hey, welcome to the program. a lot of fun to be had tonight, including somebody who has been an inspiration to a lot of people. not only because of weight loss and she's a mom of wolfgang, boston marathon runner and a big part of our culture for a long time. we have valerie bertinelli. >> and michael c. hall. from preparing bodies to killing bodies. there's a lot to get into with michael c. hall. >> when i was getting ready to play the part, i picked out people, followed them around just to see if i could get around with it. it was surprisingly easy. >> and eli roth. it's his mission to take hard core horror to the main stream.

>> i believe horror movies are like fairy tales for adults. >> "stroumboulopoulos," let's go! [ applause ] >> welcome to the program. there's a lot to get to. the first guest of the program was a child star, went off course as many people in life do, drug addiction, found her path, she's so fascinating and so fun, valerie bertinelli is on her way out. here's her story. she may be a household name for taking it one day at a time, loved for being a angel, and praised for being hot in cleveland, but valerie bertinelli wasn't always in the spotlight. born to nancy and andrew, it was 1971 when the bertinellis settled down in van nuys, california, and she instantly became a valley girl, convinced her mother to attend acting school and began booking commercials.

when she was 15, she was cast as barbara cooper in the cbs sitcom "one day at a time." >> i'm barbara cooper. he left his tool belt in my bedroom. i mean, he was working on my bed, the frame. >> valley captured the hearts of america with the show's ability to be socially relevant and audiences watched as valerie grew up in front of them. but behind the scenes, there were real-life problems that were starting to creep in. valerie claims that she and co-star mckenzie phillips began experimenting with drugs together and in 2008 she began to publicly confront her problems and she's made it her mission to help others establish their own healthy eating and exercise habits. her most important job is to be mom to wolfgang van halen. she's a best selling author and in demand actress, defying the

hollywood stereotype that there's little work for an actress after 40. valerie bertinelli! [ applause ] >> hi, sweetie. how are you? >> how are you? >> very well, thank you. make sure i can't get lipstick on you. >> got it? >> a little bit. >> i can handle it. >> you're in my territory. >> congratulations on the show. >> thank you. we are renewed for our fifth season. >> here's the thing about "hot in cleveland." it explores the concept of female sexuality past the age of 30. >> and 40 and 50. >> most television these days, especially as it relates to female sexuality is like woman's tennis. once you're past 16, they don't

care about you anymore. >> or they sexualize the woman as on posed to being a sexual being. when someone sexualizes someone at the age of miley cyrus and younger, really, are we going to go there? >> it's super inappropriate. so you looked at the script and -- >> they think we're not having sex at this age. not true. >> it would be such a shame. >> it would, wouldn't it? >> did you know this is a theme you were going to be able to explore? >> absolutely. because being in this business, and being that once you're past the age of 30, you're basically put out to pasture. so to do this at our age and show that we're still living, breathing, we have a lot to give to our community and everyone, it's kind of nice. there's a lot of 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90-year-olds that we have a lot to give.

>> did you feel like you can relate to it in your personal life? >> i still feel like i'm 20 in my brain. >> i am always 27 in my head. i act 14. >> well, you are a man. >> am i ever. >> i look in the mirror and i'm like, wow, where did that wrinkle come from? because i'm only 20. then my knees remind me i'm 53. it's better than the alternative. >> what does betty white mean? >> oh, my god. i adore that woman. she is 91 and a spitfire. going to work on "hot in cleveland" is literally like being in a master class and watching the master do her stuff. because she is so kind to everyone.

not only is she brilliant and she can bring out the drama when it's appropriate, she's a really good actress. but she's white. >> betty white was on the radio in the '30s. >> right. she was born in 1922. >> think of that. >> i know. >> working nonstop. >> yes. she did a television show before television was invented. she did a show, and she'll say that, i'm using a betty line. she did that 5 1/2 hours a day, six days a week. >> she would sing, she was a consummate performer. but kindness is what stands out the most. >> to most people that meet her, she's so kind and giving and lovely. she's just full of grace. >> when you walk into a room with that cast and you look around, is it a struggle to find that kind of -- not chemistry, but coherency. >> chemistry doesn't just happen. you can't make chemistry. you can't get it out of nothing. it has to just be there.

it really is the least diva set i've ever been on, and i'm talking about with men, too. sometimes men can be more of a diva than women. >> of course. >> i'm not looking at you. we all just want to be heard. we want to be liked, some of us do. more importantly, we want to feel like we are being heard. that we're here because we're meant to be here and meant to put a mark on another person or to do something good with our lives. >> in your art, do you look for the opportunity to be that, to do that? >> every day i look for the opportunity to just make not only my life better, which i am incredibly blessed, how i do that i don't know. but just to treat the other people that i meet in this life with as much kindness as i would

want to get back. so it's the old golden rule, do unto others as you would have them do to you. the older i get, the more important other people are. when you're in your 20s, you're so wrapped up in who you are and you take yourself so seriously. and you can't hear a joke for what it is. most of the time people are doing anything, it has nothing to do with you. >> and you were in the whirl wind, too. >> i think it made it worse for a while. >> tv career, famous marriage. >> i always thought people were judging me and thank god i didn't grow up in the age of the internet. there's so many angry, mean people on the internet. but having said that, there are so many kind and sweet and lovely people out there, too. it's just that the mean people are louder sometimes.

>> last time we talked, it's been a few years, we were talking about your son going on the road with van halen. >> he just left today for japan. >> bizarre. years later, how have you -- have you changed the way you view him? >> absolutely. in reality, these guys are my age. so you change and you evolve. there were no groupies backstage. no drinking backstage. it was really a great environment for him to be in, and he got to spend a lot of time with his father and get to know his dad a lot, because his dad was on the road so much. he obviously loved his father and ed is an amazing father and gives his son all the love he deserves. but he wasn't able to spend a lot of time with him. so they're still together doing it.

>> how cool to have that experience, just to connect. >> from the first moment i was pregnant and ed used to play the guitar on my belly, he was like oh, this is going to be a musician. i'm like, i hope so. >> do you have a picture? >> oh, that is when he was 16. >> is that a weird photo for you to see? >> it really is. the bass is not on his best interest and he can kick ass on bass. but he's an amazing drummer. but his uncle already has the job. >> stick around. more with valerie after this. she's had the ups and downs in the hollywood world, more with valerie bertinelli coming up. welcome become to the [ dog barks ] i want to treat more dogs. ♪ our business needs more cases. [ male announcer ] where do you want to take your business? i need help selling art. [ male announcer ] from broadband to web hosting to mobile apps, small business solutions from at&t

have the security you need to get you there. call us. we can show you how at&t solutions can help you do what you do... even better. ♪

can help you do what you do... even better.

welcome become to the program. we're talking to valerie bertinelli. one of the things i love you did in your career was the food stuff, the health stuff. >> it was a scary place for me to go with me, because food has been such an issue all of my life. >> one of the things that you're trained to do in this life, never mind in the business, is to manage your own vanity and manage that presence you have. >> uh-huh. >> but to do those commercials and to be that girl, there's an acceptance that has to take place. >> the process is still happening. i don't know that it will ever -- food is such a -- because i love food. i'm italian. i have to love food. i love to cook. but then to -- my problem was, i started to use food as a drug and use it as a source to settle feelings that i was

uncomfortable with. like someone that would use drugs or gambling or whatever. it got to a place where i just couldn't hold my weight in any kind of normalcy. not that i was always really heavy or really thin, because i went through a period with that, too. but it's just that food wasn't normal for me, and i punished myself with it, as opposed to nourishing my body. now i look for vegetables and fruits that have a lot of color. i do worry about the food system in this country, though. the gmos make me nervous. the seeds that aren't what mother nature gave us and they're putting stuff in the seeds, it makes me nervous. i know i sound like a hoyty-toyty liberal. >> the only people that say you're a liberal have an agenda. >> i believe in big business,

too, but not if you're going to harm our bodies. >> part of the reason you want a multicolor plate is you're getting variety. >> of vitamins. >> but who doesn't want us to know that? >> big business, because of money. what is money if you're dead? >> maybe it's just money they can take themselves. >> they're eating the same [ bleep ]. sorry. [ applause ] sometimes i get passionate about stuff, but this is what we're putting in our body to nourish ourselves. >> before we go, i want to ask you about bonnie franklin. >> i miss her. i miss her. >> passed away this spring. >> yes, march 1. she was a very important part of my life. she was my second mother. i met her when i was 15. i actually met her -- i think

this is the stage i met her on. >> here? >> this studio is where we did our pilot for "one day at a time." it was here. she is -- was such a woman full of life and grace and another really kind woman like betty. >> when you had those difficult periods in your life, was she there? >> all the time. as a teenager, sometimes we don't respect our mothers enough and we look -- and bonnie was always respectful of my mother and respectful that she knew i had a mother but she was always there for me to lean on and i would call her. she brought me to new york one summer and i hung out at her apartment and learned so much. i will miss her terribly. >> the three of you, it was quite a group. >> yeah, yeah. >> when you think back to those days, what do you remember? >> golly, i was a teenager. i remember really learning from the best.

i have been so lucky. i learned, you know, comedy from pat and bonnie and mckenzie. she's such a sweet young lady. and then i have -- >> and her story is so complicated and bizarre. >> you should have her on your show. she is so full of heart and she comes so far and really had a rough road. and she's come out the other side. >> when you guys are growing up, are you talking about your rough time? >> no, remember we were 15, 16, 17. that's a very rough age, and it was -- we loved each other, we hated each other. we were sisters, but there was a lot of stuff going on. we were both growing up. she started first, she did "american graffiti" and was a huge star from that. i come in, this punk coming in for the second pilot, because the first pilot didn't work and they thought they needed another daughter. i come in, and she's like, hmmm. the elevator i took to come up

here is where i met her for the first time. >> great to see you. >> great to see you, too. >> valerie bertinelli, everybody. we'll be right back. dexter morgan himself in the blood red chair, next.

welcome back. what's the idea if i said, we're going to make a show and this guy is a serial killer, but you're going to be on his side. after eight seasons, you would still be on his side. there's a lot to get into with

michael c. hall. please welcome michael c. hall! [ applause ] how are you? how are you, dude? >> i'm well. how are you? >> i'm well. could you have ever imagined a serial killer role like this would go so long? >> no. beyond my wildest expectations. i thought potentially we had a cult hit for four, five seasons, if we were lucky. and we got the tone right. but the cult, if it is a cult, is a lot broader than i thought it would be. and here we are in the eighth season still doing it. >> would you approach it differently if you thought in longer terms? >> no, i don't think so. i mean, in fact, the way the character started is so far from the way i think the audience experiences the character now. he's really broadened his sense of -- he's more human or at least more nuanced in his indulgence in pretending to be human.

he's changed a lot. >> it's a pretty metaphoric opportunity for you, because you're playing a guy who is playing a normal person. >> exactly. as an actor, it was weird when we started. i think as an actor, you're preoccupied with cultivating a sense of authenticity. and dexter is like, nothing feels real to me. everything is a simulation. so in a way, it let you off the hook. you didn't have to be preoccupied in the same way. in another way, it was something if you thought about it enough, it would tie your brain in knots. >> sometimes i wonder if these characters are metaphors for who we are as people. >> i don't know. i mean, i think a lot of people like dexter, there are a lot of different reasons why people like it. i think we live in a world where

maybe we feel an increasing sense of a lack of control and this character, in his own unique way, has taken responsibility for his darker impulses and taking some sort of control in his corner of the world. that appeals to people. it's a show about justifiable serial murder. it's kind of crazy. but maybe it's a show about humanity, about the nature of being a man, about fathers and sons. and if it brings people together on sunday evening, i guess it's a wash. >> how many shows can an actor do where he talks to a ghost father? >> i don't know. i've got two. along with the dead bodies, there's a similarity between the two characters in that they have these ghost dads who are these critical inner voices. that's a part of why the character is relatable. we all have voices in our heads that maybe we project to our

idea of some absent authority figure, but it's really just us. >> but in the worst and strongest way, this is your experience, too. because your father passed when you were young, right? >> that's true. i feel very fortunate in a way in the things that are done the most have encouraged me to examine my own story. my father passed away when i was 11. so i was open to expressing the idea that we carry these internal voices within us. >> so when you're doing it, is that when some of that starts to trigger in your head? >> you know, i don't know. i think if you do something this long, the lines start to blur. i'm not, you know -- >> you did stalk people in new york. >> when i was getting ready to

play the part, just to feel what it would be like to do that, i picked out people when living in new york city and followed them around, just to see if i could get away with it. and it was surprisingly easy actually. there's a lot of people in new york. it's not like i did it in topeka. >> were you also a knife salesman? >> yeah, i sold knives in high school door to door. >> it's all coming together. >> my mom insisted that i got a job and i got a job selling knives. they were great knives, and i had this spiel that i would do. i would have them open their knife drawer and talk about what a mess it was and how they should get these knives. at the end, i would cut a penny and it worked two out of three times. but eventually my mom, who insisted i get the job, insisted i get a different one, because i

kept hitting up her friends and she was getting uncomfortable. i always sold knives. >> in part, probably because of shows like "dexter," nobody would let a knife salesman in their house anymore. >> especially if they look like me. when i go out, i do look a lot like dexter. people remind me all the time. >> i like the idea that dexter can push people's understanding and challenge people's concept of justice and forgiveness and all that. in "six feet under," you got to do it in a very different way. you play a guy that was a closeted man. what was your relationship with homo phobia before that? >> i grew up in the south. i was born in 1971. i definitely had older relatives or people in my life who just seem to have a -- either explicit or implicit homophobic

bend to their sense of things and what was appropriate and sexuality and all that stuff. but i also had a lot of gay men in my life who were very positive role models in terms of -- i mean, frankly i wouldn't have a career if it weren't for the work of gay men in terms of the material that i've worked on, the people who have written that material, in some cases directed it. but there were definitely some older members of my family in eastern north carolina who i only realized when i started doing dexter, just how unenthusiastic they were about the gay funeral director. they were a lot more comfortable with me simulating murder than a positive relationship with another man. which says something. >> that's a thing. >> yeah. i don't mean to dis anybody. i'm just saying.

>> but moreover, it wasn't just a gay man in a relationship, he was in a biracial relationship. >> icing on the cake. both shows probably appeal to some subversive appetite i might have in terms of challenging people and pushing their buttons. >> stick around, more after this. the conversation with michael c. hall gets each more deadly, next. you really couldn't have come at a better time. these chevys are moving fast. i'll take that malibu. yeah excuse me, the equinox in atlantis blue is mine! i was here first, it's mine. i called about that one, it's mine. mine! mine. it's mine. it's mine. mine. mine. mine. mine. it's mine! no it's not, it's mine! better get going, it's chevy model year-end event. [ male announcer ] the chevy model year-end event. the 13s are going fast, time to get yours. current chevy truck owners can trade up to this chevy silverado all-star edition

with a total value of $9,000. [ whirring ] [ dog barks ] i want to treat more dogs. ♪ our business needs more cases. [ male announcer ] where do you want to take your business? i need help selling art. [ male announcer ] from broadband to web hosting to mobile apps, small business solutions from at&t have the security you need to get you there. call us. we can show you how at&t solutions can help you do what you do... even better. ♪ it's not a candy bar. 130 calories 7 grams of protein the new fiber one

caramel nut protein bar. çñ the new fiber one hey guys, thanks for coming. are we in trouble? no, you're not in trouble. i just want to set some ground rules. like what? well, remember last week, when you hit vinnie in the head with a shovel? [chuckling] i do not recall that. of course not. well, it was pretty graphic. too graphic for the kids. so i'm going to have to block you. you know, i gotta make this up to you. this is vinnie's watch, and i want you to have it. you deserve it. no, thank you. t@at's really not necessary. no, no, come here...

welcome back. here with michael c. hall. lots that we've talked about and lots of ground to cover. what kind of environmental protester were you, stopping the demolishment of a creek? what kind of guy -- >> that's funny. when i was a kid -- >> how old? >> i must have been about 7 or 8. the kids in the neighborhood and myself, this is in vienna, virginia. i grew up in north carolina for the most part. but we played in this creek that got dammed up by construction workers who were working on some houses back there, and we took it upon ourselves to drive them away, because they were damming up our creek and we couldn't play with our little toy boats.

so we did some concoctions, did graffiti on their backhoes and tractors. >> super goonies. >> and eventually we got chased away by one of them, who was there on a weekend when we would go in and it was probably like we did it a few times one week and the guy showed up on the weekend and caught us and that was that. but it feels like it was much more of an epic battle. >> it was the beginning of this activist, this politically motivated guy? >> the beginning and ending perhaps. >> did you end up losing the battle? >> yeah, he chased away and scared us and we found another place to play. the end. i don't think we ever went back. >> a life lesson in there, i'm sure. >> yeah. if you're going to fight something, be ready to fight it

all the way. otherwise, just find someplace else to play. i'm working on it. >> this is the very beginning stages. that's good. you reached this place where you are coming to an end. >> the show, yes. >> how do you feel about that? >> i feel a sense of -- primarily i feel focussed on getting the last couple of episodes down. >> do you know it? >> i have a good sense of where we're headed. >> finales are so -- especially in the twitter world, the anonymous wall of aggression, the finale is a thing. >> oh, yeah. >> you can do it like "newhart" or "seinfeld." what are you doing? >> well, i can't tell you. but that's nothing new. i felt like dexter's press secretary since this started.

i talk and try to reveal nothing. but it's going to be decisive things that will happen. >> decisive? that's the vaguest -- >> that reveals nothing. >> it makes me think people are going to die. >> right. but in dexter's world, it's like news flash. >> part of what made dexter work is how bright it was. i heard somebody describe it, it was candy colored. >> right. i think miami helped. the music, the color palate generally, the voiceover element. yeah. i think the show, as dexter has gotten more human and less compartmentalized psychopath, the show has gotten darkener a way. as more people have become implicated in his world because of what he's done. >> what do you look at this next wave of your life? >> i don't know. the fact that dexter is ending,

i did that for eight years, or have been doing it for eight years, and did "six feet under" for five. so i don't know, i'm interested to see what life is like without some sort of open ended commitment to a character who is surrounded by dead bodies. >> and to a schedule that means you have to be there all the time. >> yeah, yeah, it's a steady job. we shoot at sunset gallery here in hollywood and we shot there, too. so it was 13 years that i've been working there. i never thought i would go to work at the same place for 13 straight years as an actor. >> other things you want to do? i don't mean in acting. >> i want to catch my breath.

i want to see what -- i definitely want to explore other acting opportunities. but strawberry farming maybe. >> of all the fruit, strawberries? >> yeah, yeah. they're my favorite. >> michael c. hall, everybody! [ applause ] coming up, his work inspired the term torture porn. it's the sickeningly sweet eli roth next. what makes a sleep number store different? what makes a sleep number you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you.

they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. if you want a soft bed you can lie on one of those." we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. this is your body there. you can see a little more pressure in the shoulders and in the hips. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. oh wow, that feels really good. it's hugging my body. you get that moment where you go, "oh yeah" ... oh, yeah! : ... and it's perfect. they had no idea that when they came to a sleep number store, we were going to diagnose their problems and help them sleep better. once you experience it, there's no going back. don't invest in a mattress until you find your sleep number setting. and don't miss the final days of our summer closeout, for the biggest savings on all sleep number memory foam and iseries bed sets. only at one of our over 400 sleep number stores nationwide, where queen mattresses start at just $699. sleep number. comfort individualized.

welcome back to the program. the r in r-rated might just stand for roth in eli roth. eli roth, triple threat, actor, writer, director. >> he made "cabin fever." >> nudity, blood, guts. >> blood and gore and heads flying everywhere. >> you never know who's going to die. >> sometimes it's so gross. >> it's great. >> the guy killed hitler. that's so hot. >> something terrifying and slightly seductive about eli roth. >> whatever he does, he does it with perfection. >> please welcome to the show eli roth.

[ applause ] how are you, man? good to see you. >> good to see you too. good to be here, in the united states. >> that's right. >> red chairs but a different setup. how's life? >> life is grand. >> congrats on "hemlock." >> thank you very much. >> is making a film for netflix a different experience? >> completely different. in television, you don't have complete control like you do with a movie. i made my movies independently and i make all the decisions and you know going in with a television show that it's much more collaborative. but i was unprepared with how much say the network say, but they really let me go far with the violence. i wanted to do a werewolf transformation that would screw up all the "twilight" fans. i wanted a wolf that would be bursting out of the skin. and they really let me go for it.

that's what was great, is that we could do violence in a way i could never get away on network television. >> why is that important to you? >> you're telling a horror story. when i read the book of "hemlock grove" it's a really violent story. and i felt like the "twilight" fans are going to want something more adult. and the subject matter of the book was about this girl, this girl that's been brutally murdered and everyone trying to find out what did it. i felt like you needed sex and violence. once people saw that it wasn't your average werewolf thing, they got into it. >> when you're telling that story, you're behind the scenes and it's very technical, but most people will never see what goes into, they just see the end

result. which done well realistic. think of all the blood and violence our culture has consumed just by watching stuff. what do you think the impact is? >> people separate real life violence and tv violence. we watch the "game of thrones," and then you're tweeting. so there's a real awareness, so there's a wall between violence and actors has been broken down. if you look at the history of man kind, people have used the bible as an excuse to cause violence since the beginning of time. why people go on killing sprees no one knows. but i don't think there's ever one movie that causes it. >> not cause, but i just wonder the impact of consuming it. you studied the brain. >> of course. i think people just take it as a story.

fairy tales. grim's fairy tales has been around for centuries and it's about children being baked in ovens. people have very violent thoughts. we come into this world in a very violent way and go out in a violent way. in between, you're avoiding these -- life is like a series of avoiding horrible incidents that happen to you. i think people fantasize about this stuff happening and seeing it actualized mikes them feel let alone. horror movies are like fairy tales for adults. >> part of the reason to tell those stories is to scare kids to stay on the right path.

>> they're generally morality tales. >> get into this netflix thing. has it changed the way you view financing films. did you work as a phone sex operator? >> i worked as an online sex operator. i don't quite have the sexy voice. when i was in college, i needed a job and someone said there's this new thing called the internet and there's cyber sex. it was a major men's magazine hiring guys to do it, because they know guys are sick enough to know what other guys want to hear. people were spending like 50 cents or $1 a minute to talk to me. they would stay there five, six hours on the computer. it was like me and 20 guys in my dorm guy. they're like -- i don't know if i can say it on television.

yeah, [ bleep ], [ bleep ], [ bleep ]. and we're all typing and i remember my mom came to visit me in college and i was typing to fast. she's like, how do you type 120 words a minute? i'm like i don't know, mom, i'm really good. me and my friend bob were going to quit. and we were like, we're guys, we're men, we have penises, we've been messing with you. and i remember us hitting the send button. and they were like, that's hilarious, tammy. tell us about the time you had sex with guns n roses. i was tammy, then moret who couldn't understand why it was wrong to sunbathe in central park. and i was alyson, a 27-year-old divorcee, writing characters, and men didn't want to have sex with her because they respected her too much. i was like, nobody wants to have

sex with me? and they were like, oh, i respect you too much. i don't want to do that to you. it was terrible. >> wow. >> it paid for my student films. >> did it change your view of sexuality? >> no, because i always thought sex was awesome. it just showed me men will believe anything they want to. >> incredible. more with eli right after this. as well as they do insurance, our bank is through. good point. grab an edge. look there's two guys on the state farm borrow better banking sign. nope for real there's two dudes on the state farm borrow better banking sign. [ reporter ] breaking news from the state farm borrow better banking sign... we're seeing two men that have climbed the borrow better banking sign gentlemen please get down from the state farm borrow better banking sign.

phil get the hose. okay he's getting the hose. alright, let's go. [ male announcer ] talk to a state farm agent about car loans that can save you hundreds. that's borrowing better. [ whirring ] [ dog barks ] i want to treat more dogs. ♪ our business needs more cases. [ male announcer ] where do you want to take your business? i need help selling art. [ male announcer ] from broadband to web hosting to mobile apps, small business solutions from at&t have the security you need to get you there. call us.

we can show you how at&t solutions can help you do what you do... even better. ♪

welcome back. hanging out with eli roth. it's aging away now from "inglourious basterds," but i'm still fixated on your character, because people will talk about the bear jew forever. >> it's cool. i love it. it was a dream part to play. it was an incredible experience. >> what is it like when you're jewish and your family watches you kill hitler? >> i was there with my parents, and, you know, like all my relatives and distant relatives were russian, polish, so my grand parents got out, but there

were all the extended relatives that didn't, and you grow up hearing those stories from your parents and ant this cousin who had the tattoo and don't ask about the camps. a lot of their friends were survivors. so it was a strong thing in our household. i watched that with my parents and they looked over and they had tears coming down their face. they came to berlin and my dad was there filming us, and quinten put my mom as a nazi extra. it was so surreal, because they swore they would never set foot in germany. why would we ever go there? i think a lot of -- they're in their 70s, a lot of jews of their generation felt that way. and then they came there and realized how much it's changed. they were like, this is the best thing they've ever done. they let all that anger go. >> did you have to convince them? >> oh, yeah. i had to be their shooting a movie, buy them plane tickets, arrange everything so they get

off the plane and i got like a private tour for them to go to the holocaust museum. i had to hold their hand and they said we feel so foolish for not coming sooner. i tell like to all jews that are still holding on to whatever they grew up, it's completely different. berlin is an amazing place. the germans are wonderful people. it was a life-changing experience for me. whatever i grew up with, the hatred of that part of the world is completely reversed. my father wrote an article for the jewish paper called "my son killed adolf hitler," everyone had this shared fantasy of going back in time and killing hitler. seeing that actualized with his own son blew his mind. and my dad is a psycho analyst.

they were just in tears, the whole family. >> what was the significance of the bat? >> the baseball bat. there was a scene that was cut, and quinten says -- >> if you haven't seen the film, they would bring out the guy to be killed and you will come out with the bat. >> and pummel him. there was a scene where i go to mrs. hemelstein and i get all the jewish ladies to sign a name on the bat of someone in the war, someone in the camps, and they all sign it and i take the bat with all the signatures and that's what i use to pummel the nazis. it's this real symbolic thing. but there was a scene that we shot, quinten says if he ever does a prequel, he purposefully hasn't leaked that scene in case he wants to do something with it. there's a scene where i go to

buy the bat, and i test one out and smash it. and then i take it to mrs. hemelstein. it just took you too much out of the story. >> but it must help you when you play that role knowing this is what drives the bat, this is what drives the guy. >> with quinten, you have to have your whole character's history down. i remember the first rehearsal, we sat around and he's like, close your scripts and says who are you, and you have to talk in character for a long time. >> and you're making it up? >> i had it ready. you're going to know who your parents are, who your history is. for him, you have to know the character the way -- think of your best friend, the way you know your best friend, that's how i had to know my character. he put you on the spot. and went around everybody and what did you -- it's all back story.

there was one guy who couldn't keep up the next day he was gone. that character was eliminated. i was like, what happened to benny or whatever that character is? that guy didn't prepare. he's cut. sent home. >> so you had to be on your game or he will send you packing. but that's what you want. that's the experience i wanted. >> is that how you direct? >> that's how i direct now. i don't send people home, but i'm very much about knowing every character's back story and the first rehearsal is really discussed who their characters are and doing it in a really in depth way and having them all prepare a book of who their character is. but you have to really give them that. >> what a pleasure, man. >> thank you. >> eli roth, everybody.

hello, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ""piers morgan live."" i'm sure your able to tell right away i'm not piers morgan. the way you can tell that for sure i don't have a british accent and first name that sounds very pointy. [ laughter ] >> about a month ago, i got a call from jeff zucker asking me to guest host for "piers morgan live" and the first question is how the heck did you get my number, jeff, and the second of course is who is piers morgan? seriously. after i got the answer i thought this could be fun. this could be exciting. it's brand new. it reminded me of the night i won my first emmy, the magical night. there were -- i'm sorry? oh, i haven't won a dang thing.