MTW On Rosie O'Donnell: April 3, 1997 Rosie O'Donnell:

Every Saturday night, our next guest stars as a genius on the run in the new NBC drama, The Pretender. Take a look. [A clip from the Keys episode rolls.]

RO: Please welcome Michael T. Weiss. How are you? Good to see you, Michael.

Michael T. Weiss: Good to see you.

MTW: How's it going? It's going great. I'm a little upset because I wasn't here for thong-back week.

RO: No. If you like, we can send you some during thong week.

MTW: Please do.

RO: I'm gonna ask if the guests wanna wear them, too.

MTW: Extra large, please.

RO: Oh, alrighty. Thanks for sharing. Do you know, one of the thong companies was so sweet. They sent it to me; they said, "We sent you every size, 'cause we don't know what size you are. Like, five, six. I'm like, "Oh yeah, that's very kind of them." Wasn't it?

MTW: Are you supposed to know your size? I mean, if you're a five or a six? I mean, people know their thong size?

RO: I think--

MTW: Women--

RO: Women know their underwear size.

MTW: Oh, good.

RO: And they lie about it often. Well, good to see you. The show is doing so well.

MTW: Oh, thanks. It's great.

RO: Now, for everyone, you've seen it, right? He's like a genius guy, who is kept underground. And you were taught everything. And then you escaped.

MTW: I escaped. It's been such a whirlwind. It's such an incredible pleasure. Um, Steve Mitchell and Craig Van Sickle, who are our creators, created, like, this perfect hybrid TV show of all these different action adventure, and science fiction, and drama, and romance, and they stuck it altogether. And I'm just having the best time.

RO: 'Cause you get to be, like, a different thing every week.

MTW: Every week. You never get bored, you know?

RO: You're always in uniform, too.

MTW: Yes, I have a different uniform every week. I change my clothes a lot. You get to do lots of fun things. I was a cop.

RO: You were a cop.

MTW: Once.

RO: Did you like that?

MTW: It was really fun, but I had the uniform on, which is fun.

RO: Did you keep it?

MTW: Well, you know....

RO: I know. Tell me.

MTW: Well, you know it wasn't as dirty as you think, you know. But after we wrapped, I was looking and thinking, "Hmmm, I have a police officer's uniform on. Hmmm." So I went out--and we were shooting at Paramount--I went outside, and I started directing traffic, you know?

RO: You didn't

MTW: I started really getting into it, and then it was really fun. Like, you know, studio executives were pulling up in their big Mercedes. It was like, "I don't think so, sir."

RO: Couldn't you get arrested for that?

MTW: You can certainly get arrested for that.

RO: I think you can, but it was all in good fun.

MTW: Yes, but I--you know, uniforms are great, and I think that Jarod has a revolving charge account at Barney's, 'cause he's always got--I change clothes, like, thirty-five times a day.

RO: Yeah, it's a lot of work doing an hour drama, isn't it?

MTW: Oh.

RO: It's like fourteen hours a day, is that--

MTW: Fifteen hours a day.

RO: Fifteen hours a day.

MTW: No time for love. But it's a good one....

RO: Awww.

MTW: But it's really fun. Now, as you know, or you might not know, Jarod is sort of uh, never had popular culture.

RO: No.

MTW: Like you have, obviously.

RO: I had a lot.

MTW: You've obviously not been exposed to it. So, I wanted to bring you something. Now, Jarod is sort of the unofficial spokesperson for Pez.

RO: Pez dispensers. Yes.

MTW: Right, which is, you know, he thinks Pez is just amazing, which is, you know, it's a very important thing, Pez. And, um, so I had one made especially for you because, during my formative years, I watched you in Exit to Eden. And seeing you in your little dominatrix outfit....

RO: Don't even tell me.

MTW: Little dominatrix Rosie Pez.

RO: It actually looks a little bit like me. Where can we get it? What camera? Look at that. Is there candy in it? There is! When you eat Pez, do you pull the candy out with your fingers or your teeth?

MTW: I just pull the whole cartridge out and shove the whole thing in my mouth.

RO: Oh, you do?

MTW: I'm, like, an all or nothing type of guy.

RO: Where'd you grow up?

MTW: It's got a little whip. Did you notice?

RO: I did notice, actually. It's gonna go in my collection. Where did you grow up?

MTW: I grew up in Chicago.

RO: What was your favorite candy when you were a kid?

MTW: Uh, Pez, Pop Rocks, and those little Pixie Stix. But next season, Jarod's gonna discover Pixie Stix, I think. That Pez is getting old. It's time to move on to bigger and better....

RO: Colored sugar in a straw.

MTW: Yes. It's very healthy.

RO: Diabetes waiting to happen. That's what it is. Now, do you have any brothers or sisters?

MTW: Yes, I have two sisters.

RO: Are they in the acting profession?

MTW: One is a make up artiste.

RO: Oh, really?

MTW: Yes, and the other one works for Sears, doing their advertising. Can you say that on the air?

RO: You can say Sears. In fact, we can sing the song. [RO sings the Sears jingle.]

MTW: That's her account.

RO: There you go.

MTW: Now, I have a good one for you. Do you remember? [MTW sings and RO joins in.] Digger the dog. Digger, he goes with you when you explore.

MTW: Do you guys remember that?

RO: Yes, and the mother went out the door, and she goes--remember the beginning, when the mother opens the screen door in the back? What does she say? "Whatcha doin' Tommy?" "Walkin' Digger, Mom." [MTW and RO finish singing the jingle.]

RO: I love that. You know the Slinky one? [They begin to sing the Slinky jingle.]

RO: That's the easy part. What about the beginning?

MTW: No, I don't remember the beginning. [RO sings the beginning of the jingle.]

RO: I'm like the opposite of your character.

MTW: Very talented. Very talented. You are like, yes, you are what Jarod would love to be. Now, Jarod actually did discover Slinkys in one episode.

RO: He did? I didn't see that one. You gotta send it to me.

MTW: Yes, and he usually uses them in some way to bring down the bad guy. So, it's kind of fun.

RO: He does, which is always good. Like, you know who always did that? MacGuyver. He'd have, like, a paper clip, and he could make a bomb. You know? But he wasn't even a genius. He was just MacGuyver. He always used to be on my soap opera, that MacGuyver guy. He was. He was Jeff, wasn't he, on All My Children. Can't get over that.

MTW: Now, I think I have this image of you sitting at home with, like, fifteen different tv screens going on at once, going like this. [MTW pretends to watch multiple screens.]

RO: I am, pretty much, and I'm enjoying it. And I'm on the computer at the same time.

MTW: Isn't the computer cool? RO: Are you on it? MTW: Internet is so cool.

RO: You're on the internet or America Online?

MTW: I'm on both, actually. RO: Me too.

MTW: It's weird. You can go in, and you can, like, listen to people talk about you.

RO: Do you do that?

MTW: It's like being a fly on the wall.

RO: It is. You give me your account name, and we'll be e-mail buddies.

MTW: Okay.

RO: Alright.

MTW: Dominatrix.rose.com. Or something like that.

RO: Michael T. Weiss. Watch The Pretender, 'cause it's a great show.