3/13/02

LC020313

VAL>> ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT --

JESS>> IT'S A FAVORITE FOR THIS YEAR'S OSCAR, A FILM ABOUT A MATH GENIUS WITH A DARK SECRET. TONIGHT DIRECTOR, RON HOWARD, TALKS ABOUT HOW HE BROUGHT THAT COMPELLING STORY TO THE BIG SCREEN.

RON HOWARD>> THE MOVIE OFFERED SOME GREAT DIRECTORIAL CHALLENGES, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF SORT OF GETTING INSIDE THE MIND OF SOMEBODY GOING ON THIS PARTICULAR KIND OF JOURNEY.

JESS>> TONIGHT, A LOOK INSIDE "A BEAUTIFUL MIND", RON HOWARD'S OSCAR-NOMINATED MOTION PICTURE.

VAL>> FROM "CARRIE" TO "COALMINER'S DAUGHTER", SISSY SPACEK HAS MADE HER MARK. NOW THE FILM "IN THE BEDROOM" HAS EARNED HER ANOTHER OSCAR NOMINATION.

SISSY SPACEK>> THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS, THESE KINDS OF FILMS, DON'T COME ALONG THAT OFTEN.

VAL>> WE TALK WITH SISSY SPACEK ABOUT A CAREER THAT SPANS THIRTY YEARS AND 32 FILMS.

JESS>> WHEN MICKEY MOUSE FIRST APPEARED ON FILM, HE WAS HAND-DRAWN CELL BY CELL, BUT TODAY YOU CAN DRAW MICKEY WITH A MOUSE. WE'LL PREVIEW ONE ANIMATED FILM UP FOR AN OSCAR AND WE'LL MEET THE MAN WHO UPRAISED THE ART FORM TO NEW HEIGHTS.

VAL>> IT'S OSCAR NIGHT ON THIS EDITION OF THE BEST OF LIFE AND TIMES.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> GOOD EVENING, I'M VAL ZAVALA.

JESS>> AND I'M JESS MARLOW.

WELCOME TO THIS SPECIAL BEST OF LIFE AND TIMES. TONIGHT WE GO TO THE OSCARS, IN A SENSE, AS WE TALK WITH SOME TOP HOLLYWOOD TALENT, AN ANIMATOR, AN ACTOR AND A DIRECTOR. WE BEGIN WITH RON HOWARD.

VAL>> RON HOWARD HAS DIRECTED OVER A DOZEN MAJOR FILMS, MANY OF THEM CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESSES. BUT HOWARD HAS NEVER RECEIVED AN ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION HIMSELF UNTIL THIS YEAR WITH HIS LATEST FILM, "A BEAUTIFUL MIND".

JESS>> THE MOVIE IS BASED ON THE LIFE OF JOHN NASH, A NOBEL PRIZE-WINNING MATHEMATICIAN PLAGUED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. WHAT'S THE REAL JOHN NASH LIKE AND HOW DID THE MOVIE NAVIGATE BETWEEN FACT AND FICTION? IN A MOMENT, WE'LL TALK WITH THE DIRECTOR, BUT FIRST A SCENE FROM "A BEAUTIFUL MIND".

[FILM CLIP]

JESS>> RON HOWARD, WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES.

RON HOWARD>> THANK YOU.

JESS>> LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT. HOW CLOSE IS THIS TO THE REAL STORY?

RON HOWARD>> WELL, LOOK, WHEN YOU -- I THINK IT ACCURATELY CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF THEIR LIVES, JOHN AND ALICIA'S LIFE TOGETHER, AND THIS PARTICULAR JOURNEY, PARTICULAR ASPECT, OF NASH'S LIFE WHICH IS THE SORT OF PUSH AND PULL BETWEEN GENIUS AND MADNESS WITHIN HIS LIFE. YOU KNOW, WE HAD TO MAKE A LOT OF CHOICES BECAUSE THIS DOES NOT CHRONICLE JOHN NASH'S LIFE.

IT'S NOT A BIOPIC, BUT IT IS A STORY WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AND SAY LOOK AT THIS JOURNEY. WITHIN THAT, OFFERS A TREMENDOUS DRAMATIC OPPORTUNITY TO ILLUSTRATE SOMETHING IN A VERY UNUSUAL WAY AND CAPTURE THE TRUTH OF THIS LIFE, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, HOW DID THIS PARTICULAR PERSON COPE WITH THIS DISORDER? IT'S A REMARKABLE SURVIVAL STORY.

JESS>> BUT THERE WAS, AND IS, A JOHN NASH.

RON HOWARD>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.

JESS>> A BRILLIANT MATHEMATICIAN. HE SUFFERED SCHIZOPHRENIA. HE RECOVERED SUFFICIENTLY TO WIN A NOBEL PRIZE?

RON HOWARD>> YES. AND JOHN IS FAIRLY GUARDED. MUCH OF HIS LIFE HE DOESN'T REMEMBER. THERE ARE GAPS IN HIS LIFE WHERE, YOU KNOW, HE JUST HAS LITTLE SENSE OF WHAT WENT ON WHEN HE WAS MOST ILL. BUT, YOU KNOW, HE'S A REMARKABLE GUY. I THINK THE BIGGEST SURPRISE WAS THIS SORT OF GROWNUP UNSENTIMENTAL, YET TRULY ROMANTIC IN A VERY REAL SENSE, LOVE STORY.

ALICIA NASH, THE REAL ALICIA NASH, IS A HERO IN MY EYES BECAUSE SHE WAS MORE THAN THE SUPPORTIVE WIFE. SHE TOOK SOME REAL RISKS AND A VERY COURAGEOUS STAND AT A CERTAIN POINT IN MAKING A DECISION TO BASICALLY CARE FOR HER HUSBAND RATHER THAN SUBJECT HIM TO FURTHER TREATMENT IN THE INSTITUTIONS. YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT, IN THE 50'S AND EARLY 60'S, YOU KNOW, THE MEDICATIONS WERE NOT WHAT THEY ARE TODAY AND THE TREATMENTS WERE FAR MORE ERRATIC.

VAL>> THAT'S RIGHT. AND ALTHOUGH THE REAL ALICIA NASH -- THEY DID GET DIVORCED, BUT THEY ALSO GOT BACK TOGETHER AND THEY RECENTLY GOT REMARRIED, SO THEIRS IS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT TO EACH OTHER.

RON HOWARD>> YEAH. AGAIN, IN SORT OF SELECTING AND CHOOSING, THAT PERIOD WHERE THEY WERE APART WAS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT I WAS EAGER TO TRY TO BUILD INTO THE STORY, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S ALREADY TWO HOURS AND TEN MINUTES LONG, AND WE REPRESENTED IT. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF TWISTS AND TURNS IN THEIR LIVES THAT WE MANAGED TO REPRESENT, SOMETIMES SYNTHESIZING DOWN TO JUST SINGLE MOMENTS. BUT I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT WE CAPTURED THE SPIRIT OF THEIR LIVES AS IT RELATES TO, YOU KNOW, THIS JOURNEY.

VAL>> WELL, THE SINGLE MOMENT THAT YOU DEPICTED IN THE MOVIE ABOUT THEIR FIRST ENCOUNTER ONE-ON-ONE IS WHAT OUR NEXT CLIP IS, AND HERE'S A LOOK AT THAT.

[FILM CLIP]

JESS>> THE CRITICS HAVE BEEN VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE CASTING OF THIS MOVIE.

RON HOWARD>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I LOVE DIRECTING ACTORS. WHILE THE MOVIE OFFERED SOME GREAT DIRECTORIAL CHALLENGES, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF SORT OF GETTING INSIDE THE MIND OF SOMEBODY GOING ON THIS PARTICULAR KIND OF JOURNEY, WHAT IT ALSO OFFERED WAS A SCREENPLAY BY AKIVA GOLDSMAN AND SCENE AFTER SCENE THAT OFFERED JUST GREAT ACTING OPPORTUNITIES.

RUSSELL CROWE IS A TREMENDOUS ACTOR IN HIS ABSOLUTE PRIME. I MEAN, JUST EXTRAORDINARY, AND THIS SORT OF CREATIVE COURAGE, IMAGINATION, HIS FLEXIBILITY IS JUST REMARKABLE. AND JENNIFER CONNELLEY IS REALLY COMING IN TO HER OWN. VERY INTELLIGENT WOMAN, A LOT OF STRENGTH OF CHARACTER AS A PERSON, AND A LOT OF INTEGRITY.

VAL>> SHE HAS AN IVY LEAGUE BACKGROUND, SO SHE KIND OF FIT INTO THE ACTUAL STORY.

RON HOWARD>> SHE DID HAVE AN IVY LEAGUE BACKGROUND AND SHE TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD THIS WORLD. YOU KNOW, REALLY, THEIR LOVE STORY EVOLVED NOT ONLY THROUGH THE RESEARCH WITH THE REAL ALICIA NASH, BUT ALSO IN SEEING JUST THE WAY THEIR SCENES WORKED IN REHEARSAL.

JESS>> RUSSELL CROWE'S AGING IN THE FILM IS INTERESTING TOO BECAUSE HE APPEARS INITIALLY AS VERY BUFF, MAYBE A BIT MORE BUFF THAN MOST MATHEMATICIANS (LAUGHTER), BUT TOWARD THE END, PLAYS THIS OLDER MAN AND IT, TO ME AT LEAST, WAS VERY BELIEVABLE.

RON HOWARD>> WELL, HE -- LOOK, HE IS RUTHLESSLY HONEST IN HIS WORK AND ALWAYS BEGINS AND SORT OF ENDS WITH THE TRUTH AS AN ACTOR. YOU KNOW, I FOUND THAT VERY IMPRESSIVE. IT WAS EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE HOPED FOR IN TERMS OF A WORKING RELATIONSHIP. NOT THAT HE'S ALWAYS EASY, BECAUSE HE CHALLENGES THE MATERIAL AND HE CHALLENGES EVERYONE AROUND HIM.

VAL>> I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU, WERE THERE ANY DIFFICULT MOMENTS IN THE MAKING OF IT?

RON HOWARD>> THERE ARE ALWAYS DIFFICULT MOMENTS IN MAKING A MOVIE, BUT I THINK, AT THE END OF EVERY DAY -- AND I'M NOT SIDESTEPPING YOUR QUESTION -- WE ALWAYS FELT REALLY GOOD ABOUT WHAT WE HAD ACCOMPLISHED. AND THERE WERE NEVER ANY MOMENTS WHERE, YOU KNOW --

VAL>> -- YOU WANTED TO QUIT?

RON HOWARD>> NO, NO. THINGS CAME TO A STANDSTILL AND THERE WERE NO SHOUTING MATCHES. NOTHING EVER PETTY WAS GOING ON. WHAT THERE WAS WAS A LOT OF ROLLING UP THE SLEEVES AND WORKING HARD TO ANSWER THE DRAMATIC QUESTIONS AND PRESENT THESE SCENES IN AS AMBITIOUS A WAY AS WE COULD BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL FELT IT WAS A RARE OPPORTUNITY. YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT MUCH LIKE A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE.

VAL>> NOT AT ALL. IN FACT, THE PROTAGONISTS SAY IT'S COMPLETELY OPPOSITE THE HOLLYWOOD ROMANCE --

RON HOWARD>> -- IT BREAKS ALL THE RULES. IT BREAKS ALL THE RULES, AND I WAS DELIGHTED THAT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, AND LATER DREAMWORKS, WANTED TO MAKE THE MOVIE. I WAS DELIGHTED THAT MY PARTNER AT IMAGINE FILMS, BRIAN GRAZER, WHO WAS ONLY THOUGHT OF AS KIND OF A VERY COMMERCIAL-MINDED GUY, WAS DEDICATED TO GET THIS MOVIE GOING AND REALLY WANTED ME TO DIRECT IT.

JESS>> WE HAVE TO ASK, WHAT DID JOHN NASH THINK OF THE MOVIE? THE REAL JOHN NASH?

RON HOWARD>> THE REAL JOHN NASH HAD A KIND OF A BEMUSED QUALITY ABOUT THE WHOLE THING, FROM THE TIMES THAT HE VISITED THE SET THROUGH TO ACTUALLY SEEING THE SHOOTING.

VAL>> THAT'S HIM THERE.

RON HOWARD>> YEAH, THIS IS ON THE NEXT TO THE LAST DAY OF SHOOTING. HE HAD COME AND VISITED US EARLY IN THE FILMING AS WELL AND, OF COURSE, HAD READ SCRIPTS. HE KNEW THAT WE HAD DIVERTED, SIMPLIFIED AND SO FORTH AS WE WENT ALONG. HE SAW THE MOVIE AND IT WAS ALMOST LIKE HE WAS WATCHING HOME MOVIES. BUT THEN WE CAME TO ONE PORTION OF THE FILM.

THERE'S A SEQUENCE WHERE THE MOVIE JOHN NASH PLAYED BY RUSSELL CROWE UNDERGOES INSULIN SHOCK THERAPY IN A MENTAL INSTITUTION. WE DEALT WITH THIS IN A VERY AUTHENTIC, VERY GRAPHIC WAY AND RUSSELL PLAYED IT FULLY. I DIDN'T HIDE ANY OF IT WITH THE CAMERA AND IT'S A VERY INTENSE SEQUENCE. AT THAT POINT, I WAS SITTING THERE WATCHING JOHN WATCH THE MOVIE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME AND I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR WHAT I WAS GOING TO SEE.

ALICIA WAS SITTING THERE TOO AND JUST BEGAN WEEPING AND JOHN, WHO HAD BEEN JUST KIND OF SMILING AND WATCHING THE MOVIE, SUDDENLY LOWERED AND AVERTED HIS EYES AND LOOKED AWAY UNTIL THE SCENE WAS OVER. WHEN THE MOVIE WAS FINISHED, HE SAID, "I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE INSULIN SHOCK SEQUENCE" AND I WAS AFRAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO IDENTIFY A MISTAKE THAT WE'D MADE OR SOMETHING. HE SAID, "INTERESTING THING ABOUT THAT. YOU KNOW, I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE." OF COURSE, YOU GO INTO A COMA AND, IN THIS CASE, WENT INTO A GRAND MAL SEIZURE AND HE HAD NO IDEA IN MANY WAYS WHAT HE WAS GOING THROUGH.

VAL>> OUR NEXT OSCAR NOMINEE IS ACTRESS, SISSY SPACEK. IN HOLLYWOOD, ROLES FOR WOMEN OVER FORTY ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, BUT SISSY SPACEK DEFIES CONVENTION.

JESS>> SPACEK WON ACCLAIM IN MOVIES SUCH AS "CARRIE" AND SHE WON AN OSCAR FOR "COALMINER'S DAUGHTER". SHE IS NOMINATED AGAIN, THIS TIME FOR HER ROLE IN THE DRAMA "IN THE BEDROOM". PHILIP BRUCE SAYS IT'S JUST ANOTHER MILESTONE IN SPACEK'S LONG CAREER.

[FILM CLIP]

PHILIP>> SISSY SPACEK HAS A KNACK OF ALWAYS BEING REAL. IT'S TRUE WHETHER SHE'S ON SCREEN OR OFF AND SHE'S EMERGING AS AN OSCAR FAVORITE FOR HER PERFORMANCE IN THE FILM "IN THE BEDROOM".

SISSY SPACEK>> I THINK I REALIZE NOW MORE THAN EVER THAT THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS, THESE KINDS OF FILMS, DON'T COME ALONG THAT OFTEN, THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN A FILM LIKE "IN THE BEDROOM". IT'S A BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN SCREENPLAY AND IT TAKES SEVERAL TURNS THAT ARE VERY UNEXPECTED. IT WAS LIKE NOTHING THAT I HAD READ IN YEARS. REALLY, IT'S LIKE NOTHING I'VE EVER READ. THE ROLE OF RUTH FOWLER WAS A ROLE THAT WAS LIKE NOTHING I'VE EVER PLAYED BEFORE, A WOMAN WHO'S VERY, VERY DIFFERENT THAN ME.

PHILIP>> "IN THE BEDROOM" IS A SIMPLE FILM MADE INDEPENDENTLY WITH A SMALL CAST BY A FIRST-TIME DIRECTOR.

SISSY SPACEK>> IT WAS HANDS-ON FOR EVERYBODY. EVERYBODY PITCHED IN AND DID -- I WAS SENDING MY CHILDREN OUT TO GET SET DRESSING. (LAUGHTER) YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, THERE HAVE BEEN FILMS WHERE I WASN'T RACING OUT TO GET SET DRESSING AND I WASN'T FRAMING PICTURES IN BETWEEN SETUPS, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO ON ANY PROJECT. THAT'S THE FUN OF IT.

PHILIP>> SPACEK BEGAN MAKING MOVIES OVER THIRTY YEARS AGO, BUT SHE DIDN'T GAIN PUBLIC NOTICE UNTIL 1976 WHEN SHE STARRED IN THE CULT CLASSIC, "CARRIE".

[FILM CLIP]

SISSY SPACEK>> IT WAS DAUNTING FOR ME BECAUSE I HAD BEEN WORKING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS SINCE, YOU KNOW, 1970 OR '71, IN MORE OR LESS TOTAL OBSCURITY. AFTER "CARRIE", I FELT LIKE THE WORLD TURNED AROUND SUDDENLY AND WENT, "OH, HELLO". SUDDENLY YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE ON THE SPOT AND THAT'S WHEN YOU BEGIN TO HAVE THAT IMPOSTER SYNDROME SETS IN THINKING, "OH, NO, LET ME SEE. HOW DO I DO THIS NOW WITH EVERYBODY WATCHING IT? NOW THEY'RE GOING TO FIND OUT I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING?"

SO THAT'S THE THING, I THINK, THAT MOST PEOPLE EXPERIENCE -- I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE -- THAT IT BECOMES A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT WHEN SUDDENLY EVERYONE IS WATCHING YOU. YOU GET A LITTLE SELF-CONSCIOUS AND THAT ADDS A NEW SPIN TO THE WORK. BUT ONCE YOU GET OVER THAT, THEN YOU REALIZE NOBODY REALLY CARES. (LAUGHTER) YOU CAN GET DOWN TO WORK AGAIN.

[FILM CLIP]

PHILIP>> IN 1980, SHE WON AN OSCAR AS BEST ACTRESS FOR HER PORTRAYAL OF SINGER, LORETTA LYNN, IN "COALMINER'S DAUGHTER". IT WAS A FILM THAT ACHIEVED BOTH CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESS.

SISSY SPACEK>> ANY TIME YOU DO A FILM THAT PEOPLE RESPOND TO, IT'S THRILLING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU DO THE WORK BECAUSE YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE AND YOU WANT TO REACH PEOPLE. THAT'S PART OF THE THRILL OF IT IS TO COMMUNICATE AND TO HAVE THAT CONNECTION WITH AN AUDIENCE. SO WHEN PEOPLE -- YOU KNOW, WHEN YOUR WORK SOMEHOW REACHES PEOPLE, TRANSCENDS, AND PEOPLE ARE AFFECTED BY IT, IT'S HUGE.

PHILIP>> SHE REMAINS A FAMILIAR FACE IN THE MOVIES, BUT LONG AGO SPACEK TRADED HOLLYWOOD FOR VIRGINIA AND FOCUSED ON RAISING HER FAMILY. HER PROJECTS BECAME LESS FREQUENT, BUT LESS WORK DID NOT MEAN LESS SUCCESS. SHE WENT ON TO EARN ANOTHER THREE OSCAR NOMINATIONS.

SISSY SPACEK>> I'VE ALWAYS FELT LIKE THE FILMS THAT BELONG TO ME WILL COME TO ME AND THE ONES THAT DON'T WILL GO TO THE PEOPLE THAT THEY BELONG TO. I AVERAGE ABOUT ONE FILM A YEAR AND THAT SEEMS JUST THE PERFECT FIT FOR ME. THERE HAVE BEEN YEARS WHEN, YOU KNOW, I DID FILMS BACK TO BACK. IT SEEMED LIKE FOREVER, BUT THAT HAPPENS VERY SELDOM. AND I FIND FOR ME THAT I NEED SOME LIFE EXPERIENCE BETWEEN FILMS SO I HAVE SOMETHING NEW TO DRAW FROM.

PHILIP>> THAT EXPERIENCE HAS SERVED HER WELL. IN RECENT WEEKS, SPACEK HAS WON BEST ACTRESS AWARDS FROM THE NEW YORK FILM CRITICS, THE LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS AND THE AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE FOR HER PERFORMANCE IN "IN THE BEDROOM". AND IF THE TREND CONTINUES, SHE COULD BE LOOKING AT HER SECOND OSCAR.

SISSY SPACEK>> I'M JUST TRYING TO ENJOY MYSELF AND I'M HAPPY AND I LOVE MY JOB.

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JESS>> FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR, THE ACADEMY HAS CREATED A CATEGORY FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE, A SIGN THAT ANIMATION HAS COME OF AGE.

VAL>> AND ONE OF THE ARTISTS WHO'S HELPED ANIMATION GROW UP IS JOHN LASSETER. HIS WORK INCLUDES "TOY STORY" (1 AND 2), "A BUG'S LIFE", AND HIS LATEST HIT, AN OSCAR NOMINEE FOR BEST ANIMATED FILM, "MONSTERS, INC."

[FILM CLIP]

JESS>> "MONSTERS, INC." IS A PRODUCT OF PIXAR STUDIOS. PIXAR HAS BEEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF COMPUTER ANIMATION SINCE THE MID-80'S. SINCE THEN, COMPUTER IMAGERY HAS ADVANCED AT LIGHTNING SPEED, MUCH OF IT THANKS TO JOHN LASSETER.

VAL>> AND WE SHOULD POINT OUT THAT JOHN LASSETER'S ART CAREER BEGAN AT AGE FIVE WHEN HE WON A $15.00 PRIZE FOR DRAWING A PICTURE OF A HEADLESS HORSEMAN, SO YOU'RE CAREER GOES --

JOHN LASSETER>> -- THAT'S RIGHT, A MARKET IN WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA, WHERE I GREW UP.

VAL>> (LAUGHTER) YOU HAD TO DRAW -- A LITTLE COMPETITION FOR A DRAWING?

JOHN LASSETER>> WELL, YOU KNOW HOW THE NEWSPAPERS USED TO SEND OUT THE SPECIALS AND THEY WERE BLACK AND WHITE? REMEMBER THAT? WE FIRST MOVED TO WHITTIER FROM PICO RIVERA AND IT WAS A HEADLESS HORSEMAN. MY MOTHER WAS AN ART TEACHER FOR 38 YEARS AT BELL GARDENS HIGH SCHOOL. JEWEL LASSETER, FOR THOSE BELL GARDENS GRADUATES, (LAUGHTER) OR MRS. LASSETER, I SUPPOSE, IS WHAT SHE'D LIKE TO BE CALLED.

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

VAL>> (LAUGHTER) FIFTEEN SINGLES. YOU HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE THEN.

JESS>> BUT THAT LONG WAY WAS FROM WHITTIER, BUT VIA CAL ARTS?

JOHN LASSETER>> CAL ARTS, YEAH. CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS IN VALENCIA. I WENT THERE. I WAS IN THE VERY FIRST YEAR OF A PROGRAM CALLED THE CHARACTER ANIMATION PROGRAM. IT WAS 1975.

JESS>> YOU'D NEVER MAKE A LIVING DOING THAT. (LAUGHTER)

JOHN LASSETER>> YOU KNOW WHAT? A LOT OF MY FELLOW STUDENTS WERE TOLD THAT. YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY INTERESTING. IT'S SO SURPRISING HOW, I THINK, THE ARTS ARE NOT THOUGHT OF AS --

JESS>> -- AS REAL WORK?

JOHN LASSETER>> AS REAL WORK, RIGHT, VIABLE. BUT WITH MY MOTHER BEING AN ART TEACHER, I WAS BLESSED BY BEING BORN IN THAT FAMILY BECAUSE SHE ALWAYS FELT, AND MY DAD FELT, THAT BEING AN ARTIST WAS A REAL NOBLE PROFESSION, SO THEY ENCOURAGED ME. MY GOAL WAS ALWAYS TO BE AN ANIMATOR FOR DISNEY STUDIOS. THAT'S WHY I WENT TO CAL ARTS AND THEN WORKED AT DISNEY AS AN ANIMATOR.

VAL>> WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF YOUR WORK AS WE'RE TALKING. NOW WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS, COMPUTER ANIMATION HAS COME A FANTASTIC WAY, BUT ONE OF THE CHALLENGES YOU HAD WITH THIS PARTICULAR STORY WAS FUR. EXPLAIN THAT.

JOHN LASSETER>> WELL, COMPUTER ANIMATION, BEING THAT IT'S REALLY MADE WITHIN A COMPUTER, LIKES TO MAKE THINGS VERY GEOMETRIC. THE MORE ORGANIC YOU GET IN THE WAY SOMETHING LOOKS OR MOVES, THE MORE DIFFICULT IT IS TO DO. HAIR, SKIN, CLOTHING, THESE THINGS ARE VERY HARD TO DO, ESPECIALLY FUR.

VAL>> BUT THINGS LIKE PLASTIC OR GLASS, SHINY THINGS, ARE EASY?

JOHN LASSETER>> RIGHT. THAT'S WHY THE SUBJECT MATTER OF OUR FIRST COMPUTER ANIMATED FEATURE FILM, "TOY STORY", THEY'RE ALL MADE OF PLASTIC, SO IT'S PERFECT, WHEREAS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF "MONSTERS, INC.", SULLEY, IS COMPLETELY COVERED IN FUR.

JESS>> HE IS HAIRY.

JOHN LASSETER>> IT WAS A REAL CHALLENGE, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT THE WAY IT MOVES, THE WAY HE MOVES, THE WAY IT BLOWS IN THE BREEZE, THERE'S ONE SCENE WHERE HE'S IN THE SNOW AND THE SNOW ACTUALLY STICKS TO THE FUR. IT'S REMARKABLE. NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER BEEN DONE AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF PIXAR. WE'RE CONSTANTLY BREAKING NEW GROUND.

"TOY STORY" WAS THE FIRST COMPUTER ANIMATED FEATURE FILM WAY BACK IN 1995. IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT BACK THEN PEOPLE CAME TO US AND SAID, "YOU KNOW, ARE YOU REALLY SURE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANT TO SIT THROUGH AN HOUR AND A HALF OF COMPUTER ANIMATION? COME ON, IT'S JUST SO COLD AND STERILE." BUT I KNEW FROM THAT -- YOU KNOW, I LEARNED WHEN I WAS AT DISNEY THAT IT'S NOT THE TECHNOLOGY THAT MAKES A FILM ENTERTAINING. IT'S THE STORY AND THE CHARACTERS. I KNEW IF WE COULD DO THIS, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE STORY AND CHARACTERS. IF WE CAN MAKE IT GREAT, THEN IT WILL OPEN THE DOOR FOR THE WHOLE INDUSTRY AND MAKE IT GREAT.

JESS>> "A BUG'S LIFE" WAS A BIG HIT.

JOHN LASSETER>> "A BUG'S LIFE" WAS OUR SECOND FEATURE FILM AND IT IS AN EPIC OF MINIATURE PROPORTIONS AND IT WAS REALLY, REALLY FUN TO DO. WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THIS. WE HAD TO INVENT A WHOLE NEW WAY OF LIGHTING BECAUSE WE STUDIED INSECTS BY MAKING A LITTLE MINIATURE CAMERA AND PUTTING IT DOWN ON THE GROUND AND LOOKING AT THE GRASS BLADES AND THE UNDERSIDES OF FALLEN LEAVES.

WHAT WE FOUND IS, WHEN YOU'RE THAT SMALL, EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD IS TRANSLUCENT, RIGHT? EVERY BLADE OF GRASS, EVERY PETAL OF A FLOWER, EVERY FALLEN LEAF IS TRANSLUCENT. SO WE HAD TO CREATE A WHOLE NEW WAY OF LIGHTING THINGS TO LET LIGHT THROUGH, BUT MADE IT NOT TRANSPARENT, BUT TRANSLUCENT. THAT'S ACTUALLY TYPICAL OF WORKING AT PIXAR IN THIS MEDIUM OF COMPUTER ANIMATION. EVERYTHING WE DO IS SOMETHING NEW. IF YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF PIXAR, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALWAYS BROKEN NEW GROUND WITH EVERYTHING FROM OUR FIRST SHORT FILM. "LUXO JR." WAS THE FIRST COMPUTER ANIMATED FILM EVER TO BE NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD IN 1986.

VAL>> IT WON?

JOHN LASSETER>> "TIN TOY" WON THE OSCAR IN 1988.

JESS>> AND "MONSTERS, INC." IS NOMINATED?

JOHN LASSETER>> WELL, WE HOPE --

VAL>> WELL, WE HOPE SO. THE NOMINATIONS --

JOHN LASSETER>> -- KNOCK ON WOOD. WE'RE HOPING THAT.

JESS>> EVERYBODY ASSUMES IT'S "MONSTERS, INC." AND "SHREK".

JOHN LASSETER>> WE ARE VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS YEAR. THIS YEAR IS A BANNER YEAR FOR ANIMATION BECAUSE I THINK WHAT'S EXCITING IS "TOY STORY", EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE NECESSARILY DIDN'T BELIEVE IN IT WHEN WE WERE MAKING IT, WE DID. IT CAME OUT AND WAS THE NUMBER ONE MOVIE RELEASED IN 1995. YOU KNOW, ANYBODY WHO HAS KIDS AND THOSE WE HOPE WHO DON'T HAVE KIDS HAVE ALL SEEN IT AND FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE CHARACTERS. THEY REALIZE THAT THESE STORIES ARE MORE ABOUT THE CHARACTER AND STORY, NOT THE TECHNOLOGY.

BUT IT OPENED THE DOOR FOR A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE IN STUDIOS TO START MAKING. YOU KNOW, WE WERE HOPING THAT, IF WE COULD DO A GOOD JOB, IT WOULD BE LIKE SPACE MOVIES AFTER "STAR WARS". YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE DO IT. THIS YEAR, IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THE ANIMATED FILMS THAT HAVE COME OUT THIS YEAR, A GOOD PORTION OF THEM ARE COMPUTER ANIMATED AND, BOY, WHAT A VARIETY WE HAVE FROM "JIMMY NEUTRON" TO "FINAL FANTASY" WHICH IS VERY REALISTIC, TO "SHREK" TO LAST YEAR'S "DINOSAUR" TO THE UPCOMING --

VAL>> -- SO YOU DON'T MIND THE COMPETITION?

JOHN LASSETER>> YOU KNOW WHAT? I'D MUCH RATHER WORK IN AN INDUSTRY THAT IS HEALTHY THAN ONE WHERE ALL THE OTHER FILMS COME OUT AND THEY BOMB. TO ME, I LOVE THIS MEDIUM OF ANIMATION AND I LOVE GETTING THIS TECHNOLOGY IN THE HANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE, YOU KNOW? I AM AMERICAN THROUGH AND THROUGH. I AM THE MOST COMPETITIVE PERSON ON THE PLANET, BUT THE WAY I COMPETE IS TO MAKE A GREAT MOVIE AND HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL LIKE IT.

VAL>> THE OSCARS ARE SUNDAY, MARCH 24.

JESS>> AND WE'LL BE BACK LIVE TOMORROW. THANKS FOR JOINING US. GOOD NIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

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