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Rob Reiner: A life of tragedy and comedy · Cultural Wars | America Out Loud News

• 0:13
  Every time I have a plan, something I want to speak about that I've been thinking about for a while, a topic that I feel would be of interest to you, I turn on my television.
• 0:26
  And then I get sidetracked because of what's happening in the world, and I feel like it has to be addressed.
• 0:32
  And in this situation with Rob Reiner and his son, it's it has to be discussed, and opinions are just that opinions because I never walked in their shoes.
• 0:53
  But there's some experiences that I have had in my career and my life that I can reflect on regarding the situation.
• 1:06
  And why is it important for me to talk about it?
• 1:10
  I always feel when something so tragic and so brutal happens.
• 1:17
  So many people want to know why.
• 1:21
  And we may never know why.
• 1:23
  The real why.
• 1:26
  So we discuss, we have opinions, we hear experts, so-and-so experts on television talking about what they think happened, what mental illness means, all of that.
• 1:41
  But the holidays are here, and it's very difficult for not just the Reiner family, but America, the world, when something like this happens, the Brown shooting and what happened in Australia.
• 2:02
  It's hard to come out of the darkness to recognize what is valuable and lean into that.
• 2:12
  Sometimes you can't lean into it until you understand the other, or at least find a compartment for it in the meantime, as you learn more about the situations to give yourself some peace of mind.
• 2:24
  Because there'll always be tragedies, there'll always be difficulties, and especially around the holidays, there's a lot of depression.
• 2:32
  There's a lot of people who are feel alone, and even in a situation like that where you have a child, an adult, obviously, who was in such a desperate situation that he did something so barbaric, and then went to a shopping center and got a soda.
• 2:59
  I don't think most of us would understand that.
• 3:02
  And in my life, I've experienced some people who have crossed my paths in different times that I have witnessed that kind of mental instability.
• 3:18
  And maybe you have, maybe you haven't, but I just want to discuss it a little bit because I am no expert in that field.
• 3:32
  But there seems to be a common denominator when it comes to mental illness.
• 3:39
  And that is there's not enough.
• 3:46
  And what I mean by that, you can't throw money at this and hope it goes away.
• 3:50
  I mean, a perfect example is in the in New York City, Bill de Blasio's wife spent a billion dollars on nothing.
• 3:58
  Whatever she did, and whatever happened there, nothing changed.
• 4:05
  Nothing ever changes.
• 4:08
  And it's frustrating for people to want to help or fix it and cannot, don't have the resources themselves to do it, and then the people who do have the resources don't do anything with them of value for whatever reason, political reasons or not bringing in the proper people, hiring their friends who know nothing about the issue.
• 4:30
  One thing I've learned about politics is that it takes a long time process to get anything in place takes forever, and there you have people who are suffering.
• 4:41
  And there is a friend of mine who told me that when her husband was having a meltdown in California, she couldn't find a place for to put him at all.
• 4:52
  And this was a successful couple, successful family, and she couldn't get a bed for her husband who was suffering.
• 5:03
  And if that's happening to a successful person in the entertainment industry, what's going on with everybody else?
• 5:14
  Now, again, I'm not here to solve that problem.
• 5:16
  I don't have the answers to that, but I think there's one thing I have learned is that on a case-by-case basis, you may not be able to help that person, but you can help the people who help that person.
• 5:30
  And I've been in that situation a few times where there's been struggle with a child or a friend, and your support system for the person who has the caregiver.
• 5:43
  It's a for lack of a better word, it is a caregiver situation.
• 5:50
  And when you have an adult child, it becomes more difficult for the family to handle the situation.
• 6:02
  And there's really no resources to help.
• 6:07
  And I say resources, I'm not talking about money.
• 6:11
  So, how do you process something like that?
• 6:16
  How do you walk through life with the holiday season, knowing that there's so much darkness, and I've talked about this before.
• 6:24
  But I do want to address the it's not just the entertainment business, it's everywhere.
• 6:35
  It is the tools, the skills to navigate such a difficult path that came into your life, whether through your child or a family member.
• 7:07
  And the gun issue, and I say issue because it is so politicized is one thing.
• 7:17
  But when it comes to what happened to Rob Reiner, if the discussion doesn't happen regarding how to handle people who are struggling on the street, I mean, when I was a young girl, and I was working in New York, and I think I've told this story on a TV show, I was kicked in my side by a deranged person in the streets of New York at 12 years old.
• 7:44
  I was kicked as hard as he could kick me.
• 7:47
  And I didn't ask for that, it was unprovoked.
• 7:51
  I'll never forget that.
• 7:53
  And then it turned out he lived with his mother, and it was a one-time, you know, incident as far as a youth person of my age, and anyway, it didn't matter.
• 8:04
  The point is that this is a person walking around who's dangerous.
• 8:10
  And these are people's children.
• 8:16
  And having friends who have had to deal with this issue, it's very complicated and complex.
• 8:25
  And you know, Rob Reiner's friends and family knew how difficult this was.
• 8:34
  And yes, I do want to address Rob Reiner's own difficulties when it came to politics.
• 8:45
  Totally separate issue, by the way.
• 8:47
  I don't, I don't see the two crossing over other than turmoil within the home in two parties.
• 9:01
  And I don't know their personal situation.
• 9:03
  I don't know how anyone under that roof was processing their own difficulties with each other, and I don't know if he was living with his parents.
• 9:20
  But all I keep coming back to is when we let outside forces, let's say politics come into our home to unsettle what we're trying to settle, it is extremely unfortunate because I've known husbands and wives who argue about politics.
• 9:47
  They've been together for 35, 40 years, and they're wasting every minute of their life talking about it.
• 9:58
  And I think about people who have lost.
• 10:00
  Friends who will not speak to them anymore, and you're coming up on the holidays, and how does this all cross each other?
• 10:09
  It's the unsettling distress that sometimes you can control and sometimes you cannot control, depending on your makeup and your chemical imbalance, it's a real thing that has to be addressed and doesn't always work with medication and as I've always said, when I come and speak to you, is I will tell you my own experiences, and almost shared experiences.
• 10:44
  If you're listening to this, of like, you well, you always knew the guy who lived around the corner who maybe was walking through the street and was talking to himself, or he was sitting in a local fast food restaurant in your neighborhood, and everybody knew who he was, and but until something tragic happens, and it's so often you know it's coming, and there's nothing you can do about it.
• 11:18
  I grew up with someone that that happened to, meaning we always knew that something would happen, and he struggled throughout his life, and he had a wonderful family and support, and was in and out of facilities, and he was a grown man, wouldn't take his medication, tragically, he passed away recently.
• 11:43
  But I saw firsthand the struggle of the family not being able to have any control over the situation, and walking on eggshells and wondering when, and the police would come, and and I bring this up is because it's very easy on the outside to say X, Y, and Z, well, they should be doing that, or why didn't they do this, or you know, how did it get this bad, or whatever, whatever our opinions are or thoughts.
• 12:14
  If you're listening to this and you know someone who goes has gone through this, you know what I'm talking about.
• 12:18
  How the everyday wondering what is coming next is almost debilitating and trying to figure it out, trying to fix it, and you can't always fix it.
• 12:36
  And you know, I feel I feel so sorry for not just Rob Reiner's family.
• 12:47
  I feel that Rob Reiner's struggles, and he admitted struggles with our president overtook him tragically.
• 13:03
  And it wasn't just him, I've seen it in many others that they had to literally check themselves into a facility because of this, and I'm not even going to use that term, you know, the one that everybody's talking about because it's it goes deeper than that.
• 13:17
  It has to start from somewhere.
• 13:19
  It has to be some sort of issue to be able to allow something so out of your control to control you.
• 13:33
  And I'm my advice has always been if you can't control it, you have to figure out a way to put in a compartment and put it away, or else it will affect you.
• 13:43
  It'll affect your family, affects everything.
• 13:46
  And I was watching something, a clip of I think it was an Oprah special about no contact, how people were standing up and proud that they had no contact with their family anymore.
• 14:03
  They had this is like and told their story about not being in contact with their family anymore due to politics or whatever, you know, and and being rewarded in in claps and standing ovations for it.
• 14:22
  And I I do believe there are times when that's necessary.
• 14:25
  I do, but I also think it's a very slippery slope.
• 14:29
  If we spend our lives putting our head in the sand and not dealing with confrontation or things that don't feel as comfortable as we think they should, based on our opinions, or then you're really not solving the problem, you're just putting a band-aid over it.
• 14:48
  And I say problem is because if you can really walk through it and you can talk through it and you can figure it out, it's such a tragedy to lose someone you cared about because of an opinion or because of something that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• 15:02
  It's happened to me.
• 15:03
  I've lost friends due to my position, and I say position, I'm talking about what I went through with politics, having no choice but to do so, but I still have lost friends because of it.
• 15:17
  They just disappear.
• 15:19
  And I know things have been said behind my back that confirm that, and that's unfortunate for them, not me, because honestly, it's it's missing an opportunity to have conversation.
• 15:36
  And at the holidays, there's always no matter what, even before Trump, there was issues.
• 15:44
  But we've gone so far away from the healing process of the holidays, which it can be, and coming together and celebrating and joy to heal, it's going to take twice as hard to do that for yourself.
• 16:00
  And I say that from personal experience, because the static of life is now become much more brutal and difficult to ignore.
• 16:14
  It's like you feel how can we celebrate when there's so much going on that is painful.
• 16:24
  But there are people in this world who are willing to do the work to help others.
• 16:40
  Follow them.
• 16:42
  And you may resist it in the beginning because it doesn't feel right.
• 16:46
  Like, oh, do I really have to?
• 16:48
  But I will tell you that you will on the other side of it be happy that you did.
• 16:53
  Whether it means volunteering or doing something where people are less fortunate, because there is a lot of mental illness, mental instability in people who are living alone and have no one there to support them, they don't have that community, and they're forgotten, and sometimes when they want to be heard, they do something that could harm people.
• 17:23
  And I'm not saying we can fix that.
• 17:26
  I'm just saying that we need to be aware of it more and more because if someone in Hollywood has to deal with this tragedy, and has been dealing with it for a long time.
• 17:41
  If they can't address it and bring attention to it, and I know they did a film, and and Rob Reiner did a film about his son's experiences, and I think that was good.
• 17:50
  I haven't seen it, but it also maybe I don't know, maybe it put a band-aid on on something that is was far deeper, and maybe Mr.
• 18:00
  Reiner was trying to find a way to connect with his son.
• 18:06
  Maybe that was his way of at his wit's end thinking, well, this could be the thing.
• 18:10
  And you never know what the thing could be, if there could be anything that could help that situation at all.
• 18:22
  And now you have two people who are brutally murdered, and they're gone.
• 18:31
  And it's a tragedy all around.
• 18:37
  But I will tell you, there's this very simple takeaway from this incident.
• 18:48
  And I'm not telling you anything you don't know.
• 18:51
  It's that life is short.
• 18:52
  You know, they say life is short, and it is short.
• 18:58
  How you walk through it is really on you.
• 19:01
  If you're fortunate enough to have a mental stability and your health, and you have opportunity to have success, choosing otherwise is on you.
• 19:16
  You you make those decisions if you want to push back on certain issues or or politics, or that's your decision.
• 19:26
  But I will tell you this.
• 19:29
  Having dealt with politicians for a long time now, the American people, the ones who struggle with politics, their emotional journey for lack of a better word, is far more challenging than the ones who are actually making the decisions that are making them so upset.
• 19:52
  I always say you're getting so upset about somebody that doesn't know you and doesn't be here in a few years.
• 20:00
  Who have who has affected your day-to-day and your joy and your inner peace that you've allowed to happen.
• 20:06
  You've allowed to do that to yourself.
• 20:08
  And it's easy to do.
• 20:10
  Something tragic happens, it becomes political, and then you get angry, and then you still continue the cycle.
• 20:17
  And it doesn't stop.
• 20:20
  Unless you stop it.
• 20:25
  But I think during this holiday season, what I would ask is take a moment.
• 20:36
  And pray for the parents who have to deal with seeing their own child struggle in such a way that they cannot fix.
• 20:52
  After everything they've done and everything they've tried.
• 20:57
  It didn't work.
• 21:00
  But I'll tell you this, parents will never give up.
• 21:03
  The ones who love their children, the ones who want to make it better.
• 21:06
  They'll spend a lifetime doing it.
• 21:09
  And I witnessed this with the young man I was telling you about earlier.
• 21:13
  I I saw his mother into her 80s.
• 21:18
  Protect him as much as she could until she couldn't.
• 21:22
  Because she passed away.
• 21:24
  And then he became the person that his siblings had to think about at night every night, wonder what was going to happen, and became their concern 24-7.
• 21:36
  Not that they didn't think about him 24-7 before, but their mother was always the one taking care of him.
• 21:42
  And there was no fixing it.
• 21:50
  So when you go for your holidays and things are a little stressful, and you're having little arguments about whatever topic you want to discuss, just remember there's a lot of people out there who don't have that opportunity to be upset about the little things because they're dealing with something so major.
• 22:12
  And unfortunately, it's not a one off.
• 22:19
  And they go through these struggles, these families in a bubble often because they don't want to share their struggles or tragedy tragedies within their own families because just makes it worse because then people start asking and wondering and interfering sometimes with their opinions.
• 22:36
  So it's it's a very difficult journey when there's drugs involved and there's mental instability involved.
• 22:49
  I've seen it happen.
• 22:50
  Lost family members to drug addiction and seeing their relatives, their immediate relatives just pray that they find the light, and they don't always find the light.
• 23:09
  Sometimes the flame runs out.
• 23:16
  Sometimes someone puts that flame out, which is what happened with Rob Reiner's son.
• 23:24
  And I pray for peace in their family.
• 23:29
  I pray this starts a discussion and some action.
• 23:37
  Because there are a lot of brilliant people out there who could come together, at least try to help.
• 23:45
  This should never happen.
• 23:47
  It happens way too often that we don't hear about.
• 23:51
  There's going to be somebody else on the streets of New York that gets assaulted.
• 23:55
  And you'll never know their names.
• 23:57
  And they'll just keep the vicious cycle of continuing it.
• 24:02
  And I picked this subject today because if we don't talk about it and we don't look at it and pretend that it doesn't exist.
• 24:19
  And I'm not the person that's going to do it, but I'm happy to talk about it.
• 24:25
  Because I've had to see people throw their hands up and go, I don't know what else to do.
• 24:31
  I don't know where my son is.
• 24:33
  I'm so worried about him.
• 24:35
  He took the car.
• 24:36
  He's gone.
• 24:39
  She's with someone strange.
• 24:43
  She overdosed.
• 24:45
  I've heard those stories from friends and family.
• 24:50
  And in this time of reflection, which holidays usually are.
• 25:00
  Let's try to reflect on what we can do better in our own lives to keep our own peace of mind.
• 25:07
  Because if you keep your peace of mind and you have to deal with something else in your family, it definitely affects those around you.
• 25:16
  It may not fix it, but it definitely affects people.
• 25:25
  We all get wrapped up in something that may be a little bit too unsettling or volatile just because it's the topic of the day and it can affect your peace.
• 25:38
  And it is the season of peace and beginnings.
• 25:44
  And there was a lot of tragedy, tragedy and pain around the birth of Jesus Christ.
• 25:51
  But the blessed mother got there and got him into our world.
• 25:56
  So this is the time we should really rely on him because he has all the answers.
• 26:03
  If we just listen, if we ask for help, we will get it.
• 26:08
  God bless.
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  Now is our time, my fellow Americans.
• 30:40
  America Outlaw.
• 31:34
  Take the personal opinions of actors, writers, directors and see their work and not think about that.
• 31:45
  I think Robert De Niro is one of those people now that I can't watch his work anymore without thinking about all the horrific things that I believe he has said in public with cheers and standing ovations regarding our president.
• 32:02
  And I if he said it about anybody, it would be to me inappropriate.
• 32:08
  And again, you have free speech, fine.
• 32:10
  I get it, but I don't have to like it, and I can't stop it from making me see that in you every time I see one of your films now.
• 32:22
  I wish it I didn't.
• 32:23
  I really believe, and I've said this before, I don't think actors should be throwing their opinions about politics into the universe.
• 32:33
  I know it can be helpful, but my point is it's I always think that actors should be able to use it for good and not just screaming and yelling, but not, you know, great.
• 32:46
  Scream and yell with your opinions, but do something about it.
• 32:50
  It's like I you have all the money in the world.
• 32:54
  You have opinions that nobody asks for, and yet you do nothing.
• 32:59
  You don't open up rec centers and you don't help minorities, and you don't pay it forward.
• 33:06
  So, you know, your your speeches are empty to me.
• 33:10
  They don't mean anything other than your own opinions that you need to hear your own voice.
• 33:14
  And I think, you know, Rob Reiner, you know, he collaborated for back lack of a better word with James Clapper and John Beren and I just saw that video, and they obviously turned out to be two of the biggest traitors to our country and lied about the Hunter Biden laptop, among other things.
• 33:40
  So it's very difficult for me to not think about that when I see certain celebrities and I'm sure people, I'm not a celebrity, but I think unfortunately, because of my situation, people see that in me now too, but that's not something I ever wanted to do.
• 34:00
  I'm not interested.
• 34:01
  I was never interested in politics, never felt any desire or need to have to go out and speak about it.
• 34:07
  None of my business.
• 34:08
  You know, why should you care what I think?
• 34:11
  Really?
• 34:12
  I would hope now that I've what I've been through that maybe people would listen a little closer because of what I've been through, but sometimes it's the opposite, which is really unfortunate because I have this opportunity to get a seat at the table and do something and help, and I'm judged, and it just stops the conversation.
• 34:35
  Such a tragedy.
• 34:35
  It really is a tragedy.
• 34:37
  And I've have people who won't talk to me, who I feel like have opinions and really want to do something, or at least say they do, but then they don't speech reach out to do anything or work with me or help.
• 34:49
  So, you know, listen, I see both sides of it.
• 34:52
  I don't I think there are some people who have done some good work, but in the majority of it, it's not it's nothing.
• 35:00
  So it's it's very hard for me to see people in the public eye not do anything.
• 35:07
  And I think Rob Reiner felt he was doing something, and good on him for for caring.
• 35:17
  I will give him, I will say that, you know, he did care.
• 35:20
  Um but it came along with some very painful uh examples of what we could do better at in general in this world, right?
• 35:38
  Um, but that's besides the point.
• 35:40
  I I want to talk about the creative Rob Reiner and how influential he was, and his father was incredible, Carl Reiner in the entertainment business.
• 35:57
  And if you don't remember him for all the good, because that was his life.
• 36:03
  I mean, he contributed so much to our lives in this world to feel joy.
• 36:14
  As an actor, his talent was incredible on All in the Family.
• 36:18
  And I grew up, my father loved All in the Family, and I remember that work that they did on that show, even as a young person.
• 36:28
  And then I got to work with Carol O'Connor, who played Archie Bunker on In the Heat of the Night.
• 36:34
  And to me, that was one of the highlights of my career because my father loved Carol O'Connor and loved All in the Family, and you look at these scenes that they did together, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, and it was just incredible work.
• 36:54
  And it's so interesting to me in life, and I've seen this a lot in my industry.
• 37:00
  Someone could create something so beautiful and help so many people, but in their own lives, they can't fix something.
• 37:10
  So I'd like to reflect on all the good that a movie like Stand By Me, which changed a generation.
• 37:25
  It did something to people.
• 37:27
  It touched their hearts.
• 37:30
  When Harry met Sally, one of the most quoted movies, probably in history, and I could go on and on.
• 37:41
  But you know how sometimes people put things out into the world and their art, and they do it from some part of their soul that they can't even explain.
• 37:54
  But they instinctively know it's important to put into the world, and they instinctively know what will touch the American heart and the world.
• 38:05
  That is such a gift, and very few people have have it.
• 38:10
  And Rob Reiner was one of those people.
• 38:15
  And when you lose someone like that, it becomes so personal.
• 38:22
  You didn't know him.
• 38:23
  I didn't know him.
• 38:23
  I've never met him.
• 38:26
  But his work shaped a generation, shaped an industry.
• 38:33
  The care that he took to do it right, will be his legacy.
• 38:44
  It should be his legacy.
• 38:46
  And I heard some interviews with some actors that he worked with, and their loss is so immeasurable.
• 38:54
  So I'd like to think about the artist in general, and how the gratitude we should have for a different time.
• 39:10
  Then there's this nostalgic feeling when you think about those movies and these television shows that were the greatest of all time, and how they shaped us.
• 39:26
  Did you see Harry when Harry met Sally?
• 39:28
  Did you see that scene?
• 39:28
  Did you see Rob Reiner's mother was in that episode?
• 39:31
  You know, that part of the scene, and did you hear this?
• 39:33
  And I when Harry met Sally, Meg Ryan, who was on As the World Turns, I mean, she became a superstar.
• 39:43
  That movie made her a superstar.
• 39:45
  I mean, there's no question about it.
• 39:47
  And Rob Reiner obviously saw something in her that was special and cultivated it and made her a superstar.
• 39:56
  But what made that movie so special?
• 40:03
  It was as simple as it could be.
• 40:08
  The guy drives her back from college, never sees her again, and they see each other again, and they reunite, and it's New Year's Eve, and they fall in love.
• 40:18
  It's as simple as it gets.
• 40:21
  And it's something that everybody fantasizes about.
• 40:25
  They see themselves in those two people, whether it's from their college or they know someone like that, or the chemistry between the two of them was incredible.
• 40:36
  Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
• 40:40
  And we're all romantics in their hearts.
• 40:46
  And that was one of those movies that just took you away.
• 40:56
  Well, it's true, they really don't.
• 41:00
  And Rob Reiner had so many like that.
• 41:04
  But I will tell you that one of my favorite movies that Rob Reiner did was Spinal Tap.
• 41:11
  Which is the mockumentary, one of the first ones.
• 41:15
  And when I tell you that when I was on As of the World Turns, that movie was quoted thousands of times in our studio because it was so brilliant and so funny.
• 41:29
  And the improvisation of the actors.
• 41:33
  It was like the actor's dream.
• 41:35
  It was the parody of what was going on in the rock and roll industry.
• 41:41
  And he just nailed it.
• 41:43
  Rob Reiner just nailed it.
• 41:45
  And there's never a time that I don't see that movie when it's on, and I have to stop and watch it.
• 41:55
  And sometimes I'll get reflective on how many other people, actors, films have left an imprint on our lives.
• 42:10
  And maybe right now you can think of one.
• 42:12
  To me, like 16 Candles was one of those movies that it just captured in this bubble a time that will never exist again, but you were part of it.
• 42:23
  But there was something about Stand By Me, I think that it had a darkness to it, and it was a life that most of us didn't understand because we didn't live in that time, and we also didn't understand the camaraderie between these young boys who just had each other.
• 42:49
  Somehow Rob Reiner was able to bring that emotion to the masses.
• 42:55
  So it wasn't a buddy film.
• 42:57
  It was a human film about humanity and kindness and loneliness.
• 43:09
  Who again, tragic loss?
• 43:16
  And in Hollywood, there was a lot of that behind the scenes, a lot of not of difficulties, but on the on the screen, the gifts that were given to us were immeasurable from Rob Reiner, from all these creatives.
• 43:34
  And that's how I want to remember Rob Reiner.
• 43:55
  There's many interviews of him speaking to that.
• 43:59
  A lot of children of Hollywood do also struggle with that.
• 44:01
  And we've seen many stories.
• 44:03
  It's not easy.
• 44:04
  There's no map of how to do how to address it, how to handle it.
• 44:09
  Every situation is unique.
• 44:12
  So I'd like to take that the joy that was brought to all of us and remember him.
• 44:22
  And since the holidays are here, maybe that's also something we all should be doing more of.
• 44:28
  It's taking moments of time in our past that brought us joy and bring them to the surface.
• 44:36
  And isn't that the nice thing about getting together with family and reminiscing?
• 44:41
  My nieces and nephews are all adults now.
• 44:43
  They're getting married, and I am decorating with now with my home with pictures of them as young men and children to have some nostalgia.
• 44:56
  What is nostalgia do?
• 44:57
  Nostalgia makes you feel good.
• 45:00
  It makes you remember something in a time in your life that was filled with joy.
• 45:07
  The movie Greece, for instance, another creative masterpiece, really, but it's something that we all identify with as a culture.
• 45:20
  And it makes you happy.
• 45:31
  Whatever movie is your favorite that stuck with you.
• 45:34
  St.
• 45:35
  Elmo's fire, those years of just incredible filmmaking.
• 45:39
  And can you imagine what the interest tree was like at that time?
• 45:43
  The creative juices that were flowing to bring entertainment to all of us.
• 45:49
  And I I don't know Rob Reiner.
• 45:51
  I never met him in my life, but I can imagine that's how he would want you to remember him too.
• 46:02
  And the gifts that he put on the screen for us are his legacy, and something that we'll be always be able to watch as we try to process what has happened in his life.
• 46:16
  And how his life ended.
• 46:42
  It would be worth a lot more money when I'm gone.
• 46:44
  It's like a lot of artists feel that way.
• 46:47
  So she said, I'm trying to make as much as I can.
• 46:53
  But yet she creates from a place of joy, even knowing that she's building her legacy before she's not here with us anymore someday.
• 47:05
  And I wonder if all artists feel that way.
• 47:09
  I mean, I don't consider myself in that space, but I do cherish the opportunities that I've had to make people feel something that they'll remember in their lives as something good.
• 47:30
  So here is a little bit of a challenge in this season of Festivus, which is the 23rd of December, which is my birthday.
• 47:59
  And if you don't know about it, it's that Jerry's no, George's father made up this holiday where there's a metal pole, and you have to air your grievances on the 23rd of December, and it's perfect Costanza celebrating for lack of a better word.
• 48:26
  And I was so happy when I found out that Festivus fell on my birthday.
• 48:30
  So there's my day of grievances on my birthday, and the older I get, the more grievances I have.
• 48:35
  So it seems appropriate.
• 48:38
  This year I have none.
• 48:39
  I have gratitude, complete gratitude for literally everything.
• 48:46
  And I'm so grateful for the people that are around my life and supported me.
• 48:51
  And I when I do get frustrated and upset when I can't do something, I try a little harder to see what I can do and find out where I can do good.
• 49:03
  Um, because I feel like we have to counter the difficulties and the challenges in the world with the good.
• 49:10
  Gosh, it sounds so, you know.
• 49:13
  Oh, we can fix it.
• 49:15
  No, I'm not saying we can.
• 49:16
  I'm just saying that doing nothing doesn't for sure fix anything.
• 49:24
  And it's uh see, you know, the holidays are hard.
• 49:26
  You know, it's a lot of stress and a lot of running around, a lot of craziness, but it's also a time for reflection and gratitude where you can find it.
• 49:37
  So we have a full house coming.
• 49:40
  I'm so grateful, and my tree is not up yet.
• 49:44
  I have not done any Christmas shopping, but that's okay.
• 49:48
  That's okay.
• 49:53
  Because it's not what it's about, really from a religious standpoint, it's
• 50:00
  The birth of Jesus Christ.
• 50:01
  It's a celebration.
• 50:02
  It's a new beginning.
• 50:04
  I always found that Christmas does feel like a new beginning, a rebirth, a new start.
• 50:13
  A beautiful child was born.
• 50:16
  Despite so many people wanting that not to happen and did everything in their power to try and stop it.
• 50:26
  God had other plans.
• 50:29
  And we can't always question what God's plans are.
• 50:33
  We can, but we sometimes it's the surrendering to it that gives you the greatest peace.
• 50:41
  And I read something recently where it said that as soon as you really surrender to God being in charge is when you don't stress or worry about anything.
• 50:52
  But as a parent, that's very difficult to do.
• 50:59
  As Kathleen Widow said to me one day, who played my grandmother in Azure Turns, once you've had children, you'll be worrying for the rest of your life.
• 51:08
  And that is true.
• 51:10
  So you pray a little harder.
• 51:14
  You give them as much advice as you can and enjoy every moment when things are good.
• 51:22
  Because you never know what's going to happen tomorrow.
• 51:27
  So what's your gratitude list?
• 51:30
  I like little challenges.
• 51:32
  I like to put something in people's mind of how they can make their days a bit better.
• 51:41
  And that gratitude list really does help.
• 51:44
  When you hear stories that are almost hard, almost impossible to process.
• 51:50
  Turn off your phone, turn off your television, have a conversation face to face, look people in the eye when you talk to them.
• 51:59
  I think one of the biggest challenges I could say is when you put social media aside, your life does change.
• 52:08
  It's part of my life.
• 52:09
  I can't ignore that.
• 52:11
  But in honor of Rob Reiner.
• 52:15
  And as a director, what I know what director's goals are.
• 52:20
  I know that they want it to be as real and as deep as possible for the viewer to go on a journey with these wonderful characters.
• 52:34
  And it's painstaking work.
• 52:37
  The amount of hours and years and time and editing and music and lighting and camera work and like their love is on the screen.
• 52:47
  But the director does it for you.
• 52:50
  He does it for the audience.
• 52:52
  The feedback he gets is everything.
• 52:55
  They all want success.
• 52:57
  They all want their movies to be successful because that means people like what they've done and their work.
• 53:03
  So pick one of Rob Reiner's films and watch it.
• 53:08
  Instead of watching a YouTube video or a reel or Instagram or watch one of his incredible movies, watch some clips of him on All in the Family, but his movies really are reflection of who Rob Reiner was in his psyche.
• 53:36
  And he picked actors who could tell his story through his lens.
• 53:41
  Wow.
• 53:44
  Having worked with so many directors in my life.
• 53:50
  When I got to them, when I would get the part, when I when I connected with a director, I was like family to them.
• 53:58
  Not because they knew me, not because we had a connection that way, but because I was able to tell their story through their lens.
• 54:07
  And what an honor that is.
• 54:09
  I never thought of it like that until now, until hearing all the actors who are talking about Rob Reiner and how influential they were, he was in their lives.
• 54:21
  Because working with a good director is the most incredible experience as an actor to have total freedom in your creativity.
• 54:33
  And when Rob Reiner gives that to his actors, and he did, you've got beauty on the screen.
• 54:41
  And that's how I want to remember him.
• 54:43
  I'm sorry that he struggled.
• 54:45
  I'm sorry that there was so much pain in his life with his child and with politics and I'm sorry he was tortured mentally and struggled.
• 55:01
  And maybe his outcoming out and his anger and frustration through politics was because of what's happening at home and how there was no control.
• 55:10
  What could he control?
• 55:11
  I don't know.
• 55:12
  I'm just, I don't know.
• 55:14
  But I don't want to remember him that way.
• 55:17
  I want to remember a man who gave us so much.
• 55:23
  So thank you, Rob Reiner.
• 55:24
  I hope you rest in peace in your beautiful wife.
• 55:28
  And may your son find some peace on this earth.
• 55:33
  Because I know that how difficult this is going to be for everyone now.
• 55:40
  But we should all take a little time to honor Rob.
• 55:44
  Because I know that's what he would want.
• 55:46
  I know that his work meant so much to him and to the world.
• 55:58
  And I ask you when you do watch, find one moment that connects with just you personally.
• 56:07
  I promise you, you will.
• 56:29
  When you watch the movie.
• 56:33
  Because he knew how to get into people's hearts.
• 56:37
  As a creative, as an artist.
• 56:40
  And we'll always be grateful to him for that.
• 56:43
  May he rest in peace.
• 56:45
  And may his family find peace in the future.