tavis: good evening from los angeles. i'm tavis smiley. first up tonight, a conversation about the struggling city of detroit and a unique project about motown from the staff of "time." last year "time" purchased the home in detroit which now houses correspondent steven gray. heads reporting from the magazine's detroit house. it is about the city that has been at the epicenter of the economic slowdown. also tonight oscar-winning actress holly hunter is here. this is the final season of her series "saving grace." we're glad you have joined us. conversations about the motor city and holly hunter 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 looking

forward to 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 insurance working 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: steven gray is a correspondent for "time" magazine who lives and reports in a home in detroit purchased by "time" to raise awareness about the motor city.

steven gray, good to have you on this program. >> thanks for having me, tavis. tavis: as i mentioned, "time" bought this house. when and for what purpose? >> last summer to concentrate on detroit and the things that are it is going to take to turn the region around. tavis: is there a point to be made purchasing a home in the city of detroit? >> it has been on the minds of people in the country and the world in that it hasn't been put on the public's consciousness in 30 or 40 years. we think this is the perfect time to dig in our heels and become stake holders in the state and in the city of detroit and determine what it is going to take to turn this region around. tavis: without giving out the address and where the home is, is there a reason they bought the house they bought and the

neighborhood that bout it in? tell me about where the house is. >> about a 10-12 minute drive away from downtown detroit. it is a five-six bedroom house almost 100 years old and it is a fantastic space. having this house gives us an opportunity to understand detroit, michigan in a way that i could not if i was living in an apartment in detroit or in the suburbs and then, you know, meeting my sources all over the place because we regularly have city officials and state officials and various stakeholders in the community over for dinner and lunch and coffee. we have various correspondents and editors and reporters and videographers coming into the house. having this house close to downtown detroit gives us a way towns the region and some of the issues that are at play here in a way we couldn't if i was living in an apartment or maybe had an office.

tavis: you're not from detroit are you? >> no, i'm originally from new orleans. i moved here from chicago. tavis: give me some of your impressions of the city now that you have been there for six months. >> yeah, i think there is probably no better place in america besides new orleans to be reporting from. all the key issues the country is facing in terms of economic recovery to educational crisis to class and racial issues, they are all in the extreme here in detroit, so i think it is a very -- it is a fantastic time to be reporting here. the city is also at a very critical moment. tavis: when you say the city is at a critical moment, you mean what, steven? >> it is i mean the city is at a critical moment. it is truly on the brink of financial collapse, but even within that crisis there is great opportunity. the city has finally elected a mayor and a set of city council officials that have i think the right sensibility to do what it

takes to pull the city out of the chaos that it has been in for the last 40 or 50 years but i think it is going to take years to really understand and to really see some tangible results of some of their efforts so that's why it is a great time to be on the ground here in detroit chronicling some of the changes that have been made here. tavis: let me throw a few things at you and get your assess identical, your take on since you have been there. you mentioned the election of mayor david bing. let me ask you your impressions to have politics, the political corruption that has invaded the politics. talk to me about the politics in detroit right about now >> sure. obviously mayor david bing became a successful dizzman in the wake of the steel -- businessman in the wake of the steel industry. he is opposite of kill patrick. he is in his mid to late 60's,

very much a c.e.o.. he comes to detroit with the credibility of the business community which is, is i think one of the key things that detroit is going to need to turn around and bringing back some investors here. he is also very detached. so far he seems very willing to sort of dive in and do the sort of cuts to the government services that frankly the city can't afford anymore. so it is going to be interesting to see how soum some of his efforts unfold in the next couple of months and years. tavis: i was stunned some months ago to read the average price of a home in the city. you can literally buy a home in detroit for $6,000 or $7,000. tell me about housing in detroit now >> i think the timing -- the detroit bureau seo a great example of that. here you have a six-bedroom house in a fairly decent neighborhood in the city of detroit that we paid $99,000

for. i guarantee anywhere else in america you would be spending half a million dollars and certainly more than that if you're in new york or connecticut or san francisco or l.a. i think that is a great example or maybe even a sad example of what happened to the real estate market here in metropolitan detroit. tavis: talk to me about -- about the auto industry. of course we're reading about this every single day. when i say talk to me, i don't mean in terms of what's happening in the industry. i'm talking about the impact of what's happening in the -- the industry is having on every day people. many have for generations connected to this industry. >> i think there is a slow realization in various parts of detroit and certainly in michigan at large that, you know, you can no longer rely on the auto industr to be your bread and butter. in this week's "time" magazine that comes out on friday, i have

a story about the growth of the lithium battery market driven mainly by what is expected to be a growing demand for electric or hybrid vehicles and i think that is one example of the ways that folks here are trying to branch out beyond the auto industry. tavis: unemployment in detroit is extremely high. especially high in the african-american community. talk to me about unemployment in detroit. >> sure. officially, detroit's unemployment rate is about 25%. that's an improvement from about 27% just a few months ago. that is the official statistic. that does not include the number of people in the city of detroit who have simply given up looking for work. that's an indication of the level of despair in the city and some folks are simply trapped because they don't have the kind of skills that it is going to take to get the kind of jobs that folks near michigan are desperately trying to attract.

that is really something that i think, you know,nologist washington and certainly elsewhere in the -- folks in washington and certainly elsewhere. tavis: i love detroit. people in detroit love and swear by their city. if we can talk about the slummy side -- let me ask you about the sunny side of what you're seing in detroit. >> sure. the fact of the matter is you cannot do a good job of covering detroit and a region or any place for that matter and only focus on the negatives. there are some positives here. there is a push to bring more entrepreneurs, especially young entrepreneurs into the area and that's partly because the barrier for entry here is so low but i think, you know, the obstacles here are pretty daunting but there are folks trying to overcome them. tavis: talk to me about the mood of the people. i ask that because all of these

challenges are significant. even though things that allow us to indulge in escapism haven't been good for detroiters. the football team hasn't done so well. the basketball team hasn't done so well. the baseball team. talk to me about the mood of the people in this sfism >> you know, i think it is a mixed bag. one of the surprising things that i found is despite the gloomy statistics, you know, folks here on the one hand are extremely optimistic but at the same time i do sense, you know, among a certain segment of population a great deal of despair. that's what i'm saying, the mood here is fairly mixed depending on who you are talking to. tavis: there is a church, actually two churches on every corner in detroit. it is a city that has for years been rooted in a faith tradition. to what extent have you seen the faith to have people play a role in getting them through this

this process? >> that is a good question. i think a lot of people are turning to religion in some ways to sort of help them get through. that is something people are definitely turning to. tavis: yeah. tell me about -- whether or not what you have seen being there for the time that you have been there covering this story err day is what you thought you would see. what are the surprises and what has fallen in line with what your expectations were prior to you're arriving in the city. >> one of the most surprising things for me was how optimistic a lot of people here are about the potential turnaround in detroit and michigan despite the statistics out there that are pretty depressing. i think in many ways i underestimated how complex some of the issues in detroit are especially when it comes to dealing with race and class. that's something i'm going to definitely explore in my coverage over the next couple of months. tavis: steven gray has parked himself thanks to "time" buying

a home there, has parked himself there for a period of time in covering detroit and how to get through this difficult process for six months at least so far. we'll see how long he is there. steven, thanks for coming on tonight. appreciate your time. >> thanks for having me, take care. tavis: up next, oscar-winning actress holly hunter. stay with us. please welcome holly hunter back to this program. the oscar-winning actress is back with the final nine episodes of her tnt series "saving grace." the first premieres on monday, march 29 at 10:00 p.m.. here now a scene from "saving grace." >> no more beer. >> tequila! >> how long have you believed angels? >> three years.

>> you win. >> you know what else i believe, jake? i believe i need tequila, please. tavis: all right. so i'm going to keep my promise. i told holly i was going to tell this to the nation. you can't see this at home but there is a monitor over my shoulder to the left that the guest can see what's happening on the show. just as we were about to play the clip, holly went an pleck tick, it would seem about making me turn the monitor off. you did not want to see yourself. do you not like seeing yourself that much? >> well, i have to at some point

look at myself but not -- no, not -- not simultaneously. that's really -- that can really mess me up. tavis: ok. you don't want to see yourself simultaneously. after all of these years being in the business, how do you view yourself after the fact? are you generally happy with your work? are you overly critical? when you look at your stuff after the fact what do you think mostly? >> well, i remember jenna rowlands. i did a couple of movies with her. he was determined that all of the actors watch dailies. this is where you learn about yourself and your craft and what you can do better and what you don't want to repeat and the character that you're building. so i have -- you know, with "saving grace," i'm one of the exiver producers. that means i'm in the editing room which means that i have to be able to look at my work as

objectively as possible, which is difficult to do but after a while i can get over the certain am of self-hatred that i might have and the loathing that i can have when i feel my work is not good. it is a balancing act. when i'm actually working, i couldn't -- i can't -- i want to be -- i want to get lost to a degree in the character. i don't want to be objective. i don't want to be judging too much. tavis: here is an impossible question. let me ask you and see if there is something here. again, you have done this for a while. you have won the academy award. when you're being objective, how do you know when you hit the mark that you wanted to hit in any given scene, how do you know when that was pretty good? >> well, it helps to have a great director. that's fantastic. when somebody else is there

saying, we got it. you did something, yes. that was it. but what is it? i don't know. i' think wow, that was it. that was my great take. i discovered something. and then in editing i'll go well, actually that wasn't it. it was two takes before. so it is a very, very kind of an impossible thing to judge because time changes things. you know, even in film time can change things and you're putting something together when you're putting a whole story together, what was it on the day may not be it in the grand scheme of the story. tavis: these final nine episodes represent quite a bit of distance from that first episode where you're driving drunk and hit this individual. what do you make of the journey from then to now of the series? >> well, i think, you know, one

of the fascinating things -- one of the things that i love about this character and about having done her is that -- what i love most to explore is the essence of a person and in a way, the things who this person is and fundamentally when you're born, you are who you are and this person i've portrayed, this will be the end of the fourth season, she is who she is. she is fundamentally the same as she was that night that she hit and "killed" this man. she is that woman, still. and the unchanging aspects of her, i have fallen in love with and continue to fall in love with. and i have admired the show that there is an unchanging kind of

spinal cord to her. tavis: if there was a theme, my phraseology here, not yours, holly. if there was a theme, it was really about this notion of forgiveness and all of the tentacles that sprout there from. is there a theme for these final nine episodes? >> that is an interesting question. i kind of feel like you have this woman who is chosen. she's somehow a chosen person. and a very, very unlikely woman to be chosen. and what is she chosen for? i mean that is something we have never known. it is something that i have never known and that was a question i was really, really excited about asking through, you know, through various channels in the course of this final season. was what am i chosen for and why am i chosen? and why can't i?

why can't i not be chosen, you know? to be chosen and i think that you know, in many ways everyone is a chosen person. there is something in you that -- that excels at a given thing and maybe you can spend your entire lifetime searching for that thing that you're chosen for and i'm not talking about chosen by god. i'm talking about that you have a -- you have something that you gravitate towards, something that you can excel at. in this case, you have a woman who is chosen to do something. who is she chosen by even? that is a question that grace continuously asks all the way to the end of the season. of the series. tavis: is it important for her, without jumping ahead. i don't know what these nine episodes are going to reveal. is it important for her to discover that given that she has had her flaws obviously throughout this run? >> is it important for --

tavis: is it important for us to see this character discover that so that the message to those of us who view the show is that even with our flaws, we all have a purpose. we all have a calling. there is something for us to do. >> i have to say i don't know if there is a message to the show really. i've always done the show to ask questions. tavis: that's fair. >> that is the thing i've felt was most provocative for me in doing the show. i don't know if the show answers a question. i mean, to me, it is exciting to walk into a bar and see a bartender who loves what he does. you know? he loves the society. he loves the technique. he loves the skill. he loves the artistry of his job. you know, people who are in service positions who feel that this is something they are meant to do.

the exchange. and feel that you know, i -- i don't know if the show -- that's something that i addressed in playing the character, particularly this last season, was that question. that i think resides in everyone. >> on any given day, on any given channel on television, you can see a series that is based in l.a. or a series that is based in new york. it ain't every day that we turn on the tv and see a series based in oklahoma. >> mm-hmm. tavis: what do you think that has meant? i see -- this is me talking, not you. i kind of see the locale as one of the characters in the story. >> at the very least, oklahoma represents the bible belt. the heart of the country where people are -- people are christians and then you have this woman who is kind of a

non-christian, dropped into the center of that and immediately there is a palpable tension. there is a conflict. you know, before anybody says word there is a conflict there. that was an interesting thing for me to employer as an actress -- to explore as an actress, to see somebody who was in -- there was a constant stress between this woman's beliefs and the community that she is in the middle of, their beliefs. tavis: we'll see over this next nine episodes what happens to grace but what happens to holly hunter on the other side of these nine episodes. >> what happens to me? tavis: yeah. >> well, you know. kind of a free birth. i go into the drift. we talked about it last time i was here. but the drift, i like. you know? i'll go back to new york with my

family and we'll partake of the gyms that new york city has to offer. tavis: [laughter] for those who didn't see the last show, let me just probe one last final second. you like the drift. i have spoken to actors who do and some who don't. they want the next project lined up before they finish this one. if they are not working they feel like they are nobody. you like the drift and you like the drift why? >> well, i like mixing -- i like the complete change of -- i don't know what the next 10 minutes are going to bring really. on a movie set, 10 minutes is everything. you have 10 minutes. 10 minutes till. they will need you in 10 minutes. they need you now. they needed you 10 minutes ago. where are you? it is so fantastic to be kind of

released from the prison of that and going into a different prison, you know? and so i -- i need that. i need the 180 degrees difference. i, you know, maybe i'm fundamentally lazy. i don't know. i don't feel lazy when i'm working at all. i feel very, very energized and charged, and i love the focus of working but then i really like not being focused. i really like being impetuous and not having a plan. i don't like a schedule. tavis: well, i'm going to free you to go drift now. [laughter] to go do whatever you want to do following this conversation. that's the way holly hunter likes it. the show, "saving grace," on tnt, the final nine episodes. holly, good to have you back. >> nice being here.

tavis: that's our show for tonight. catch me on the weekends on p.r.i., public radio international. i will see you next time back here on pbs. until then, good night from l.a. thanks for watching and as always, keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley on pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time with actor pierce brosnan and his role in the new roman plan ski film, "ghost rider." until then. >> there are so many things that wal-mart is looking forward to doing, like helping people live better, but mostly we're looking forward to 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 insurance working 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.