- First of all, I forget--
because I know you now,
and I didn't really--
obviously I saw you in movies,
but I forget what your life was.
And it's a best-seller,
so congratulations on that.
- I just found out.
I'm so excited.
Thank you, it's...I...
- It's a really amazing book.
And I like I said, I forget
about all these stories,
and I love that
you are sharing these.
- Thank you.
- I mean, first of all,
you were emancipated
from your parents at 14...
- Yep.
- Which is crazy, so--
- Yeah, I mean, it seems crazy
now, especially as a parent,
but at the time it was
a really necessary thing
for me and my mom, and we were
actually incredibly gracious
about it with each other.
And she was there, and it was
something we needed to do.
It was where
our journey had taken us
at that moment.
Um...
And it didn't make
either of us bad people.
It just was what it was.
- Well, it certainly didn't
make you--you're 14 years old.
- Yeah.
- So, but how was your mom
about this book
that you wrote this book?
- She loves it.
- Mm-hmm.
- I gave her a copy.
We've talked about it
very intimately.
And I have to say,
it was such an extraordinary
year of my life
writing this book.
I...
I came to terms
with so many things.
It's a love letter
to my daughters.
And writing as
a mother now myself...
it was just--I found humor in
places I didn't have it before.
I had...a new perspective
where it was different.
And it was very revelatory
for me.
And I laughed
as I was writing it.
I was like...
[laughs]
- Even--
- And then I cried my eyes out
as I was writing some stuff.
I couldn't even see
the keys on the typewriter.
And I thought,
if any of this comes through,
then I'll have done
the job I was hoping to do.
- Well, the stories are amazing.
And you don't call it a memoir.
You're just sharing
certain stories.
But I mean...
- That's right.
- Meeting Steven Spielberg...
- Yeah.
- And you were how old at--?
- Six.
- Six?
Six years old.
- And I lied to him.
I lied my face off.
I told him I was in
a rock and roll band.
I was a drummer, of course.
Because drummers are
the coolest.
And...that I was a cook and...
you know, I mean, just--
And funny enough, I went to meet
on a movie called "Poltergeist,"
and the director, Tobe Hooper,
wasn't there that day,
but Steven,
who was the producer,
was filling in for him,
and I felt like I had him
in my butterfly net.
I was so excited, like,
Pippi Longstocking was my hero,
so, like, I just felt like
girls can do anything they--
you know, there's no ceiling,
and I sold myself and, like,
told my little stories,
and I was like, "Ah,"
and he was like,
"You know what?
You're not right for this,"
and I was like, "Oh...okay,"
and he's like,
"But I'm making another movie,
"And I think you should
come audition for that."
And I was like,
"Oh, yeah. Okay, sure.
"I'm sure he won't call,"
and he did,
and I went in for it,
and it was a movie called
"This Boys Life," and after
numerous auditions, I got that
which later became a different
title called "E.T." so...
[cheers and applause]
Crazy.
- Amazing,
and so--and you're--I wanna
get to a lot.
There's a lotta stories,
so there's another story
about your dad who was equally--
you said
they really--some people
maybe aren't meant
to be parents....
- Yep.
- And it's not their fault,
but they had a child and
your dad was a very free spirit.
- Very free.
- Did not like to bathe.
- Nope. Well, he did
with lemons and olive oil.
- Okay.
- He felt the lemons were
the cleansing and the olive oil
was the moisturizing.
He was like a human salad...
- Uh-huh.
- And he was
very charismatic and odd,
and I just appreciated him
from afar.
- Yeah, because he wasn't
a part of your life.
- Yeah.
- He left
when your mom was pregnant.
- Yep.
- So, then you helped--you were
in hospice with him
when he was passing.
- He got cancer
and I had a very rare
turn of events
where I got
to take care of him
for three years
in a hospice, and um...
- And then after he died,
you have to tell this story.
- He--we buried, well,
we put his ashes in Joshua Tree.
He loved Joshua Tree,
and I had spent
a bunch of time with him there
whenever I visit him.
Like his--if he had an address
at all it was Joshua Tree.
Which if you know Joshua Tree,
you--there's no houses there.
And so, we took his ashes there
and I went to this little motel
and I was sleeping
until we were all gonna wake up
and spread the ashes,
and I felt a thing
and I sat up in my bed and
the doorknob of my room opened
and the door just opened.
And I just sat up in bed
and I was like...
"Dad?"
It was a moment
where you can have hope
about anything being possible,
and it was
a very unique moment, and...
- Amazing.
Amazing.
