John Lithgow

And I screen tested for it and finally got the part.

You know, they dressed me in drag.

And by a coincidence, I had read a book a couple of years ago called Conundrum, a memoir by Jan Morris, a transgender actor.

a travel journalist from England, who fearlessly described in great detail every stage of the process, including the surgical process.

And the experience of first living her life as a woman and feeling more complete for the first time.

And I simply kind of improvised the role of Jan Morris in front of the camera while George Roy Hill asked me questions from off camera.

And that's what got me the role.

He just found me completely convincing in the role.

You can't imagine how you're complimenting me, Dave.

I remember that so vividly.

I was costumed as an electrician with a hard hat like a city utility worker wearing

And yet on the phone, I was pretending to be a sort of frail, psychotic killer.

And, I mean, I had such fun playing that scene.

For you to invoke it 40 years later, well, you've made my day.

And it's one of Brian's great films, I think.

And one of John Travolta's great performances.

Well, I haven't done it in a while, but there was a good 15-year period there where it was virtually a second career, sort of under the radar.

I did write the nine picture books, and of those nine, like six of them were

were based on songs or narrations with orchestra that I performed for kids in concert, including songs that I had made up with music written by a wonderful composer, Bill Elliott.

It's just entertaining children.