In April of 2016, Willie Geist sat down with Leslie Odom Jr. to talk about the actor\u2019s breakout role in the Tony-winning Broadway hit, \u201cHamilton,\u201d marking the first Sunday Sitdown, the centerpiece of Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, hundreds of conversations later, Willie tells TODAY.com, “It doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s been 10 years<\/a> at all.”<\/p>\n “In fact, it took this anniversary for me to stop and think of how far we\u2019ve come,” he says. “Because it just feels every week like, \u2018OK, what\u2019s the next show? What\u2019s the next show?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThis gives us an occasion to sit and think about having interviewed 400 different people over the course of all these Sunday Sitdowns,” he adds.<\/p>\n The list of guests reads like a who\u2019s who of stage, screen, TV, music, sports, books, politics and pop culture, including luminaries like Billy Joel<\/a>, Tom Hanks, Dolly Parton, Shaquille O\u2019Neal, Steve Martin, Kerry Washington, Lin-Manuel Miranda<\/a>, Bad Bunny<\/a>, Hillary Clinton and a host of others.<\/p>\n Willie Geist interviews music legend Billy Joel in 2024. (Nathan Congleton \/ TODAY)<\/p>\n (Nathan Congleton)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n While each conversation is memorable in its own way, Willie says there are a handful that stand out, including his 2020 interview with Al Pacino.<\/p>\n Known for rarely giving interviews, Willie met up with the screen legend in Hollywood.<\/p>\n \u201cWe tucked into a red leather booth at his favorite Italian place in Beverly Hills and then, we had rented \u2013 not exactly but close to \u2013the car that Tony Montana drove in \u2018Scarface,\u2019\u201d Willie recalls.<\/p>\n Thinking he and Pacino might take a quick spin around the block in the classic convertible, Willie says he was shocked when he ended up driving Pacino around Beverly Hills for more than 45 minutes while \u201cThe Godfather\u201d actor pointed out notable landmarks and told stories.<\/p>\n Willie Geist reveals that Al Pacino is among his most memorable Sunday Sitdown conversations over the last decade. (Mike Smith \/ TODAY)<\/p>\n (Mike Smith)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cIt was truly, truly out-of-body, surreal to pull up to a red light in Beverly Hills and look over and Al Pacino is riding shotgun and you just say, \u2018How did this happen?\u2019\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Better yet, Willie recalls pulling up to a stoplight with his famous passenger and hearing someone yell from another car, to which Pacino yelled back, \u201cWe\u2019re filming a new movie! It\u2019s called \u2018Willie and Al.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he starts cracking himself up,\u201d Willie says. \u201cAnd I\u2019m like, \u2018Oh my God, the fact that Al Pacino even knows who I am, let alone, he\u2019s making jokes with my name, it\u2019s just incredible.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Was he nervous chauffeuring the Oscar-winner around the streets of Hollywood?<\/p>\n Al Pacino and Willie Geist drive around Hollywood during at 2020 interview for NBC’s Sunday TODAY. (Jim Seida \/ TODAY)<\/p>\n (Jim Seida)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018If something happens in this rickety car to Al Pacino, it\u2019s on me. I\u2019m in the headlines.’ I got to be real careful,\u201d Willie says of the ride.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I was 10-and-2, right lane, overly signaling, head on a swivel, while he\u2019s like, \u2018Over there, Brenda and I used to hang out in that joint!\u2019” Willie says with a laugh. \u201cHe survived, so I considered my job well done that day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>
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