Interview with Claire Daines

Jon Stewart December 1994 Jon: But first it's time for the next guest. She goes through puberty every week as Angela on MSCL now she's Beth in

Little Women. Please welcome Claire Danes!

Jon: Wow. Very nice to see you.

Claire: Yeah, thanks it's very nice to be here.

Jon: This has been quite a remarkable year for you I imagine.

Claire: Yeah. Yeah. It's just sort of winding down now.

Jon: Right. So you have to take a little deep breath.

Claire: Yeah.

Jon: ...and, uh, Little Women is out now.

Claire: Yeah.

Jon: Now you, uh, I'm just going to keep telling you things you already know.

Claire: And I'll keep saying 'yeah'.

Jon: In Little Women you play the sick girl.

Claire: I do, I do.

Jon: I'm sorry.

Claire: Beth; it's alright...I die.

Jon: Can I give away what happens?

Claire: Oh! Should I have said that?

Jon: Yes.

Claire: You should have read the book already!

Jon: You should have read the book. She dies. Alright. No! Sorry. She dies - but the way you do it is definitely worth $7.50.

Claire: No, I had to do it twice.

Jon: You had to die twice?

Claire: ...I had to die twice because the first time...I was actually pleased with the way - you know - it ran - which is rare - because I'm never happy with my performance.

Jon: You're very tough on yourself.

Claire: But, yeah, but, no, so they sent the negatives to the lab or whatever and they were ruined. So we had to do them over again and of course Winona's close-up was fine but we had to do mine all over again.

Jon: But wait, they were ruined at the lab

Claire: Yeah, I don't know, we don't know what happened. They like spilled Coke on the negatives or something. Who knows - they had brown spots on the negatives.

Jon: Just a couple of guys with butt cracks going "hey, where the hell are the negatives?"

Claire: Yeah, so it was devastating.

Jon: That is devastating, but you got to be in the movie with Winona Ryder, who is a wonderful actress.

Claire: Yeah, she's...she's great.

Jon: You guys pal around a little bit?

Claire: Yeah, we did, we got to be kinda close, y'know, and I started in the business the same time she did.

Jon: Right, you're actually compared to her, uh, many times, uh...

Jon: You are indeed, and I wasn't in any way insinuating that you and she were the same person.

Claire: Well, no, there's a funny story...I, uh...I. Jon: Please tell!

Claire: I had a wig for it, obviously, because my hair is short.

Jon: Yeah.

Claire: And I had to have long hair. And um, uh, and I had this extra feet of long hair, and it would get in my food and I would trip on it, and actually one time it got on fire!

Jon: On fire!

Claire: Yeah, and I was,...y'know, the Micheal Jackson of the nineties.

Jon: That's very...ha ha, you don't wanna be that. That's not a thing that... And was it the guys from the lab? Was that how it happened?

Claire: No! No...

Jon: How did it happen?

Claire: No, no, they weren't involved in this one. Um, no, I was just carrying a candle up the stairs in one scene.

Jon: Oh, and so your hair...

Claire: It got close...and I felt a little silly, but that's okay.

Jon: Did they put you out, or did they just "roll! This is great!"

Claire: We can use it! No, Winona just screamed and stamped it out with her hands.

Jon: She stamped it out!

Claire: She's a brave child.

Jon: She's really sweet, she saved your so-called life.

Claire: She did.

Jon: Ha ha ha ha. Saved your...so-called...um, sorry about that. How is the so-called life thing going? Is that, is that coming back now? What's gonna happen with that.

Claire: Goodness knows, y'know. We finished shooting just a few days ago, actually.

Jon: Terrific show. I know I relate so much to the character, as well.

Claire: You do?

Jon: Oh, going through puberty as a young girl, myself.

Claire: Well, women always have to relate to men characters.

Jon: It is, it's a very different kinda show, very intelligently written. Has your life...does it mirror the show's, or how are things going for you?

Claire: It's a little bizarre, when we talk about an issues that I'm going through in my own life, but it's fine, y'know, to kiss and cry and laugh, and there's alot to do.

Jon: That's always nice, and how about yourself, are you dating, ya got a boyfriend now, and the whole thing going?

Claire: I do, I do...

Jon: Don't gloat my friend.

Claire: Oh no...But he's new.

Jon: He's new?

Claire: Just like a month ago.

Jon: Really?

Claire: Yeah.

Jon: Whaddya think, did he sweep you away, where'd you meet him?

Claire: Oh, I'm very impressed...In LA...he's...through a friend, through, actually Sharon...Devon Odessa, who plays Sharon.

Jon: Yeah, what's his name.

Claire: Andrew, Andrew Dorff.

Jon: Look at you, when you talk about him, you get all smiley faced and everything. That's really sweet, did he get you something nice for Christmas?

Claire: You know what, he bought me this! [indicates faux leopard-skin shirt]

Jon: Did he really? That's lovely, that's uh, leopard skin.

Claire: Extra points for this one, babe.

Jon: That is extra points. Man! Are there things you can't do now, because of your schedule, is your life changing so much that...

Claire: Uh, yeah, well, I mean, I work all the time, it's just recently when I, y'know the holidays, y'know.

Jon: Do they put restrictions on you now? Is that...

Claire: Yeah, I work for nine and a half hours every day, and I go, y'know, five hours in front of the camera, and three hours, y'know, in school, so I, y'know, but they're not at blocks in a time, I'll have, like, twenty minute increments of math and then go back to the crying scene.

Jon: You can definitely learn a lot of math in twenty minutes, no question, that's plenty of time. That doesn't matter, you're enjoying yourself, and...

Claire: Yeah, it's great, I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't love it.

Jon: You have...I feel like you're older than me, you have such a clear head about all this.

Claire: I hope so. I mean, it's great you think so, it's kinda scattered in there. [indicates head]

Jon: I do think so, and I think Andrew thinks so, as well, and that's the important thing.

Claire: Ohhh...[sigh of joy]

Jon: How old is he...is he?

Claire: He's eighteen...an older man. Yes, an older man.

Jon: Yeah.

Claire: But he just turned eighteen...

Jon: No, no...

Claire: It wasn't illegal a few weeks ago.

Jon: No, I understand, and now it is, and I think that's lovely...I pull that crap: I get thrown in jail, but that's fine. Uh, but it's terrific, I wish you well, I hope the show keeps going, and all the things, you got a million movies coming out, and it's lovely to see you. And thanks for coming by. Come by again.