tavis: good evening from los angeles. i'm tavis smiley. first up tonight, a conversation with actor aaron eckhart on what is likely to be one of the biggest films so far this year. "battle: los angeles." recently he starred opposite nicole kid nan the oscar-nominated project "rabbit hole" and also a conversation tonight about an acclaimed new book called "harlem is nowhere: a journey to the mecca of black america." sharifa rhodes-pitts focuses on black life in harlem. we're glad you have joined us. aaron eckhart and author sharifa rhodes-pitts coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a

difference, >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer. nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles to economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: pleased to welcome aaron eckhart back to this program. his movies include "thank you for smoking," "the dark knight"

and "in the company of men." his latest, "battle: los angeles," the film opens everywhere friday. here now a scene from "battle: los angeles." >> oh, just a little doggy. it is just a dog. dog. what's his name, huh? >> glen. >> who is the idiot naming dogs these days, lieutenant? >> you want to call him fido? >> where did they come from? >> what do you see? >> i don't know, man. >> what is going on? >> how do we get out of here? >> where is the exit at? tavis: looks like a blockbuster to me. a lot of things blowing up. a lot of action. what else do you need? and aaron eckhart.

>> yeah, it is a movie i'm very proud of. tavis: you say proud of. what do you mean by that? >> well, we worked hard. you know, it is a big popcorn movie sort of summer -- it starts off the summer of 2011. it is a film that we worked very carefully to be respectful to the marine corps who we portray and also to be accurate and to, you know, make it very believable, although we're fighting aliens, we wanted to make sure that the audience really felt like we were in mortal danger. tavis: we'll talk more in a second how you do justice to that marine epic but let me ask first whether or not there is any pressure that one feels when one knows that he is in a film that is, in fact, the most anticipated of the year and does that make you feel a certain way? >> well, you know, i've done somebody said dirty -- 30's

films so far in my career. every film, i expect there is a lot of hype in my career. i take a more zen approach to my film. tavis: i like that. >> in other words, this film, i'm happy to be in it and honored to be in it and i'm hearing good things about it but i will not live and die on the box office of this movie. i hope it does well so i can go on and do film s that aremeaningful to me and that everybody will be you know, honored in making the film, but on saturday morning, it will be just another saturday morning for me. tavis: yeah. i assume that you reference that 30-movie resume in part because -- i can be wrong. i thought i heard you suggesting that it is over that trajectory that you have learned to be more zen like, not to take this stuff too, too seriously. >> yeah, your expectations rise and then you're let down and

that is very painful. sometimes you're not lets down. every film, whether or not it performs well at the box office is so meaningful to me because i spent so much time investing my thoughts into it, my imagination and creativity and the physical output that i want them all to do well, so when they don't, it is really hurtful. tavis: to your point, you may have answered the question i'm about to ask. did you ever take it personally that your choice might not have met with the audience choice? >> definitely. especially because -- and every audience member has the right to but they dismiss a film so easily and after the first week, if it doesn't perform then it can really be -- it is put on a trash bin. but it is less about the audience. it is more really about my peers. tavis: yeah. i was in a conversation the

other day. we'll come back to the film in a second. i was in a conversation with friends the other day about technology, all the good tha does, we know technology had good and bad associated with it. it can advance us and also slow us down in other ways but one of the things that is happening in this business is because over the twitter stuff, people go to movies they are tweeting while they are watching the movie or the minute they come out of it and you don't even get a chance to go see it and they will kill this movie in the first hour of release. they can blow it up in a good way or they can kill it? what do you make of the fact that people are tweeting about it so quickly they tell you don't waste your time going to see it? and you can see it playing out in the numbers the next day. >> i wasn't aware of that. tavis: you lie! you lie! you lie! >> i don't tweet.

i'm not on facebook. you're right. it can be destroyed. i think it will happen with this film. i think word of mouth will carry this film. i feel like it give gives everybody, the whole family a chance to be entertained. it has the action and also has a lot of heart and is also about things we care about and hopefully this film, this is the only character in my career that i've ever been sad to leave. that on the last day when i was standing amongst all the marines at pendleton, we had all this stuff and i just sat there and looked at all of these marines and thought wow, i hope they make a sequel to this movie. tavis: you're trying to tell me, do you think your last comment is completely truthful? even though nicole kidman called you personally and asked you to play her husband? you didn't feel anything about that? is that what you meant to say? >> i was about to call an exorcist after that movie.

[laughter] >> i did this movie actually right after "rabbit hole," i needed a break. that year i made a movie with johnny depp called "the rum diary." we did that in puerto rico. johnny flew me to new york. i started literally the next day into "rabbit hole." finished "rabbit hole" and went right into "battle: los angeles." i had a very eclectic year. tavis: that is the only reason i will let you stand by that statement. after playing her husband. >> would you like to see a sequel to "rabbit hole"? [laughter] tavis: i digress. >> the box office numbers do not bear it out. tavis: i digress. >> no, she wanted to come join the cast of "battle: los angeles." tavis: that's funny. all right. let me get back to this movie. you mentioned that it has got heart. there is a lot of stuff in it

that we care about, quoting you. tell me about the storyline. >> well, it is about a retiring marine. 20 years in. he has sort of lost who he is. had some bad experiences. men have died under his command. he is about to walk away with a bitter feeling in his heart. lo and behold, some aliens come out of santa monica bay. i had to get behind enemy lines behind lincoln avenue and santa monica. we had to rescue civilians. very familiar territory to anybody who has been to los angeles or visited los angeles and it is quite a ride. tavis: you mentioned the respect and regard you have for the marines. i assume that is because you spent some good time with them preparing to play this role. >> yeah, we did a three-week boot camp. we were in a tent and through our rank, we ate together, slept

together, showered together, trained together, so by the time, you mentioned that neo was on the show. by the time the whole crew started their first day in the summer in louisiana, hot. they were best friends. they knew everything about each other. any time you see in this movie, them paling around or them being intimate with each other or taking care of each other, that comes from a very real place. there were times when we were in boot camp guys couldn't run anymore. guys couldn't take the heat or the pressure. they felt like people were ganging up on them. their demons were playing with them. it was up to us to have their back and you know to, bring them along with the rest of the group. so this film, that's another reason why this film is very meaningful to me because to me it is a very real film. tavis: you mentioned neo. just between the two of us, we know he sings pretty well and writes pretty well.

can he act? >> yes, he can. he can. not only can he act, he was into it. neo is also -- he is a very humble guy and he is willing to learn. and so neo, in fact, i don't mind saying this, he said to me one time, he said i'm watching you. you know, which was a great compliment to me and any time that i can help anybody out or if i can help one of the -- learn off one of the other cast members, it is appreciated. tavis: so neo is a great artist who now wants to act. if aaron eckhart were not acting, what would he be doing? >> i would be a songwriter. tavis: i knew that was going to happen. >> i'm not kidding you. i told neo that. didn't go very far. tavis: he didn't ask you for your demo tape? >> i might have sung him a tune but it was a country tune. of course he does everything, doesn't he?

tavis: he is hot, man. >> he went to nashville for a few weekends while we were there. no, i would continue the that to anybody. tavis: somehow i think you -- if you were not a singer -- i think you would. anyway the movie, as if you didn't know, "battle: los angeles," it is, as we said already, the most anticipated movie of the summer and i suspect it is going to measure up. don't worry about those folks. you'll be fine. good to have you back. >> thank you. tavis: up next, acclaimed writer sharifa rhodes-pitts. stay with us. sharifa rhodes-pitts is a noted young writer whose debut book has caught the attention of readers and literary critics alike. the book is called "harlem is nowhere: a journey to the mecca of black america". congratulations on the first book and nice to have you on the program. >> thank you.

pleasure to be here. tavis: i'm glad to have you on. i want to write this down and make sure i got it right. this book boris its title from a quote from really a -- borrows its title from a quote from ralph ellison, it is a symbol of the negro's -- the scene and symbol of the negro's perpetuation to have the land of his birth. >> ellison wrote that in 1948 which was about a free mental health clinic that offered psychiatric care to blacks. he took the slang at the time if you answered someone at the time how they were, oh, man i'm not where , and used that to describe harlem it is a place that was the scene where the life that a black person lived under white supremacy and inequality led to a break even for those who were not under care. ellison's idea was really that

harlem was a place where this drama of black people not fully being part over the democracy acted out and my borrowing of the title is really kind of going inside of it. thinking about harlem, as we know it, and any corner of the world, someone would have an idea what that place metropolitan. whether it was from music or politics -- place meant, whether it was from music or politics or poetry, that came out of those blocks and trying inhabit this place that is larger than life. tavis: to your point -- we'll get to that in just a second. the subtitle of the book is "a journey to the mecca of black america." we'll get to that myth. what is it about harthream allows it to be described by you as others it is a mecca of black america? >> going back basically 100

years, harlem has been the place, it was like a magnet. 20 years into harlem as a black neighborhood, people describing it as a race capital. where the aspiration of black folks could focus. where they could thrive. it would provide a model for what could happen in other places. whether it was for music or someone who wanted to be a leader or businessman, where you can't test your skills but also for everyday people. the great migration that carried so many out of the south and out of the rural lifestyle into the center of this metropolis was really for every day people just as thrilling and a place where every day aspirations could kind of be worked out. tavis: that is not to suggest,

though -- while harlem is obviously unique unto itself. that is not to suggest that there are not harlems around the country in other places. >> right. there certainly are. even during the historical time. there were other places that were just as important. chicago and d.c. and even in places that you wouldn't think of as having strong black communities like denver and seattle and portland had places that were referred to it is a harlem of the west and now people would challenge me and say in 2011 harlem is not black mecca. a place like atlanta is. but no place matches harlem's historical weight. tavis: if to your point of a moment ago, if harlem for the sake of argument has surrendered that title of black america's mecca to a place like atlanta for the sake of argument, what allowed that to happen?

>> um, i think atlanta, i haven't spent that much time there so i couldn't really say. i think when people think of place where upwardly mobile black people go, i think atlanta would be higher on the list than harlem. the history of harlem the last 40 years, has certainly been one of divestment in terms of services to the community and real estate and that has changed in the last 20 years when individual people started buying property and community development corporations started operating. so there has been a lot of transitions certainly. that's a lot of it -- development was focused at the beginning more on low-income housing and bringing different kinds of opportunities for businesses or retail stores to a neighborhood that has been sort of decimated and most recently,

the activity has been going towards market rate housing and the question of how working class people will be housed in harlem is very much at issue. tavis: we have done a good job. you have done a good job walking around that g word. i want to get right in. that is the notion of gentryification. are there harlems around the country? indeed there are. this issue is one that not just harlem is wrestling with but other black communities and enclave are wrestling with that same issue as we speak. on page 20, i want to put this quote up on the screen. we talked for a moment about ralph ellison. how the book borrows the title from ralph ellison. i want to go to another writer, james waleden johnson.

he had this to say. the question naturally arises, are the negros going to be able to hold harlem, if they have been steadily driven northward for the past 100 years and outor less desirable sessions can they hold this choice bit that is harlem? it is improbable that negro also hold harlem indefinitely but when they are forced out it will not under the same reason that forced them out of other ghars new york city. when colored people leave harlem, their homes, their churches and their businesses it will be because the land has become so valuable they can no longer afford to live on it but the date of another move northward is very far into the future. >> this is him saying then that at some point negros would not be able to hang on to harlem and plaining why and how if they lost it, they would lose it and

i think we call that prophetic. he put his finger on something that is happening as we peek here in 2011. what do you -- speak here in 2011. what you to make of it? >> that's the reason i include it the book. it is so dazzling to think of this man 80 years ago putting his finger on the situation that we're now living through. what find interesting about that quote is who has the power? it is not necessarily worked out. he said it is because the land is too expensive for them to remain. is he saying people will decide to sell because they had rather have the profit or are people being pushed out because the people that own the land have decided to have the profit? so -- and i think in contemporary times both things are happening in the case where some people who are landowners, property owners, some have decided to move on.

even? a case of a property that might have been in the family for generations and in other cases, it is people who were -- landowners all this time and holding on and not developing their property during the tougher times and letting it stand until the market was favorable to them. have to move and all of that is affecting everyday people's lives and then other questions like how the city has decided to develop harlem. some recent rezonings that went through. that will really change the face of the neighborhood. tavis: part of this book, part of your research for thefection is historical and part of it is -- you lived in harlem for a number of years. i've been to harlem countless times. i've never lived there, though. it is fascinating to me to talk to people who had one idea of what harlem was, kind of what i

first thought hollywood -- when i first moved to l.a. 20 years ago. when i first came to hollywood, i was like this is it? you drive to hollywood boulevard and think whatever, this is it. what did you make of harlem before you went there and after you spent a few years there? >> i mentioned in the book how my introduction through to harlem was listening to music and love songs about harlem and of course i had a semiromantic view. i'm not by nature a romantic person so i'm always going to have my eyes open to what is going on around me. i capt say i arrived with this idea of the place and that was changed but moving there was an invitation to go beyond what i had read and also to use the encounters that i had had and the places that i was walking around as a kind of text of

themselves. how could i read that? how was that as important or more important than what was in the book? i would say the most important thing that i couldn't have known before i arrived was the openness and the way life is lived publicly and in the streets in that neighborhood. and really being always welcomed into a conversation, into a chat in a way that was just so friendly and that is not something that i guess i thought about in terms of new york. i would attribute that sort of to southern heritage of a lot of the people who live in harlem now. either they were born in the south or their parents or grandparents. i think that is some very vibe brandt public community spirit comes from that. tavis: a pacific northwest way to close, by asking -- a perfect way to close, by asking whether or not your conclusion is if there is hope for harlem into the future.

i ask them because there is a lot of good stuff going on there. a number of corporations doing good work there. there are a number of good things happening in harlem but there are so many challenges still. one in three kids in harlem has asthma. we can do this all day long. crime, etc. is do you have a sense of home? >> i have a sense of hope that comes from those interactions and the strength of community lies from the relationships and the fabric of the place is defined by who lives there and whether they are allowed to stay and i think the people who hold the memory of this place and the power of what it has meant for so many generations who are continuing to carry that on through simplest of exchanges, they transmit that for us. that is what gives me hope. tavis: it is her first text but a whole lot of folk are tall about it.

it is called -- talking about it. it is called "harlem is nowhere: a journey to the mecca of black america". sharifa rhodes-pitts. >> thank you. tavis: that's our show for tonight. thanks for tuning in. until next time, keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with columnist david brooks and actor blair underwood. that's next time. we'll see you then. >> all i know is his name is james, and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i am james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference, >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every

answer, nationwide insurance is froud join naves working to improve financial literacy one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more.