The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Jesse Williams on "Grey's Anatomy" and Decriminalizing Weed - Extended Interview

Episode Date: April 20, 2020

Actor Jesse Williams discusses the 15th season of "Grey's Anatomy," his love of directing and his collaboration with Spike Jonze on the ad for the cannabis dispensary MedMen. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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All right. All right. Your face gets a little more. Like you, how's life thear? No, I wish it was. There's no fat anying here. I'm doing great. Yeah, you're enjoying life? I am.

I'm working hard. I'm playing hard. I'm having fun. Congratulations on another season of Grace Anatomy. This shows have been going. How many seasons has it been now? We just finished 15. 15 seasons.

Yeah. And they're like eight episode half-ass seasons. Rested me from being. Like are you throwing shade of all the mini-series people out there? We're doing real seasons. Yeah. What's really impressive about the show for me is, like I loved watching the show when I was in South Africa. It's huge out there. And then I came to the US and it's big.

And now there's like a resurgence of people because because because because because because because because because because because because because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, because, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, binge watch and we have, I'm told we have more new fans than we do existing ones. People are discovering it a new, more of them than there are folks have been die hearts forever and it's also generational, right? It's 15 years, that means a whole new generation has been born and turned into a high schooler by now watching it. Yeah, so you get some grandmas, parents, and then their kids all watching it. Is that ever like th. Yeah?? their their, their, their, their, their, th. Yeah, th. Yeah, th. Yeah, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, thi, thi, thi, thi, tho, th, th, th, thi, thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, and thin, and thin, and thin, and thin, and thin, and thin, and thin, and th ever like weird for you when you have like a generational fan gap? Do you know what I mean? Because like a lot of the time people have like a fan, like,

a fan, yeah, yeah, we're getting like a research, it's just like, 12 to 18, 65, yeah, and my grandma. Yes, and they're aggressive. Grandmothers in particular. Grants, grandmothers. Grands is is is is is is is, grandmothers. Grathers. Gram. Gram. Gram. Gram. Gram. Gram. Gram. Gran mothers. Gran mothers. Gran mothers. Gran mothers. Gran mothers. Yeah. Gran mothers. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. th. tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, thatha, tha, tha, tha, tha, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, th. Yeah, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, tha. Yeah, like, tha. He's not playing, grandmothers do not play games. They're touchy. Yes, they're very touchy bunch. They grab and they've got a firm grip. I had, I had one grandmother who came up to me at a meet and greet and then she grabbed my ass and she said to me, I don't have much time, let's do this. Amazing. I'm serious. Amazing. I'm serious. I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'm serious. I, I, I'm serious. I, I, I'm serious. I'm serious. I'm th. I'm th. I'm th. I've, I've, I've, I've, I've, I've, I've th. I've th. I've th. I've th. I've th. I've th. th. th. th. th. they've got, and they've got, and they've got, and they've got, and they've got, and they've got, and they've got, and they've got, and they've got, and they've got, and they've they've they've they've they've they've. I've. I've. I've. I've. they've, I've, I've th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that, I've got, I've got, I've got, I've got, I've got, I've got, I've got, I've got, I've got th. that, I've got, I've got, I've got, I've's a lot, any, I will tell you, a lot of times I'll be like in their grip.

Yes. And there's a lot, it's like a stomach rub, unnecessary. Yeah, yeah, not part of the photo, but just like a stomach rub and like rubbing a little side boob action. There's a, a little bit, their best life. Yeah, living the show when it kicked off was you have the show that Shonda Rimes created where it spoke to so many issues that were happening in the world but it didn't like specifically or explicitly call them out. So for instance you had a black doctor who had grown up in tough circumstances but it wasn't like

his story. It was part of his life. You know you had an Asian doctor who was dealing with her family and her world. You had a lesbian doctor who was struggling with how she told people about her sexuality. But it was never like, this is the show about wokeness. In fact, I would even say, it came before. It came before. It came before. It came before. It's just, if we were, if we were, to you couldn't do that. Right. Nobody would watch it. Do you think that's why people connected with it? Because it was just, it was about human beings,

and they happened to be as numerous as the world is. I think it started with the heart. It started with the actual humanity. And it's not, that's not an Asian surgeon. something ridiculous. He's just he's just Richard Weber. The way you said it now I'll just picture him like what what is a black surgeon? Like this like this like this like no I'll just drive yeah yeah that's what I mean just the. I'm just. I mean I mean. I mean I need to be like an honorary like exactly. But but but but but but let's talk a little bit about like that will be a fully accredited surgeon by. Some way. So do you that. Some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some that that that that that that that that so that so that so that so that so that so that so that so that so that sounds that sounds that sounds that sounds that sounds that sounds. Some that sounds. It it so. It sounds. It sounds. It sounds. It sounds. It sounds. It sounds. It's so. It's so. It's so. It's so. It's so. It's so. It's so. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's. It's like. It's like. I I that's like. I the th. I th. I the th. I the the the the the the the the the the the the that's like. I's like. I's like. I the the the the the for so long that I feel like you should have like an honorary like degree. I could be a, I could be a fully accredited surgeon by that. Do you think you know

like some, you know enough fake medicine to do real medicine? I could, I could slow your death. I could buy you a few extra minutes. But you know what's funny is that like, and I think I've said that before, I've had, I've definitely had like at least two instances on a plane where somebody has gone, is there a doctor on the plane? And then a flight attendant looks directly at me. And it's like, lady, the one thing you know about me. I'm like, anybody else on this flight, the one thing it's like, you, no, no, please don't. Fine, all right, we'll just go through the motions. I don't know what, this is how bad of a doctor I am.

I don't know, I'm just stretching it's what I'm doing. That's your CPR? This is like, like, a little cp. That was like, that's a very sexy CPR. That was like, I was like, I was like, oh, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, that, th....... that, th.. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th? Yeah, that was a nice little move there. You're also directing in Gray's Anatomy now as well. The episode, yeah, yeah. We have another episode I directed is this Thursday. Congratulations, right?

Thank you. Really, that's like a big story. I really, I enjoy it. I actually, I enjoyed it was going to do. I could do, you know, I went to film school, I shot shorts in college. I enjoy it. So it's like a natural evolution? Yeah, and I knew it was going to happen. I just didn't want to start it until I was ready to keep doing it.

Got it. And by the way, you know, I've got a great place to do it, a place that I know, and a to do, and a to do, and a, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, the, the, the, and, the, and, like, like, like, and, like, like, like, and, like, like, like, like, the, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, the the the the.... to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. the. to. the. the. for so long? You're going to take out all your grudges. Yeah, you get to give people hell that have been given you. No, no, it's, it really helps to be able to speak the language of the actor. You know, it's a, it's a, it's, I have found with some directors, they don't quite know how to speak to, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi. thi, that, thi, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, they.a, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thethe delicate thing. Keep in mind the show, it's been on 15 years, so we actually know our characters better than almost everybody else on the set. So somebody's showing up. If we do 25 episodes, this may be 16 directors, because some repeat. So new people coming in, trying to feel out, they don't quite know. Everybody's got different personalities and ways you receive information, but being able to understand how actors work and the way, but the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, the way, to, the way, to, the way, the way, to, the way, to, their, to, their, their, their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, if their, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is their, is their, is their, is their, is their, is their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, is their, is their, and it's more of an emotional conversation than technical.

Right. Telling them how you would like it without telling them how to do it. So it's a bit of a tightrope, and we can be a fickle bunch. It's a conversation that you can have, which, which, um, which, like I enjoy, I love it when actors getting to directing and when they get to control a their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their to control a to control a to control a their to control a to control a to control a to control a to talk to other stand-ups and stuff. You guys kind of speak a language that if there was a comedian directing you in a movie or something? Yes, like we say killing, bombing, like we use language where people like, I'm sorry, what happened on stage?

Yeah, he died on stage. He like, yeah, he died on stage. And then there was one comedian who died on stage. And then they were like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like're like, yeah, it happens all the time. Really? And then they were like, no, died, like, actually died. We're like, yeah, that people die all the time. And then it was like, no, dead, dead. Oh, sorry. Right, right.

It was like a weird, you know. Let's talk about some of the work that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you that you're that you're that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that. that's to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their. the the the the the the the th. the thi. thi. the thi. the thi. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. th. that th. that that that th. that. th. people with you and your story is that you have been involved in social justice. You are somebody who said I have a platform and I will use it to speak out for issues that I that I agree with or disagree against you know and so one thing that's been really interesting is now you've teamed up with Medmen right what would we call the cannabis company was that like yeah yeah the biggest in the country. It was Spike Jones. Yes. And I made a essentially a short film that they put together.

And we got creative and figured out a way to kind of tell the history of cannabis in this country. It's a really fascinating ad. Because you play everyonethink a weed ad would you just like smoke weed, man. Exactly. It's not that at all. Right. It's, look, the cannabis boom is happening.

And so we know that, so we try to come up with something together, a mechanism as well, came up with this great concept of laying some context. Now, we know this boom is about to take off, what is the story of cannabis in this country truly? Because it certainly isn't a bunch of people in Colorado and California discovering it and getting rich. It's not the gold rush, as you just discovered gold and you're selling it. It's been around forever. We used to force Africans to grow it on plantations, including the first president, George Washington.

And now there's thousands of people locked up in cages for having it in their pocket. So how did we get there? And so we're telling this story through this brilliant idea that mechanism and Spike came up with and we worked on together kind of through this museum, a series of diaramas that take you through American history, the contextualize the war on drugs and stop and frisk and medicinal uses and for our veterans, and for thiiiiii be applied. And it's an important issue. I didn't come to it from cannabis as a center.

That wasn't my bag, but it was social justice. And it's something that we need to decriminalize because we're not adjudicating it fairly. We're not enforcing these laws fairly at all. I know in suburbs. It's boys will be boys, kids will be boys, kids. their fed. Yeah, it's kids smoke, finding some weed and drinking, both of which are totally illegal. But we accept it and we laugh in it because it's coming of age.

But when it's black kids doing it or poor kids doing it, they're filling prisons. And it's just not fair at all. So if you're not going to do it fairly. Let's decriminalize it, is my my my my my my to to to thew. the criminalize it is my view and start from there and build up in a sensible manner in a way that makes sense. Hey man, it's a powerful ad and I, people have to watch it online. Yeah, you can just watch on YouTube.

Yeah, because we just not legal federally so they can't put it on networks, which is an interesting conversation to have for another day, but yeah. Congratulations again on Grace, the t Always. Thank you so much. Great A.m. Thanks, Thursday, at 8.m. on ABC. Jesse Williams, everybody. The Daily Show with CoverNoa, ears edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central and the Comedy Central. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.

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Best of all, it's easy. Sign up today, be on TV tomorrow with Paramount ads manager. Go to paramount.com to learn more. Do Nice Guys Really Finish Last. I'm Tim Harford, host of the Cautionary Tales podcast, and I'm exploring that very question. Join me for my new miniseries on the Art of Fairness. From New York to Tahiti will examine villains undone by their villainy. Monstrous, self-devaring egos and accounts of the extraordinary power of decency. Listen on the IHart Radio app, Apple podcasts,

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