CONAN: My next guest tonight use to play Ally McBeal’s boyfriend, and now stars on the hit show Law & Order. Please welcome a Man TV Guide recently called “One of the Sexiest People on TV”, Jesse L. Martin JESSE: I like the band!
CONAN: Yeah they're alright!
JESSE: ____en great band!
CONAN: Like that band do ya. How are you?
JESSE: I’m good Man, I’m good
CONAN: How did ya....I mean, when TV Guide calls you, ah...one of the sexiest men on TV...I always...When that happens to me, I find it embarrassing
JESSE: Well...you know.....it’s a little embarrassing
CONAN: But, I get use to it
JESSE: Let me tell you something. You are a sexy guy because...
CONAN: Hey! ha, ha
JESSE: I got a beauty secret from you once
CONAN: From me?
JESSE: Yep, I did. I was watching your show one night and you were talking about how you use Preparation H under your eyes
CONAN: True! and that’s a true story. People think I’m kidding about that. But whenever you get bags under your eyes and someone told me you do this. You put Preparation H under it and it totally takes it away
JESSE: Yeah, totally! ...you know it takes it away...It totally works!
CONAN: So You! One of the sexiest men on TV got a beauty tip from me
JESSE: That’s right!
CONAN: OK
JESSE: But you know what’s embarrassing about that though? You have to actually go to the store to get Preparation H. So I went to the Drug Store around the corner from my house and this absolutely beautiful Puerto Rican woman was standing behind the counter. And she’s just lookin’ at me and I’m about to get my “groove on”... You know. Hey, and I put all my stuff on the counter...tryin’ to flip the Preparation H under...
CONAN: About to get your groove on?
JESSE: Yeah, you know what that means. right? CONAN: I haven’t had my “groove on” in 36 years of living. But anyway, go ahead
JESSE: So any way. I’m tryin’ to purchase the stuff nonchalantly, you know. I got Preparation H, some water, some tissue - you know, and, ah...
CONAN: You always buy other stuff to cover it up.
JESSE: She looks down at the Preparation H, she looks up at me, and she turns to her friend at the other counter, the other register behind her and she says “The Guy for Ally McBeal uses Preparation H’, and I’m like, I could have died. Embarrassing.
CONAN: It’s terrible, I’m in there all the time, buyin’ it
JESSE: Really!!
CONAN: Yes, I think they think “His ass is out of whack, it’s like he’s in bad shape” Not good
JESSE: Hey!, I’m suppose to tell you a big, big, big, big hello from Jerry Orbach
CONAN: One of the coolest people in the world, Jerry Orbach, a cool guy
JESSE: And a big hello and thanks for the skit you put on
CONAN: Well, that was Andy. Andy put that together, but she was, but we can’t give away anything. We gotta explain now. We were all on Jeopardy together
JESSE: Yep
CONAN: We won’t say what happened. You have to check your local listing
ANDY: Exactly
CONAN: Um...now, you started out...you’ve got an interesting ride. You started out in Rent. A lot of people would say “that’s great, I could stop there”. You were in Rent, then you go on Ally McBeal. Then you go onto Law & Order, which is one of the bigger hits on TV.
JESSE: Definitely, definitely. It all came to a head after Ally McBeal. I didn’t realize how many people watch that show. You know, You’re walking along the street and, like, “Oh my God, you’re Ally McBeal's boyfriend. Why did you leave her” You know!
CONAN: And you’re there, holding Preparation H
JESSE: Exactly (laughing)
CONAN: And they’re like “It’s just as well, leave Ally alone”
JESSE: You know, people think you’re really there, ya know. Like we really do date
CONAN: Ah huh
JESSE: Which is so not true
CAROLINE: We really date
JESSE: (laughing) Yeah. You see how we met. We’re both going to Cosco together. She’s so cute isn’t she?
CONAN: All right you two, knock it off or I’ll stop this show and we’re not going to McDonald’s either. So what, ah...So you find people just, ah...now that...now that you are on Law & Order, which is... I don’t know, seen by ... they did a Poll recently...I don’t know...seen by I think 90 billion people a night
JESSE: Wow!! that seems a little outrageous
CONAN: NBC told me to say that
JESSE: Oh really!, oh really, that’s pretty close
CONAN: (acting like a robot) It’s the finest show on TV. Welcome, I wish you all well. Ah...it’s a great show
JESSE: Yeah it is, I’m having a ball doing it
CONAN: But do you get bothered a lot by people wanting your autograph?
JESSE: Oh yeah, people want a lot of stuff, I mean, like it really is weird what...
CONAN: Let’s talk about that
JESSE: OK. A long time ago, I was doing a soap opera. I was on Guiding Light. A very small part. Um...nobody would ever, ever remember it. But I use to get fan mail, regardless, and most of the fan mail I got was from in-mates. Male and female in-mates who were like “I’d like a full length picture...color perhaps” And just some correspondence. Friendly correspondence. And I was, like, do you write people back when they send you letters from jail?
CONAN: Are you asking me?
JESSE: Yeah
CONAN: I initiate...I mean I’m the one who writes people in Prison telling them they should write the show. That’s the level I’m on. I mean...have you ever seen late night with Conan O’Brien. Would you take a nude photo of me and they’re like “Please - NO”. Well, Law & Order - Wednesday at 10 O’clock on NBC. And uh, I’d like,, I say I was bragging on your behalf, but you’ve, uh, that show has always done well, but you’ve brought them a lot of new interests which is great and you’re producing the play “Fully Committed”
JESSE: That’s right!
CONAN: At the Vineyard Theater right here in New York City
JESSE: Starring Markie Setlock. He used to be in Rent too! You gotta see him, you’d love him. You gotta go see the show, it’s absolutely hysterical
CONAN: All right, Jesse L. Martin. Thank you for coming by
JESSE: My pleasure.