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CNN Live Today
Hollywood Heroine
Aired January 16, 2003 - 11:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, the story of Erin Brockovich was told on the big screen. Now she's telling other women's stories on the small screen. She is now the host of a new television reality series that's called "Final Justice," and Erin Brockovich joins us from Los Angeles to give us a fill-in now on her lifetime gig.
Good to see you, how are you?
ERIN BROCKOVICH, ACTIVIST: I'm good, how are you?
HARRIS: I'm doing well. And quite surprised to be talking with you this morning about this particular topic. This is the first time I've heard about you going on TV with your own show. Where did this idea come from?
BROCKOVICH: The idea came from Lifetime, and they called me about a year and a half ago, and I haven't always been very comfortable with doing something on television for the sake of doing it. And this was a format and a program that was empowering, inspirational. It's real stories, real women, real events. They've been through terrible tragedies. They've questioned the system, they've changed laws. They transformed themselves and made a difference for all of us, and that felt very comfortable for me. So I did it.
HARRIS: Well, good for you. You've limited these stories all to stories of women who have done these sorts of things. Now, how easy has it been to come up with a nice size body of stories, then?
BROCKOVICH: Well, it hasn't been as difficult as one might think. And it's really a great place to be to see that so many individuals do make a difference. We get e-mails, we get telephone calls, we get referrals, we get letters, and we've had a huge number of terrific stories come in to us, and we've been able to feature.
HARRIS: No kidding? Any one of them jump out at you? Any stories so far trip your trigger as one of your favorites?
BROCKOVICH: You know, I've got to tell -- well, we're going to do one that's going to be on a toxic case. That always gets my interest.
HARRIS: That sounds like something down your alley.
BROCKOVICH: That is right down my alley. Of course, you know, that's very dear to my heart. But every one of these stories, I've just been in awe of what they've done. They've changed seat belt laws. They've changed DNA expansion regulations in laws. They've done some incredible things. They've created video voyeurism laws. They've created Lizzie's Laws, laws that protect children whose parents are in prison, and I sit back and I am in awe of what they've done, because if I face some of those circumstances, I have to tell you, I'm not really sure that I could have done what they did.
HARRIS: Well, you know what? Does it ever occur to you then, as you sit back there and that thought runs through your head, that these women wouldn't be doing these things and wouldn't have created these things or affected these men changes if it hadn't been for you?
BROCKOVICH: Oh, no, I haven't stopped to go there. I'm an advocate and believer in people. And some of these stories occur occurred before, you know, the Erin Brockovich story even came out. So long before me, there have been people changing the system and making laws and protecting all of us. We just don't always look at their stories.
HARRIS: Well, you know what, the camera is your friend, you're easy to look at on TV. I can tell you that from my own experience.
BROCKOVICH: Thank you.
HARRIS: What is it about -- do you like this business? Do you like this business? Do you like being on television now that you're doing this for yourself? I mean, it's got to be a heck of a transition for you personally.
BROCKOVICH: It's been a really big transition, but this is a part of my work, and I feel it's a continuation of it. It's still -- it's a platform. It's still -- the message is it's still our work, but we've just been able to reach a greater number of people. So I do appreciate that aspect of it, and it's been overwhelming. I'm still with the law firm. I have to tell you what, I keep going back to what it is I know. I've been with Ed now for 12 years.
HARRIS: You kept your day job?
BROCKOVICH: I kept my day job, yes.
HARRIS: You got to be kidding me. He must be paying you more. He better be.
BROCKOVICH: Well, I think we have a comfortable financial arrangement.
You know, I come home at the end of the day, I said to somebody, I'm getting a little bored, maybe I better go find myself a toxic case. I have an incredible passion for that, and I'm still doing.
HARRIS: You're something else. Way to go, Erin. And, listen, we'll keep an eye out for the show. It airs 8:00 p.m. Friday?
BROCKOVICH: 8:00 p.m. Friday. It starts this Friday, January 17th, and it's a fantastic program.
HARRIS: Good luck with it. We'll keep an eye out for you. Take care. Good luck.
BROCKOVICH: Bye.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 16, 2003 - 11:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, the story of Erin Brockovich was told on the big screen. Now she's telling other women's stories on the small screen. She is now the host of a new television reality series that's called "Final Justice," and Erin Brockovich joins us from Los Angeles to give us a fill-in now on her lifetime gig.
Good to see you, how are you?
ERIN BROCKOVICH, ACTIVIST: I'm good, how are you?
HARRIS: I'm doing well. And quite surprised to be talking with you this morning about this particular topic. This is the first time I've heard about you going on TV with your own show. Where did this idea come from?
BROCKOVICH: The idea came from Lifetime, and they called me about a year and a half ago, and I haven't always been very comfortable with doing something on television for the sake of doing it. And this was a format and a program that was empowering, inspirational. It's real stories, real women, real events. They've been through terrible tragedies. They've questioned the system, they've changed laws. They transformed themselves and made a difference for all of us, and that felt very comfortable for me. So I did it.
HARRIS: Well, good for you. You've limited these stories all to stories of women who have done these sorts of things. Now, how easy has it been to come up with a nice size body of stories, then?
BROCKOVICH: Well, it hasn't been as difficult as one might think. And it's really a great place to be to see that so many individuals do make a difference. We get e-mails, we get telephone calls, we get referrals, we get letters, and we've had a huge number of terrific stories come in to us, and we've been able to feature.
HARRIS: No kidding? Any one of them jump out at you? Any stories so far trip your trigger as one of your favorites?
BROCKOVICH: You know, I've got to tell -- well, we're going to do one that's going to be on a toxic case. That always gets my interest.
HARRIS: That sounds like something down your alley.
BROCKOVICH: That is right down my alley. Of course, you know, that's very dear to my heart. But every one of these stories, I've just been in awe of what they've done. They've changed seat belt laws. They've changed DNA expansion regulations in laws. They've done some incredible things. They've created video voyeurism laws. They've created Lizzie's Laws, laws that protect children whose parents are in prison, and I sit back and I am in awe of what they've done, because if I face some of those circumstances, I have to tell you, I'm not really sure that I could have done what they did.
HARRIS: Well, you know what? Does it ever occur to you then, as you sit back there and that thought runs through your head, that these women wouldn't be doing these things and wouldn't have created these things or affected these men changes if it hadn't been for you?
BROCKOVICH: Oh, no, I haven't stopped to go there. I'm an advocate and believer in people. And some of these stories occur occurred before, you know, the Erin Brockovich story even came out. So long before me, there have been people changing the system and making laws and protecting all of us. We just don't always look at their stories.
HARRIS: Well, you know what, the camera is your friend, you're easy to look at on TV. I can tell you that from my own experience.
BROCKOVICH: Thank you.
HARRIS: What is it about -- do you like this business? Do you like this business? Do you like being on television now that you're doing this for yourself? I mean, it's got to be a heck of a transition for you personally.
BROCKOVICH: It's been a really big transition, but this is a part of my work, and I feel it's a continuation of it. It's still -- it's a platform. It's still -- the message is it's still our work, but we've just been able to reach a greater number of people. So I do appreciate that aspect of it, and it's been overwhelming. I'm still with the law firm. I have to tell you what, I keep going back to what it is I know. I've been with Ed now for 12 years.
HARRIS: You kept your day job?
BROCKOVICH: I kept my day job, yes.
HARRIS: You got to be kidding me. He must be paying you more. He better be.
BROCKOVICH: Well, I think we have a comfortable financial arrangement.
You know, I come home at the end of the day, I said to somebody, I'm getting a little bored, maybe I better go find myself a toxic case. I have an incredible passion for that, and I'm still doing.
HARRIS: You're something else. Way to go, Erin. And, listen, we'll keep an eye out for the show. It airs 8:00 p.m. Friday?
BROCKOVICH: 8:00 p.m. Friday. It starts this Friday, January 17th, and it's a fantastic program.
HARRIS: Good luck with it. We'll keep an eye out for you. Take care. Good luck.
BROCKOVICH: Bye.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
