Kevin Spacey = KS, Jay Leno = JL.

JL: -- just directed his first film, and it's called Albino Alligator, and it's in theaters right now. Please welcome the one and only Kevin Spacey!
[audience applauds as KS walks out to the stage]
(continued) Nice to see you.
KS: Thank you.
JL: I love to tease you now that you're big star, now --
KS: Yeah, I heard that, yeah, the --
JL: -- the black and full act --
KS: It was a little well-done, but ah, it's okay.
JL: That's it, that's what I have to do now. It's my job. Now you just got back, as if you don't have enough things, now you're at the inaugural, were you hosting or something, what were you --
KS: I was, ah, I was asked if I would come and host the Tennessee ball.
JL: Now, I mean, how does this - who asked you?
KS: Well, ah, a woman from the Inaugural committee named Amy Harris called me and she said that the Vice President had requested I host the Tennessee ball. Now, I'm not from Tennessee, ah, although I do have some distant relatives from Tennessee, ah, but I can't imagine he knew that, so... And I said, 'Well, if I host the ball, does that mean I can't go to any other balls?' 'Cos I'd like to go to the Arkansas ball and be there, and I'd like to see other --
JL: -- sure --
KS: and she says, 'Yeah, 'cos you'll be working, you can't, you know, go to any other balls' and I said, 'Well, gosh, that's ah, that's, I really wanna go.' She said, 'You know, the Vice President really wants you, he might call you.' And I said, 'Well, gosh, how do you say 'No' to the Vice President?' She said, 'Most people don't.'
JL: oh well, yeah, that's - don't, suddenly you're being audited.
KS: So I hosted the Tennessee ball.
JL: What, what was your job?
KS: Well, the job is essentially, you come out, you introduce the musical guest, Hootie And The Blowfish play, ah -
JL: Are they from Tennessee?
KS: They're from Tennessee, apparently, yeah. And then, ah, Gloria Estefan, a famous Tennesseean.
JL: Is she from Tennessee also? All these people from Tennessee, it's amazing!
KS: It's amazing. And then, ah, you introduce the Vice President and Tipper Gore when they arrive, and then you introduce the President and the First Lady.
JL: Oh, ah, and they came, too, they came by --
KS: And they came, too.
JL: Let me, ah - did they - Al Gore, he's a very nice man, his wife has been here, but he can't dance. Did he dance again?
KS: They did dance. And I'll tell you, I think they're better dancers than Boris Yeltsin.
JL: You know something - I knew you were going to say that! I put a piece of tape together, now you'll be the judge. Look at the two of them here, take a look - see who do you think is a better dancer.
[cut to a clip of Yeltsin and Gore "shaking their booties"]
Yeah! Look at it yourself, it's tough, it's a tough call!
KS: You know, I brought you some things from the inaugural.
JL: Now there are real inaugural --
KS: There are real inaugural gifts that I bought you. This is the inaugural T-shirt --
JL: -- vow!
KS: -- which has the inaugural thing on it.
JL: (impressed) Hanes!
KS: yeah.
JL: Is this a real - well that's real nice --
KS: And this, because I know you have so many cars, an inaugural license plate for you.
JL: Six two six - is this some kind of satanic --
KS: I think for you, yeah.
JL: Oh that's right. Is that an American journey --
KS: And this, this is the one I completely don't understand. This is an official inaugural picture frame that has Bill Clinton's and Al Gore's signatures in the bottom, but I don't know who the heck these people are!
JL: [shuckles] That's, that's President Yeltsin, I believe. It's a lovely, well, this is really neat. Well, thank you very much, a lovely, lovely thing.
KS: You're welcome, you're welcome.
JL: Now, when you introduce the President, that's a big honor.
KS: It is, it's quite --
JL: What did you say, did you get a chance to chat, what --
KS: Well, I met the President about a year and a half ago at the White House. And, ah, that first time you meet the President, because he's quite a presence in a room, ah, um, but when he was shaking my hand, saying, you know, 'Hillary and I, we really love your work', and you know, you think, 'The President of the United States knows who you are', and all I could think to say to him was, 'Well, ah, I really like your work, too.' I --
JL: yeah, it's, ah --
KS: You just don't know what to say.
JL: I did meet him once and he said, 'You think you're pretty funny, don't you?' I was like, 'No Sir, No Sir, I don't.' Now, you also got a call from, who was it, Al Pacino? And I thank you for coming, 'cos you were supposed to be in London now.
KS: Well, I'm going very soon to London, because, ah, Al Pacino and I have a, ah -- (re: Jay's shuckles) what, where are you going?
JL: No, I used to [think of] you on Melrose, [yelling] 'Hey, hamburger, so I can get something to eat!' Now you're meeting presidents - I knew you when you were an out-of-work actor, now you're going to London --
KS: I know, I actually feel like lately I've been living Forrest Gump's life.
JL: Vow, but it's wonderful, though.
KS: But Pacino, Mr Pacino and I made a documentary called Looking For Richard, which a documentary about Shakespeare which is out now. And we're going to London to present the film to Prince Charles and, ah, the Prince's trust, so we're doing this very soon. So, in the movie Al plays the King and we're going to present it to the Prince.
JL: it's, oh well, ah, that's pretty cool --
KS: (re: no laughter) That went nowhere, but I just thought I'd say it.
JL: It's good to have a humbling experience.
KS: [looks straight to the camera and waves his hand] Hi Mom!
JL: Let me, you know, what people may not know, because of the Academy Awards and all that, they see you as a serious actor, but you hosted the Saturday Night Live, you did a great job, you were very funny. You were a good mimic, can you do, can you do Al Pacino, or am I putting you on the spot here, at all?
KS: No, no, not at all. Al called and said, [falls into a AP impression] 'Let's go meet the Prince!'
JL: Pretty good, yeah.
[audience applauds loudly]
KS: [mouths] Thank you, thank you.
JL: What else can you do, can you do - I was told you can do Michael Caine, but I've never seen you do Michael Caine.
KS: Ah, that would be, [falls into a MC impression] 'Hallo, my name is Michael Caine.'
JL: Good! That's very good, very good...
KS: (continues) 'And I've been in every film ever made in the history of motion pictures.'
JL: Now let me ask you about your new film now. This is your first time directing.
KS: Yes.
JL: A lot of big stars in this film, we're gonna see it this weekend. Who was it?
KS: Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise, Faye Dunaway -- Viggo Mortensen, Joe Mantegna, Bill Fichtner and Skeet Ulrich.
JL: Now do you like that, do you like being in charge, do you like being involved?
KS: I had such a good time on this movie --
JL: -- yeah --
KS: It's a great little psychological drama, we shot it in 34 days --
JL: Really? Well, that seems unbelievable.
KS: Whole film.
JL: So "albino alligator", what does it mean?
KS: It's actually, there are now alligators in this movie, there's just only algories. And that, um, it get's explained it, it's a pool shot in a pool game.
JL: This is an amazing stunt.
KS: Oh yeah, you're gonna show that one?
JL: With the car, there guys have, what um, committed some kind of robbery, they're running from the police. Let's take a look, Albino Alligator.
[cut to a clip of AA]
(continued) Ooh, oh, how many takes on that?
KS: You know, that particular stunt, we planned for, um, two and a half months, and thank God it worked because we had two cars and two cameras, and that was it.
JL: And just one guy --
KS: And one guy flying out, flying out that window.
JL: Oh man, that's a great stunt. Well, congratulations! Well, you know Cheri [Oteri], of course, you worked with her on Saturday Night Live.
KS: yeah, absolutely --
JL: And she's a mimic, too. We're all mimics. Be back with Cheri Oteri right after this. Kevin, thank you very much, and thank you for the lovely gifts...