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CNN Live Today

'On the Big Screen'

Aired January 14, 2004 - 11:54   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Do you need an emotional lift? You have to go check out the movie "In America." It is the story of a young Irish family struggling to start over in New York City after a tragic loss. Director Jim Sheridan co-wrote the screenplay with his two daughters, based on their own arrival in America some 20 years ago, and he's joining us from New York City this morning.
Jim, good morning.

JIM SHERIDAN, DIR., "IN AMERICA": Good morning. How are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing great. I have to tell you, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm getting ready to cover the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards. I'm seeing all the movies. Nothing has touched me like your movie.

SHERIDAN: Wow, that's really sweet. Thank you.

KAGAN: Really special. How much of it is based on your true life experience?

SHERIDAN: Well, about 90 percent of it happened to me. I did come to New York over the border, and I found it hard to get an apartment with kids. I did try and win the doll, the "E.T." doll, like you see in the film, and I did steal an air-conditioner. So I did a lot of the stuff, and my daughter was born prematurely.

KAGAN: But did you suffer the loss of a child before you came to America?

SHERIDAN: It was my brother. My brother died when I was 17. So I kind of made myself my father and my daughter, mixed it all up, you know.

KAGAN: Got it. Now a big part of this film and why it's so endearing, the two girls who play the daughters in this film, the Bulger Sisters, real life sisters, absolutely so cute. I want to just show a little bit of them. This is Emma and Sarah Bulger, and this Patty Concidine (ph) playing I guess your character, the dad, in the movie.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: It's too hot. Still not coming through the hose, dad. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.

Wait. Wait. It's coming. It's coming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's working!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: This, of course, a scene, there's a heat wave going on in the summer, and they're living in this absolute pit of an apartment, and they didn't have a shower. So Patty Concidine's (ph) character trying to rig it up so the kids would have some place to cool down. You wrote this screenplay and are nominated for a Golden Globe Award with your own daughters. How was that experience?

SHERIDAN: That was amazing. We had great fun. Although I must tell you, when I gave them the script first to work on it, they just eliminated my character.

KAGAN: They did?

SHERIDAN: Yes, they got rid of me.

KAGAN: You had to write yourself back in. I had to force myself back in, Daryn.

Listen, it's really nice, you championing a film like this, because it's a small film that came out, and it's doing fantastically well, and people are getting behind it, and like you say, it does have an emotional impact, maybe because it's based on real events, I don't know.

SHERIDAN: That's my last question to you, in that this is the year of the epic, whether it's "Cold Mountain," or "Lord of the Rings" or "Last Samurai," there's all these huge movies out there. How does a little movie like you get out there, survive and compete?

KAGAN: Well, it's really difficult. You know, Fox Searchlight (ph) has been fantastic. All the girls working there really love the film and they're really behind it, and they've really worked their butt off to make this film happen. They call this the year Hollywood strikes back, I think. But with people like you championing it, you know, we've been getting people who really love it.

KAGAN: I only champion it because it's heartfelt, and people are looking fog good movies, and it is a very sweet and special movie. Will we see you at the Golden Globe Awards in about a week and a half?

SHERIDAN: Yes, we'll be at the Golden Globes, and God willing, at some other awards.

KAGAN: Like Oscar, perhaps?

SHERIDAN: You don't want to say it, because you don't want to jinx yourself, but all voting this week. So if they vote for us, yes, great. KAGAN: OK. Well, I'll see you out there. I'm coming out to the Golden Globes, so look for me on the red carpet, all right?

SHERIDAN: I definitely will. Thank you.

KAGAN: OK, good luck. Jim Sheridan, the movie, once again, is called "In America." Go check it out.

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 14, 2004 - 11:54   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Do you need an emotional lift? You have to go check out the movie "In America." It is the story of a young Irish family struggling to start over in New York City after a tragic loss. Director Jim Sheridan co-wrote the screenplay with his two daughters, based on their own arrival in America some 20 years ago, and he's joining us from New York City this morning.
Jim, good morning.

JIM SHERIDAN, DIR., "IN AMERICA": Good morning. How are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing great. I have to tell you, in the interest of full disclosure, I'm getting ready to cover the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards. I'm seeing all the movies. Nothing has touched me like your movie.

SHERIDAN: Wow, that's really sweet. Thank you.

KAGAN: Really special. How much of it is based on your true life experience?

SHERIDAN: Well, about 90 percent of it happened to me. I did come to New York over the border, and I found it hard to get an apartment with kids. I did try and win the doll, the "E.T." doll, like you see in the film, and I did steal an air-conditioner. So I did a lot of the stuff, and my daughter was born prematurely.

KAGAN: But did you suffer the loss of a child before you came to America?

SHERIDAN: It was my brother. My brother died when I was 17. So I kind of made myself my father and my daughter, mixed it all up, you know.

KAGAN: Got it. Now a big part of this film and why it's so endearing, the two girls who play the daughters in this film, the Bulger Sisters, real life sisters, absolutely so cute. I want to just show a little bit of them. This is Emma and Sarah Bulger, and this Patty Concidine (ph) playing I guess your character, the dad, in the movie.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: It's too hot. Still not coming through the hose, dad. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.

Wait. Wait. It's coming. It's coming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's working!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: This, of course, a scene, there's a heat wave going on in the summer, and they're living in this absolute pit of an apartment, and they didn't have a shower. So Patty Concidine's (ph) character trying to rig it up so the kids would have some place to cool down. You wrote this screenplay and are nominated for a Golden Globe Award with your own daughters. How was that experience?

SHERIDAN: That was amazing. We had great fun. Although I must tell you, when I gave them the script first to work on it, they just eliminated my character.

KAGAN: They did?

SHERIDAN: Yes, they got rid of me.

KAGAN: You had to write yourself back in. I had to force myself back in, Daryn.

Listen, it's really nice, you championing a film like this, because it's a small film that came out, and it's doing fantastically well, and people are getting behind it, and like you say, it does have an emotional impact, maybe because it's based on real events, I don't know.

SHERIDAN: That's my last question to you, in that this is the year of the epic, whether it's "Cold Mountain," or "Lord of the Rings" or "Last Samurai," there's all these huge movies out there. How does a little movie like you get out there, survive and compete?

KAGAN: Well, it's really difficult. You know, Fox Searchlight (ph) has been fantastic. All the girls working there really love the film and they're really behind it, and they've really worked their butt off to make this film happen. They call this the year Hollywood strikes back, I think. But with people like you championing it, you know, we've been getting people who really love it.

KAGAN: I only champion it because it's heartfelt, and people are looking fog good movies, and it is a very sweet and special movie. Will we see you at the Golden Globe Awards in about a week and a half?

SHERIDAN: Yes, we'll be at the Golden Globes, and God willing, at some other awards.

KAGAN: Like Oscar, perhaps?

SHERIDAN: You don't want to say it, because you don't want to jinx yourself, but all voting this week. So if they vote for us, yes, great. KAGAN: OK. Well, I'll see you out there. I'm coming out to the Golden Globes, so look for me on the red carpet, all right?

SHERIDAN: I definitely will. Thank you.

KAGAN: OK, good luck. Jim Sheridan, the movie, once again, is called "In America." Go check it out.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com