A BIG thank you to Diamond_T and Ringer Spy Meriadoc for this transcript of Astin on ‘The View’.
OSCAR WATCH is on the screen. Shot cuts down into the studio to Star:
STAR: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the epic adventure fantasy that fans and critics absolutely adore; count me in! Sean Astin is on our Osacar Watch and has quite an appitite for more than just adventure. Take a look: (clip of Frodo, Sam and Gollum and the lembas incident; after Smeagol’s line about Sam, “He took it!” the clip ends. Star replies…)
STAR: Big liar! He did not! *laughter* Please welcome Sean Astin!
*Sean walks in, kisses all the women and sits down on the couch*
SEAN: Hello, how are you?! You guys are so much fun! I was having a ball listening to you!
STAR: Now, you’ve been married for 10 years–
SEAN: 11!
STAR: 11years! The romance is still in it…
SEAN: Well, thank you for the opportunity to talk about it. *laughter* You get these moments in your life when you wwe’re talking about you made it through the 50 year thing; I was ssitting there thinking there thinking : we’re gonna make it, too. When I do something stupid, I’m going to cop to it. So…I was quoted in ‘People” magazine; they didthis little–with all the success of LOTR you talk, and people like get–put in the magazines, and so there, you have to think about what you’re saying. And they did this thing that was like ‘stream of consciousness’ well, they’d throw out a word, and I had to throw out something else. So they said something like ‘prenuptial agreement’or something, and I said ‘am I still eligible?” But, *audience groans* when I said…yeah, I know *the women all groan* and I was thinking like it was a stupid question ’cause I’m like the old married guy who was…whatever, but in PRINT, it looks like…
JOY: So, what did she say, your wife?
SEAN: She was, she was, well you know what she said? She was great about it! She just read it to me, she said ‘this is what your daughter brought me…*women groan LOUDLY, and go OOOHHHH* I know, and she reads it to me, and she says, this is what your friends, we actually, we were in Hawaii where our friends got married, she read it to them out loud and Michael, who is always on this sort of guy side of things, was like “you guys are stupid!”*laughter* “You guys are so stupid!” So, I want to look at my wife with the same of passion that you were talking about–
STAR: The glow?!
SEAN: Right, the glow, and when I get back to Los Angeles, the day after tomorrow, I am gonna kiss her so deep…and beg for her forgiveness! *women all sigh and go AAAHHHHH*
STAR: See, now you just did that! She’s in love again!*applause*
SEAN: I told her last night, I almost couldn’t sleep last night, I am really grateful to come on the show, ‘cuase it gives me a chance to sort of, redeem myself-
JOY: It doesn’t seem like you’ve been married so long, you look so young.
SEAN: I got married young.
JOY: How old were you when you got married?
SEAN: 21
JOY: Wow! That’s young!
SEAN: We have two girls… Alexandra and Elizabeth.
NEW HOST: Are they 7 and 1?
SEAN: Exactly! Seven and 16 months. Yeah!
STAR: I mean I have to tell you, that seems like the perfect person to play Samwise, ’cause you know, Sam is our Man! *Sean laughs*
SEAN: Yeah.
STAR: We love him! He is like the most wonderful hobbit! He has Mr. Frodo’s back all the time!
*Star starts smiling and weeping simultaneously*
STAR: In case you haven’t figured it out, I have seen all three!
*Star has the largest grin ever made on TV, and she’s smiling at Sean
broadly*
SEAN: You are so sweet!
STAR: And now, everybody else in the world seems to have seen them also… *playing a clip of Frodo and Sam discussing Gollum after the ‘pond conversation’ and scuffle simultaneously* Oscar buzz! Number One Movie. That must make you feel really good!
SEAN: You know, I sort of didn’t believe it for the first couple of years, but the last week has been so…it’s been so much fun. People have been so nice, and the critics have been so nice, and it’s just…yeah! It feels good!
STAR: There’ not being really nice…it’s good!
MEREDITH: It’s a good movie. That’s right.
SEAN: Listen, there’s entertainment reporting, and there’s serious
criticism and there’s a lot of different opinions. People always have a reason for writing their story, and there…I’m just saying that feels really good-
MEREDITH: So you read all this stuff?
SEAN: Oh yeah.
MEREDITH: A lot of actors don’t.
SEAN: Well, *laughs* Eugene Leavy won Best Supporting Actor at the New York Film Critics, and he was at the awards last night, and he was basically saying he quoted Al Franken saying that “Any actor who says he doesn’t read his reviews is a lying liar!” Basically! *laughter* No, I read them, and I actually…I like when they say stuff that’s critical, I mean I learn from it, I really do.
NEW HOST: Now, you gained…what… 35 pounds for this role?
SEAN: Why are you bringing that up? *laughter* “Cause it’s hard, it’s hard to lose.
MEREDITH: It’s hard to gain and hard to lose?
SEAN: Easy to gain and hard to lose.
NEW HOST: It must have been harder to move around, and do the stunts that you had to do..and perform…really well…
SEAN: No, I wasn’t a happy camper at 195, 197 pounds. I’m 5’7″ and it was uncomfortable.
NEW HOST: Was it really?
SEAN: Yeah, just in your skin. You look in the mirror, and you’re like, “who is that fat guy looking back at me?” You know, I remember, you know…my daughter sees a picture of me at 17 with ripples in my abs and she like,” Daddy, what are those bumps on your stomach?” I’m like…naw….*laughter* It’s hard to go back.
NEW HOST: How did you get it off?
SEAN: I got on the treadmill and just didn’t stop. I was like Forrest Gump, I was running and running *laughter*..youknow what I mean? Water, I drank lots of water; water is the magic elixir of life. You know, and as much as you can drink.
MEREDITH: I was thinking about wine–
SEAN: Well, your body isn’t 70% wine…
MEREDITH: I was kidding. You have two of the coolest parents ever. Patty Duke Astin who was in “The Miracle Worker” , and John Astin who we loved in “The Addams Family”. They are great, great actors. Was there any hesitation in you getting involved in the field? Following in their footsteps?
SEAN: Um…no,I don’t think there was any apprehension, I mean, there were um…my dad wanted to make sure that I was always subject to the same curriculum academically, and my mom was concerned that I would suffer some of the same disappointments that she suffered throughout her life, just in terms of the spells when you’re working a lot, and when you’re not working, and those kinds of things, but ah…no. They were pretty…you know: you judge based on the kid’s personality, and I seemed like I really wanted to do it, and that I had a good perspective about everything else in my life. So, they were pretty proud and excited and actually kind of, you know, helped me a lot.
STAR: That’s interesting so if you weren’t an actor, I read that there might even be some politics in your future because you enjoy-
SEAN: You mean my talking about the debates…I was loving your talking about the debates last night, and I agreed with….well, I thought it was it was great! I thought that it was really good that Carol Mosely Braun and Rev. Sharpton…I actually loved everything that they were saying in the debate. I thought it gave it; I thought that it was a serious debate last night. I love politics!
NEW HOST: Gave it dimension.
JOY: It really did.
STAR: You’re a junkie is what I’m told?”
SEAN: I am a political junkie there is no question.
JOY: What do you want to run for?
MEREDITH: This is the year for you.
SEAN: I don’t know. My mom tells this story about when I was a kid, I would walk down the airplane [aisle] and say, “I’m running for Mayor, please vote for me.” *laughter* When I was one. *laughter* I don’t know, I just uh. I like, I like our society. I like being involved. I like thinking about it.
JOY: You’re a perfect kind of candidate: you’re smart, and you’re
motivated, and your heart’s in the right place.
SEAN: No…no, not for another like 15 or 20 years will I run for anything. But, you know….
NEW HOST: You started campaigning early… I mean
SEAN:Exactly. I got a head start.*laughter* Exactly.
STAR: Just a little bit advice: No wet t-shirt contests! *smiles*
SEAN: Yes…heeheehee. Yeah…you know what? I was listening to you guys talk about that: She’s, she made a decision, she’s stepped down, but her life isn’t gone; she’ll do something else. And maybe she’ll come back…and do a movie or something.
*laughter and lots of talking over each other*
STAR: Let me get him out of this one. Our thanks to Sean Astin. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is playing in theaters everywhere. We talk about the fight scenes, the battles, but this is a true test of friendship, and I love this film! You’ll love it, too. We’ll be right back.
