OUT AUDIENCES EIGHT TIMES A
WEEK.
♪
&gt;&gt; Reporter: ED HARRIS ALMOST
SPILLED THE BEANS.
&gt;&gt; SEASON THREE, MAN, IT'S
LIKE --
&gt;&gt; Reporter: THE ACTOR NEARLY
GIVING UP A SPOILER ABOUT THE
UPCOMING SEASON OF HBO'S
MIND-BENDING HIT "WEST WORLD"
WHERE HARRIS PLAYS THE MY
MYSTERIOUS MAN IN BLACK.
&gt;&gt; AT LEAST FOR ME IT WAS LIKE,
WHOA, WEIRD.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: WEIRD?
WHY DO YOU SAY THAT.
&gt;&gt; I CAN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT IT.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: NOW, THAT IS A
GREAT TEASE.
THERE IS MUCH LESS MYSTERY
AROUND THE 69-YEAR-OLD'S CURRENT
ROLE AS THE ICONIC ATTICUS FINCH
IN AARON SORKIN'S BROADWAY
ADAPTATION OF THE CLASSIC NOVEL
"TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD."
&gt;&gt; THERE'S GOODNESS IN EVERYONE,
YOU JUST HAVE TO CARE ENOUGH TO
LOOK FOR IT.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: HOW DO YOU FIND THE
EXPERIENCE?
&gt;&gt; WELL, I'M ACTUALLY REALLY
ENJOYING IT.
ONCE THE SHOW BEGINS, IT REALLY
CARRIES YOU ALONG.
IT HAS A CERTAIN PACE TO IT.
SO IT'S KIND OF OVER BEFORE YOU
KNOW IT IN TERMS OF ACTING.
AND I'M ON STAGE MOST OF THE
TIME.
&gt;&gt; YOU ARE?
&gt;&gt; Reporter: SO I DON'T HAVE ANY
TIME TO NOT BE OCCUPIED.
GREGORY PECK FIRST BROUGHT
ATTICUS TO LIFE AND WON AN
ACADEMY AWARD IN THE 1972 FILM
VERSION OF THE BOOK.
SORKIN BROUGHT THE STORY TO
BROADWAY WITH JEFF DANIELS IN
THE TONY-NOMINATED LEAD ROLE.
AS DANIELS' RUN WAS WINDING
DOWN, THE PRODUCERS TURNED TO
HARRIS.
WHEN YOU GET THE PHONE CALL
ABOUT "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD,"
IS THAT, YES, WHAT AN
OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY AN ICON OR,
OH, BOY?
&gt;&gt; I GOT A LITTLE EXCITED
BECAUSE I LOVE THE STORY, I LOVE
THE BOOK AND THE LOVE THE FILM.
THE FILM IS VERY CLEAR IN MY
HEAD.
LOOK, MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS,
OKAY, I GOT TO GET GREGORY PECK
OUT OF MY HEAD, RIGHT, BECAUSE I
DON'T WANT TO IMITATE HIM OR BE
INFLUENCED BY HIS PERFORMANCE.
&gt;&gt; OH, CREATED EQUAL.
&gt;&gt; WHEN I READ AARON'S SCRIPT,
IT KIND OF HELPED THAT GO AWAY
BECAUSE IT'S DIFFERENT.
THE CHARACTER IS A LITTLE MORE
FLAWED THAN THE PECK CHARACTER
IN THE FILM.
HE'S FIGHTING TO MAINTAIN HIS
LEAF THAT THERE'S GOODNESS IN
EVERYONE AND THAT, YOU KNOW,
THINGS WILL CHANGE AND THERE'S
HOPE.
&gt;&gt; IT MEANS I DON'T WANT THEM
HATING PEOPLE THEY DISAGREE
WITH.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: THE PLAY TELLS THE
FAMOUS STORY OF ATTICUS FINCH, A
WHITE LAWYER DEFENDING A BLACK
MAN AGAINST A FALSE MURDER
CHARGE IN THE SEGREGATED SOUTH
OF THE 1930s.
AM I OVERTHINKING IT AS I
WATCH -- HEARING SOME MESSAGES
ABOUT TODAY, AS I LISTEN TO SOME
OF YOUR SPEECHES ABOUT
MARGINALIZED PEOPLE AND THEY
BEHAVE THE WAY THEY BLAIF.
&gt;&gt; I DON'T THINK YOUR
OVERHEARING IT.
IT'S VERY INTENTIONAL ON AARON'S
PART.
ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMATION WHEN
HE SAYS, WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE
THIS.
WE HAVE TO HEAL THIS WOUND OR
WE'LL NEVER STOP BLEEDING.
THE WHOLE PLAY IS ABOUT A BLACK
MAN BEING BROUGHT UP ON CHARGES
THAT ARE FALSE.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT -- THAT'S
NOT SOMETHING THAT'S NOT
HAPPENING TODAY.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: HARRIS WAS RAISED
IN NEW JERSEY, THE MIDDLE OF
THREE BOYS.
HIS FATHER WAS A SINGER AND
ACTOR.
HIS MOTHER, A TRAVEL AGENT.
HARRIS PLAYED FRESHMAN FOOTBALL
AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN NEW
YORK.
BUT DECIDED TO GIVE UP THE FIELD
FOR THE STAGE.
&gt;&gt; AND I WAS WORKING OUT FOR
FOOTBALL AND I JUST REALLY -- IT
WAS 197 0, '71, A LOT OF THINGS
GOING ON IN THE WORLD.
I REMEMBER SITTING DOWN ON THE
BACKPORCH OF THE NEIGHBOR'S
HOUSE AND THINKING, WHAT AM I
GOING TO DO WITH MYSELF IF I'M
NOT GOING TO PLAY FOOTBALL?
MAYBE I'LL DO THAT ACTING THING,
MAN.
I WASN'T WORLDLY ENOUGH TO GO TO
THE ACTOR'S STUDIO AND I STUDIED
A COUPLE MORE YEARS.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: CLEARLY YOU FELT
THAT RUSH YOU FEEL TONIGHT WHEN
YOU GET UP ON THE STAGE --
&gt;&gt; IT'S LIKE SCORING A
TOUCHDOWN, MAN.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: YEAH.
AFTER COLLEGE HARRIS MIGRATED
FROM THE STAGE TO TELEVISION AND
THEN INTO FILM.
HIS BREAKOUT CAME IN THE ACADEMY
AWARD WINNING 1983 MOVIE "THE
RIGHT STUFF," WHERE HE PLAYED
ASTRONAUT JOHN GLENN.
&gt;&gt; YOU ARE WAY OUT OF LINE HERE!
&gt;&gt; YOU'RE OUT OF LINE?
&gt;&gt; YES, SIR!
&gt;&gt; Reporter: DESPITE THE FILM'S
STATUS AS A BONA FIDE CLASSIC,
HARRIS PASSES IT UP WHEN IT
COMES ON TV, ALL BECAUSE OF A
TIP HE GOT ON SET FROM THE
DIRECTOR.
&gt;&gt; PHILLIP KAUFMAN KEPT ASKING
ME TO SMILE A LOT.
IT'S A LITTLE HARD FOR ME TO
WATCH.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: TOO MUCH SMILING?
&gt;&gt; IT'S A LITTLE ODD.
SORRY, I MEAN, I'M -- I THINK
IT'S A WONDERFUL MOVIE AND I'M
PROUD I'M PART OF IT BUT IT'S
NOT EASY TO WATCH FOR ME FOR
SOME REASON.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: PERHAPS EASIER FOR
HARRIS TO WATCH ARE HIS
OSCAR-NOMINATED ROLES IN "APOLLO
13".
&gt;&gt; WE NEVER LOST AN AMERICAN IN
SPACE.
WE'RE SURE AS HELL NOT LOSING
ONE ON MY WATCH.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: OR "THE TRUMAN
SHOW" AND HIS PASSION PROJECT
THE 2000 FILM "POLLOCK," WHICH
HE ALSO DIRECTED.
&gt;&gt; IT WAS SUCH AN OBSESSION THAT
I LITERALLY SPENT ALMOST A
DECADE BUILDING UP TO WORK -- TO
SHOOTING THAT, YOU KNOW.
&gt;&gt; WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
WHAT ARE YOU PUSHING ME FOR?
&gt;&gt; SO, I GUESS THAT WOULD BE THE
ONE THING I'M THE MOST
PASSIONATE ABOUT.
AND I ENDED UP SPENDING A LOT OF
MY OWN MONEY ON THAT FILM.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: REALLY?
&gt;&gt; MY WIFE WAS GOING, ED?
I'M SAYING, I HAVE NO CHOICE IN
THE MATTER BECAUSE I'VE GOT TO
DO IT.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: HARRIS HAS BEEN
MARRIED TO ACTRESS AMY MADDIGAN
FOR 36 YEARS.
THE PAIR AND THEIR DAUGHTER LILY
HAVE MANAGED A LOW-KEY CELEBRITY
LIFE.
YOU HAVE TAKEN THE CELEBRITY
ASPECT OUT OF IT.
HAS THAT BEEN BY DESIGN?
&gt;&gt; PRETTY MUCH.
I LIVE OUT IN CALIFORNIA, PRETTY
LOW PROFILE, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE A
BIG PARTY TIME OR ANYTHING.
ALL THE THINGS I DID THAT WERE
TOTALLY STUPID AND WOULD HAVE
CAUSED SOME KIND OF PROBLEMS, I
DID BEFORE ANYBODY KNEW WHO I
WAS.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: BEFORE SOCIAL
MEDIA.
&gt;&gt; EXACTLY.
NO KIDDING, MAN.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: AS FOR THAT NEW
SEASON OF "WEST WORLD," HARRIS
FINALLY CRACKED UNDER
QUESTIONING.
JUST A BIT.
&gt;&gt; WELL, THE MAN IN BLACK, I
DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE BLACK PART
OF IT IN SEASON THREE.
&gt;&gt; Reporter: WOW.
&gt;&gt; I'LL PUT IT THAT WAY.
&gt;&gt; ALMOST GOT HIM.
WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE WHEN
"WEST WORLD" COMES BACK TO HBO
THIS YEAR.
IN THE MEANTIME, YOU CAN SEE ED
IN TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ON
BROADWAY RIGHT NOW AND HIS MOVIE
"THE LAST FULLFULLER" IS OUT JAY
4th.
AND HE'LL TALK ABOUT THE NEW
"TOP GUN" MOVIE ON THE EXTRAS.
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