Work Text:
Bob Newby: Our first guest tonight is a very old, well, I should say very young, but he’s been coming on here for a long time, friend of the show. He’s back with another Spider-Man movie coming out this Boxing Day, it’s Steve Harrington!
[Crowd cheers. Steve Harrington enters in custom Ralph Lauren. Band plays intro song and Steve gives Bob a hug on his entrance.]
Newby: It’s so great having you back, man. How have you been?
Harrington: I’ve been good, I’ve been good. Very busy.
Newby: So business is good?
[Audience laughs]
Harrington: [Laughs] Yeah, yeah, business is good.
Newby: You know, it always makes me feel very old, seeing you. [Audience laughs] The first time Steve came on our show, he was only 10. [Audience coos]. 10!
Harrington: [Smiles] I was a baby, really. It’s a wonder I was allowed to come on, it was definitely past my bedtime. [Audience laughs].
Newby: We actually went back through the archives to find a clip of your first Tonight Show appearance. [Audience cheers]. So, here he is, Steve Harrington, 10 years old, talking about his experience in the spotlight.
[Audience cheers. A clip of young Steve appears on screen.]
Young Newby: So, Steve, you’ve had a lot of change going on in your life recently.
Young Harrington: Yeah, I guess. [Audience laughs].
Young Newby: You guess? Alright, well, how did it feel, finding out that you were going to be on Disney channel.
Young Harrington: I was pretty happy. [Audience laughs]. I was mostly happy because I knew I would get to miss out on some school. [Audience laughs].
Young Newby: You don’t like school much, then?
Young Harrington: It’s not as much fun as being famous. [Audience laughs].
[Cut to current Steve & Bob. Audience cheers as Steve & Bob laugh].
Newby: You were always a charmer.
Harrington: I remember that interview, I was so nervous I was going to say something wrong. I remember one of my teachers actually called my agent after that, and told her to tell me not to come back to her classroom if I was going to have that attitude. [Audience boos]. Yeah, well I showed her. [Audience cheers, Bob laughs].
Newby: So, moving on from the past, now. Your second Spider-Man movie is coming out next month, how are you feeling about it after the first one was such a success?
Harrington: Thanks Bob, I don’t know, I guess some of the pressure I was feeling when the first one came out is off. I mean, I was so terrified of people not liking my interpretation of the character, you know, people love Spider-Man. [Audience laughs]. But, I think while making this one and now promoting it, I feel a bit more comfortable, and I got to work with Nancy Wheeler on this one, which was just unreal. [Audience cheers].
Newby: Yes, I was going to ask you about Nancy. Now, she plays your love interest in the new film? [Audience whistles].
Harrington: Sort of. I don’t want to give anything away; in fact I’m legally bound not to give anything away. [Audience laughs]. But she’s just terrific, and we’ve been friends for a long time, so it was lots of fun finally getting to work together.
Newby: You met when you were kids, didn’t you?
Harrington: Yeah, yeah, I went to the premiere of her movie, The Edge of Seventeen. [Audience cheers]. Yeah, great film, great film. I think we were about 16, 17 maybe, at the time. And we’re both still playing teenagers, even well into our twenties. [Audience laughs]. Everyone our age had a crush on Nancy, at the time, so I was so nervous meeting her, mostly because nearly all of my friends had asked me to put in a good word for them with her. [Audience laughs].
Newby: And how did that go?
Harrington: [Laughs] Not good. She was not having a bar of me trying to set her up with anyone, understandably so, but we ended up getting along really well, so I guess it turned out for the best.
Newby: Anything ever happen between you two, over the years?
Harrington: [Smiles] No, no, we’ve always been great friends. And she’s actually engaged to my best friend, now. [Audience cheers] Yeah! They’re a great couple, and we got to spend a lot of time all together while we were filming, so it was a blast, really.
Newby: That’s Robin Buckley, you’re talking about?
Harrington: Yes, Robin. [Audience cheers]. Robin and I met, and I apologise for this, at Coachella, about five years ago. She plays in Chrissy Cunningham’s tour band, and she’s just the coolest person in the world. We’ve been attached at the hip since then [Audience laughs]. I even made her come with me to Oslo last year when I was filming No Time To Die. [Audience cheers].
Newby: Nice little drop-in that you were in a Bond film, there. [Audience laughs].
Harrington: [Laughs] Thanks, Bob, I do like to drop that in most conversations that I have these days. [Audience laughs]. Even though I was only in it for about 6 minutes, and I died a pretty gruesome death, it was still probably one of the highlights of my career.
Newby: So, you’ve really been expanding your resume over the last few years. In fact, you’ve ventured into the world of music, this year. [Audience cheers].
Harrington: [Smiles] Yeah, I was in a couple music videos.
Newby: Oh, don’t be coy. [Audience laughs]. So, Steve has starred in two and featured in one of Eddie Munson’s new music videos this year. [Audience cheers]. Now, we’ve only had Eddie on the show once, but we love him, don’t we. [Audience cheers]. How do you feel about Eddie, Steve? [Audience whistles].
[A still photograph from Eddie Munson’s ‘Baby’ music video appears on screen. Steve and Eddie are both shirtless, and Steve is hugging Eddie from behind, his face tucked into Eddie’s neck. Audience whistles].
Harrington: [Blushing, smiling] Oh, you know, he’s alright. [Audience laughs].
Newby: [Laughs] He’s alright?
Harrington: [Smiles] Yeah, we’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, recently.
Newby: Well, we can see that, can’t we? [Bob gestures to the photograph, Audience laughs]. So, I listened, actually, to Eddie’s recent interview with Jim Hopper, talking about his new album ‘Golden Boy’, and it would appear that you are in fact, the golden boy in question.
Harrington: [Smiles]. That’s what I’ve heard.
Newby: So modest. So, how was working on those clips with him?
Harrington: [Smiles] It was so much fun. I’d never been in a music video before, so it was really cool to see how Eddie & Jonathan, his director, brought the songs to life. We shot them all in Indiana, which is where Eddie grew up, so it was really nice to pay tribute to him like that. [Audience coos]. You’re going to have to change the subject soon, Bob, I can feel my face going red. [Audience laughs].
Newby: I’m just giving the people what they want, Steve. [Audience laughs]. Now, in the interview, Eddie said that the two of you have had quite the journey getting to this point. Would you like to share your perspective on that?
Harrington: Well, I met Eddie also at a Chrissy gig. I seem to meet all the important people in my life at her shows. [Audience laughs]. At the time, he wasn’t single, but I had a truly embarrassingly big crush, so I gave it a shot, and he let me down very gently, which only broke my heart a little bit. [Audience coos]. I tried my best to stay in contact, you know, in a friendly way, but I was holding out hope that I would charm him eventually.
Newby: Oh, I’m so happy for you, man. [Steve smiles, audience cheers]. Really, getting an album written about you, that’s really something. I mean, it’s never happened to me, but I’m sure it’s quite the kick. [Audience laughs].
Harrington: Yeah, yeah, it’s really special. And getting to, like, watch him, while he was making it was so amazing as well.
Newby: I’m sure. And did he visit you on set at all?
Harrington: [Smiles] Yeah, a couple times. He liked the suit. [Audience whistles].
Newby: I’m sure he did, in fact, we’ve got a clip here of a TikTok he posted.
[A TikTok recording of Eddie Munson appears on screen. His face is stitched over a behind-the-scenes photo of Steve in costume, with his mask off. Eddie says, “Alright, question for the people. Am I the asshole for wanting to cheat on my boyfriend with his alter-ego?” Audience cheers]
Harrington: Wow, it’s a real talent for someone to make me feel flattered by expressing a desire to cheat on me. [Smiles, Audience laughs]
Newby: Alright, well, it’s been great catching up with you, man. Make sure to check out Steve Harrington in the brand new Spider-Man film, out in theatres on Boxing Day. [Audience cheers].