attention, it has been a thrilling 24 hours of television. we had an unbelievable rose bowl game last night. did you see the trojans won that game? we had a lot of trojan fans i see here in the audience. [ cheers and applause ] i don't care, i mean whatever, you know? we had an episode of "the bachelor" the likes of which have not been seen since "shark week." [ cheers and applause ] because of those two shows you probably missed the premiere of the new "celebrity apprentice" which is hosted by arnold schwarzenegger who in case you don't know is the guy who used to be the most preposterous celebrity we ever elected to office. now he is on television on reality television, taking over for donald trump. and it did not go well. they're all tying the lowest ratings number last night on the premiere, not many people watched. allow me to catch you up. they give these celebrities an assignment. for their first assignment arnold challenged the men's team and the women's team to go back in time agreed to take this job. [ laughter ] unfortunately for him they failed. i have the -- i have to be honest, i have no idea who half the celebrities on the show are. even when i googled some of them the google was like, who? there's a lot of the speculation as to what arnold's catch phrase would be. trump always said "you're fired." he had to come up with one too. they thought about it for months. team arnold and the show's producers, they got together, kicked a lot of ideas around. ultimately they came up with this. >> who is taking the most risks is really what it comes down to, so therefore, carrie, you're terminated. now get to the chopper. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: of course it's "you're terminated." "get to the chopper." those are two of the only sentences in english he knows. [ laughter ] and when arnold says "get to the chopper," you better means it. >> the worst thing about this experience is not earning a penny for my charity. the humane society of the united states. ♪ ♪ >> jimmy: hold on, we need to look at that again, there's no way she is in that helicopter. they made it look like -- here we go. there she gets in the helicopter. okay? and now there's the pilot. there's not a person in the back. empty helicopter. [ cheers and applause ] maybe she fell out? has anyone seen carrie keegan? the other elimination was carney wilson, i feel she's been on every reality competition show like four different times. this time arnold mixed things up a bit. >> it was a very risky thing to, do clearly. therefore, carney, you're terminated. hasta la vista, baby. >> jimmy: oh, got that in. he's like a talking doll with a pull string in the back. hasta la vista, baby, is what he said to the maid when she told him she was pregnant with his child, did you know that? [ audience moaning ] [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: thank you, everyone. thank you. thanks. you know what? they got to put the maid on that show. [ laughter ] you know, charles manson got out of prison today. they took him to the hospital. he would be great on the new "celebrity apprentice" too. you wouldn't have to google him. [ laughter ] donald trump is still executive producer of "the celebrity apprentice." it didn't hit me until last night that this show had to get a new host because their old one was elected president. [ laughter ] i mean, i feel like "dancing with the stars" had to find a new judge because bruno was chosen to lead a mission to mars or something. i wonder if donald trump is happy that "the apprentice" bombed without him, or was he rooting for it? because he's the executive producer. i bet he was happy. but maybe he has more important things to worry about now. like this. this is the cover of a book cnn is publishing about him. he doesn't like the photo. in fact, he tweeted, "unprecedented" explores the 2016 race and victory, hope it does well, but used worst cover photo of me. they made his face burnt sienna, he prefers sunset nacho. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] it's not a great photo. but it's not the worst photo. this would be the worst photo to put on the cover. [ laughter ] if all goes well that image will be engraved on a coin one day. in our nation's capital, our new congress is back to work. and it is a mess already. house republicans, last night the first thing they did when they came to work was disband something called the office of congressional ethics, the group that investigates any congressional wrongdoing. that was the first thing they did. it's the political equivalent of shooting out the surveillance cameras before you rob the bank. [ laughter ] then they got a lot of criticism from their constituents, from democrats, from speaker paul ryan, and from donald trump, who tweeted, with all that congress has to come on do they really have to make the weakening of the independent ethics watchdog as unfair as it may be their number one act and priority? focus on blah, blah, blah #draintheswamp. the republicans got together, oh crap, now everyone's against us. they had an emergency meeting and they reversed. the first thing they actually did, they immediately undid. which is absolutely perfect. meanwhile, guess who's coming to the inauguration now? it was announced today that bill and hillary clinton will be at the -- this might be the first inauguration where the former president and first lady are patted down for weapons as enter. [ laughter ] but they say hillary has been debating for weeks whether to go, and ultimately decided she would attend in order to pay respect to the democratic process. or maybe to pay her last respects to the democratic process, i'm not sure. bill's just going for melania. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] he likes to look at her. wouldn't that be the greatest? wouldn't that be the single greatest hookup of all-time? 50/50 hillary pulls a red wedding at that inauguration. or at least a kanye. yann? anyone get a hatchivemal for christmas? the hard to get toy this holiday season. it's a plastic egg that hatches and an adorable furry creature, a robot comes out and makes noise. but there's some controversy now about the noises these hatchimals are making. i guess they're supposed to say, hug me. saying something else. >> oh, oh! >> jimmy: i don't know, maybe the hatchimal is looking to make other hatchimals? guillermo what did that sound like to you? >> guillermo: [ bleep ] me. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: it sounded like that? it did? >> guillermo: yeah. that's what i hear. >> jimmy: that's a first for us. speaking of hatchimals, verne troyer who is better known as mini me did a nice thing. he visited a wolf sanctuary in california to raise awareness for wolves. and these wolves, you think wolves are scary, but they're really beautiful. even sometimes affectionate animals. >> we're project. we are a nonprofit wolf/dog rescue, advocacy, and education organization. raising puppies we had to find special wolf formula to feed them, up around the clock, our volunteer team was here to help us raise them. >> jimmy: oh my goodness. [ laughter ] [ applause ] we have to take a break. when we come back from the break i have some important holiday gift etiquette to discuss. the vatican just got a mcdonald's. and we will go out on hollywood boulevard for a fun and foolish game so stick around, we'll be right back. (vo) it's that time of year again. when you realize you still didn't get quite what you wanted. that's why verizon has the best deals of the year on the best network. like a free smartphone when you add a line or switch. no trade-in required. choose from the samsung galaxy j3, the lg k8 or stylo, or the the motoz play. all free. and as if you needed another reason, switch to verizon now and get up to $650 to cover your costs. there's still time to get exactly what you want at verizon. of bad breath germs% for a 100% fresh mouth. feeling 100% means you feel bold enough to... ...assist a magician... ...or dance. listerine®. bring out the bold™ you totanobody's hurt, new car. but there will still be pain. it comes when your insurance company says they'll only pay three-quarters of what it takes to replace it. what are you supposed to do? drive three-quarters of a car? now if you had liberty mutual new car replacement™, you'd get your whole car back. i guess they don't want you driving around on three wheels. smart. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, 'll replace the full lue of your car. liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. welcome back to the show. taraji p. henson and music from mike posner coming. today was the first day back to work after the new year's break. you ask your co-workers how their vacation was and immediately tune out after they start answering. also today is a day you thank people for gifts. i give a lot of gifts out for christmas and i get a lot of gifts probably in return. i think half the gifts i get are, crap, jimmy and molly sent us a gift, we better get some. then we get scones four days after christmas. here's a problem i had this year over and over again. about 5% of the gifts i get come with no tag. there's no note. the card falls off. then i have to figure out where they're from. which is almost impossible to do. and that's annoying. but this year i had a new problem. this wasn't an accident. this ye got, the giver of the gift only wrote his first name on it. so i got four gifts in four different boxes from "will." "from will." i know five wills. and that doesn't count bills or billys or williams. i know five guys who go by just "will." i hope that i will find the will who send me a jar of granola, but i still have not. i got a food basket from tony. i am italian, okay? [ laughter ] i have an uncle tony, a neighbor tony, there are between three and five tonys work here, i know tony romo, my accountant's name is tony. i know two women named toni. i have more tonys than lin-manuel miranda. i have no idea who sent this food basket to me. now i have to send asking various tonys in my life, did you get me this food basket? if they didn't get me something, they feel bad. no, i did get you something but it might not get there till after christmas. anyway. tony, whichever tony you are, thank you for the food basket. i ate it. [ laughter ] you will not get a thank you note from me because i ate that too. [ laughter ] next year, maybe a last name would be really great for me. for anyone else suffering from this terrible problem. meanwhile, this is interesting. there's a mcdonald's now at the vatic vatican. vatican city. golden arches right there, right in front of st. peter's basilica. now you can get fat again at the vatican. [ laughter ] plautds applause [ applause ] some people in italy and cardinals are upset. not only is there a mcdonald's right next to the vatican, it opens the door for other fast food chains to move in, and they are chi-pope-le. papa john the baptist. church's chicken. little diocaesars. ash wendy's. north starbucks. in and out, but only if you're married. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: thank you. this is good from or nbc affiliate in l.a. which gets tonight's award for most creative way to protect the anonymity of a source. >> the owner of h.i.d. evolution asked us to conceal his identity since the crooks have not been arrested. >> i just felt completely shocked and vulnerable. >> jimmy: i don't know about you, i love when it young people can combine their love of disguise with a passion for floral arranging. all right, it's time for a game. this has got to be the easiest game ever invented called "don't talk into the mike and win $10." self-explanatory, don't talk in the mike, then we give you $10. let's play the game. >> don't talk into this microphone and win $10, knock. >> okay. >> you lost. don't talk into this mike and win $10. you ready? >> she talk? >> oh, i'm so sorry. want to play don't talk into the mike and win $10? >> don't talk in the mike what does that mean? >> that means you just lost. don't talk into the mike and win $10. okay? >> okay. >> oh, too bad. you want to try again? >> all right, yeah. >> do you want to try again? >> what? >> see ya. don't talk into this mike and win $10. >> all right. >> no, you lost already. gimme the microphone! don't talk into this microphone and win $10, okay? you ready? i couldn't hear you. what's your name? >> tyler. >> game over. into this mike and win $10? does that mean yes or no? would you like to play don't talk into this mike and win $10? >> yeah. oh. >> hi, don't talk into this microphone and win $10. >> what? >> you just lost it. >> oh. so you're not supposed to talk. >> the name of the game is don't talk into this microphone and win $10, okay? >> okay. >> you lost again. >> that sucks. >> don't talk into this mike and win $10. are you ready? you want to play? do you want to win? don't talk into the mike and you win $10. don't talk and you win. don't talk and you win. do you want to play? do you want to play? do you want to win? here you go. you did it! >> [ bleep ]. >> you've got to give him the $10. >> [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. >> no $10 for you. >> [ bleep ], [ bleep ] out of here, don't do that. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: today on our show we have music from mike posner, from "fences" jovan adepo, and taraji p. henson! ♪ every l/certified preowned lexus comes with an unlimited mileage l/certified warranty. get 0.9% apr financing on is and gs l/certified models. exclusively at your lexus dealer. oh, it's actually... sfx: (short balloon squeal) it's ver... sfx: (balloon squeals) ok can we... sfx: (balloon squeals) goodbye! oof, that milk in your coffee was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. good right? yeah. lactaid. the milk that doesn't mess with you. afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me. >> jimmy: welcome back to the show. tonight - from the denzel washington movie "fences," jovan adepo is here. he is also on the show "the leftovers." then later, he's a grammy nominee. his latest album is called "at night, alone." music from mike posner. [ cheers and applause ] tomorrow night on the show, we have another good one. tomorrow night, kevin costner will be here, andy richter will join us, as will the very funny k. trevor wilson. and thursday, mel gibson and music from fantastic negrito. [ cheers and applause ] which is quite a lungful. i'm going to try to get them together. i think that would be great. our first guest tonight is a golden globe-winning actress, a best-selling author and the taraji-est guest we've ever had. math genius" to her resume in the critically-acclaimed new movie "hidden figures." please welcome taraji p. henson. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> jimmy: how are you? >> i'm good. >> jimmy: enjoying the new year so far? >> i am. we're in day what? >> jimmy: we're in day four. >> who's counting? it's a new year. >> jimmy: somebody's counting, yeah. >> yeah. >> jimmy: what'd you do over the break? go out of town? >> i did. i got a little r&r on a private island. >> jimmy: on a -- okay. i wanted to ask you about a tweet that you sent out. you said, i will, capital letters, own my very own private jet to take me to my very own private island, #godis. what prompted this? did you have a terrible experience on a plane of some kind? >> who likes tsa? [ laughter ] i mean, if i'm going to dream big, go for it. if i want to own my private island, who flies commercial to their own private island? >> jimmy: you're right. the jet can't even land on the private island. you're going to have to leap out of the plane. >> exactly. >> jimmy: then swim to the island. >> yeah. >> jimmy: i don't think i've ever been on a private island. is it good, right? >> it's amazing. i mean, you know. >> jimmy: they have wi-fi on the island? >> uh -- >> jimmy: forget it then. >> you can stay on airplane mode. >> jimmy: i'd rather be on riker's island with wi-fi. >> your producer said that. >> jimmy: i would rather be in alcatraz. >> no, that's terrible. >> jimmy: it's true. it may be terrible. >> the things social media is doing to us? this is terrible. >> jimmy: yeah, yes. so what did you do? how many people were there? >> maybe ten of us. >> jimmy: ten people. >> yeah, and i didn't have to worry about being caught on the beach in a position. >> jimmy: oh! >> like not sucking in. the rumor is now i'm pregnant. >> jimmy: is there a rumor you're pregnant? >> you know, people say things. the bloggers pick it up. now people believe it and i have to answer it when i come on a show like this. >> jimmy: yeah, i wasn't even going to ask. i didn't think you were pregnant. >> thank you. because there were no pictures taken. >> jimmy: congratulations. you're having a baby? [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> i'm confused, i'm sorry. see why we need wi-fi? so we can verify this kind of stuff. >> exactly. i can shut down the rumors. >> jimmy: my wife is pregnant and she went across the street to cvs today. and a guy -- i'm going to try to -- she texted this to me. a guy looked at her in the face and said, "hey!" then looked at her stomach and went, "whoa! >> wait, was that his clue not to hit on her? >> jimmy: it's a pretty good clue as far as they go, yeah. >> i think so. >> jimmy: when you're on an small group, you obviously have to get along with the people. do you at any point during the trip decide like, okay, say we all get stranded here, who are we going to eat first? [ laughter ] >> i never think like that. >> jimmy: you don't think like that? >> i try not to. then i wouldn't enjoy the vacation. >> jimmy: what if there were somebody really delicious on the island? [ laughter ] >> i barely eat animal flesh. >> jimmy: oh, yeah, you'd be in a lot of trouble, i'd be in the coconut trees. trying to catch a fish or something like that. >> jimmy: this story, this movie that you're in, is a great -- such a great story. and i always wonder, how the hell did i never hear this story before? have you heard this story before? >> never. >> jimmy: tell us a little about the story itself. >> well, this story is about women who had a lot to do with the nasa program in the '60s. during the great space race. and this one woman in particular, which i portray her, katherine johnson, very much alive, she's 98 years old. >> jimmy: wow, 98. >> yes, 98. and she was the brilliant mind -- >> jimmy: she'd be the one you eat, right? at 98. [ laughter ] i mean, no offense. listen, you've got to eat somebody -- >> what happened here? now i'm eating my hero, what is happening? >> jimmy: a hero's delicious with all the stuff on it. >> might as well give me my wings. >> jimmy: i'm sorry. i know i've ruined your story. >> you did. how do i get back? >> jimmy: i don't know, there's really no way back in. maybe we should take a break. >> okay. >> jimmy: in fact, in the audience, look around, think about who you might want to eat, we'll come back. taraji p. henson is with us. the movie is "hidden figures." we'll be right back! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ i think we can finally get a bigger place. bigger place? yeah, let me check my score too. try credit karma. it's free. credit karma. give yourself some credit. choose. choose. choose. but at bedtime... ...why settle for this? enter sleep number and the lowest prices of the season. sleepiq technology tells you how well you can make. she likes the bed soft. he's more hardcore. so your sleep goes from good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store, right now, the best buy rated c2 mattress is only $699.99 learn more at sleepnumber.com know better sleep with sleep number. the go point is 2,any 90 miles from where we want colonel grant to land. if we assume that's the bahamas, 544 miles an hour, 46.56 degrees, 2,990 miles -- okay. so that puts your landing zone at 5.0667 degrees north, 77.3333 degrees west. which is here. give or take 20 square miles. >> jimmy: that is taraji p. henson, "hidden figures." opens everywhere on friday. when you're doing a calculation like that, that was really you writing it all on the board, that wasn't cgi? >> no, that wasn't a -- >> jimmy: is it hard? how do you remember that stuff? >> i had to have a chalkboard put in my apartment where i was staying. it's like choreography. talk while i'm writing, i don't know what i'm writing, i really don't. i'm not wired mathematically, it was horrible. that's when i knew i was an artist. but it's okay. math is not for everyone, it's okay. >> jimmy: even if you were very good at math that seems like it would be extremely difficult to >> yeah, well -- you know, memorization. you cram, cram, cram. it's almost like choreography because i had to do the math, i had to say the lines so that it looked natural. it had to look like i knew what i was talking about. i'm an actress. >> jimmy: oh, that's the secret. [ applause ] >> we had a mathematician who made sure the numbers we were putting on the board were correct. you know, there are people out there like, oh, that was wrong! >> jimmy: right, you can't have anything wrong. >> you can't have anything wrong. >> jimmy: because there are ten nerds who will be angry. >> the nerd attack. >> jimmy: you had a screening -- the first lady had a screening of the film at the white house. >> yes. >> jimmy: that had to be great. they have a movie theater at the white house? >> they have everything. >> jimmy: they have everything, yeah. how many seats are in the movie theater? >> it looked like a small one like this. it wasn't this far, like the screen was maybe here. >> jimmy: then do you sit there and watch yourself while the first lady is watching you? i came after. because we had other press to do that day. >> jimmy: it would be weird to be looking over at her, right? >> it would probably be weird for her. i'd be like -- [ laughter ] watching her every move. >> jimmy: i think it would be weird for her. >> it would be weird for her, yeah. >> jimmy: was the president there as well? >> we didn't know. you go to the white house, they say you're going to see the first lady. are we going to see the president? they're like, we don't know. then at the last minute she walked in with him holding hands. we just went crazy. >> jimmy: you did, yeah. >> yeah. there's a picture of octavia spencer on the internet, circulating internet. a total ugly face. they almost caught my ugly face but i pulled it together real quick. i was like. aahhh! [ applause ] >> jimmy: does that happen to you much? you meet somebody, you get starstruck? >> it happened twice in my >> jimmy: really, wow. wow, carol. >> carol burnett. >> jimmy: what happened? >> i started shaking. she was like a comedy icon for me. i grew up in the hood, i needed things to escape. "the carol burnett show," i loved her laugh. as a kid i just -- i got the humor. >> jimmy: same thing in our house, we loved that show. carol burnett was here, i kept looking at her going, oh my god, carol burnett is here, it's really crazy. what about prince? everybody who has met prince has a strange story. did you have a weird encounter with prince? >> yeah. it was weird for him. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: it was. >> yeah. i held on to his hand too long. >> jimmy: oh, you did. >> yeah. i shook his hand and i was just like -- [ laughter ] he looked and he realized and he passed it off to the next person. that went really bad. >> jimmy: he passed your hand? >> he passed my hand off like it was this piece of paper. >> jimmy: he did not. >> my arm flopped after that. it was like, that was awkward. when does "empire" come back on? >> oh, when does "empire" come back on? >> jimmy: guillermo? >> guillermo: summer. >> jimmy: summer. he just makes things up. >> that's not true. >> jimmy: it comes back in march. there's now a fight happening in the audience. comes back in march. when you were off, when you're not working, do you and terrance howard spend time together? >> yeah, the whole crew. >> jimmy: was he on the island? >> no, he did not. i didn't want to see anyone i worked with. >> jimmy: the last time he was here, he told me a story about numerology and how important the number 9 was. >> yes. i know. and 1 minus 1 equals 2 -- does it? >> jimmy: no, it doesn't. >> he's told me that so much i'm starting to believe it. >> jimmy: but you write it on the board. >> i do not. i'm the girl who shies away from numbers. whenever he starts that, taraji, did you know that -- and i walk away. that. >> i do not indulge. it's all here. >> jimmy: very good to see you, congratulations on the film. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: hidden figures" opens everywhere on friday. taraji p. henson, everybody. we'll be right back with jovan adepo. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ hey dad! wishes do come true. the lincoln wish list sales event is on. get exceptional offers on the lincoln family of luxury vehicles. the final days of the lincoln wish list sales event are here. get a new 2017 lincoln mkc with zero down and a complementary first month's payment. hey, ready foyeah. big meeting? >>uh, hello!? a meeting? it's a big one. too bad. we are double booked: diarrhea and abdominal pain. why don't you start without me? oh. yeah. if you're living with frequent, unpredictable diarrhea and abdominal pain, you may have irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or ibs-d. a condition that can be really frustrating. talk to your doctor about viberzi, a different way to treat ibs-d. viberzi is a prescription medication you take every day that helps proactively manage both diarrhea and abdominal pain at the same time. so you stay ahead of your symptoms. viberzi can cause new or worsening abdominal pain. do not take viberzi if you have or may have had: pancreas or severe liver problems, problems with alcohol abuse, long-lasting or severe constipation, or a blockage of your bowel or gallbladder. if you are taking viberzi, you should not take medicines that cause constipation. the most common side effects of viberzi include constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain. stay ahead of ibs-d... with viberzi. when i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. i just snapped a photo and got an estimate in 24 hours. my insurance company definitely doesn't have that... you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™ liberty mutual insurance you have dinner on the table at 6:00 every night. hey guys, i'm home! of course no one said it had to be cooked. campbell's one dish recipes, designed around one pan and your schedule. made for real, real life. ♪ (vo) the old way of doing taxes isn't good enough. so, we're about to blow it up. don't just get your taxes done. get your taxes won. at planters, we put fresh roawhich has its drawbacks.an, guys, know anything about this missing inventory? wasn't me! the cheeks don't lie, chet... irresistibly planters. ever tryou get hungry good, just thinking about it? at red lobster's big festival of shrimp, get your perfect pair for just $15.99. choose 2 of 6 new and classic shrimp creations, like bold new firecracker red shrimp. exploding with flavor? yeah they are. or try new creamy shrimp linguini, and new sweet bourbon-brown sugar grilled shrimp. flavors like these are big. and for just $15.99, they can't last. so hurry in. >> jimmy: hi, welcome back to the show. still to come, music from mike posner. our next guest is very young but he only does great things. you know him from "the leftovers" on hbo and now, he co-stars alongside denzel washington in his first feature film, "fences." >> what law is there to say i got to like you? >> none. >> all right then. don't you eat every day? answer me when i talk to you, don't you eat every day. >> yeah. >> as long as you're in my house you put a "sir" on the end of it when you talk to me. >> yes, sir. >> got a roof over your head? >> yes, sir. >> got clothes on your back? >> yes, sir. >> why do you think that is? >> because you? >> i know it's because of me. why do you think that is? >> because you like me? >> jimmy: "fences" is in theaters now. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> jimmy: have a seat. by the way, i know you're here to talk about the movie but i love "the leftovers" last season, you did a great job on it. [ cheers and applause ] great character. was that your first television job? >> no, that was my first s.a.g. job. my first television job was one of those crime re-enactment shows. called "blood relatives." >> jimmy: what network was that on? >> i think it was an investigation discovery channel. >> jimmy: abowho did you play? a victim? >> a high school football player, name desean jackson, i think. and he was being charged for killing his mother. >> jimmy: oh. >> that's like the ongoing theme. >> jimmy: for naming him douche-shaun? [ laughter ] so then you get this great show on hbo. >> right. >> jimmy: your first thing. that's so crazy. had you gone to a lot of auditions and stuff? >> i was auditioning for the last five or six years, going in and getting really close to getting big jobs, career-opening jobs. >> jimmy: like what jobs did you almost get that you did not get? >> i was actually in the running for "straight out that compton." >> jimmy: which parts? >> i was auditioning for all the parts. [ laughter ] >> jimmy: at once? did you separate them? >> i wanted to do it at once. i wanted to show, i can switch characters on a whim. they were like, one at a time, pace yourself. one character they did not want to consider me for, i was a little upset, easy e. >> jimmy: why did they not consider you? >> a difference in height. >> jimmy: easy e was a little guy. >> i had a solution. put every other actor on apple boxes and i could do the scene on my knees. >> did you explain that? >> i tried. >> jimmy: they didn't listen, right now. you've had really a meteoric rise. being in this movie that denzel washington directed. >> right. >> jimmy: and you costar with denzel washington in the movie. that has to be an incredibly intimidating -- was it intimidating? >> all of it. even from the audition experience. it was one of those things where you get the opportunity, where you get to meet one of your heroes. this is a guy, i watched all of his movies, re-enacted all of his monologues in the mirror in my bathroom. sad to admit. and was horrible at it because i'm not denzel. but just having that moment when i was going to meet him. i remember standing outside of the casting office. and i was hearing him read with another guy. and i was like, i got to show him i'm not afraid, i'm going to get this part, i've got to show shim i'm not intimidated. i was holding a face like this. as soon as he opened the door, jovan adepo? i was like, oh, denzel, what's up, baby! it was one of the most challenging auditions. but definitely the most rewarding. >> he's sitting there, looking at you. does he indicate whether he's happy? obviously he was happy with what you did because he hired you. can you tell? does he have a poker face through the whole thing? >> you know, he has the look. >> jimmy: uh-huh. then when you go, does he get up and say, hey, that was great, we'll see you again? or you have no idea what happened? >> only said, "good job, son." left me to just wonder how i did. i stressed myself out. >> jimmy: how long was it before somebody called? >> oh, man. it had to be two and a half weeks. >> jimmy: that's just terrible. it really is. [ laughter ] almost abusive. >> way too much. >> jimmy: it's crazy. >> so inappropriate. >> jimmy: in addition to this being your first movie, you have your first movie premiere, the red carpet and all that stuff. who did you take to that? >> actually, my parents came. both my parents, m mom. and their spouses, they're divorced and remarried. >> jimmy: did you ask them or did they just tell you they were coming? >> my mom said she was coming. as soon as i got the job and i told her, i'm working with denzel! she's like, i'm going to pick my dress up for the premiere. i'm like, sure, mom, let's do it. >> jimmy: did they want to meet denzel right away? >> my dad. huge fan. i get -- i get movie fandom from him. he was so excited to meet denzel. he said, i'm going to go up to him and say, "my man." [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> i said, please do not do that. you want to show these guys that you think they're cool and regular guys. i was like, dad, please do not say that. >> jimmy: any time a dad says, "you know what i'm going to do when i meet him?" it never results in anything positive. >> never. >> jimmy: so where do your parents live? >> i was born in england, raised in waldorf, maryland. >> jimmy: so how did you come out to l.a.? did you come on your own? >> i did. i went to bowie state university, majored in political science. i was transitioning into wanting to become a screenwriter. and i had the advice of a writer out here, told me i had to move to l.a. to make that happen. so i had done plays in high school, done a couple of plays for my church. and it was a lady that went to my church. she was like, you have a knack for acting, consider pursuing it. i was like, no, actually, i'm going to be playing professional football. when you're a kid you want to be an astronaut or a pro baseball player. mine was football. i was a bench warmer the entire time. most of the time in high school and in college. i was like, probably not going to get drafted or get invited to the combine. but that's okay. >> jimmy: you got to play a football player in the movie. >> i did. broke my heart. >> jimmy: that's kind of close. did you know anybody? did you have a family member out here? >> i did, i had an aunt and uncle who how to get head shots taken, you know. start submitting for things. my first actual connection to the industry i would say was the lady at the church in maryland. she was like -- at the time she was like, i have a sister in the industry, if you ever decide to take acting serious, let me know, i'll call her. she's doing okay. i said, okay. fast forward to 2011 when i moved out here. i called her up, introduce me to your sister? she's like, yeah, her name's viola. it was viola davis. >> jimmy: wow. [ cheers and applause ] >> she told me her name but i didn't know who she was at that time. i'd watched movies but i was into sports, in my own world. >> jimmy: did viola go, no, i'm not helping some kid from your church. >> i don't know their conversation. diane is her older sister, the oldest. she was like, you're going to meet this kid. you're going to help him out. she's like, okay. >> jimmy: she did. >> she did, her and her husband were hands-on as far as helping me establish myself develop my craft. >> jimmy: that's a great thing. >> absolutely. >> jimmy: when you win an award you better thank her, remember that. >> of course. >> jimmy: okay, all right. don't forget. write it down. >> i've already done it. >> jimmy: maybe tattoo it on the front of your hand or something like that. >> why not. >> jimmy: congratulations. [ cheers and applause ] on this hugely successful young career. jovan adepo, "fences" is in theaters now. be right back with mike posner! >> jimmy: i'd like to thank taraji p. henson, jovan adepo and apologize to matt damon. we ran out of time. "nightline" is next. but first, this is his album called "at night, alone." here with the song "i took a pill in ibiza" - mike posner! ♪ i took a pill in ibiza to show avicii i was cool and when i finally got sober felt 10 years older ♪ ♪ oh screw it it was something to do i'm living out in l.a. i driv ♪ just to prove i'm a real big baller 'cause i made a million dollars and i spend it on girls ♪ ♪ and shoes but you don't wanna be high like me never really knowing ♪ ♪ why like me you don't ever wanna step off that ♪ ♪ roller coaster and be all alone you don't wanna ride the bus like this ♪ ♪ never knowing who to trust like this you don't wanna be stuck up on that ♪ ♪ stage singing stuck up on that stage singing all i know ♪ ♪ are sad songs sad songs darling all i know ♪ ♪ are sad songs sad songs who already blew his shot ♪ ♪ i get along with old timers 'cause my name's a reminder of a pop song ♪ ♪ people forgot and i can't keep a girl no 'cause as soon as the sun comes up ♪ ♪ i cut 'em all loose and work's my excuse but the truth is i can't open up ♪ ♪ now you don't wanna be high like me never really knowing why like me ♪ ♪ you don't ever wanna step off that roller coaster and be all alone you don't wanna ride ♪ ♪ the bus like this never knowing who to trust like this you don't wanna be ♪ ♪ stuck up on that stage singing stuck up on that stage singing ♪ ♪ all i know are sad songs sad songs darling all ♪ are sad songs sad songs i took a plane to ♪ one more time let me hear ♪ all i know is sad songs sad songs ♪ note i took a plane to ♪ my home town i brought my pride and my guitar all my friends are ♪ ♪ all gone but there's manicured lawns and the people still think i'm a star ♪ ♪ i walked around downtown i met some fans on lafayette they said tell us how ♪ ♪ to make it cause we're getting real impatient so i looked 'em in the eye and said ♪ ♪ you don't wanna be high like me never really knowing why like me ♪ ♪ you don't ever wanna step off that roller coaster and be all alone you don't wanna ride ♪ ♪ the bus like this never knowing who to trust like this you don't wanna be ♪ ♪ stuck up on that stage singing stuck up on that stage singing ♪ ♪ all that i know are sad songs sad songs darling all ♪ ♪ that i know are sad songs sad songs ♪ ♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, off the rails. he's been driving new york city subways for more than 30 years. but he's not an employee. arrested 32 times for impersonating a transit worker. >> i can't seem to have my urges and my impulses under control. >> diagnosed with asperger's, driven by unstoppable compulsion. instead of treatment he's in prison. is that where he belongs? plus the fisher sisters. jolie and tricia lee reflecting on their beloved sister carrie fisher. >> we had the coolest big sister in the world. she was a bad-ass, gun-toting princess. >> the final moments at carrie's bedside and the special side of their sister that the public never knew.