Kevin James and Leah Remini share "Something in Common"
Kevin James and Leah Remini first joined forces on "The King of Queens," which ran for nine seasons. Now they've reunited for "Kevin Can Wait" on CBS, in which they play former police partners. Remini joined the cast after successful guest appearances in season one.
We asked them to interview each other for our series "Something in Common."
"I never interviewed anybody," James said.
"I'm glad to be your first," Remini replied.
"When did you first catch the acting bug?"
"As early as I can remember. I mean, I grew up on television, watching 'I Love Lucy." I remember hearing the laughs from the audience, and I was like, 'Wow, to be able to do that!' But now I feel like you're not listening."
"I'm really not. I'm thinking of my next question."
"OK, that's not a good interviewer."
"It's not. I'm not good at this," James obliged. "Did you answer that one, by the way?"
"I did. But you didn't hear me."
"No, I did."
"But the people at home heard me. Anybody who's married understands that you didn't listen to a word I said," Remini said.
"I got the gist," James offered.
"What did I say?"
"Lucy."
James said that the first laugh he got performing was at a public speaking class in college, which he took because – in addition to being very shy – he was told it would be an easy class. "Someone said, 'It's public speaking. It's an easy grade, you'll get it right away' -- never thinking I'd have to public speak in the class. Then I found out that the final was to public speak. And I got a laugh."
Remini asked, "How did you feel?"
"It made me feel all grown up," he replied. "It made me feel good!"
James asked, "When did you know you made it?"
"I don't think anybody in this business ever things they really made it," she replied. "Do you?"
"Right, for me, it's always a sense of, they're gonna figure you out. It's like, I'm getting by and doing things and I love what I do, but I don't know! You never know."
"And you have some success, you just don't have job security. This is not a job for somebody to go, 'I've made it,'" she added.
James asked, "Is there something in this career of yours that you have not yet achieved that you would like to achieve?"
"I have never played Annie on Broadway," Remini replied, admitting that as a child it was her dream to be Annie, with the minor obstacle of not being able to sing.
James goaded her to trying singing "Tomorrow."
"The sun will come out …tomorrow..."
"Kevin Can Wait" airs on CBS Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Watch full episodes online at cbs.com and via CBS All Access.
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