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Piers Morgan Live
Interview with LL Cool J; Interview with Kyra Sedgwick
Aired July 06, 2012 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PIERS MORGAN, HOST: Tonight, Mr. Cool himself, LL Cool J, will talk about fame, family, and that prayer for Whitney Houston at the Grammys.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LL COOL J, ACTOR/MUSICIAN: I could not see going out on stage and having a party without first finding some sort of peace with what took place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: He also reveals why he's rapping again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: I'm a bit of a king in the rap world.
LL COOL J: You really are. They're talking about you in every club.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Plus, Kyra Sedgwick, her life with Kevin Bacon and the secret to their happy marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA SEDGWICK, ACTRESS: The secret to a happy marriage is not to take advice from celebrities about marriage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: The end of the series "The Closer."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Was it emotional?
SEDGWICK: Oh, very. Oh, my God, very. Very boo-hooey. It's like that (INAUDIBLE) always saying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: And how she stays so impossibly youthful. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEDGWICK: You have the high cheekbones everything hangs on.
MORGAN: I can get you a guy who can do that.
SEDGWICK: I'm sure you can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: This is PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT.
Good evening. We'll get to my interview with LL Cool J in just a moment. But first, listen to what Kyra Sedgwick, the gorgeous star of "The Closer" told me about one of the biggest real-life villain of our age, Bernie Madoff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEDGWICK: I see him as a sick man. I see us as adults who made a choice, and I see a lot of people that are so much worse off than we are. And I think that, you know, (EXPLETIVE DELETIVE) happens. Can I say that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Well, you just did, Kyra. It's a lively conversation. You hear more coming up.
We begin with LL Cool J, the hip-hop legend, recently launched a virtual studio called My Connect Studio. It allows artists and producers anywhere in the world to have a real time studio session over the Internet. More than 15 million Americans watched LL Cool j in the third season finale of "NCIS: L.A.", one of the most watched dramas in television today.
He joins me for a primetime exclusive.
Welcome back.
LL COOL J: Thank you, Piers.
MORGAN: I feel like we now know each other so well --
LL COOL J: Yes, yes.
MORGAN: -- I can call you Todd.
LL COOL J: Yes, you can.
MORGAN: Which is the name your friends call you.
LL COOL J: Yes, it is.
MORGAN: Your real buddies don't call you LL Cool J.
LL COOL J: No, they don't.
(LAUGHTER)
LL COOL J: No. They don't. No.
MORGAN: Am I allowed to call you Todd?
LL COOL J: You should -- you're definitely allowed to call me Todd.
MORGAN: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
LL COOL J: Absolutely.
MORGAN: So the last time we met was a sort of strange experience for me, because we had a great time, a great interview.
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: You were excited the Grammys were a couple of days away.
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: And then Whitney Houston died.
You then had this strange position as having to host an event which had been completely overtaken by the drama of losing one of the great entertainers in the world.
When you heard what has happened, what was your reaction?
LL COOL J: Well, you know, my first reaction was -- it was horrifying, you know. You know, you -- you -- you know, you hear the rumors about things that people are going through and that's always tough, you know, to listen to. But, you know, I didn't expect to get that news. And the timing of it was just -- you know, it was horrible.
MORGAN: Did you know Whitney well?
LL COOL J: Yes, I knew Whitney. She was a -- she was a very sweet girl, a very sweet girl. It's so funny, I used to walk around, for many years, I wore my pants legs rolled up, like that was something I was known for, having one pants leg rolled up.
MORGAN: I did the same thing.
(LAUGHTER)
LL COOL J: Yes. And, you know, Whitney used to tease me. I remember one time she saw me backstage at an event. She said, oh, LL, you got that from my husband.
I said, no, Whitney, your husband got that from me. And that was --
(LAUGHTER)
LL COOL JAY: -- that was a fun moment.
But she was really cool. Like when I worked in Miami a couple of times they came by the studio and, you know, she was a really nice girl, man. So --
MORGAN: You came up with this really special idea --
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: -- which was to -- to say a prayer --
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: -- which everyone remembers. I mean, the audience went to the roof at this event, because suddenly the Grammys was going to be this tribute to Whitney.
Let's take a look at -- at the prayer that you said there on stage.
LL COOL J: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LL COOL JAY: Heavenly Father, we thank you for sharing our sister Whitney with us. Today, our thoughts are with her mother, her daughter and all of her loved ones. And although she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit and to have her lasting legacy of music to cherish and share forever. Amen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: That was a really powerful thing to do.
What gave you that idea to do that?
LL COOL J: You know, I -- I was thinking about it and it was the only way that I felt -- I would feel comfortable proceeding with the show and celebrating all of these other musicians, because it was about trying to find that fine balance between celebrating her legacy, giving love to this wonderful, amazing entertainer, and, at the same time, respecting all of these young artists and all of these established artists who were either nominated for Grammys or performing on the show and not putting them in the position where they have to perform at a memorial.
You know, it's tough, it's tough because you have to remember that there were so many artists, so many fantastic musicians. We had Paul McCartney in the audience. We had Bruce Springsteen. We have, you know, Bruno Mars. We have all of these great artists, Lady Gaga. You have Adele making her comeback.
And you -- they deserve an opportunity to be celebrated as musicians. But at the same time, we can't be -- I guess the word would be crass or insensitive to what is going on.
So it was just finding that balance. It's not easy.
MORGAN: Ultimately, the show goes on, doesn't it --
LL COOL J: Yes, it does.
MORGAN: -- in show business?
I mean, Whitney would have understood that.
LL COOL J: Of course she would have. And she would have wanted it to go on. I think any true artist or entertainer would want other artists to have their moment. No one wants to deny someone their moment.
But at the same time, we recognized and I recognized that there are a lot of people in the country and a lot of people around the world who were going to have this -- this weight on their shoulders and this 100-pound elephant in the room that had to be addressed. And I could not see going out on stage and having a party without first at least, you know, having some sort of -- finding some sort of peace with what took place.
MORGAN: Well, I thought you got the term completely right --
LL COOL J: Thank you.
MORGAN: -- and set the mood correctly for the evening. I thought it was a very moving night.
The interesting thing, to me, with you in particular talking about this, is you -- the last time you came on -- talked about. In a very tough upbringing, you could have gone down the way of a lot of people that you hung out with.
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: You could have ended up in gangs or dead or in prison or whatever.
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: But you didn't. You made something of yourself.
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: I interviewed Mark Wahlberg very recently and he has a similar kind of story. And I'm really impressed by the way he's done what he did, as I am with you.
When you look at Whitney and Michael Jackson, both died around the same age, both died from pretty severe drug abuse, different types of drugs, but still, drug abuse in the end. And yet their upbringings weren't that tormented. You know, they were actually relatively OK.
But they got sucked into that kind of world.
LL COOL J: Right.
MORGAN: You've got four kids now who are coming out of teens into their 20s --
LL COOL J: Right.
MORGAN: What do you say to them? I mean, you've been through this experience and come out well.
LL COOL J: Right.
MORGAN: You've seen others -- big, big stars -- die --
LL COOL J: Right.
MORGAN: -- through substance abuse and so on.
What do you say to your children?
LL COOL J: You know, I think it starts with trying to set an example, you know? If your kids see you reading, they're more likely to read. If your kids see you downstairs on the treadmill trying to exercise, if they see their mom downstairs, you know, down there fighting the good fight and working out to be the best that she can be, they want to do that.
And I think that that's all we can do. You know, I think it's a fantasy to think that we're going to be able to go out and single- handedly stop all of the -- or prevent all of the -- the influences in society from affecting our kids.
But what we can do is set an example and then try to instill the right values in them.
MORGAN: Do you understand why someone like Whitney, who had lost her magical power as a singer, unquestionably. She wasn't the singer she had been. She couldn't hit the big notes anymore --
LL COOL J: Right.
MORGAN: -- that made her so hugely famous.
Do you understand the particular pressure, as a former -- that led her to enter that spiral of self-abuse towards the end?
LL COOL J: Of course I do. I think, you know, it's -- you know, it's -- it's not easy for everyone to handle the pressures of fame, the pressures of fortune, the pressures of having a huge business, a huge company, running a huge paper or whatever it is. It's not easy. And we -- you know, there's an old saying, pressure can either bust pipes or it can create diamonds.
And, you know -- you know, sometimes we land on one side or the other. Why? I can't tell you specifically, because I don't know what was going on in her mind and what was going on in her heart.
But I do understand how tough it can get. You know, you have a lot of people out there in the world who are dealing with a lot of tough situations. And we, as human beings, always try our best to escape pain and seek some sort of pleasure.
Hopefully, a pleasure can be something that's going to be productive in your life. You put your -- you seek pleasure by maybe diving into your work. Some people dive into their exercise. Some people, you know, make it about their kids. You know, people have different ways they do it.
But for others, it can turn into gambling. It can turn into drugs. It can turn into alcoholism.
I mean, that's -- you know, that's the -- that's the price tag, you know?
It all comes with a price tag. And it's about what price are you willing to pay?
If you want a lot, you've got to sacrifice a lot.
MORGAN: The reason I know that you are successful is that you are blinding me with diamonds.
(LAUGHTER)
LL COOL J: But can I -- can I just say something? This watch is so old.
(LAUGHTER)
LL COOL JAY: This is a really old watch.
MORGAN: That watch could probably sustain the national debt of Lithuania --
LL COOL J: You know what --
MORGAN: -- for about 10 years.
LL COOL J: -- you're very, very funny, but this -- this watch is real -- now, I did work hard for it. I'm not going to make excuses.
But this watch is super old. And one thing about me, I'm not, you know, money, money, money. I'm not one of those guys.
(CROSSTALK)
LL COOL JAY: I'm a -- I'm actually, you know, my -- my friends used to tease me, because there was a point when I had -- you know, you're going to laugh, I had really success albums out and I had a Honda Accord. And my friends were like killing me about that, like, you know, they were killing me.
MORGAN: So that's actually brand damaging when --
LL COOL J: Yes, yes, I shouldn't have even said that on TV, but --
MORGAN: No, it's really -- because that's going to kill everything. Everyone is going, not a Honda Accord.
(LAUGHTER)
MORGAN: Let's take a break.
LL COOL J: All right.
MORGAN: Let's come back, because you are back rapping.
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: I want to know about this.
LL COOL J: Let's do it.
MORGAN: I want to do a bit of rapping with you.
LL COOL J: All right.
MORGAN: LL Morgan.
LL COOL J: Ha-ha, I love it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LL COOL JAY: But to keep America great, we have to keep America creative. I think the key is to create. I don't think that anything great in this nation has ever happened without creation, whether it's the Wright brothers or it's what Bill Gates has done or -- rest in peace -- what Steve Jobs did.
The basis of America, it's about creating, even if it's just creating freedom, you know? We've always been about creation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Words of wisdom from LL Cool J there. He's back with me now for a primetime exclusive interview.
I was very struck by what you said there, because it's so right, isn't it?
I really feel one of America's fundamental problems is in this huge breakout of consumerism and demand or wanting, wanting, wanting. People stop making stuff.
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: And you look at the Steve Jobs, but these are guys in isolation. But it should be more than that. America has so many great brains.
LL COOL J: Yes, it does.
MORGAN: I just want them to be using it properly, making stuff again.
LL COOL J: Yes. You have to have the opportunity. You have to know to take advantage of the opportunity. You have to get the platform. You have to get in position.
So, there's a lot of other maneuvering that goes into creation.
As far as, you know, what I've worked on now, what I did was we -- I always dreamed that if I was in, let's say, New York and a kid was in London or if I was in LA and a kid was in Tokyo, we would be able to go online -- or a musician -- go online and create music in real time together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LL COOL J: There is no delay, no latency. We've solved all those problems and they can actually create in real time. And this is amazing because it won't just be for professional artists. It will be Becky in Idaho and her friend Buffy off in college.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LL in L.A., me in San Francisco, you know, something like that.
LL COOL J: We're going to be uploading dance tracks and recording music.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LL COOL J: It's as simple as us talking on the phone. Now, we can go to our laptop --
MORGAN: And you've called this My Connect Studio.
LL COOL J: My Connect Studio.
MORGAN: It's a new program.
Let's see a little bit of you --
LL COOL J: OK.
MORGAN: -- rapping in your studio.
LL COOL J: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(LL COOL J RAPPING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: I like the way you name checked Piers in that. That was -- (LAUGHTER)
MORGAN: -- I know I'm a bit of a king in the rap world --
LL COOL J: That's funny. Yes, you -- you really are.
(LAUGHTER)
LL COOL JAY: They're talking about you in every club.
(LAUGHTER)
MORGAN: Tell me about music (INAUDIBLE), because obviously you've had this smash hit TV career now --
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: -- in "NCIS: L.A."
If I could -- I think I asked you the last time to try and decide if I could let you do one thing the rest of your life, the more you deal with TV, the more you maybe do movies and all that kind of thing, do you drift away from music? Was music always your first love?
LL COOL J: Well -- well, yes, you drift away. But, you know, at the same time, you know, you always return to your roots. You know, I'm currently, you know, working on an album. And, you know, I'm popping, you know, my -- my laptop out and I'm -- I'm working on music. And I've been in the studio every day and just really working, trying to create something great.
You know, there are different audiences. You know, there's a -- an audience out there that grew up with LL Cool J as musician, as a rapper, as an artist. And I'm, you know, going to give them an album. That art, that audience who grew up on me as a musician may not necessarily be -- some of them do, but everybody who watches my show isn't aware of my music.
MORGAN: I interviewed Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins, who is a fascinating guy, very smart. But he -- he's adamant. He's not just going to do a tour where he plays all the hits. He's actually going to play his new album from start to finish.
LL COOL J: Yes. Yes. That's --
MORGAN: Because he says, actually, he wants the audience to come with him.
LL COOL J: But you know what? You have to do that. You -- you have to -- you can't like -- you don't want your music or your -- your products to become a commodity. There has to be some sort -- some --
MORGAN: Just become a greatest hits.
LL COOL J: Yes, some sort of level of fidelity, some hot -- some sort of thing that makes this thing special. When I come out with a new album, it will be authentic hip hop. It will be special.
I did the thing with Sony. I put, you know, My Connect on the laptop. It's special. It's not -- but it's also -- it has a convenient thing. It's convenient for musicians. But it's special.
Like you have to make things special. When I go to a U2 concert and I see them on stage and what they bring in terms of the experience, it's special. You don't -- nobody wants to hear you just do, you know, your shtick, you know, at least not the really -- not the audience that really cares about you.
MORGAN: What -- what is different about you, special, in many ways, is my producer, who prepared this -- this interview for me with you, said that his hairdresser said to him yesterday, the thing I love about LL Cool J is his Twitter feed.
LL COOL J: Oh.
MORGAN: Because you're so inspiring. Because every day, he says -- so we went and checked. And I -- I follow you anyway.
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: You're annoying me. You've got about 100,000 more followers than me, about 3.5 million, but I'm going to get you.
But it was interesting what -- what they meant. I don't think they meant, because you --
LL COOL J: Follow me on Twitter @LLCoolJ.
MORGAN: Yes, you'll find it just after @PiersMorgan.
He conquers who endures --
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: -- Perseus.
Being considered relevant become cliche. It's all a matter of opinion. Either you're winning or you're not.
And the constant theme of all of your Tweets is you've got to keep going, even when people write you off.
LL COOL J: Absolutely.
MORGAN: And you can't just be a cliche. You've got to reinvent, you've got to be creative. And in the end, you've got to win.
LL COOL J: Absolutely. And, you know, winning -- you have to define what winning is. You know --
MORGAN: What is it to you?
LL COOL J: Whatever goal I'm going -- I want to achieve, achieving it MORGAN: If I could write your tombstone heading now --
LL COOL J: Oh, no.
MORGAN: Here lies Todd.
LL COOL J: Here lies Todd?
MORGAN: Here lies Todd, he -- what would you like it to say? What would you want to be remembered for?
LL COOL J: Oh, God, I don't even want to think about that, right?
MORGAN: I'm not saying it's going to happen imminently.
LL COOL J: Yes. Yes. You know, he maximized his potential, because that ultimately is all that we can do as human beings, right?
You know, the last thing you want to do is be sitting on your deathbed, look, with all your dreams standing around you, saying why are you taking us with you?
And so many people do that. So many people believe their dreams have deadlines, but they don't. It's just a matter of you taking your life to the next level. It's like you were, you know, across the pond doing something different. You took your show on the road, stepped into another arena. You're doing your thing.
I mean, that's what it's about. It's about maximizing your potential.
MORGAN: Yes, I always say to my sons, just give it your best.
LL COOL J: That's it.
MORGAN: Never regret the fact that you didn't quite try hard enough for something --
LL COOL J: Absolutely.
MORGAN: -- that you -- that you wanted, because that's the biggest regret you'll ever have --
LL COOL J: Absolutely.
MORGAN: -- is if you didn't give it everything you had.
LL COOL J: It's what you didn't try to do that you regret.
MORGAN: Yes. Absolutely right.
LL COOL J: You know, you don't want to go out just and purposely make mistakes. But, you know, things -- all being relative and everything being even, it's what you don't do that you'll ultimately regret, you know?
MORGAN: Well, you're doing a hell of a lot. My Connect Studio is available now?
LL COOL J: Yes.
MORGAN: The "NCIS: Los Angeles" returns for season four this fall.
LL COOL J: Yes. And, oh, I want people to know that the My Connect Studio is also available on the Sony Vios laptop. It's preloaded.
MORGAN: OK.
LL COOL J: So if you go to, you know, Sony.com, you can actually get a laptop --
MORGAN: Great.
LL COOL J: -- and it's preloaded. It's cool, very cool.
MORGAN: I will be getting it as a matter of urgency.
LL COOL J: My man.
MORGAN: To continue my own hip hop career.
(CROSSTALK)
LL COOL J: I'll see in the VIP.
MORGAN: When is the new album out?
LL COOL J: You know what, I'm working on it. I'm almost finished with it. It's authentic hip hop and it's coming. And, you know --
(CROSSTALK)
MORGAN: Well, come back --
LL COOL J: It will be a lot of fun.
MORGAN: -- well, when it's out, come back and talk about it.
LL COOL J: I'll do it.
MORGAN: And if you're basically hanging on to get me on that album in some capacity --
LL COOL J: I am.
MORGAN: MC Morgan is available.
LL COOL J: Absolutely. CPM, Cool Piers Morgan.
(LAUGHTER)
LL COOL JAY: I love it. I love it.
MORGAN: There are rap fans all over America dying a horrible death right now at the thought of this.
It's always great to see you. Thank you.
LL COOL J: You, too, Piers.
MORGAN: LL Cool J.
Coming up, the star of the hit show "The Closer," Kyra Sedgwick, on her long running marriage to Kevin Bacon, the dark day that they found out how much they've lost to Bernie Madoff, and what she really thinks about President Obama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is she here?
SEDGWICK: Yes.
I'll get her.
Grace, the lying, cheating sack of (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can't breathe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
Ann Marie, what did you do?
SEDGWICK: Well you said to keep him busy. He's busy holding his nuts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Kyra Sedgwick in "Something to Talk About," one of the films in her 30-year acting career that includes "Born on the Fourth of July" and the smash TV hit "The Closer". Plus, she also got one of Hollywood's best marriages, being one degree of separation from Kevin Bacon for the last 25 years.
And she joins me now.
Do you get sick of the degrees of separation?
SEDGWICK: Yes. I do. I can't believe it is still -- I think that he's -- he's turned it into something great. He's turned it into sixdegrees.org. But I think he thought it as a put-down, a joke at his expense somehow. I don't know how he spun that, but he did.
But, yes, it is, you know, people always say, I'm just one degree away when they se me on the subway.
MORGAN: I can see you visibly tensing as I say that. You have my sympathies. I interviewed your husband. He's a great chap. And, B, I loved what he said about you. So, I'm not going to make you squirm with embarrassment by playing what your husband said about you when he came on the show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN BACON, ACTOR: Found her, you know, really very beautiful and sexy and aloof, and I was, you know, just immediately in love with her and she was immediately put off by me.
MORGAN: Did you know she was the one?
BACON: Yes. Yes. I did.
MORGAN: You were right. I mean, you've been inseparable ever since.
BACON: I was right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEDGWICK: Oh, God.
MORGAN: You get a little emotional watching that.
SEDGWICK: Yes. Yes. Yes. We're lucky.
MORGAN: You said about him recently, when he walks into a room, my heart gets a little flutter and I think, he's so cute. He's so hot.
But it is really touching that you can watch him talk about you like that and actually get tearful about that.
SEDGWICK: Yes.
MORGAN: I mean, that is the ultimate testament to the strength of your marriage.
SEDGWICK: Yes. Yes.
MORGAN: Do you remember the first time you met him?
SEDGWICK: Oh, yes, absolutely. Yes. He came into -- we were doing a film, it was a PBS American playhouse film of the Lanford Wilson play "Lemon Sky". And he -- we were all getting picked up in the van and we were in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
And he got picked up and his dog came in first and he had on this Hudson Bay kind of, you know, wool coat. And his black lab mix came in first and he came in first and he was aloof, so it's funny to hear him say that I was aloof.
And my first thought was, he's really cocky and he thinks he's so cool. And little did I know he was not that way at all.
MORGAN: Twenty-five years of marriage, so happy --
SEDGWICK: Well, not quite. It will be 24 in September.
MORGAN: Twenty-four. OK, nearly a quarter of a century. SEDGWICK: Yes, yes.
MORGAN: What is the trick? Is it luck and just finding the right person?
SEDGWICK: Absolutely. It's absolutely luck and finding the right person. I mean, initially, I think -- I don't know, I always get uncomfortable with that question because I always feel like never take the secret to a happy marriage is to not take advice from celebrities about marriage.
MORGAN: What did you find worked for you? I mean, do you have a certain way that you are with each other that just works?
SEDGWICK: You know, I think we did just get lucky, but I also think that we have the same priorities and I think that helps a lot because we know that our relationship has to be sort of the primary relationship and the primary purpose of our lives in a way, even though we have so many other parts of our lives that are important. So, that makes it easier when you have the same priorities.
MORGAN: Have you actually acted with him? I think he's directed you, but have you --
SEDGWICK: Yeah, "The Woodsman."
MORGAN: What was it like?
SEDGWICK: It was -- it was scary. I think -- I know I initially, you know, said I didn't think it was a good idea. It was a very dark film, actually, about a -- a pedophile who was out of jail and sort of recovering. And I was afraid that it would be -- we met on "Lemon Sky." But I was afraid that it would take people out of the movie, and I felt like it was an important movie to be made.
But it is extraordinary to work with someone that you know is going to always throw the ball back at you. But it was scary. I thought how is the audience not going to be able to tell that we -- that we know each other so well and we're supposed to just be meeting.
MORGAN: It is quite hard when you get home, I would imagine. You're sitting there, having a glass of wine at the end of a long day's filming, and there is like this dark, horrible pedophile plot line. You look at this guy and think, I am going to try and pretend he's my husband now.
SEDGWICK: No, no, no. I didn't have any problems with that, no. No.
MORGAN: You've got two adult children now.
SEDGWICK: Yeah.
MORGAN: How does that feel? You don't look old enough, by the way. You look ludicrously youthful.
SEDGWICK: Thank you. MORGAN: I may have to get the secret of that as well, but tell me about your kids. How old are they now?
SEDGWICK: They are -- my son is about to turn 23 and my daughter is 20. And it is crazy. I turn around and look at them and I say, who is that? I can't believe those kids are mine. They're big and they're -- they are so much further along than I was at their age, even though at their -- at my son's age, I was married and had a kid, but I didn't really know who I was or -- and he really does. I'm -- they inspire me.
MORGAN: Do they find it hard being the products of two famous acting stars?
SEDGWICK: I don't think they know any better. So I think that they don't know any differently, so it is what they -- it is what they have always known. But I can't imagine that it hasn't been -- it has its challenges, for sure. We always sort of encourage them to think about that. But I think that they'll think about it when it is their time.
I mean, it is annoying when you're with your kid and they're telling you something very important and then someone comes in and, you know, asks for an autograph or wants to talk. And it is lovely that people want to talk to you. It is part of the gig, but it is hard when your kid feels a little --
MORGAN: It slightly blurs the line, doesn't it?
SEDGWICK: Yes.
MORGAN: Let's take a short break, come back and talk about Obama, Bernie Madoff and "The Closer." not necessarily in that order, and not necessarily together.
SEDGWICK: OK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Will you dance with me?
SEDGWICK: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Kyra Sedgwick with Tom Cruise in "Born on the Fourth of July" in 1989. 1989, you can't be as old as I know you are. It is impossible. It is a physical impossibility.
SEDGWICK: Thank you.
MORGAN: How do you stay so ridiculously youthful?
SEDGWICK: I drink a lot of water. I honestly -- I don't know. I take care of myself, I guess. MORGAN: Is it just a work out ten hours a day? How do you get to look like this?
SEDGWICK: Not ten hours a day, but I do like to exercise. I do it more for my head than for anything else.
MORGAN: What was Tom Cruise like to work with? I saw you laughing the moment you saw that scene.
SEDGWICK: Well, first of all, I mean --
MORGAN: An affectionate remembrance.
SEDGWICK: Yes, I loved him. He was wonderful. He was so inviting and so generous as an actor, and such a hard worker. He was -- he is such a hard worker. And --
MORGAN: He also doesn't age either.
SEDGWICK: Yeah.
MORGAN: He looks exactly the same as he did in "Top Gun." It is quite weird, actually, isn't it?
SEDGWICK: No, I don't think it is weird. I think he takes care of himself. Probably gets good facials.
MORGAN: He's like Benjamin Button in reverse.
SEDGWICK: Right. He has good bone structure.
MORGAN: Is that the secret?
SEDGWICK: No, I think I could have better bone structure. You need to have the high cheekbones that everything hangs on.
MORGAN: I can get you a guy who can do that.
SEDGWICK: I'm sure you can. I'm sure you know him.
MORGAN: Talking of things that make your bones go creaky, what about Bernie Madoff? When I spoke to Kevin, he'd obviously been through this horrible experience where he lost a lot of money to Mr. Madoff. What are your feelings about him?
SEDGWICK: God, are we still on that? Is that still a topic of interest?
MORGAN: Yes, make this quick and brutal. Take him down and we can move on.
SEDGWICK: I know you so want that. But I see him as a sick man. And I see us as adults who made a choice. And I see a lot of people that are so much worse off than we are. And I think that, you know, (EXPLETIVE DELETED) happens. Can you say that?
MORGAN: So a gun with one bullet, walking down the street, you wouldn't --
SEDGWICK: No, he has a horrible life at this point. I know you hate him. I feel like you hate him more than we do.
MORGAN: Yes, he's a despicable human being. He ruined so many lives.
SEDGWICK: I absolutely agree.
MORGAN: Just because you're famous, I don't think you should be divorced from -- you're taking this very well, but if that was me, I would be absolutely enraged. This guy fleeced me.
SEDGWICK: Right.
MORGAN: But you're a nicer person than me.
SEDGWICK: Well, no, I wouldn't say that I'm that nice, but --
MORGAN: More forgiving. Let's turn to President Obama. You've been quite vocal about the president. You Tweeted about the big row over the Tar Sands Pipeline, "Obama lost America jobs when he blocked the EPA from cutting smog and ozone pollution. A great day for Exxonmobil, bad day for kids."
SEDGWICK: I think nothing is more important right now. I know the economy is in trouble. But I think we have to protect our natural resources for our children. And we have to somehow curb our addiction to fossil fuel. And the Tar Sands Pipeline was a very obviously -- it was a very tricky subject for a lot of people because it was supposed to create a lot of jobs, but I was -- from my research, I was absolutely not entirely convinced they were jobs that would actually stick around, that there were actually a lot of jobs to be had, and that, for the most part, it was going through pristine land and ruining it for the future.
And I don't think we have that much land to squander anymore, and that much clean water to squander anymore.
MORGAN: Are you an Obama fan generally?
SEDGWICK: I love Obama. I think that he's done some extraordinary things. I think he's had a really, really hard time of it. I think he's been blamed for things that were not on his watch. And I think that given a second term, I think that he will be bolder. I think that sometimes his statesmanship gets in his way and his diplomacy gets in his way a little bit. But hopefully in the second term, he'll care a little bit less about that.
MORGAN: Will you vote? Are you one of these people that I'm going to go and vote?
SEDGWICK: Absolutely.
MORGAN: You feel strongly?
SEDGWICK: Absolutely, 100 percent. I'm -- I get flummoxed by the idea that we are all not voting, that it isn't -- that it's such a small percentage of the country that's actually voting. It is one of the few things that we can do to actually make difference.
MORGAN: Hollywood has been slightly turning on Obama recently. I know quite a few stars coming out and saying they feel disappointed in him. He hasn't lived up to expectation and so on.
SEDGWICK: I think he had impossible expectations to live up to, absolutely. Everyone hung all their hopes on him and I think that was unrealistic. There is only so much we can do with our government of checks and balances in a four-year term.
MORGAN: Are you worried that the Republicans will get in?
SEDGWICK: Always. I am.
MORGAN: What do you think of Mitt Romney?
SEDGWICK: I need to learn more about him, I think.
MORGAN: What is your gut feeling?
SEDGWICK: You know, I will be voting for Obama.
MORGAN: You're very diplomatic, aren't you?
SEDGWICK: I try to be. I would rather not be quoted all over the country.
MORGAN: You're entitled to have a say.
SEDGWICK: Yeah.
MORGAN: You're an active Tweeter. Do you like Twitter?
SEDGWICK: I'm not as good at it -- I'm not as diligent about it as I should be. Kevin is much better and much more creative.
MORGAN: He's very good on it, but do you like the instant feedback? Or is it -- for any artist, is it sort of vaguely terrifying as well?
SEDGWICK: It is vaguely terrifying, absolutely. It is so personal sometimes and it just feels like something you don't really want to do. But then I honestly find the Twitter universe -- or Twitter- verse, is that the word, to be pretty polite group of people.
MORGAN: You obviously haven't read any of my followers.
SEDGWICK: No. You know, if they say, anything negative, I just block them.
MORGAN: I quite like the haters. It sort of gets me up in the morning. A reason to live.
Let's take another short break, come back and talk about "the Closer," this brilliant TV series which has been dominating the last five years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEDGWICK: Mr. Strow (ph), I'm starting with the rape suspects, as usual.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your suspects are my clients and sex isn't always rape.
SEDGWICK: Murder ups the stakes a little. DNA can be very helpful in court.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you have a sample, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here. Let me help you with that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Kyra Sedgwick is the feisty and brilliant deputy chief on "The Closer." It's been a smash hit. She has taken home both the Golden Globe and Emmy for her portrayal of Brenda Leigh Johnson. "The Closer" is the only series in cable history to be number one for five consecutive years. Isn't that amazing?
SEDGWICK: Yes.
MORGAN: Still got over eight million viewers, airing on Monday nights on TNT. The final series about to start. How do you feel about this being the end?
SEDGWICK: Well, it has been the end since December. And while I miss the people so much, and I do love the consistent work, I -- it has been OK to take a break. It has been good. It's been good. It was an extraordinary experience. It was so creatively fulfilling, more creatively fulfilling than almost anything I've ever done. And --
MORGAN: For any actress, or actor, for that matter, doesn't there come a point when you just worry about this is going to be it now? You have to get out at the right moment.
SEDGWICK: Right.
MORGAN: There are so many other things you want to do. These shows can be brutal to make.
SEDGWICK: Oh, yeah.
MORGAN: The filming schedule.
SEDGWICK: Oh, it is completely overwhelming and all consuming. But, yeah, that's why -- that's why we're done now. It was time. It was time.
MORGAN: Did you cry? Was it emotional? SEDGWICK: Oh, very. Oh, my God, very. Very boo-hooey, as I said, as I was always saying.
MORGAN: Do you die or --
SEDGWICK: No, I don't die.
MORGAN: I don't want you to ruin everything.
SEDGWICK: No, I don't die. It won't ruin anything to say I don't die.
MORGAN: I couldn't bear it. I couldn't bear seeing your rotting carcass at the end of the series. I always think it's so unfair when they do that to the general public.
SEDGWICK: Rotting carcass, I love that. I love that.
MORGAN: What are you doing now with all your free time?
SEDGWICK: Yeah, well, I'm seeing a lot of plays. I'm sleeping a lot. But I want to do, you know, other things. That's why it was time. I think it is a perfect time to go when people still want you around and you don't start smelling like the fish.
MORGAN: What's been best moment of your --
SEDGWICK: A rotting fish.
MORGAN: A rotting fish.
(CROSS TALK)
MORGAN: What has been the best moment of your career, the moment if I could replay it for you right now, you would choose?
SEDGWICK: I think the best -- one of the best moments of my career was working with Paul Newman in "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge." Yeah, working with him as a person, as a mentor, and as an actor.
MORGAN: Just a great guy.
SEDGWICK: Extraordinary.
MORGAN: Literally extraordinary, wasn't he? I just think he was on a different level.
SEDGWICK: Yep.
MORGAN: Both on screen and off it to almost anybody else.
SEDGWICK: Yep. And he always talked about how as he got older, everything got -- his acting got so much smaller and smaller. He would look at his work and go, too big, too big, too big. I always try to remember that. He also gave me lots of -- gave me lots of well-earned, wise education about how to deal with kids and how to drive safely. And he was very wise.
MORGAN: What was his advice about kids?
SEDGWICK: His advice about kids was -- I remember he looked at me -- I had -- Travis was two months old when I did "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge." And he said to me -- he looked at me with his baby blue eyes, all crinkly and kind of getting full with tears, and he said you never stop worrying. You never stop being a parent. Don't think that there's a certain age that that will ever go away. And there was just something about that that I take solace in as my kids get older.
MORGAN: He's right.
SEDGWICK: Yes.
MORGAN: You think when they flee the nest, that's it, but that's when the real trouble starts. They're out of sight, out of mind. Anything could be happening.
SEDGWICK: Right.
MORGAN: Do you have a big ambition, a particular project or something that you would really love to do?
SEDGWICK: My big ambition is to work in film with great directors.
MORGAN: Who is the number one?
SEDGWICK: Alexander Pain.
MORGAN: Why him?
SEDGWICK: I think every movie he makes is so other, so brilliant and so spontaneous, and so real and so -- and the characters. And there's never any forcing of anything. And it's just so immensely watchable.
MORGAN: Have you had any conversations?
SEDGWICK: We've -- I've met him several times and auditioned for him several times.
MORGAN: He's rejected you?
SEDGWICK: Yes, a few times, yes.
MORGAN: What was he thinking?
SEDGWICK: I don't know. Hopefully he'll see this and change his mind. See the error of his ways.
MORGAN: I think you would be great in one of his movies.
SEDGWICK: Oh yes.
MORGAN: I hope he's watching this. I just think you'd be great in movies like that. SEDGWICK: I would love to be.
MORGAN: Maybe get you and Kevin together.
SEDGWICK: Yeah.
MORGAN: Is that the dream ticket?
SEDGWICK: Kind of.
MORGAN: Win a double Oscar. Can you imagine that?
SEDGWICK: Yes, that would be amazing.
MORGAN: What if you both won Oscars on the same year?
SEDGWICK: I always say to Kev, where is my "Dead Man Walking." Remember Tim Robbins directed -- he's a director too, so he needs to get cracking on that.
MORGAN: Exactly. Well, look, Kyra, it's been a real pleasure.
SEDGWICK: Thank you.
MORGAN: Just to repeat, "The Closer," the final series is airing on Monday nights on TNT. Everybody will be watching. I will be watching. It's been a real pleasure, thank you.
SEDGWICK: Thank you so much.
MORGAN: Coming up next, Only in America.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MORGAN: For tonight's Only in America, saying I do in the flash mob age. You see them in malls and markets, on Youtube clips and morning slows, the supposedly spontaneous eruption of artistic, romantic performance, a burst of synchronized loving improvisation, designed to catch people by surprise. It's a flash mob proposal. They come in all kinds.
This month, in New York's Bryant Park, there was one that may have topped them all in sheer size and production values.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is going on?
Oh my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: That is a young woman named Allison. She's about to be the unwitting star of her own engagement. First a small troop dances to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Then the show really gets going when a massive brass band marches in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm shaking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: The camera work, the editing, all those extras, it's very Hollywood. Only it's missing is some explosions for it to be a Michael Bay film. Finally the grand finale, with family and friends surrounding Allison, her boyfriend Craig walks up and pops the question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allison Mclair (ph), before I met you I didn't think I could love someone for the rest of my life. Now I know I can. Will you please, please marry me?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MORGAN: Of course she said yes. Didn't have much choice really, did she. Hundreds of her nearest and dearest staring at her together with all the complete strangers gawking wide eyedly as well.
What ever happened to old fashion discrete proposals? Don't get me wrong, I wish them Allison and her fiance Craig all the very best for the future. But just imagine the pressure on them for their wedding now. Unless it's conducted in Yankee Stadium, broadcast live on CNN, and includes personal video citations from President Obama, Lady Gaga and the Dalai Lama, it's going to be one hell of a disappointment.
That's all for us tonight.
