tavis: good evening. from los angeles, i am tavis smiley. first up tonight, my conversation with oscar-winning actor timothy hutton. he became a hollywood actress -- be honest actor in hollywood to win an oscar for his role in the "ordinary people." his tea and tea show, "leverage ," is now on the air. also, my conversation with artist maxwell. his latest cd is "black summer's night." timothy hutton and maxwell, coming up right now. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking forward to doing, like helping people live better. but mostly, we're helping build stronger communities and relationships. with your help, the best is yet to come.

>> nationwide insurance proudly supports "tavis smiley." tavis and nationwide, working together to improve financial literacy and the economic empowerment that comes with it. >> ♪ 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 timothy hutton to this program. he has starred in so many notable projects over the years, including "ordinary people," "taps," and "falcon and the snowman."

here now is a scene from his new show, "leverage." >> i said that wheat mortgaged the car -- i said that we had sold the car and mortgage the house. 20 years with that company and would not help save our son. >> why didn't you tell me this? i work with these people. i am friendly with them. you just let me walk around like an idiot. he is my son, too. >> i know. >> why have you been carrying this around all this time? >> i did not want you to hate me. tavis: nice to meet you, timothy. clad have you here on the program. that clip does not really explain the story behind the

character that you play, nate ford. i will let you explain, and i admit that i do, but should i be cheering for you? >> i think you should. tavis: i will let you explain an audience will know better why i asked that question. >> i play a former insurance investigator who becomes disillusioned with his job following the death of his son. it tragedy happens leading up to that, he loses his wife, loses everything in his life and he has hit rock bottom and he joins up with a band of thieves. he will work with these thieves to settle the score with people that have been taken advantage of, their homes taken away by corrupt contractors. tavis: modern-day robin hood. >> absolutely. he is walking that difficult line because he has always been

chasing these guys, and now he is working with them. it is the only way he could help himself is by helping other people. he decides to sell a part of himself to work with these people and they become this dysfunctional family. tavis: you had no hesitation in suggesting to me that i should be rooting for you. with that definition, you have to explain why i should. >> because the character in the story and the group as a whole, we help people that have been really taken advantage of. i think you root for this guy and this group of people that i've with -- that i am with, especially with what is going on today. i think the audience realizes that people have been taken down, without things being properly explained to them. they are vulnerable in certain areas, whether their banks, their home, their health, their healthcare.

what we do is we make sure that it is a level playing field and nobody is taking advantage of. that is why you should root for these guys. tavis: the timing of this show in the second season cannot be more propitious, tapping into american sentiment. these guys who are running the healthcare industry and running the banking industry, corporate america basically. if anybody is getting bailed out, it is them, not the everyday people. i think you are right, there is a sentiment that this show can tap into in season two. the flip side is whether or not as an actor you think that you may be pushing people into a behavior to get back at somebody. you see where i am going with this? >> i do. i do not think the message of the show is to get back. revenge is always a fun concept,

to get even. the tagline for the show is " ready to get even." it definitely speaks to the show. but i don't think that the show would ever push people to do things that are outside the boundaries of normal ways of going about doing things. we say about ourselves, we like to say we pick up where the law leaves off in some cases. this is about getting people to say, wait a minute, i do not have to have these things taken away from me, there are other options. if there is a message, it is that. at the same time, it is a tv show. tavis: 88 "death wish." >-- it ain't "death wish." >> that is right, it does not promote people to be vigilante's.

-- it does not promote people to be vigilantes. tavis: what attracts you to this character? why did you want to play this character? >> right away, the guy is sitting in an airport bar, drunk at 7:00 in the morning, no life, no car, nothing to live for, lost his wife, lost his kids a great, happy character. not really. but i thought what a weird place to start. it is the shell of someone who is it their former self, a great place to build on. if it is a television series, you have a full season, hopefully more beyond that, to show how this guy deals with his demons and how he gets out of his self loathing, self indulgent trap of poor me and all of that. i thought behaviorally it would be interesting to get behind that concept that the only way i cut myself is if i help other people.

i thought it was a great place to start as a character. tavis: i am sure that you hear this all the time, but you have not heard it from me. i came home last night, i turn my tv, trying to relax -- this is your first time on the show, never met you before. i turn the tv on, "taps." how is this possible? i am going to see the guy tomorrow. >> on the show, "leverage," we have a guy who's a hacker. i sent him to your house. tavis: is that how that happened? >> i had it piped right into your house. tavis: it worked. it was there staring at me. i said i'm going to meet this guy tomorrow. what you think of that project in retrospect? >> it was great. sean penn, tom cruise, all of us

were starting out together. we were all working with a wonderful director, george c. scott was there. we were all very excited to work with him. it was a great time in my life to me the young tom cruise and sean penn and everybody. it was quite a group of characters. tavis: when you look back on having won that academy award at the age of 20, did you ever think then about how you were going to navigate your career beyond that moment? it was such a rare feat that you accomplished that year, did you ever consciously then give thought to how you navigate from there? i am trying to figure out how you keep yourself from being burdened by the pressure to navigate your career beyond that. >> i think you look at that

time, i tried to look it that as what happened with the academy award and everything like that as something that was specific to the movie. it was not specific to a career, it was specific to a movie, a time, and a time and place. once that happened, you have to move on. each time you start out again, it is the first time. i happen to be starting "taps" the next day after the awards. i flew back to pennsylvania to join everybody. the thing you tell yourself is, i have not done this role before, everything is new. i do not walk in here with anything that gives me any kind of additional knowledge. i am completely at ground zero in terms of this project. each time you go about it, i think that is the proper perspective. i have tried to do that, and never really thought about the whole career planning thing.

the focus on what you have and you hope that good material comes your way and that will take care of itself, hopefully. tavis: are there things that you are looking for? >> i directed a film a couple years ago with kevin bacon, so i'm looking for that again. tavis: directing? >> my yes, that was a great experience. the schedule is five months out of the year, so i am able to do other things. right now, i am doing a film in berlin with roman polanski and pierce brosnan. it is not just working on "leverage," i am able to do other things. tavis: what is it like to work with roman polanski? >> it is great. he is an amazing director and actor. he will act your part out.

you will allow it. it won him to say, this is how you should do your part, let me show you. he has such great ideas. great storyteller, the life of the set. just an amazing energy that he has. tavis: any secrets you want to tell me about where "leverage" is going in season two? or you can just wire it to my house again. >> i will do that. the first season, the character i was playing was quite literally the drinker. in the second season, we're looking for another vice. tavis: maybe it is just my read, but i got the sense at the end of season one, you start to have tension in the group. >> trust issues. major trust issues. they do not know if they can work together, there have been some trails. i think the second season you will not see them together as a team right away. i think it will work by

themselves slowly and perhaps come back together. tavis: we shall see. "leverage", starring timothy hutton. nice to have you here. >> thank you. tavis: i am pleased welcome maxwell to this program. starting july 7, you could pick up a copy of his long-awaited new c.d., "black summer's night," the first in a trilogy of cds. before that, he ticks off a national tour in milwaukee on june 20. here is some of the video from the single, "pretty wings." >> ♪ to see clearly the way love can be when you are not with me

i had to leave let love set you free pretty wings your pretty wings fly ♪ tavis: let me just start by saying that you did just a few dates not long ago to tease your fans about this new project, and you are such a tease. you are such a tease. i was an audience at the shrine show. >> you did take all the shine away from me. tavis: you killed it that night. >> l.a. was so encouraging. i felt like i had all the cheerleaders in the house that night. tavis: what does it feel like to

be gone by your own choice off the stage for as long as you decided? eight years? >> at this point. tavis: 7 and half years you're off the scene, and you announce that you're coming back just for a few dates, and the tickets sell out just like that, in minutes. you get on stage and people go buck wild crazy. that feels like what? >> i think it has to do with the bar that is in the -- no. it is exhilarating. i would be lying if i told you i did not feel like, wow. at the same time, it is very humbling because it is such a blessing. careers end and begin, they have ended and begun or vice versa in my time away. to even have any interest and any consideration whatsoever, it just gives me the sense of

security in my work and work that i do with my musicians, my band, david who is just a brilliant collaborator, a longtime collaborator. we all as a team -- it is not just me. i did not want people to believe any way -- i am the face of this situation, but this is a team of people who been so supportive for so long. tavis: for all the women who were screaming everywhere, i was surrounded by women, and for those who have not seen you in awhile, when you walked out on stage, the first thing everything looked at? >> the lack of hair. tavis: they went crazy because the hair thing was such a big part of your persona back in the day. >> three, four years ago i was just getting hot, it was summer something.

isis said, let's move on. i have said this many times, i did not want my music to be and how am -- i do not want my music to be about an image. some people have said, bad move. i got letters from people that were saying, you messed up. your career is over. i know as black folks, here is very important. i had no idea. you cannot cut your hair. it was funny to me. tavis: dr. cornel west was there with me. he saw his afro in the audience? >> i will let him carry on the legacy. tavis: we were talking to each other during the show, saying that even though you are getting older, the way you are dancing now is better than you were 10 years ago.

maxwell has not missed a boot -- has not missed a beat. >> thank you. in the old tradition of a good show, when i get on stage, it is not my ego. there is bravado because you have to be a super hero, whatever you are supposed to be that night, but there is such gratitude in the fact that people got all dressed up, moisturized, they got their babysitters. and now on the last four i have come to find that women are bringing their children, their 16-year-old and 18-year-old. to see that happen, i feel such great humility and such, thank you so much. i try to give people what i can, as much as i can give them. tavis: why the new project now? why now?

tell me about the trilogy that makes these of. -- tell me about the trilogy that makes these up. >> i always felt like i wanted to take a break. it had been 10 years. everything was released in 1996, but i was working on music and shopping demos, and everything really started in 1991. it was like 10 years of just consistent focus. you know, just your work. for me, i think there's something wrong with just being only what you do. it is not a real person. he did into a place where you cannot really communicate too people who live 9:00 to 5:00 lives when you are flying here and luxury this and autographs.

for me, it was like how do i get back to that place where i could just make music that i hope someone likes it, not to because i need to meet the standard of the last record, get on the chart position, win this amount of awards or whatever it is that comes with it. i think that the time away kind of helped with that. i literally forgot all of that. i literally went back to, this beat sounds great, this melody feels good. i met this girl last week, she is making me write this. and she does not really know who i am. in fact, she thinks my career is over. i kid you not. people have said, didn't you used to be maxwell? i have assert -- i have heard that so many times. tavis: the artist formerly known as maxwell. >> just in that, it was humbling

because without having your title, who are you? it was great. it was great not to have that. i almost had this fear that it was over because then when i decided to make this music, i was just coming from a place of i like music and if you buy it or not, this is how i feel. it was good for me and end. tavis: this first record comes out now and then you're going to do one in two years. >> 2010 and 2011, exactly. tavis: "black summer's night." have you done all of the music for all three? >> we have all the music. what really happened, which i did not think this would happen, but when i went on the road last year, we had all these songs

ready. i would just throw new songs. i did not want to do too much. i hate when people play eight new songs straight. it is not cool for the audience at all. they bought their ticket and got moisturized. we threw out new songs and it was interesting because it really inspired the way that we finished the album. i could literally pull into my mind the many faces that i saw. youtube is an incredible invention in that from the first two shows, people had our lyrics. they knew the parts, they knew the first first, second verse. week five, people are singing along. tavis: the new stuff. i knew you were going to be ok with the project when i saw you at the shrine show. i knew you were ok because obviously those who of us -- those of us who are fans knew

the new stuff, and you interspersed it through the show and it still flowed. >> i was not going to do that. i felt in some ways that it has been so long, not not that i want to repeat myself, but i felt that i owed the many years that have been waiting a specific thing. also i am excited to do it again. i get bored fast, so you want to kind of change it up. you did not want to look like your formula -- he did not want to look like you are a formula or conveyor belt. it was a really, really exhilarating experience just to get the encouragement from the masses. tavis: are you ready for the big tour now? >> i am ready. i am never as ready as i would like to be, but i just get out there. it is a blessing to do this. any job, any work at this point for anyone is something that you need to sort of give praise to

god for. but i am very excited about touring for the next 18, 21 months for this trilogy set. tavis: you mentioned the word gratitude earlier in the conversation, and we are so grateful to you for coming back, putting this project out, coming to see us. i am sure that you will see me on a few steps. >> please come after the show. it don't pretend like you are not as big as you are. tavis: as long as you are on the stage performing for me, i am good. backstage is nice, though. >> he is just trying to get the numbers. tavis: go get the new cd from maxwell, "black summer's night." go see him on the road. i'm glad you are back. that is our show for tonight. it catch me on the weekend on public radio international. access the podcast on our website, pbs.org.

until then, good night from l.a., and as always, keep the faith. >> ♪ pretty wings . wang's -- pretty wings ♪ [captioning made possible by kcet public television] >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley on pbs.org. tavis: hi, i am tavis pilot. join me next time for our conversation with attorney and political advisor vernon jordan. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking forward to doing, like helping people live better. but mostly, we're helping build stronger communities and relationships. because with your help, the best is yet to come. >> nationwide insurance proudly

supports "tavis smiley." tavis and nationwide, working together to improve financial literacy and the economic empowerment that comes with it. >> ♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--