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Lauren Bacall: Let’s Talk Iconic, Darling | Parkinson | In this candid conversation, legendary actress Lauren Bacall reflects on her iconic career, the misunderstandings with the media, and her thoughts on... | By The Michael Parkinson Channel | How good to see you? How good to see you? Good to see you. Sit down. How good to see it all. Oh, listen. You keep on doing an inspiration of all this. Thank you so much. You're welcome. I first interviewed you. I first interviewed you in nineteen seventy-two. I know. Before I was born, I know. I know. Yes. So, now you're still making movies. You just made this new film called Birth. Right. Before we talk about the film, a short clip from it. Let's clear up this little dispute you had with the media about miss Kidman. A little dispute. Never a little dispute with the media. I first of all it's it was a totally made up story and of course as you know the media love to cause trouble so hoping they they were saying that we had a cat fight and that I was jealous and that all kinds of ridiculous things number one what happens you know in this when you are promoting a movie you go into these rooms with a round table and they were like 545 or six journalist there and they're all asking you questions and it gets very it's very very casual it's very formal at all and someone said to me well you know you're an icon and Nicole's an icon I said how do you feel about that I said why does she have to have a label she's 37 years old she has years ahead of her I don't believe in icons anyway why does everyone have to have a category and I said you know I mean I love Nicole we became great friends on Dogville the movie and we are of course now even greater friends but so then I forgot about it. The next thing I know the producer comes into my room and says we have a situation. What happened? I I thought somebody had dropped dead. I don't know what. No and the situation was well it's been on the Daily Mail made a big mess of it and then other newspapers did then it was picked up in New York and then I thought it is so nothing. I mean you know she's a kid. She's just beginning. She's got so much ahead of her. Why does she have to suddenly be an icon? Yeah. She were an icon. She'd have to wait a long time to read that actually. Dan icons about anything about durability isn't it? Well I don't know about icons. I frankly don't well I can't. But I do know about legends and legends are dead. Legends are dead. So I got that wrong. This this movie that you that in my mind and of course I mean she she backed you up Nickel Kidman I mean she actually went and said she's quite right what she said about it you know she was embarrassed herself anyway it's that's Dullman it's yeah no no no we have no problem oh my god alright so let's talk about about the film Birth it's a it's an extraordinary intriguing film in which you seen it I have of course I see it yeah it's I'm not isn't it I will tell you what it's all about I'm so glad. The and all of a sudden comes knocking on the door, a ten-year-old boy, a stranger, who says, I am your husband, your late husband. Now, from that very implausible moment, the film turns it spins on grief, on belief, on all the ripples that spread through this family before the wedding. It's a isn't it? It's fascinating. Yeah. Because the little boy knows everything. Absolutely. He knows where they first met. He knows when they had their first kiss. He's right. Knows where they where they were married and he knows every single thing about that relationship. That's right. And nobody understands how but he convinces her that he's her late husband. And you the mom are trying to talk common sense to his moms do. Yes, of course. Of course. Well, let's have a look at this sequence then which is why you're trying to talk some common sense to Nicole Kidman. Best thing for you to do is this. Go home and write him a goodbye letter. Then go to seek Joseph after work tomorrow. Don't call. Just show up. Tell him you're sorry you made a mistake. I can't. When Laura wakes up, I'll call you. I can't. What if we open the beach house then you can get married where I married your father? You love the water, it'll be beautiful in May. Didn't you hear what I said? You you made this with an independent user, an independent company this film and and the Las Andreas film too that you mentioned. I mean that was independent as well. Um I suppose that the contrast between that and what you started with the big Hollywood system is is as different as it could be in isn't it? Oh totally different. Totally different. Actually though the studio system was really the best system for actors because although you disagreed with the studio heads from time to time should we say. Especially with when they wanted me to be in Stallion Road with Ronald Reagan that would have been some great shows Stallion Road anyway no they did love movies yes they did and they they didn't care what you appeared in they didn't care about careers about building careers they figured all actors were replaceable Jack Warner certainly believed that and I was with Warner Brothers so but still you had an opportunity to keep work Yes. And learning and working with good people. Yes. And that was I mean there's nothing like that. I know. And Betty Davis always said there was nothing like the studio system although we bucked it a lot of the time. But I mean you you had what 13 or 12 suspensions from. Yes I broke the record. You broke the record. In fact you broke your late husband's record Robert Bogart. Yeah. Beating by one didn't you? I think I did yeah. And this is about just saying I'm not going to do that film. Is that what it was? Well yes it's just say it's at first you plead with Jack Water first you try to through one of his 95 assistance have an appointment to see him then you go to see him and you say to him you know I I'm longing to work but I really don't think this is very good for me and I don't really feel that I'll do a good enough job and I really would like to wait and have a you know a better a better paw different kind of movie and so and he would say honey and he take me over to the window and he wave his arm out and say, look at all of these sound stages. Would I have all of this if I didn't know what I was doing? Answers yes so I mean there was a lot of that but I miss the studio system because also now I think the people that run the studio's a businessman and money is number one and I I mean Warner Brothers always had the best directors best writers they're the most distinguished actors real actors not just you know I mean your your two mentors were were Humphrey Bogart and Howard Hawks right now not bad not bad is it no not at all no not at all I mean did I mean I remember you you tell me once about what Bogart told you about about acting because you weren't an actor I mean you come from remodeling haven't you well I studied you know I wanted to be on the stage yes and I was in two plays giving memorable performances in which one in which I did not say one word and but I walked on to the stage so I called myself an outstanding walk on and then I was in another play where I had a kind of a little supporting role but we closed in Washington so you know that was the end of that I was very very lucky I never thought of myself in movies but I was very lucky to have landed where I did because Howard Hawks couldn't have been a better person too I mean he was extraordinary he was my you know he was going to get build up this career it's something he always wanted was to find an unknown and make her a star but of course in my case Bogar got in the way so that's the way it goes you know the cookie crumbles sometimes we kind of do so did he did he have ambitions a romantic ambitions with you mister Hawks I have a feeling yes I think that he liked me yes did he I think he would have liked it well because he wanted to control yes anyway he was into control and I of course I was a kid you know I was 18 when I went out there and I didn't know what the hell was going on I didn't have a clue and when you are thrust into that atmosphere and you see Errol Flynn walking around the lot and Betty Davis and you and Annie Sheridan and all these people and you say your head's in a whirl you know and I was so impressed and so nervous I was terrified I was going to make a wrong move with Hawks because I was I I wanted to please him and then of course when I got to know Bogey better and he showed evidence of liking me in a different way I got You saw it on screen. It was the most wonderful love affair on screen. I know everyone came together. Well, he started it. It's all I can tell you. I mean that's I mean there's never been a magic like that. You can see the two of you falling in love in the very first movie. No it was fantastic. And he I mean Howard Hawks was furious of course when that happened because he knew Bogey was in control. Hawks was not. That was it. So I was lucky. And you got that reputation too of course. I mean which you've had all the way through your life about being a very determined and steely woman. Bogey said Steel with Curves. Um. Steel. With Curves. What? Boom. But but I mean I I don't believe that anybody's that tough are they I mean you know this well I certainly am not no I mean that's you've been in kind of not dispute with that that image but but it's something you you had to deal with isn't it well I think that you find you know it's again being having a label it's again somebody saying first of all they believe the character that I played was me which of course it was not and once you're pegs in people's mind as that character that's what you suddenly become in everything you do yes and there's there's not a damn thing an actor can do about that I mean that I'm not complaining but I mean that is it's a fight to the finish you know did did did men find it off putting oh definitely did they but men are cowards you know are they in what way well because people say oh he must have been intimidated and I said come on he didn't bother to say hello how could he be intimidated you know to say that a man is afraid to talk to you because you're an actress or because you're well known it's their own frailty and it's because as they mature they want little chickies sitting at their feet telling them how wonderful they are Uh if I sat at their feet, I wouldn't be able to get up so I could. Did people ever ask you young actors for advice and do you give advice? Well, that's a very dangerous area to move into advice. No, my only advice is that I think that they should learn their craft and I think the best place to learn it is on the stage. Uh I've always felt that. It's an actor's medium anyway, the stage and movies really belong to directors. Yes. You know, they could cut your part and make it make your your role bad or make a bad part look good. Yes. By the way they cut the film. You've always had this very strong work ethic haven't you? You've always yeah and you got that. Your mother was a single parent. She broke Tatima to being my father escaped somewhere out of Hollywood. Did you know and he's a murky figure in your past so you never bothered. I was very murky. No no no. I liked him to stay murky. No no he was not to be found but my mother my mother was an extraordinary woman had absolutely the same ethic that Bogey did it's fascinating they were contemporaries yes because you know he was 25 years my senior that's right I was brought up with a work ethic my mother had was a worker all of my her brothers my uncles that I was very close to were all workers and I my feeling always was that I would graduate from high school and then I get a job you want to be a dancer didn't you I wanted to be a dancer I wanted to dance with Fedester and I I had the worst experience with Fredericksdale you can imagine so infuriating I had because I still think he's the best of all I agree on that screen and I knew him a little bit I had met him Bogey and I both had met him on several occasions and had dinner with him and so on and so forth and then Mike Romanov who I don't know if anyone here knows who he was but the great restauranteur from California gave this gigantic party and there was a dance floor in the middle of it all the tables were on and I was sitting at a table with some other people. Bogey was sitting with whoever he was sitting with and I was through the dinner talking to someone and someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around and it was Fred and the music was playing and he said, put his hand out. I thought I was going to have an attack. So, frightened. So, I got up on the dance floor with Fred a stair and he all he did was kept shuffling and telling me that he didn't know how to dance with do a folk stroke. I said, but I know that you know how to dance. I've seen you. No, no, I can't but no, but he knew that if he started, everyone else would stop. Always. And that's what I was hoping for of course. But you did have a dancing. Well, I did. He put his arm around me but he kept talk. He was kind of a shy kind of shy, wasn't he? But he was marvelous, divine. I loved him. I did a I did a I mean he was my great hero too and I did a show with him and he's very nervous at the back of the set there and I was trying to make him less nervous and I said when I was a kid I used to imitate two great walks I said yours and Duke Wayne's and then he said you're on Mike and he said oh great and I walked on I fell from the top stop And I walked back and Fred said guess he got mixed up between me and the Duke. He's a great man. He's a great man. I could sit and talk to you all night. I really could. I mean, I've never Dino Grady. He's quiet. He's this is a wreck offering. 20, he's not said a word in 20 minutes. I mean, oh. You're exactly. I just think it's marvelous. Police. I don't believe it for a second. Listen, we're going to come back in a minute because he is going to talk in a minute because he's actually we've talked about Bet Davis. Remember Baby Jane. Yes. He once played Baby Jane. I I'll tell you all about it. Don't embarrass me. No. No. I will tell you no. No. That's the drink. For the for the moment, Lauren McCall, thank you very much.