.
He's back in school studying design. But, yeah, he's painting dogs. -Yeah, here's a painting.
-Those are ours, yeah. -Here's a painting of you. -That's me with one of these dogs.
-Are you sleeping here? -No, I'm actually watching TV. [ Laughter ] I'm sure I'm watching you, Jimmy.
-Oh, wow, thank you. [ Laughter ] -I lay down. I'm horizontal when we watch TV normally and the dog sometimes snoozes on my chest, yeah.
-Yeah. Your husband -- You said he's going back at school? He's at Parsons?
-He's at Parsons for -- [ Woman cheers ] No relation. [ Laughter ] For interior design. I wish.
Always when I came here, I was like -- "We're not related to anybody? " "No, nobody. " -Wow, nothing.
-It's sad. -Yeah, it is sad. You know what I wanted to ask you about.
"The Big Bang Theory," obviously, everyone loves. [ Cheers and applause ] It's just as hot as it ever was. But everyone has been talking about it lately because of this new oral history that just came out where they interviewed you for how long?
-I did like 20 hours of interviews with it. But honestly it was really the only way I thought it was worth doing because I thought this isn't the kind of thing -- if they're just going to talk for an hour or two, it's like -- And so, I was like, "Cool, let's do it. " And it was really interesting because it was sort of a decompression of those 12 years that I didn't realize how helpful that would be because other people would jog Memories when she'd come back to you with other questions.
They're like, "They said. " I'm like, "That's right. That happened" or whatever.
And it was cool. -You go, "Oh, I know --" -Oh, I had my own little box of what that time was in its own way. -Well, you lived it.
-Yeah. I know where all the bodies are buried, I like to say. [ Laughter ] But yeah.
-But it's pretty -- And do you see people coming up to you still that are new fans or even getting -- -I don't know about new fans, but I will tell you that since I've been -- we haven't done it for three years now or so. And jobs that I'm working, people who I guess didn't watch it all that I'll be working with suddenly will be like, "I watched an episode last night. You were very good on it.
" I said, "Thank you. " But they had never seen it before. But I guess they're working with me like, "What the hell did he do on there?
" [ Laughter ] It's so funny. -Oh, my gosh. It's the biggest show ever.
-It's sweet, yeah. -I also heard you auditioned for another big show, "The Office. " -I did audition for "The Off--" Yeah.
I auditioned for the role of Jim, John Krasinski's role. And I auditioned for Rainn Wilson's role. What was he called?
Dwight. It's really a great example -- -I could see you doing either one. -I could see me doing either one.
I also felt like I sort of fell in between them. And it was a great example of the kind of thing where I don't get it and you see it air and you see who gets it and you're like, "Oh, I would have never -- That's not what I would've done with it," and what they're doing with it was so powerful and strong and unique in both of those roles that it's like, "That's what should've happened. " It's the same way -- Like, I think Rainn would have been a very good Sheldon, but it wouldn't have been like me.
-It would've been different. -It would've been different. I don't even think -- He didn't audition.
He was on "The Office," so. What do I know? He could have been moonlighting.
[ Laughter ] -Before we get into your show, I also want to mention that you're in a new film called "Spoiler Alert. " -Yes. -Without spoiling anything -- [ Laughter ] -It's already spoiled.
It's a movie based on the true-life memoir of TV journalist Michael Ausiello. He and his partner, who eventually became his husband, lived in New York on a very similar trajectory of time to me and my husband here in New York. And his husband battled cancer and eventually passed away.
So this is their journey through that. And I think one of the most interesting things about it is the way that Michael, as a person and then the character in the movie, he dealt with -- his mother passed away from cancer when he was a much younger man. And it really affected, I think, the way he tackled his husband's having cancer, like, really trying to take action in ways that he couldn't have as a child.
And, yeah, it was one of those things that's -- it's a heartbreaking and really tumultuous journey but also one of those that opens your eyes to the life you do have and the love you can share in a way that without it you don't always see as clearly. You know what I mean? It's like you can't really live and love without experiencing heartbreak.
And I could cry. I'm not going to. [ Audience awws ] [ Laughs ] Keep it together.
-It's in select theaters December 2nd. It opens nationwide December 16th. It is beautiful.
And check it out. Let's talk about "A Man of No Importance. " Do you love doing off-Broadway as much as Broadway?
-Yes. This is my second off-Broadway show. I did one when I first moved to New York in 2001.
And it's been a long time, long enough that -- well, 21 years, that we were rehearsing in this space. It's very small, 200 seats or so. And we're in and out of it.
They're so close that we were getting close to audience coming. I started getting very uptight about it. I was like, "Woof, they're going to be right here.
" And then then they arrived and it's wonderful. For one thing, it's something I'm very familiar with and kind of hadn't thought about. That's all the theater I did growing up.
It was always in weird little places. It was never nice, grand Broadway stages or whatever. -Yeah.
-But, yeah. You know, the show itself is a very intimate show about a small-town group of people in Dublin. And it's partly a man coming to terms with who he is, but it's a lot about what it is to make theater.
And so there's that whole feel about it. I keep saying, if you've never seen anything in a theater, this is the kind of show that you would go and see and be completely addicted. You would be like, "I want to do that.
" What they're making there, it's just so -- it's the essence of creativity. I just love it. -Isn't that great?
I love that. -Yeah. -And not only is it awesome, it's already been extended.
It hasn't even started yet. -Yes. We haven't even opened.
-The demand, yeah. -That was a touch of the Dublin. -It was.
You did a little open. Yeah, of course. Before we go, I heard that this story that when you were a kid, you used to imitate Johnny Carson.
-Oh, yes. Coming behind the drapes, yes. I was fixated on a couple of things.
I also wanted a sweater in the closet of Mr Rogers. Didn't want to host his show. But I didn't want to host "The Tonight Show," but I wanted to come out of the drapes, which was probably a clue for something.
But anyway. [ Laughter ] That's two different things. -Would you like to come through the curtains?
-Oh, Jimmy! Really? [ Cheers and applause ] I'll do it.
-Yeah? -Yeah. -Come here.
You'll hit that mark at the end. Go to that mark. I'll meet you there.
-You're not getting a monologue. That's all I'm saying. -No, no, no, we're not giving you a monologue.
We'll cut to there. I'll introduce you. And then, can we do that, like an intro?
-Yes. -Alright, and I'll just -- I'll be the announcer. [ Drmroll ] And here's your host, Jim Parsons!
[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ How did it feel? Like the drapes? -It's really comfortable actually.
-It feels good, right? -I'm probably a real egomaniac because I was like, "That feels very comfortable. " -Yeah, you're a natural.
Jim Parsons, everyone. Go check out "A Man of No Importance. " It's in previews now at Classic Stage Company.
More "Tonight Show" after the break, everybody.
