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American Morning
Talk with Christopher Reeve
Aired June 30, 2003 - 07:35 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Strikingly beautiful, isn't she? Well, you know, Katherine Hepburn's life touched generations of fans and actors, as well. In fact, actor Christopher Reeve's first role on Broadway was with Hepburn. He played her grandson. She was a mentor and a close friend to Reeve ever since.
Christopher Reeve joins us now by phone from Westchester County, New York.
Good morning to you, Christopher.
Thanks for being here.
CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ACTOR: Good morning, Heidi.
Thank you.
COLLINS: I just want to ask you, you know, I'm not going to ask you how old you were when you took that role in "A Matter of Gravity," but I would love to know how daunting was it for you with your first role and Katherine Hepburn there on the stage with you?
REEVE: Oh, it was amazing. I don't mind saying that I was 21 and it was quite an honor. And this thing about playing her grandson was that it was not just the job on stage. She really expected me to live up to the standard of being her grandson 24-7. And that was, that was really very intense. I mean sometimes she would be very, very loving and supportive, and other times quite critical. You know, she expected a lot out of me.
COLLINS: But what struck you the very most about her demeanor?
REEVE: I think what she expected was, she always would say to me, Christopher, be fascinating, be fascinating. And I would like to say, "Well, that's easy for you to do, Ms. Hepburn. The rest of us have to work at it." It's like Babe Ruth telling a Little Leaguer just hit the ball. She always had such incredible stature and poise and grace and class. That's what I remember.
COLLINS: What career advice specifically did she give you? She said to be fascinating. But did she actually guide you in perhaps what roles to take or certain tips onstage?
REEVE: Well, you know, she actually used to write me a lot of notes. She wrote notes after almost all my performances. She went to see almost every movie I was in, I think, and I could get some really great reviews. She particularly liked "Superman I," "The Bostonians" and "The Remains of the Day" with Anthony Hopkins. But other movies, she would say something like, you know, what were you thinking? You know, that was (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
But it's funny, the last note I got from her -- because we wrote back and forth quite a lot during, you know, after the time I was with her in '75 and '76 on Broadway. But I was lying in intensive care in the University of Virginia Hospital and I got a note from her on her stationery. And it was just one line and it said, "By golly, what a mess. Love, Kate."
And that exactly summed it up. She was always straight to the point. And it was so, with that love and -- it was -- I also remember when I was rehearsing with her that during the day she was my grandmother at 66. But then I went to all the art houses around New York and saw the early movies like "Morning Glory" and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and "Bringing Up Baby." So she'd be 27 or 28 in the movies and then my grandmother at rehearsal in the morning. And that was quite unique. So I got to see the whole spectrum.
COLLINS: It was an incredible -- it sounds like it was just an incredible relationship that you shared with her and that is no doubt. You mentioned the accident. I'm just wondering, Christopher, you personally, how are you doing? You sound great.
REEVE: Oh, I'm doing very well, thanks. You know, 7:30 in the morning is not my best point in time.
COLLINS: Hey, I hear you there.
REEVE: But I'm doing fine, making a lot of progress. Thank you.
COLLINS: Wonderful. So nice to talk with you this morning.
Christopher Reeve on Katherine Hepburn today.
REEVE: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thanks once again, Christopher.
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 June 30, 2003 - 07:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Strikingly beautiful, isn't she? Well, you know, Katherine Hepburn's life touched generations of fans and actors, as well. In fact, actor Christopher Reeve's first role on Broadway was with Hepburn. He played her grandson. She was a mentor and a close friend to Reeve ever since.
Christopher Reeve joins us now by phone from Westchester County, New York.
Good morning to you, Christopher.
Thanks for being here.
CHRISTOPHER REEVE, ACTOR: Good morning, Heidi.
Thank you.
COLLINS: I just want to ask you, you know, I'm not going to ask you how old you were when you took that role in "A Matter of Gravity," but I would love to know how daunting was it for you with your first role and Katherine Hepburn there on the stage with you?
REEVE: Oh, it was amazing. I don't mind saying that I was 21 and it was quite an honor. And this thing about playing her grandson was that it was not just the job on stage. She really expected me to live up to the standard of being her grandson 24-7. And that was, that was really very intense. I mean sometimes she would be very, very loving and supportive, and other times quite critical. You know, she expected a lot out of me.
COLLINS: But what struck you the very most about her demeanor?
REEVE: I think what she expected was, she always would say to me, Christopher, be fascinating, be fascinating. And I would like to say, "Well, that's easy for you to do, Ms. Hepburn. The rest of us have to work at it." It's like Babe Ruth telling a Little Leaguer just hit the ball. She always had such incredible stature and poise and grace and class. That's what I remember.
COLLINS: What career advice specifically did she give you? She said to be fascinating. But did she actually guide you in perhaps what roles to take or certain tips onstage?
REEVE: Well, you know, she actually used to write me a lot of notes. She wrote notes after almost all my performances. She went to see almost every movie I was in, I think, and I could get some really great reviews. She particularly liked "Superman I," "The Bostonians" and "The Remains of the Day" with Anthony Hopkins. But other movies, she would say something like, you know, what were you thinking? You know, that was (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
But it's funny, the last note I got from her -- because we wrote back and forth quite a lot during, you know, after the time I was with her in '75 and '76 on Broadway. But I was lying in intensive care in the University of Virginia Hospital and I got a note from her on her stationery. And it was just one line and it said, "By golly, what a mess. Love, Kate."
And that exactly summed it up. She was always straight to the point. And it was so, with that love and -- it was -- I also remember when I was rehearsing with her that during the day she was my grandmother at 66. But then I went to all the art houses around New York and saw the early movies like "Morning Glory" and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and "Bringing Up Baby." So she'd be 27 or 28 in the movies and then my grandmother at rehearsal in the morning. And that was quite unique. So I got to see the whole spectrum.
COLLINS: It was an incredible -- it sounds like it was just an incredible relationship that you shared with her and that is no doubt. You mentioned the accident. I'm just wondering, Christopher, you personally, how are you doing? You sound great.
REEVE: Oh, I'm doing very well, thanks. You know, 7:30 in the morning is not my best point in time.
COLLINS: Hey, I hear you there.
REEVE: But I'm doing fine, making a lot of progress. Thank you.
COLLINS: Wonderful. So nice to talk with you this morning.
Christopher Reeve on Katherine Hepburn today.
REEVE: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thanks once again, Christopher.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
