Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

One-Woman Shows Becomes Global Movement

Aired February 11, 2004 - 15:19   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, a little special segment for you. Let's start with the sound bite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALMA HAYEK, ACTRESS: My short skirt is initiation, appreciation, excitation, but mainly, my short skirt and everything under it is mine, mine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, it started off as a one-woman off-Broadway show, but "The Vagina Monologues" has expanded well beyond the limits of a stage. It's no exaggeration to say that it's evolved into a global movement and an annual crusade targeting violence against women.

Playwright Eve Ensler joins us, along with actress Jane Fonda, to talk about the play that sparked a movement that's inspired its own documentary.

Thank you both for being here.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Well, Eve, let's start with you.

Let's talk about what inspired "Vagina Monologues."

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: You know what? It's something about that word. It's just, we've got to laugh.

EVE ENSLER, WRITER: It's a good word.

PHILLIPS: It's a good word.

ENSLER: And we're glad we have them.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: We're very happy to have them.

And then let's talk about how that moved into the movement. And that, of course, brings Jane into the picture.

ENSLER: Well, basically, when I started performing the show, everywhere I went in the world, so many women would line up after the show.

And, at first, I thought they were going to tell me wonderful stories about how much they loved their vaginas and great pleasure and satisfaction. But, in fact, the majority of women who were lining up needed to tell me stories about how they'd been violated, either raped or battered or abused. And it became daunting.

There were so many women. And I guess I had always known that women were abused, but I never got the pandemic impact of it. I didn't get that, as the U.N. is now saying, that one out of every three women will be raped or violated in her lifetime. So, in 1997, I said, how could we use the show to stop violence, to end it? And we got all these great actors together. And Jane came a few years later, but she came in a big way when she came.

We got all these great actors together. And I said, what if we had this idea, we all thought, of V-Day, which is anti-violence day, Valentine's Day, and victory over violence. And we did the first performance in New York six years ago with Glenn Close and Whoopi Goldberg and Susan Sarandon.

And it's six years later. And this year, there will be 1,100 cities, 2,300 events all over the globe, where every single event in small villages, little towns, communities, churches, every event is raising money for local centers, shelters, hot lines, to stop violence in those communities.

PHILLIPS: You talked about the impact that it's made on a lot of people, including Jane. A quick clip from the documentary. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE FONDA, ACTRESS: The play, because of its laughter and its compassion, led me out of silence and fear into bravery and voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Jane, this led you into bravery and voice. Tell us about that.

FONDA: Well, when I was first asked to perform in "The Vagina Monologue," I said, no, I got enough problems. Thanks a whole lot. I don't need that kind of controversy.

(LAUGHTER)

FONDA: I found it difficult to say vagina out loud in public. And then I saw Eve perform it in New York. As it has for so many hundreds of thousands of women, it was very transforming.

Really, it moved my feminism out of my head, into my body, which is where it should be. And I've been part of the movement ever since.

PHILLIPS: Well, we know your name. We know the impact it's made on you. Internationally, as we look at this documentary, Agnes really tugged at our heartstrings. Tell us about Agnes and Kenya and the impact this woman is making because of what the two of you and everybody else has done.

ENSLER: Well, Agnes is one of the great vagina warriors. That's what we're calling her, a woman who has suffered incredible violence. And rather than continuing, she has devoted her life to stopping it for other girls. She was mutilated as a little girl.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Which is a part of the culture there.

ENSLER: Exactly. And it's called female genital mutilation or circumcision.

And rather than continuing that practice, she knew the incredible impact it had on her own life. She literally has walked through the Rift Valley for the last eight years educating girls about how to stop it, educating parents. And when we met her, we said, how could we help what you're doing? And she said, well, you could buy me a jeep. I'd get around faster. So we initially bought her a jeep.

And, in that time, she saved 4,500 girls from being cut. She'd already saved about 1,500 and created an alternative ritual. And then we said, what else can we do for you? And she said, well, if you gave me money, I could open a house. So, literally, two years ago she opened the first V-Day safe house for girls in Kenya. And there are 50 girls at any given time who will not be mutilated. They will be educated. They will not be forced into marriage.

And mothers are now bringing their daughters to the house. And they're staying themselves in many situations, because they're being abused or battered in their own home.

PHILLIPS: Were you amazed by the stories that you heard, Jane, as you met people that were involved? One string that struck us also, the World War II -- the women from World War II, the sex slaves women.

FONDA: The comfort women.

PHILLIPS: The comfort women, exactly.

FONDA: That were provided to the Japanese soldiers. I've been in a number of countries now with Eve. And it's shocking. And it's -- I don't think it's really known, the extent to which violence against women is pandemic.

One out of every three women, according to the United Nations, experiences violence in the world. And this lady here, with her play and the movement that's grown out of it, they have given $20 million to efforts around the world to stop violence against women. That's more money than the current U.S. government gives to stop violence against women.

It's amazing, not just because of the money and what it can do, like the safe house in Kenya, but because it is -- this is a movement that truly is empowering women and vagina-friendly men.

(LAUGHTER)

ENSLER: Also, I want to mention that a perfect example of this is, in Juarez, Mexico, for the last 10 years, over 300 women have been murdered, mutilated, disappeared, raped. Not one person has been held accountable. There's been complete impunity.

We this V-Day this year, our spotlight is on Juarez. And on February 14, we're inviting people to join us. Thousands of people will be in the streets of Juarez to stop the violence and demand that there's justice. And, already, because of that march and because of all these groups coming together around the world, there is change. We can absolutely change the course of and the story of women.

We can stop violence. It's possible. But we have to devote every bit of our energy to doing that and make it central and make it that important.

PHILLIPS: Well, it takes strong women like you two to stand up the plate and do that. We know how important it is to be assertive, aggressive and make our point in this world. Isn't that right?

ENSLER: Yes.

FONDA: Yes.

PHILLIPS: That's right. We have to stick together.

FONDA: We can all be there.

ENSLER: Right.

PHILLIPS: Well, also, too, I was noticing in the documentary -- let's play a clip from Rosie Perez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE PEREZ, ACTRESS: And I just want to tell everybody here, however long it takes for you to tell your story, take your time. Take your time. Take your breath. Take your moment. It's your story, nobody else's, until you're ready to release it. Then it becomes the world's.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Take your time. Take your moment. Tell your story. How long it takes, it's OK.

This was spiritual. It was therapy. How did it move you? Were you surprised to hear these personal stories even within Hollywood?

FONDA: Yes, I was. You know, there's a tendency to think that it's just poor women or women of color. This crosses class. It crosses race. It crosses age. Women being treated like property that you can do to anything you want is very old. (CROSSTALK)

FONDA: It's a paradigm that goes way back. And men are as affected by it, in a way, as women, as the movie shows.

One of the wonderful things about the movie is that it shows the impact that this violence has on the men who commit the violence and how they are capable of changing. It's a very compassionate look at the men, as well as the women.

PHILLIPS: Interesting.

ENSLER: I think also, in terms of the stories, you know, it's funny how, in any given community that I go to, whether it's a Latino community or the Jewish community or the African-American community, everybody says, oh, it doesn't happen here.

And, by the end of any given evening, people discover that it absolutely happens there. And part of it is people having the courage to tell the truth, to share their stories, because when women come forward and talk about what's really going on in their homes and insist on real homeland security, which is being safe in their own bedrooms, things change.

PHILLIPS: This is a tough transition, amazing documentary, Lifetime, February 17.

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 February 11, 2004 - 15:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, a little special segment for you. Let's start with the sound bite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALMA HAYEK, ACTRESS: My short skirt is initiation, appreciation, excitation, but mainly, my short skirt and everything under it is mine, mine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, it started off as a one-woman off-Broadway show, but "The Vagina Monologues" has expanded well beyond the limits of a stage. It's no exaggeration to say that it's evolved into a global movement and an annual crusade targeting violence against women.

Playwright Eve Ensler joins us, along with actress Jane Fonda, to talk about the play that sparked a movement that's inspired its own documentary.

Thank you both for being here.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Well, Eve, let's start with you.

Let's talk about what inspired "Vagina Monologues."

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: You know what? It's something about that word. It's just, we've got to laugh.

EVE ENSLER, WRITER: It's a good word.

PHILLIPS: It's a good word.

ENSLER: And we're glad we have them.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: We're very happy to have them.

And then let's talk about how that moved into the movement. And that, of course, brings Jane into the picture.

ENSLER: Well, basically, when I started performing the show, everywhere I went in the world, so many women would line up after the show.

And, at first, I thought they were going to tell me wonderful stories about how much they loved their vaginas and great pleasure and satisfaction. But, in fact, the majority of women who were lining up needed to tell me stories about how they'd been violated, either raped or battered or abused. And it became daunting.

There were so many women. And I guess I had always known that women were abused, but I never got the pandemic impact of it. I didn't get that, as the U.N. is now saying, that one out of every three women will be raped or violated in her lifetime. So, in 1997, I said, how could we use the show to stop violence, to end it? And we got all these great actors together. And Jane came a few years later, but she came in a big way when she came.

We got all these great actors together. And I said, what if we had this idea, we all thought, of V-Day, which is anti-violence day, Valentine's Day, and victory over violence. And we did the first performance in New York six years ago with Glenn Close and Whoopi Goldberg and Susan Sarandon.

And it's six years later. And this year, there will be 1,100 cities, 2,300 events all over the globe, where every single event in small villages, little towns, communities, churches, every event is raising money for local centers, shelters, hot lines, to stop violence in those communities.

PHILLIPS: You talked about the impact that it's made on a lot of people, including Jane. A quick clip from the documentary. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE FONDA, ACTRESS: The play, because of its laughter and its compassion, led me out of silence and fear into bravery and voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Jane, this led you into bravery and voice. Tell us about that.

FONDA: Well, when I was first asked to perform in "The Vagina Monologue," I said, no, I got enough problems. Thanks a whole lot. I don't need that kind of controversy.

(LAUGHTER)

FONDA: I found it difficult to say vagina out loud in public. And then I saw Eve perform it in New York. As it has for so many hundreds of thousands of women, it was very transforming.

Really, it moved my feminism out of my head, into my body, which is where it should be. And I've been part of the movement ever since.

PHILLIPS: Well, we know your name. We know the impact it's made on you. Internationally, as we look at this documentary, Agnes really tugged at our heartstrings. Tell us about Agnes and Kenya and the impact this woman is making because of what the two of you and everybody else has done.

ENSLER: Well, Agnes is one of the great vagina warriors. That's what we're calling her, a woman who has suffered incredible violence. And rather than continuing, she has devoted her life to stopping it for other girls. She was mutilated as a little girl.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Which is a part of the culture there.

ENSLER: Exactly. And it's called female genital mutilation or circumcision.

And rather than continuing that practice, she knew the incredible impact it had on her own life. She literally has walked through the Rift Valley for the last eight years educating girls about how to stop it, educating parents. And when we met her, we said, how could we help what you're doing? And she said, well, you could buy me a jeep. I'd get around faster. So we initially bought her a jeep.

And, in that time, she saved 4,500 girls from being cut. She'd already saved about 1,500 and created an alternative ritual. And then we said, what else can we do for you? And she said, well, if you gave me money, I could open a house. So, literally, two years ago she opened the first V-Day safe house for girls in Kenya. And there are 50 girls at any given time who will not be mutilated. They will be educated. They will not be forced into marriage.

And mothers are now bringing their daughters to the house. And they're staying themselves in many situations, because they're being abused or battered in their own home.

PHILLIPS: Were you amazed by the stories that you heard, Jane, as you met people that were involved? One string that struck us also, the World War II -- the women from World War II, the sex slaves women.

FONDA: The comfort women.

PHILLIPS: The comfort women, exactly.

FONDA: That were provided to the Japanese soldiers. I've been in a number of countries now with Eve. And it's shocking. And it's -- I don't think it's really known, the extent to which violence against women is pandemic.

One out of every three women, according to the United Nations, experiences violence in the world. And this lady here, with her play and the movement that's grown out of it, they have given $20 million to efforts around the world to stop violence against women. That's more money than the current U.S. government gives to stop violence against women.

It's amazing, not just because of the money and what it can do, like the safe house in Kenya, but because it is -- this is a movement that truly is empowering women and vagina-friendly men.

(LAUGHTER)

ENSLER: Also, I want to mention that a perfect example of this is, in Juarez, Mexico, for the last 10 years, over 300 women have been murdered, mutilated, disappeared, raped. Not one person has been held accountable. There's been complete impunity.

We this V-Day this year, our spotlight is on Juarez. And on February 14, we're inviting people to join us. Thousands of people will be in the streets of Juarez to stop the violence and demand that there's justice. And, already, because of that march and because of all these groups coming together around the world, there is change. We can absolutely change the course of and the story of women.

We can stop violence. It's possible. But we have to devote every bit of our energy to doing that and make it central and make it that important.

PHILLIPS: Well, it takes strong women like you two to stand up the plate and do that. We know how important it is to be assertive, aggressive and make our point in this world. Isn't that right?

ENSLER: Yes.

FONDA: Yes.

PHILLIPS: That's right. We have to stick together.

FONDA: We can all be there.

ENSLER: Right.

PHILLIPS: Well, also, too, I was noticing in the documentary -- let's play a clip from Rosie Perez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE PEREZ, ACTRESS: And I just want to tell everybody here, however long it takes for you to tell your story, take your time. Take your time. Take your breath. Take your moment. It's your story, nobody else's, until you're ready to release it. Then it becomes the world's.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Take your time. Take your moment. Tell your story. How long it takes, it's OK.

This was spiritual. It was therapy. How did it move you? Were you surprised to hear these personal stories even within Hollywood?

FONDA: Yes, I was. You know, there's a tendency to think that it's just poor women or women of color. This crosses class. It crosses race. It crosses age. Women being treated like property that you can do to anything you want is very old. (CROSSTALK)

FONDA: It's a paradigm that goes way back. And men are as affected by it, in a way, as women, as the movie shows.

One of the wonderful things about the movie is that it shows the impact that this violence has on the men who commit the violence and how they are capable of changing. It's a very compassionate look at the men, as well as the women.

PHILLIPS: Interesting.

ENSLER: I think also, in terms of the stories, you know, it's funny how, in any given community that I go to, whether it's a Latino community or the Jewish community or the African-American community, everybody says, oh, it doesn't happen here.

And, by the end of any given evening, people discover that it absolutely happens there. And part of it is people having the courage to tell the truth, to share their stories, because when women come forward and talk about what's really going on in their homes and insist on real homeland security, which is being safe in their own bedrooms, things change.

PHILLIPS: This is a tough transition, amazing documentary, Lifetime, February 17.

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