Amanpour and Company

NOW TURNING TO THE THEATER AND REIMAGINING AN OLD CLASSIC.

TONY IS A STANDUP COMEDIAN AND ACTOR WHOSE PERFORMED ACROSS THE WORLD IN FOUR DIFFERENT LANGUAGES NOW DEVELOPING CHARLES DICKINS GREAT EXPECTATIONS INTO A SOLO SHOW PLAYING ALL 19 CHARACTERS IN AN EPIC PERFORMANCE HERE SHE IS WITH HARRY DISCUSSING HER SHOW AND PROJECTS.

THANKS FOR JOINING US.

FIRST OFF, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SEE THE PLAY AND WHY THIS PLAY, WHY NOW?

WHY NOW?

THERE IS NO PARTICULAR THING ON NOW EXCEPT I HAVE A CERTAIN AGE.

I'M 22 AND THIS VERY RIGHT OLD AGE I AM -- I NEVER READ THE WORK.

I AM SO DEARLY GETTING TESTED AND I SEEM TO BE LIKE A HIGH FUNCTION.

SPELLING IS ALL OVER THE PLACE.

K WITH A K, CEILING WITH AN F. WRITING IS NOT VERY GOOD.

THANK GOD TYPING CAME IN AND STUFF.

SO READING IS VERY SLOW.

GREAT WORK IS LARGE ABOVE SMALLER ONES BUT I WON'T READ THAT.

I NEVER READ ONE.

I AUDS OWE BOOK AUDIO BOOKS ARE.

WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO COMMISSION ME TO READ AN AUDIO BOOK?

I WAS GOING TO GET PAID TO READ A BOOK.

TRUE.

IT'S THREE MONTHS IN THE STUDIO AND 20 HOURS A BOOK.

AND TO ADD TO THIS, WHY DICKINS BECAUSE I'M EXACTLY 150 YEARS YOUNGER THAN DICKINS.

HE'S FEBRUARY 7th.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

THAT MEANS NOTHING.

I DECIDED TO RUN WITH IT, GO WITH DICKINS AND I DID THE AUDIO BOOK AND REALIZED USING RICHARD PRIOR'S TECHNIQUE WHICH I USED IN MY STANDUP WHERE I DEVELOPED THIS CHARACTER, DIDN'T DO IT ALL THE TIME BUT SOMETIMES GUYS GOING WHAT ARE YOU DOING OVER THERE?

JUST BACK UP A BIT.

I WILL BACK UP.

AND HE WOULD TURN A QUARTER TURN.

MULTIPLE CHARACTERS TAKING AND TAKE THAT AND PUT INTO IT DRAMA, AS WELL.

THAT'S HOW WE GET TO THIS STAGE.

I FOUND RATHER TAKING, MY FATHER TELLS ME YOU'RE CRAZY.

SHE SENT FOR ME ONCE.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS QUARTER TURN, YOU MAKE IT SOUND RELATIVELY SIMPLE BUT ON STAGE, HOW MANY CHARACTERS ARE YOU CYCLING THROUGH TO 15, 20?

IT'S 19.

19.

SOME ARE TWO CHARACTERS.

I WAKE UP WITH TWO PEOPLE IN THE ROOM WHO HAVE ONE LINE EACH.

I'M SAYING THAT'S ONE CHARACTER.

IT'S 1920.

SOMETHING AROUND THERE.

FOR PEOPLE THAT MIGHT NOT REMEMBER WHAT THIS STORY WAS ABOUT, SUMMARIZE IF YOU CAN WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO CONVEY ON STAGE.

WHAT IS THIS STORY?

THE EXPECTATION MAY HAVE COME FROM A DREAM WHAT DICKINS WOULD HAVE WANTED TO HAPPEN TO HIM WHEN HE WAS A KID.

THE IDEA THAT SOMEONE TURNED UP AND SAID YOU HAVE AN INHERITANCE, AND SUDDENLY YOU'RE A GENTLEMAN AND HELPS OUT THIS VERY TOUGH THREATENING CHARACTER IN THE VERY FIRST SEEN WHO IS A MURDER OR THIEF AND HE'S FORCED TO HELP HIM AT HIS PESTBEST SCA HIM AND THAT DISAPPEARS.

THE PERSON IS RECAPTURED AND BRINGS HIM AND GOES DOWN TO THAT AND LIFE GOES ON AND MEETS THIS -- HAS TO GO THIS TO STRANGE WOMAN'S HOUSE AND SHE HAS A BEAUTIFUL ADOPTED DAUGHTER STELLA AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH STELLA AND MONEY.

HE WANTS TO RISE AND HOE REALIZES IT'S BACK TO FRONT AND HATES THE STORY.

HE'S BECOMING A WISER PERSON AND LEARNING TO BE A MATURE PERSON AFTER MONEY AND ADVANCEMENT AND HAVING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AND NOT BEING A BLACK SMITH AND/OR FAN.

HIS LIFE IS TOUGH AT THE BEGINNING WITH ONLY ONE PERSON THAT SHOWS HIM LOVE AND HE DISMISSES THIS PERSON WHO HAS SHOWN LOVE AND WANTS TO GO AFTER THIS FLASHING LIFE SO HE BECOMES A WISER PERSON AND BITTER ENDING AND GREAT CLASSIC, GREAT EXPECTATION AND CLASSIC FROM DICKINS.

SO I'VE GOT TO ASK, TWO HOURS ON STAGE SAY PHYSICAL FEAT IN ITSELF.

HOW TIRING IS IT?

I DON'T THINK MOST PEOPLE IN THE AUD YIENCE KNOW ABOUT YOUR MARATHON LEVEL ENERGY.

WHAT IS HARDER, DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS WHERE YOU'RE MENTALLY AS TUNED IN AND FOCUSED FOR TWO HOURS ALONG WITH WHAT YOU'RE DOING ON STAGE OR RUNNING MARATHONS WHICH YOU ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY FAMOUS FOR?

I RUN 130 MARATHONS BUT I DO MULTIPLE MARATHONS, WHICH IS 43 AND 51 DAYS IN THE U.K. AND I DID 27, 27 DAYS.

SO STUFF LIKE THAT.

IT'S FOR RAISING MONEY AND A GOOD THING BUT EACH MARATHON HAS A PHYSICALLY MASSIVE DRAINING CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MENTAL TRAINING.

TENACITY IN YOUR HEAD.

ON STAGE, PHYSICALLY, IT'S NOT THAT MUCH BUT MENTALLY, IT'S HUGE.

I DON'T TEND TO NOTICE IT UNTIL I GET ILL OR GET A COLD.

WHEN YOU TRY TO GET BETTER EACH DAY, THE PERFORMANCE AND GET THROUGH THE COLD, IT DRAINS ALL THIS ENERGY OUT OF YOURSELF AND I HAVEN'T GOT ILL THIS WHOLE RUN IN NEW YORK.

THAT'S GREAT.

BUT THE ENNERGY IS INTENSE.

IF YOU'RE PLAYING GETTING OVER RULED, STELLA IS NOT THERE EMOTIONALLY.

SHE'S BLANK SO YOU HAVE TO FLIP TO HER, FLIP TO HIM, FLIP TO PIP AND JUMPING EMOTIONS IS AN ODD THING.

YOU DON'T NORMALLY DO THAT IF YOU'RE ACTING A SINGLE ROLE BECAUSE YOU WILL PROBABLY GO THROUGH AN ARK IN A SCENE WITH ONE CHAR ACRACTER.

SO YES, A LOT OF ENERGY AND I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU MEASURE IT BUT IT'S SOMETHING LIKE WOW, THERE IS SO MUCH ENERGY GOING TO THIS SO I HAVE TO BE MATCH FIT AND LOOK FORWARD TO GIGS.

I DO GIGS IN GERMAN AND FRENCH AND SPANISH AS WELL.

MY STANDUP.

SO EXPECT THAT.

SO IF YOU DO THOSE THINGS AND GO BACK TO ENGLISH, YOU THINK THAT'S EASY.

MY OWN NINJA TRAINING FOR ACTING AND PERFORMING, WHICH IS MAKE IT AS HARD AS YOU CAN AND THEN SOMETHING ELSE YOU'LL DO WILL BE EASIER AND ENGLISH HAS TO BE EASIER THAN GERMAN.

I WONDER HOW JOKES TRANSLATE.

YOU CAN'T LITERALLY TRANSLATE SOMETHING.

THEY TRANSLATE PERFECTLY BUT REFERENCES DO NOT TRANSLATE.

RIGHT.

SO IF YOU TALK ABOUT HERSHEY BARS OR TWINKIES, WE DON'T HAVE THEM -- I DON'T THINK THEY EXIST BUT AROUND THE WORLD FOR SOME REASON.

KIT KITKAT.

HIT HIM WITH A TWING KI DOESN'T WORK.

CRAZY.

THINK ABOUT HUMAN SACRIFICE, BACK IN THE DAY THEY USED TO GO THE WEATHER IS BAD, THE CROPS HAVE FAILED, THE GODS OBVIOUSLY HATE US SO WE'LL KILL STEVE AND THEN THAT WILL BE A LOT BETTER.

WE AGREE?

STEVE GOES WHOA.

WAIT, STEVE?

I DIDN'T LIKE YOU ANYWAY.

YOU KNOW, SO IT'S REFERENCING THAT HE HAS AND THE REST OF IT IS HUMOR IS HUMAN.

THEY HAVE AN ACCENT, THEY CAN MAKE YOU LAUGH AND YOU GO WELL HOW DID THAT TRANSLATE?

YOU GO IN AMERICA YOU'RE MAKING SOMEONE LAUGH AND THEREFORE YOU HAVE AMERICAN SENSE OF HUMOR.

THERE IS NO AMERICAN SENSE OF HUMOR.

THERE IS NO CHINESE SENSE OF HUMOR.

THERE IS ONLY A MAIN STREAM SENSE OF HUMOR.

HE VERY CAUSALLY REFERENCED HOW MANY MARATHONS YOU'VE DONE.

WHAT IS IT IN YOUR MIND THAT ALLOWS YOUR BODY TO COMPLETE SUCH A TASK OR TAKE ON OTHER MENTAL CHALLENGES LIKE DOING COMEDY AND LIKE DOING ONE PERSON INTERPRETATION OF DICKINS ON STAGE.

HOW DOES THE CLOCK TICK?

I SEEM TO HAVE THE DETERMINATION TEAM.

I THINK IT MIGHT BE IT.

MY MOM DIED WHEN I WAS 6.

I THINK I STARTED PERFORMING AND ACTING BECAUSE I STARTED LOVE OF AN AUDIENCE DOING SOMETHING VERY GOOD.

I THOUGHT I NEED THAT KIND OF LOVE INJECTION AND SO THAT'S WHAT IT CAME FOR, WHICH IS NOT A BAD THING TO DO.

D I DON'T THINK BECAUSE IT'S A CONDITIONAL LOVE FROM AN AUDIENCE.

IF YOU DO BAD WORK ON THE STAGE, THEY WILL NOT GET UP.

THAT WAS GOOD.

SO THAT'S WHERE IT WILL START.

AND I THINK IF YOU HAVE A CERTAIN LOOK, IF YOU'RE A GOOD LOOKING YOUNG MAN OR YOUNG WOMAN, YOU WILL GET INTO A GREEN LIGHTING POSITION TO STAY IN FILMS.

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

IF YOU'RE A GOOD ACTOR AND THINK LET YOU BRING LIKE THAT, IF YOU'RE NOT IN THAT KIND OF STANDARD CHARACTER, YOU BETTER DO GOOD WORK.

THAT WAS ME SAYING LET'S REACH OUT AND SEE IF WE CAN DO GOOD AND IF I HAVE 27 MARATHONS IN 20727 DAYS, WHAT A GREAT PERSONN NELSN MANDELA WAS.

THAT MIGHT RESONATE WITH SOMEONE ELSE AND SAY I'LL GO THERE AND HEALTHY AND THE LANGUAGE IS I DON'T AGREE WITH BREXIT.

THE PULLING PACK AND GOING BACK INTO SMALL AND SMALL TRIABLE GROUPS, THAT'S HUMANITY WALKING BACKWARDS.

SO I GO AND I DIDN'T GET THAT TIME AND KEEP GOING BACK.

I LOOK TO MAKE CONNECTIONS IN THIS WORLD RATHER THAN BREAK CONNECTIONS.

EVERYONE IN THE WORLD HAS A RIGHT TO HAVE A FAIR CHANCE IN LIFE.

I CAME OUT AS TRANS 38 YEARS AGO AND THAT WAS SO HARD COMING OUT IN 1995 BUTTIST IT'S MADE ME TO TO TAKE ON IMPOSSIBLE THINGS.

I'M DOING THIS AND COMING OUT AND I WILL TAKE WHATEVER IS GIVEN TO ME IN THE STREETS.

THE ABUSE IN THE STREETS NOW, LESS ABUSE IN THE STREETS AND MORE ABUSE ONLINE BUT JUST PUSHED THROUGH THAT AND SAY I EXIST, I'M HERE AND I'M BEING MY AUTHENTIC SELF.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

THE TRAINING FROM COMING OUT IN 1985 TOOK ME A GOOD TIME TO DO MULTIPLE THINGS AND COMING UP WITH UNUSUAL IDEAS.

MY DAD SAID YOU'VE ALWAYS HAD CRAZY IDEAS, THE DIFFERENCE IS NOW SOME OF THEM WORKED.

THAT'S KIND OF TRUE.

NOT ALL MY GREAT IDEAS WORK BUT SOME OF THEM ARE BEAUTIFUL.

GIVEN THAT YOU HAVE BEEN TRA IN NS FOR SO LONG, WHAT DO YOU NOTICE BETWEEN WHEN YOU CAME OUT AND THE KIND OF ABUSES YOU SUFFERED THEN TO NOW WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING FOR PARLIAMENT?

THERE WERE STILL PRETTY HORRIBLE THINGS THAT WERE HORRIBLE ABOUT YOU, NOT ABOUT YOUR POLICY, YOUR PLAN FOR CAMPAIGN OR YOUR CANDIDACY.

I DIDN'T READ THEM SO -- WHAT THEY SAID.

PEOPLE WOULD SAY GOD IT WAS HORRIBLE.

I DIDN'T READ IT SO YEAH, I'VE BEEN TRUTHFUL AND HONEST AND OPEN AND I DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

TRANS PEOPLE EXISTED SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME.

LGBTQ PEOPLE HAVE EXISTED SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME.

I EXIST.

I'M NOT GOING INTO POLITICS TO BE ATRANS CANDIDATE BUT A HUMAN CANDIDATE THAT HAPPENS TO BE TRANS.

I JUST AM TRYING TO LIKE A BARACK OBAMA, HE WAS AFRICAN AMERICAN BUT NOT GOING TO BE A PRESIDENT OF AMERICA AND JUST DEAL WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN ISSUE.

HE WAS GOING TO BE SWUCHOMEONE WAS A PRESIDENT FOR THE COUNTRY.

THAT'S MY ATTITUDE TO DO THINGS TO HELP PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY AND CONTINENT AND WORLD.

EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO A FAIR CHANCE IN LIFE AND I WANT TO FIGHT FOR THAT.

WHEN I CAME OUT, THERE WERE NO ARGUMENTS ABOUT BEING TRANS BECAUSE WE WEREN'T PEOPLE AND WEREN'T CONSIDERED AS CITIZENS.

I THOUGHT WE WERE REAL OUT LIARS AND PART OF MY JOB IS TO EXIST, CARRY ON AND I HAD NO CAREER AT THIS POINT, TRY TO GET MY CAREER AND SAY I HAPPEN TO BE TRANS THIS IS THE DRAWING I'M DOING.

MY SEXUALITY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS.

I'M BEING HONEST ABOUT IT.

THERE IS A LINE YOU HAVE ON STAGE.

I THINK PIP SAYS I CRIED MYSELF TO THINK THINKING MY GREAT EXPECTATIONS MIGHT HAVE MADE GOOD ON SOMEONE ELSE.

I WONDER IF THAT LINE RESONATES WITH YOU CONSIDERING THE CONVERSATION WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS HOPED.

THIS IDEA A FRIEND OF MINE SAID IT'S LIKE A PELOTON IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE, THE CYCLE RACES.

THEY HAVE THESE THINGS CALLED THE PELOTONS.

IF YOU'RE AHEAD OF THE PELOTON, YOU'RE TAKING ALL THE WIND PRESSURE BUT PEOPLE CAN STAY BEHIND.

I FELT I'LL GO AND TAKE WHATEVER PRESSURE IS COMING IN AND IF ANYONE SAYS I'M A BIT LIKE THAT PERSON, THAT'S KIND OF ROUGHLY WHERE I'M GOING THEN HOPEFULLY I CAN BE A POSITIVE EXAMPLE TO MYSELF.

I WAS TRYING TO BE MY OWN ROLE MODEL.

THIS IS MY TECHNIQUE.

I'LL DO SOMETHING POSITIVE.

WHEN YOU RUN A MARATHON, THAT'S NICE.

TRY TO HAVE A DESCENT PERSON, AS WELL AND YOU JUST TRY TO DO THAT AND THEN PEOPLE WILL SAY WELL, I'M KIND OF LIKE THAT AND PEOPLE ARE SAYING HE IS OKAY AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I'M GOING SO I DID WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.

OTHER PEOPLE ARE BEING ACTUALLY STRAIGHT UP ACTIVISTS AND I HAVEN'T DONE THIS AND I KIND OF APOLOGIZED BUT DECIDED TO DO IT THIS WAY WHERE I WOULD BE AN UNCONSCIOUS OR SUBCONSCIOUS ACTOR WHERE I WAS STANDING THERE, GOING FORWARD AND TRYING TO OVER ACHIEVE IN MY CAREER.

THAT'S IT.

YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT YOU GOT THIS BUG TO PERFORM AFTER YOUR MOM PASSED WHEN YOU WERE AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE.

DO YOU THINK SHE WOULD BE PROUD OF YOU NOW?

I HOPE SO.

WHEN I CAME OUT, MY DAD WAS VERY, VERY DESCENT MAN.

WHEN I CAME OUT, I WAS READY TO NEVER TALK TO MY DAD AGAIN.

I TOLD HIM BOOM AND HE SENT ME BACK A LETTER SAYING I'M OKAY WITH THIS AND IF YOUR MOM WAS ALIVE, SHE'D BE OKAY WITH IT TOO.

THAT'S A GREAT THING FOR YOUR DAD TO WRITE.

SHE WAS AN ARMATURE PERFORMER.

SHE WOULD HAVE TO SING, COMEDY SONGS AND KIND OF LIKE COMEDY SONGS AND SANG IN CHOIRS, SANG AT THE HALL AS PART OF THE CHOIR SO WE KNOW SHE DID THAT.

DAD WAS THE REAL COMEDIAN.

THE PERFORMANCE COMES FROM MOM AND MY BROTHER, MY OLDER BROTHER MARK DID THE ADAPTATION OF THE BOOK, NOW THE BOOK IS 20 HOURS OF BOOK.

YOU HAVE TO CUT OUT 90% BUT HOPEFULLY YOU STILL GET THE ESSENCE OF THE SHOW.

I SAID THIS ON, I THINK OPENING NIGHT, I THINK MOM WOULD BE VERY HAPPY THAT BOTH THEIR KIDS WERE DOING THIS PARTICULARLY IN NEW YORK.

IT'S SOMETHING HAPPENING IN NEW YORK AND NEW YORKERS ARE GOING YES, COME AND SEE THE SHOW AND YOU SAY THIS IS PRETTY GOOD.

I THINK MOM WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY.

EDDIE, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

THANK YOU.