Roth opens with the story of how he got the role of Guildenstern. He met with Tom Stoppard and Gary Oldman. Roth and Oldman had worked together previously (which could be why they seemed to get on so well together in R&G). Roth refused to read for the part, an example of a general practice for him. (Apparently Oldman would not read for his part either.) Things went well in the meeting, but Stoppard was not sold on Roth. It was between Roth and Daniel Day-Lewis, who was playing Hamlet at the National Theatre in London. On the night that Stoppard went to see Day-Lewis perform, the actor had a nervous breakdown during the performance. In the first scene, when the Ghost appeared, Day-Lewis saw the ghost of his own father. Day-Lewis had to take care of the personal issues, so he became unavailable for the role of Guildenstern. Roth got the part.
Roth is asked why it is that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are confused by the other characters. He attributes this as a device created by Stoppard. He denies the assumption that this practice can be traced back to Shakespeare's time. In R&G, perhaps it's because they have complicated names. Maybe it is due also to the relative lack of concern accorded them by the other characters. In this work, Roth considers them to be two sides of the same coin.
Roth relates his thoughts on the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He thinks that the end for them is not quite the end. They won't get to die, but they'll be trapped in reliving the play, trying to figure things out and to get it right.
Near the end of the interview, Roth tells the interviewer that he might like to do more Shakespeare. In fact, he and Oldman inquired about recreating their roles in Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet starring Mel Gibson, complete with the same costumes. They were not hired. Considering the sloppy manner in which the roles were handled in that film, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.
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