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Piers Morgan Live

U.S. Military Investigating Shocking Photos Published by TMZ; Interview with Robert Gates; Interview with Jacqueline Bisset

Aired January 15, 2014 - 21:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: This is Piers Morgan Live welcome to our viewers in United States and around the world. There's no better person to talk to tonight on the night when Iraq is spitting the deadly chaos but the man at the center action under President George W. Bush and President Barrack Obama. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates who's also in the room as the White House watch the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Tonight I'll ask him about the resurgence of Al-Qaeda and about what may finally be the truth about Benghazi. Plus his Take-No-Prisoners book that's rocking Washington, he calls Congress ugly and incompetent and he said President Obama didn't believe in his own Afghanistan strategy, well he's tonight to explain himself. Also a bit of Jacqueline Bisset, I don't think any others had any real idea what she's talking about in the memorable Golden Globe speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACQUELINE BISSET, BRITISH ACTRESS: I think it was 47 years ago that the Hollywood Foreign Press gave me a promising -- a nomination for the -- promising newcomer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Wonderful stuff and tonight I'll ask her Jacqueline Bisset is here exclusively. We'll get to my interview with Robert Gates in just a moment, but first a very disturbing story out of Iraq today against the battle over today's deadly violence. The US military is investigating a series of shocking photographs published by TMZ. The photographs have appeared to show American marines burning the dead bodies of insurgents in Fallujah in 2004. Now, I must warn you these photographs are very graphic. CNN'S Brian Todd joins me for more. Brian what can you tell us about these pictures?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Piers TMZ says they are believed to have been taken in Fallujah in 2004. TMZ says they have 41 photographs in total but they've only posted about eight of them. We have aired three of the photographs, that speaks to just a graphic nature of these. We can go over the ones that we're airing, in one of the photographs a military member, what appears to be a marine is seen pouring some kind of liquid over the body of what is believed to an Iraqi insurgent likely some kind of flammable liquid. In another photo you see it there, there's a marine kneeling by the remains of human skull that's at the bottom of that picture.

And in the third picture you see that one body in flames, that's the same body we believe that is -- there in that photo that the marine is pouring liquid over. Again very, very graphic stuff, the marines and the rest of the US military, the Pentagon tell us they're investigating this. It is a crime, Piers in the military to burn human remains or to take, possess or distribute personal photographs of human remains in anything other than an official capacity. So these men could be in some trouble but one thing that the marines and others are going to have to determine is what unit they were in, that's not clear and what the identities of these men are, Piers.

MORGAN: And what is the Defense Department saying about all these?

TODD: Well they've issued statement Commander Bill speaks of the Pentagon Press Office. Issued us a statement a short time ago, I'll read to you he said, "The actions depicted in these photos are not what we expect from our service members, nor do they represent the honorable and professional service of the more than 2.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Marine Corps is currently investigating the veracity of these photos, circumstances involved and if possible, the identities of the service members involved. The findings from this investigation will determine whether we are able to move forward with any investigation into possible wrongdoing."

And again, Piers trying to determine the identities of these marines if indeed they are marines and they are believed to be. Trying to determine the identities of them will take some time. And a lot of these guys may not be in the military anymore, so that raises the question of whether they can actually be prosecuted. We've talked to military laws experts all day on this and they're not clear about it.

MORGAN: Does the statute limitations apply in the case of war crimes generally?

TODD: It would apply in the case of war crimes but the Pentagon specifically told me earlier today they don't believe that this is a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and under some of the more traditional definitions of war crime. They don't believe it rises to that level especially if the marines came upon these bodies they we're already dead and there's a chance expert said they may have been burning them for hygienic purposes, but again Pentagon reiterating this is not acceptable, this is still a crime in the military to do that. Whether it rises to war crime, the Pentagons spokesman told me earlier today they don't believe it does. But again it could be a very serious crime and it's not clear whether these men would be prosecuted in a civilian federal court or in a military court that's got to be worked at, yet.

MORGAN: Right Todd, thank you very indeed. Mr. Defense Secretary to President Gorge W. Bush and Barrack Obama, Robert Gates knows more about America's military just but anybody else. His new book is" Duty, Memoirs of Secretary at War." And Robert Gates joins me now. My Secretary thank you very much for joining me.

ROBERT GATES, FORMER UNITED STATES DEFENSE SECRETARY: My pleasure thank you.

MORGAN: If I may start with your reaction to those images that we've just seen which are pretty horrific which ever way you look at it. On the assumption that they're genuine images and we haven't independently verified them, what would you're reaction be to American troops behaving in that manner?

GATES: Well there have been some rare instances of US forces US troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan behaving in ways that are not sanctions by the United States and are contrary to military regulation and uniform and coat of military justice. So I think that what the Pentagon has announced is exactly the right way to go which is to investigate. See if they can identify the individuals involved and the unit they're from and then the investigation forward from there.

MORGAN: Another emerging story today 37 Air Force officers in charge of maintaining and operating the nation's nuclear missiles have been implicated in a drugs cheating scandal, with just the headline alone is enough to fill everyone with vague terror. What did you make of that story?

GATES: Will I -- this is very troubling to me because when I was secretary in 2008 because of various problems in the nuclear force I ended up simultaneously firing the secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff of the Air Force as a matter of accountability because of mishaps associated with our nuclear capabilities. This is one of those capabilities in the military where theirs no room any error, no room for any misbehavior and no room for sloppiness at all. Zero defects as you would say.

And so I think that having this kind of behavior among those that are responsible for some element nuclear arsenal is extremely troubling. I'm glad that the Pentagon has taken strong action. But I think that it does raise the larger issue of whether this systemic shortcomings and problems we identify in 2008 have been corrected us, so I though they have been or whether their still significant room for improvement.

MORGAN: It's not big news story today which is absolutely in your old wheel house which is Iraq 61 people at least were killed. And scores wounded in the latest wave of attacks in Baghdad and across the county. It looks from the outside as if Iraq is tutoring into real civil war here with the double problem of Al-Qaeda now apparently running Fallujah and other areas in Iraq. When you at it in totally is it possible to conjure up any impression that this was a successful mission for America and the allied forces there.

GATES: Well I think that we succeed in the mission in turn -- in 2008 and 2009 being able to turnover to the Iraqis, a fragile that real democratic government a democratically elected government as well as security and stability in the country we basically handed them their future on the silver plater my own view is that you can't freeze history in place. I think we accomplished our mission and we withdrew in the way that was not strategic defeat with global consequences for us. I think two things have happened since we left. One is that Prime Mister Maliki has continued to be hostile to this Sunni minority in the country, he tried to arrest his Sunni Vice President Hashimi and other Sunni officials in the government. He has essentially made no investment in the Sunni areas of the country including Anbar which is where Fallujah and Ramadi are.

And so the Sunni's have little reason the believe that the government in Baghdad is something that they want to support. My sense from what I've read in the last few days is that this has served as a wake up call from Maliki and he is beginning to out -- to reach out to the Sunni's and see if he can restore their role in the government and get them back on side in terms of the government.

The other problem that you alluded too is that he -- over which he'd really doesn't have much control is the spill over from Syrian Civil War and that has clearly increased the level of violence in Iraq. So far we don't see the Shia extremist groups like Jay Shomadhi (ph) and others that we have to deal with in 2007 and 2008. Coming out of their quiescence and getting involved in the violence.

But if the -- if Al-Qaeda's violent attacks on Shias and others in the country continues, we may see that. So there are these two very serious problems about Iraq, that are going on Iraq, my hope is that Maliki will as a result of these -- of all these violence begin to do what he did when he went down to Basra and took on the Shia extremist. He'll reach out to the Sunnis and give them a reason to believe that the success of the Baghdad government is important to them. But as far we're concern I believe we accomplished our mission in stabilizing the country and handing over a fragile democracy.

What they do with it is really up to them in the long run.

MORGAN: I mean, suppose if you were living in Iraq and you're an Iraqi, you're saying are we really any better off now than we were under Saddam Hussein. Brutal though he was and despotic know he was and he got 61 Iraqis killed in a single day and this follows up ugly patterns being going on for quite sometime. Do you not think there is an argument to say that the American should never have gone in to Iraq in the first place, that it was an issue that the Iraqis should have resolved themselves.

GATES: Well, there's no doubt in my mind that there is a certain percentage of Iraqis who always considered us to be occupiers and we're against our being there in the first place and against our staying and I think that that sentiment was one of the reasons to Iraqis in the end we're unwilling to agree to a residual US military presence in the country. There just wasn't broad enough support. On the other hand I think that most -- for most Iraqis life is in fact significantly better than it was under Saddam Hussein. Both in terms in economic terms but also in terms of their own personal safety and security despite of the violence that's been going on.

MORGAN: We'll take a short break, Former Secretary, so you'll come back and talk about some of the extraordinary and controversial revelations in your new book about President Obama and his thinking to be about Afghanistan. And I think what do you think about Afghanistan right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OBAMA: What you see is a man that I've come to know and respect, a humble American patriot, a man of common sense and decency, quite simply one of our nation's finest public servants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: President Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom to Robert Gates in 2011. Since then, the former Defense Secretary has written no holds barred book "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary of War". And Robert Gates is back with me now. Let's talk about Afghanistan and the current state of what is going on there. Clearly American troops are due to come out but there's increasing pressure now from the use of that in Afghanistan to keep a military presence from America longer. Is that a good idea do you think?

GATES: think it's actually essential. We turned our backs on Afghanistan after the Soviets left at the end of the 1980's. And it was in the couple of years, civil war in Afghanistan brought the Taliban to power and in a safe haven for Al-Qaeda.

So I think that having a residual force there of 8, 10, 12,000 US and allied troops not only is a signal to the Taliban we're not abandoning Afghanistan, but also I think we'll give confidence and heart to the Afghans themselves. It's also a message to the neighbors such as Pakistan that we're not going to walk away.

The Pakistanis have been afraid all along that once we tired of this war that we would leave the region and they would have to deal with the consequences of this long war. So I think having this residual presence and the strategic agreement that the President and his team have negotiated with the Afghans is exactly the right thing to do.

MORGAN: The book has got a lot of controversy attached to it. It's obviously is a major work. It's got 600 pages or more. And I'm sure that you would say that some stuff can take out of context. In terms of the central criticism, many people feeling that you revealing that President Obama himself doubted his own strategy in Afghanistan was pretty disloyal and pretty damaging to morale of troops on the ground there who are still fighting for their country. What is your reaction to that?

GATES: Well, I don't think it had -- would have any impact on the morale of the troops still fighting there because the reality is the President has made a number of decisions with respect to Afghanistan. And he has stuck to those decisions. And I agreed with all of those decisions including as I just mentioned his willingness to have a strategic agreement that would prolong US military presence or at least some small part -- some small number of U.S. forces beyond December of 2014. All of policy decisions with respect to Afghanistan have been made. The draw down schedule is set and we know what will happen. So I think that what I have said in this book really is that I agreed with all of the President's decisions.

There were two things about Afghanistan and our debates on Afghanistan that troubled me. One was the fact that the politics became part of the debate in the way that it did but another -- and another was his suspicion of the motives of senior military officers in trying to get him -- persuade him to add additional forces. And I guess there would be a third which is that he -- although he made these courageous decisions with respect to Afghanistan, he seemed unwilling to ever go before the public and say why this war was necessary, why the cost of the service men and women was noble and just and why their sacrifice was worthwhile. And it was that lack of passion, that lack of open conviction about the importance of success in Afghanistan that troubled me because the troops out there in Afghanistan know the score and they know that they're not hearing that message from the Commander-In-Chief.

His reservations that I talk about I think as much as anything, we're not so much so much about the military campaign as they were a number of other aspects of the strategy that weren't working. And that was part of the strategy was to try and get Pakistan to stop its hedging. And the event we would lose or leave Afghanistan to try and get the Karzai government to be more competent and less corrupt, to get more civilians from the US and our allies in there to help with development projects and help make the government more effective.

These things weren't working very well. And military strategy, the military campaign was taking longer than the military had told the President would. People may remember the campaign around Marja where we talk about the Afghans coming in with government in a "box". And so that went slower and then the campaign against that Kandahar went slower. Those were the foundations of the President's reservations that I refer to. But the fact remains that he popped the decisions that were important.

MORGAN: Right. But here would be my obvious I guess which is you're absolutely entitled to have your opinions about this but given that you were serving in his administration and given he's still the president and given the conflicts in Afghanistan is ongoing, should you have really waited until President Obama had seen out his term of office and U.S. troops had come home before putting all this in the public domain. Is it really a patriotic duty to do this before those two things have happened?

GATES: I think it is important for Americans and particularly our men women in uniform to understand the debates that went on in Washington and to humanize and personalize those debates so that they know that these issues were debated seriously, that there was a lot of passion involved that the President asked hard questions. People are concerned about my talking about presidential conversations, but the reality is in the book virtually all the President conversations that I describe in the book are positive in terms of what they reveal about both President Bush and President Obama and the respect that shows these presidents asking hard questions, pushing back on the military and asking the kinds of questions that Americans would hope their Commander-In-Chief is asking.

MORGAN: It is but to what he say publicly in a book as his former Defense Chief that the President of the United States doesn't believe in his own strategy with one of the most important wars the country has ever been engaged in. Many see it as being flagrantly disloyal.

GATES: Well, I don't think it's being disloyal and I think that again the book makes very clear that I agreed with all of the President's decisions on Afghanistan and I supported those decisions. I believe they were the right decisions and he has continued to adhere to those decisions, whatever reservations he has. I also described earlier in the book. President Bush has reservations about the strategy in Iraq. And that his reservations led to reviews of strategy in Iraq and a change of strategy in Iraq. So I think in both cases, what I'm trying to show is that presidents have reservations when they have committed military forces and they ask themselves hard questions and they ask those working for them hard questions.

MORGAN: Let's take another gripping part of the book which is you're one of the people who was at the White House in the situation and watching the capture and the killing of Osama bin Laden, what was it like to be in that room because it looks incredibly tense on the images we've seen.

Well, we see that lower right on this picture that we're looking at now.

GATES: When we -- when the raid began, we were in the larger situation room and the President disappeared. And when we inquired where he gone, there was a room across the hall where there was a video feed where we could what was actually going on in the compound at Abbottabad and also could hear the team communicating. And so that's the room where that picture was taken. And I think clearly there was a huge amount of tension on the room.

When we got there -- we were able to follow everything until the SEALs entered the house. But once they entered the house, we really didn't know what was going on for perhaps 15 minutes which was probably the longest 15 minutes in any of our lives. And then we heard the statement from the SEAL Geronimo enemy killed in action. So I think that there was a great sense of relief that the mission have been successful in extracting justice from this terrorist, but there was no high-fiving, no cheers or anything like that. First of all because the SEAL still have to get out of Pakistan and that was another hour or so and we still needed to get Osama's remains and all of the intelligence that we had collected out of Pakistan. But I think there was just a quiet sense that those Americans who had been killed on September 11 had been avenged.

MORGAN: You seemed perturbed in the book that having had a pact between all of you in the room and not talk about any of this, publicly people immediately did within a few hours.

GATES: Well, saying I was perturbed would be saying -- would be putting it in the most polite possible terms. I -- As we begin the breakup at the end of that meeting, I said, "Now, look we used these tactics and techniques in Afghanistan and elsewhere virtually every night. And if we go out and start talking about how we did this, the details of this mission, it will put future special operators in jeopardy." And everybody agree. So, I said, "We need to take a blood oath among ourselves that we won't--all we'll say is, that Osama bin Laden has been killed and we will not discuss the operation itself." That lasted and everybody agreed and that lasted about five hours. And it was very disappointing for all the reasons that I just described.

MORGAN: Let's take a short break and come back and talk about, what you really think about Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MORGAN: Back with me now the former Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, the author of the book that all Washington is buzzing about, "Duty, Memoirs of a Secretary at War". I would like ask you and before we get any further, Secretary about your neck brace, all the viewers I'm sure are thinking, "What happened here?"

GATES: Well, I wish I could -- I wish I could attribute it to some adventure in the back country or some sporting injury but I can only attribute it to clumsiness and I fell at my -- I tripped and fell on a rug at my home on New Year's day and broke the first vertebrae. So, I'm sitting here with you with a broken neck.

MORGAN: Well, I'm sitting here with a broken ring from my cricket injury so, we can share each others pain, Mr. Secretary.

Let's turn on the revelations of the book. It's a good juicy, meaty read and you don't hold back on some of your colleagues and Joe Biden for example, the Vice President, you say that he's a lovely guy, down to earth, funny, profane, humorously self-aware of his motormouth. But you've also go on to say which I think is a fairly damning indictment to the Vice-President.

"Biden has been wrong on nearly every foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades." That is a pretty as I say damning verdict on the Vice-President.

GATES: Now, in the context of the book, one of the interesting things I, first of all, I stand by that statement but what is interesting in retrospect and what I made clear in the book is that on most of the major foreign policy issues in the Obama Administration, the Vice President and I actually agreed whether it was how to handle the downfall of Mubarak in Egypt or our opposition to intervening in Libya and so on.

We did disagree and we disagree deeply on Afghanistan and I did resent the Vice President stoking suspicion on the senior military with the President.

But when I go back to the early '70s through the end of the Cold War, Vice President voted when he was a senator, voted against assistance (ph) for South Vietnam that was going to be the lifeline as we left that country. He voted against virtually every element of President Reagan's defense buildup and strategy toward the Soviet Union including most of the major weapon systems the B1, B2 bombers, the MX missile and so on.

And he voted against the first Gulf War when President George H. W. Bush was in office. So, I think there is a pretty strong case there that on a lot of the big issues he was mistaken.

MORGAN: Is it good for United States of America, that the Vice President according to the most experience defense chief of the last for four or five decades says he's been wrong about absolutely every foreign policy issue in that entire period?

GATES: Well, frankly I don't think any of that is particularly a secret. And I don't think it's new news to most people who follow these things closely.

MORGAN: Let's turn to Hillary Clinton, you're very favorable about her, "Smart, idealistic but pragmatic, tough-minded, indefatigable, funny, a valuable colleague, a superb representative of the United States." But she still being dogged by Benghazi. And the Senate Intelligence Committee today issued a report which said that the attacks were preventable based on extensive intelligence reporting on the terrorist activity in Libya to include prior threats and attacks against Western targets and given the known security shortfalls at the US Mission.

I mean that is a pretty serious verdict, isn't it, on what happened there? And I would imagine it would put more pressure on Hillary Clinton to try and explain why if that is the case this ever happened?

GATES: Benghazi happened after I left office so I'm not familiar with a lot of the details that are associated with it except for what I've been able to read in the newspapers.

From my stand point, looking at it from the outside, it seems to me that the critical questions and perhaps these have been answered by the Senate Intelligence Committee is, "What were the requests of the Ambassador for additional security assistance?" "Where did those requests go in Washington?" "What happened to those requests? And if they were turned down, who turn them down and why?" Those are the kinds of questions that I think need to be answered.

MORGAN: Let's talk about Congress quickly because you call it as truly ugly. Have you in all your time dealing with Washington in Congress, have you ever known it'd be so obstructively divisive to the American national interest?

GATES: American politics including the American Congress have always been very rough and tumble. And the political fighting has always been severe going back to the very beginning of the Republic.

What is different? What has changed in the last, I think 25 years or so, is that despite all of the political noise in the background something really worse has happened. And that is that this polarization has led to the Congress being unable to perform its role in government, has led to an inability to get the people's business done.

Part of it is that for a variety of reasons over the years, the people that I always called "the bridge builders" though and those in the center and center-left to center-right. For example, in the United States Senate have pretty much all disappeared. They either quit in disgust, or been defeated in primaries, or in elections. And the result is that both parties are represented by the more extreme elements ideologically in both parties. And that has led to a paralysis of getting the job done.

So that's what's changed. It's not the level or the vituperative nature of the political debate in the United States. We've always had that. What's different, what's changed is that the Congress now simply can not get its work done.

MORGAN: Let's say -- and we're talking about the more personal parts of the book which are very moving in many ways.

A line here you say, "Every evening I could not wait to get home, get my office home work out of the way, write condolence letters to the families of the fallen, pour a stiff drink, wolf down a frozen dinner or carry out."

The Washington Post reported that more than 3,800 American soldiers and marines died on your watch in Iraq and Afghanistan, a huge human toll as a direct result of many decisions that you and the teams that you worked with took. And obviously, that burden weighed heavily on you.

GATES: It did, and it played a role in my decision that it was time to step down and retire.

I was at war everyday of the four and a half years that I was secretary and I was at war in two different places. And I signed the deployment orders every Friday that would send young men and women in harm's way. I would visit the hospitals. I would visit the troops on the front line and see the conditions in which they lived. I would go to the funerals and I, as you mentioned, I would write the condolence letters. And over time, that did begin to have accumulative effect on me and I began to realize particularly in the last say five or six months that I was in the job that protecting the troops had become my highest priority. It was one of the reasons I opposed intervening in Libya. Our forces were tired. I sat in the Situation Room, "Can I just finish the two wars I'm already in before we go looking for a third one?"

And I began to realize that my preoccupation with protecting the troops was probably clouding my judgment and my objectivity in the advice I was giving the President on national security issues. And that played a significant role in my decision that it was time to step down.

MORGAN: Secretary Gates, it's been a pleasure talking to you. The book is called "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War." It's a fascinating read whether you agree with all of it or not. I would commend people to get into it and see what led to all these decisions that you and your team took, and I appreciate you joining me.

GATES: Thank you very much.

MORGAN: Coming next, the world is a buzz of her Golden Globe speech. And now Jacqueline Bisset is here to explain. She is In the Chair with me. Live.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISSET: I say it like my mother. What did she say? She used to say, "Go to hell or don't come back."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILA KUNIS, ACTRESS: Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing on the Edge.

BISSET: I think it was 47 years ago when Hollywood Foreign Press gave me a promising -- a nomination for the -- a promising new comer.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: Jacqueline Bisset, in the Golden Globes on Sunday. That speech got more and more interesting as it went on.

Hardest of the limelight when she shares stage with Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio which you did that just that and also she won for her role in "Dancing on the Edge." Her acceptance speech had everyone talking and wondering what on Earth was she talking about.

Well, Jacqueline Bisset is with me now, a legendary actress and Golden Globe winner. You may even making me speaking in a strange way. Jacqueline, it is a great pleasure to have you.

BISSET: I miss bonkers.

MORGAN: Well I tweeted at the time as you rightly pointed out one word, bonkers.

BISSET: Bonkers, yes.

MORGAN: But I meant that in the most charming British way ...

BISSET: Right.

MORGAN: ... which is it was delightfully eccentric.

BISSET: Well, it was delightfully confusing to me too. I have to admit

MORGAN: What were you thinking on stage? What were you trying to say?

BISSET: You know, when I got -- no, what happened as I got -- first of all, I didn't know I was going to be on then and I was so taken aback. I was completely -- all I was thinking about was where -- why didn't they get me any food to eat.

And the next thing I know I hear my voice truthfully (ph) and I said, "And why is that guy," and do you know when I stepped on to a magic carpet and I walked down that thing my dress kind of went like this and I just sort of floated then I say, "You know, no one thinks at these things in your life." When you're a little girl you think if I ever won a reward or something what would it be like but I did not expect ...

MORGAN: It's been 45 years in the making, all right? So in 1969 ...

BISSET: Yes.

MORGAN: ... the Hollywood Foreign Press nominated you as the most promising new comer for your role in "The Sweet Ride", four more nominations and then you finally win. You probably just ...

BISSET: I thought of giving up before four years ago.

MORGAN: You've never thought you were going to win? Never thought you have to make a speech?

BISSET: No. No I didn't. No.

MORGAN: Did you have a couple of alcoholic temples to get in the mood?

BISSET: No. I didn't. No. No.

MORGAN: You've been really sober?

BISSET: No. No absolutely not.

MORGAN: We can rule out that rumor.

BISSET: Sober, yes, and not on drugs either.

MORGAN: Were you just wildly excited.

BISSET: I was wildly excited and I was terrified and I was -- but I was on a magic carpet as I said. And I floated down the aisle saw Jon Voight, stopped for a quick kiss and ...

MORGAN: Because you're a godmother to Angelina Jolie?

BISSET: I am. Yes.

MORGAN: So you know each other very well, you and Jon and he won as well.

BISSET: Yes. MORGAN: So you're standing there and it must be a wonderful moment for you. And forget all the ...

BISSET: But you know what they ...

MORGAN: ... reactions to the speech.

BISSET: But, you know, you feel the people there. You know quite a lot of them and there's quite a few good vibes coming towards you and everything and you think, "God I'm here and God."

And I want to give love and I want to put out the good vibes to people and then I forgot my most important person Stephen Poliakoff the director of this wonderful mini series and that when I -- and that was -- in the back of my -- I've missed the goddamn entry into that and I was off. I was off into -- everything just went -- I twist.

MORGAN: And when it is finished you walked off, did you think that it gone well? How did you feel about the speech?

BISSET: I felt happy that it was over and thrilled to have that Golden Globe in my hand and we walked back into the press room and everything and everybody was very friendly and congratulations I didn't think any of it.

But very quickly after that people said there's a lot of tweetering going on and there's a lot in this the reason that you've gone viral. I said, "What does that mean, really? What does it mean?" You've gone viral and then it was suddenly anxiety and I knew it that were the case.

MORGAN: Well, I thought you were absolutely fabulous and you and Emma Thompson who then reeled up with a drink in her hand, took her shoes off and ...

BISSET: That would be a mistake.

MORGAN: Yeah, it was all just delightfully British and eccentric ...

BISSET: Yes.

MORGAN: ... and weird. I can see the way Americans thinking, "You see these British really are as crazy as we always say they are."

BISSET: But, you know, this country is so -- and the world is so hypocritical. It really is very cruel. I mean, that word I said is not a big deal, is it?

MORGAN: No.

BISSET: No.

MORGAN: Nothing you said was a big deal, I thought it was fantastic.

BISSET: No, no. I was made to feel very naughty the next day and annoying. And it took me until the day after the rails (ph). And I plunked Golden Globe down in the kitchen, right, when I got home and I thought, "Oh, Christ. I've messed everything up and what the hell is going on?"

Can I say that?

MORGAN: Of course you can.

BISSET: And it was until on the next day and the next morning I saw it there and I thought, "I've won a Golden Globe."

MORGAN: Well, let's take a look at why you won it. This is a clip ...

BISSET: Yes.

MORGAN: ... from Dancing on the Edge, a mini series that ...

BISSET: Yes.

MORGAN: ... got you your award.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISSET: Are you a journalist?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I mean isn't that obvious? Yes. Yes, I am.

BISSET: I have nothing against journalist. I just never talk to them and certainly not at you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, I understand. But actually we might bump in to each other next Wednesday because you are kindly allowing the band to stay on your state. And well, I've always wanted to meet you.

And just in case we run into each other later, I just want to say that.

BISSET: And now you've done it and that considerable length.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: It's a fabulous role and it's a fabulous series. I mean did you think when you made it you were doing something quite special?

BISSET: Oh, I did. I thought -- I mean, I had heard about Stephen Poliakoff and I've seen little of his work and then, I mean I just -- when I met him, I just said this man is really brilliant. He's going to be tough. He's going to be demanding but he's charming. And he's twinkly and he's a little bit effervescent at times.

MORGAN: When you win a Golden Globe like that and you go back stage, I mean for the rest of the night and get all the parties and things. Did you get, you know, Leonardo DiCaprio coming up and saying, "Hey you were fantastic" or all the stars?

BISSET: No. No. But you know the funny thing with this -- is with this show is that so many people haven't seen it. That's why ...

MORGAN: Right.

BISSET: ... it's rather peculiar about this situation.

The foreign -- the Hollywood Foreign Press have seen it, probably because they are -- because they play it in London in England.

MORGAN: Right.

BISSET: And, you know, they got good viewing in London. But I don't think that it's had a very broad -- it's now on STARZ and I know as I checked it out yesterday, it's there 'till the 31st of January on STARZ On Demand. So, God, I hope people see it, because we really weird to be an actress whose got a Golden Globe and no one has seen the show.

MORGAN: Well, there are two amazing things about you. One is that you've made over 50 movies since your debut in 1966.

BISSET: Much more than that.

MORGAN: The ...

BISSET: Much more than that.

MORGAN: More than 50?

BISSET: Much more.

MORGAN: Was it over 50? Do you know how many it is?

BISSET: It's about 90 something.

MORGAN: Is it really?

BISSET: Yeah, I thought 90 projects, yeah at least.

MORGAN: Movie and for TV ...

BISSET: Well, there's a few. Yes about 90 projects.

MORGAN: Amazing. So ...

BISSET: Yeah.

MORGAN: ... that's even made more extraordinary.

BISSET: No.

MORGAN: Secondly, I hope you don't mind me saying this, is it because I think people will be so amazed.

BISSET: Yeah.

MORGAN: You're 69 years old. BISSET: Yeah.

MORGAN: About to be 70, you look about 50.

BISSET: Do I?

MORGAN: Yes.

BISSET: Yeah. Well, that's a variable. It's a variable.

MORGAN: And the third most be extraordinary thing. We're going to come to this after the break. Is that you've never got married. And I want to find out why.

BISSET: Really?

MORGAN: And I want to ask you my signature question, how many times Jacqueline Bisset -- have you ever been properly in love?

BISSET: Well, that's a ...

MORGAN: Hold your answer.

BISSET: OK.

MORGAN: It's an easy question.

BISSET: Yeah.

MORGAN: Wow. OK, we'll find out. More Jacqueline Bisset after the break. Anything can happen here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BISSET: I almost drowned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I almost drowned.

BISSET: You knew we might as well be married for all the concern I get around here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MORGAN: The clip from 1977's "The Deep" co-starring Nick Nolte of course. The film made Jacqueline Bisset a household name and launched the wet t-shirt craze of being ...

BISSET: Thank you very much.

MORGAN: The Deep was number one in the Box Office and made from $50 million, a huge amount of the time in the US Box Office alone. I'm back with Jacqueline Bisset who's In The Chair with me.

BISSET: Somebody said to me the other day -- yesterday they said, you know, "It's always be Jacqueline Bisset Golden Globe nominee now?"...

MORGAN: Yes. Now a winner.

BISSET: ... and I think, "Will that replace Jacqueline Bisset The Deep?"

MORGAN: Yeah.

BISSET: And what do you think? Do you think it will?

MORGAN: Well it will. I tell you what I like, you were telling me a lovely story in the break there about Sofia Vergara who is -- who you beat for the awards ...

BISSET: Yes.

MORGAN: ... she's one of the nominations for it. Tell me what happened.

BISSET: Well, I just went to say hello to her afterwards, you know, because I heard she was going to be -- I thought that she was going to win. And she was so nice, so warm, so embracing and that was first. And then later on we were dancing to different people at the party, she said, "Let's pretend we're fighting."

I listened to her and then she grabs the globe, the orb, whatever and we have a scuffle. It was adorable.

MORGAN: She's very sweet, Sofia Vergara ...

BISSET: She's adorable.

MORGAN: And very talented.

BISSET: Yeah.

MORGAN: Now, here's the thing ...

BISSET: Yes.

MORGAN: ... you're nearly 70 years old.

BISSET: Yes. Oh God.

MORGAN: And you're one of the great beauties of the world throughout this entire time of your life, but you've managed to avoid getting married. You've had ...

BISSET: Yes.

MORGAN: ... many relationships with some great men, you've never taken the plunge. Why?

BISSET: I could never see, you know, it's probably because my parents were not happy. They were together for a very long time. I couldn't see any advantage and I don't -- they're both good people, they were both intelligent and fascinating in many ways and they didn't get on together. It was a dead feeling.

I only saw ...

MORGAN: Have you come ...

BISSET: ... my father kiss my mother once.

MORGAN: Really?

BISSET: Once. A kiss he was going on holiday. He had his cashmere sweater on and he'd been given a card from he was a doctor. That patient had given him a card, he got his cashmere sweater on and there's pipe in his mouth and he came out to my mother and he kissed her on the cheek. And he headed off to Scotland to play golf.

And I thought -- and I adored my father. I thought golly, that's not very cozy.

MORGAN: How many times have you say you've been properly in love in your life?

BISSET: I've been in love every time in my major relationships, I've been in love absolutely.

MORGAN: To how many times?

BISSET: Well, I've had like five major relationships. I was absolutely ...

MORGAN: And you come ...

BISSET: ... yeah, I was -- and I've had people who I adore and I was -- my heart is very selective I think and it goes, it doesn't waiver, it just goes. And I'm not somebody who has sort of, you know, quickies and sort of it was not -- and I don't -- I seem to pick guys who seem to go into that long-term sort of thing. I don't know ...

MORGAN: You've also ...

BISSET: ... if it's me or them. I'm not sure who's the one ...

MORGAN: Well you ...

BISSET: ... I cook a lot, you know, so people think I'm good for a good dinner.

MORGAN: You're a good cook.

But you've also co-starred some of Hollywood's most leading men ...

BISSET: Yeah.

MORGAN: ... Frank Sinatra, Paul Newman ...

BISSET: Yeah. MORGAN: ... Steve McQueen, Christopher Plum and Dean Martin and Anthony Quinn, if I could plunge you on a desert island for the rest of your days with one of those leading men, who would you take?

BISSET: Give me the five again.

MORGAN: Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, Christopher Plum and Dean Martin, Anthony Quinn. You can have one of them.

BISSET: God. I think probably Paul Newman because he's got a great sense of -- he had a great sense of -- and he looked like he'd be practical. I mean I made hamburgers with him once and I can't say I did that with anybody else.

He had to be -- we put a party together once in an island in Hawaii and we went shopping to the market with him. It's quite something to go to the market with Paul Newman.

MORGAN: Was winning the globe the best moment of your career?

BISSET: One of the best moments, yeah. But there have been lots of good moments.

MORGAN: Well, I'm thrilled to have had you on. It was a wonderful moment.

BISSET: Is it over already?

MORGAN: It's over.

BISSET: It's not possible.

MORGAN: Come back again soon because I love this.

BISSET: OK.

MORGAN: You're next project is called, "Welcome to N.Y." You play Anne Sinclair, the wife of Dominic Strauss-Kahn. I can't wait to see that, opposite Gerard Depardieu.

BISSET: Yes.

MORGAN: That'll be terrific.

BISSET: And Abel Ferrara directing.

MORGAN: Fantastic and you can find "Dancing on the Edge" on STARZ On Demand through February. Jacqueline, it's been fabulous.

BISSET: Thank you very much.

MORGAN: Come back. I love meeting you. We'll be right back.

BISSET: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MORGAN: Tomorrow night, New Year, new you, the one thing that everybody and I think pretty well everybody needs money advice. And I've got just the man for that, Dave Ramsey. He'll be here answering your questions about student loans, saving for retirement and how you can avoid the top money mistakes. It's Dave Ramsey right here live tomorrow night.

That's all for us.

Now, AC 360 Later, starts right now.