good evening from los angeles, i'm tavis smiley. tonight conversation with three-time emmy winner beau bridges who is currently starring in two different tv series. the comedy "the millers" and "the masters of sex" on showtime. beau bridges has appeared in more than 80 television shows and more than a dozen films, including, of course, qucourse, baker boys" with his brother jeff. we're glad you're joining the conversation with beau bridges coming up next. ♪

and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. automaticing is part of the legacy lloyd bridges left his two sons, beau and jeff, and both have excelled, beau has two emmys, three grammys and a golden globe. he's starring in the sitcom "the millers" and the drama "masters of sex," set in the late '50s he

plays a repressed husband. we'll start with a scene from "the masters of sex." >> i'm asking you to separate your personal feelings from your professional decision to terminate me from this hospital. >> you think i got to be provost by holding onto grudges? i was prepared to accept the board's decision to hire you, but i didn't have to. you weren't recommended. >> that can't be true. i read the letter doctor -- >> you failed your performance review. some of your superiors had concerns you lacked the professionalism and character to represent this institution. >> as i was congratulating you on not one but two series right now. and your quick response was, i am lucky to be working in this business right now. >> that's right. >> you really feel that way? >> yeah. i feel blessed to have this opportunity. you know, this is an up and down business, so this is great. i'm on a little bit of a run. >> what do you -- what do you

make of this little bit of a run you're on right now? like -- i know there's no rhyme or reason to this, but why at this point in your life do you think this run of these two series just happens for you? >> well, you know, one of the wonderful things about show business is the unpredictability of it all. i mean, i had no idea, and these two great opportunities came. "the millers," by my friend greg garcia, who is the show runners. he did "my dad earl," and i know greg. he's one of the best show-runners going. and then "masters of sex," you know, is the total opposite of that. full-on drama. i play a closeted gay provost at a university rendering of a true story, masters and johnson who did all of those sexual experiments in the '50s which turned the world upside down in terms of how we deal with

sexuality, especially in terms of women. women were always thought to be just, you know, kind of along for the ride. and william masters and his sexual experiments determined and introduced to the world that, in fact, the ladies are driving the bus. you get with that, you know. >> any hesitation at all, any equivocation whatsoever about playing this particular character on "masters of sex" at this point in your career? >> well, you know, it was interesting when i was asked to be in the pilot, in the show, it was not revealed that he was a gay man. he was just a provost who was, you know, at the university where the experiments were happening. he wasn't really happy with them. he was mentoring william masters. and i thought, that's an interesting character. and then they decided to -- that he was a gay man. and so that was a surprise to me. one of the other great things

about this business, especially when you're in a series, is you kind of grow with the character. you know, you don't really know where he's going. you find out -- it's like opening a christmas present. you find out every time you get a script, oh, that's what's happening to him. so, you kind of evolve with the character. and the first time i ever played a gay man, i played a man who was a transsexual, who had the operation, became a man -- i mean, became a woman. i did that a couple of times. but never a gay man. so, it was interesting to get into those shoes. it was tough being gay, especially in the '50s. there was a lot of ignorance afoot in the land. and, you know, especially people in positions of power really had a tough time. most of them remained in the closet. i mean, police used to break into gay bars and arrest people and so forth. so, it's kind of interesting to lift up those rocks and show what it was like to be gay in those -- in those years, because even today, unfortunately, there

is still some ignorance in the land in terms of your sexuality and, you know, people -- sometimes it's hard for us to be who we really are. >> what happens when -- i'm not talking about the fact that this particular character happens to be gay, because it could be any number of character traits, but as an actor what happens when you sign on, how do you navigate signing on to play a particular character and then at some point in the season or the run of the series, they flip it on you and you're signed on to play this character, and what if as an individual you have misgivings about playing this particular aspect of a character? what do you do with that? >> well, it was a total surprise. when they told me, you know, that i had the show, i was -- the show had been picked up. i was excited. i went to a christmas party with my wife. and michelle ashford, the producer of the show said, you

know, we're so excited that you're here. you're going to be so -- you're so great in the pilot. she's kind of stroking me. my wife is standing next to me and she said she saw where it was all going. i said, well, thanks, you know, this is a great opportunity for me. they said, we have some really wonderful twists for your character coming up. my eyes lit up and my wife said she knew exactly where my head was going which is, oh, i'm provost of the university. there's all these people behind the scenes, they're having sexual experiences. i'm probably getting it on with some co-eds at the college and stuff. i said, what? what's the twist? he said, you're gay. you know, that totally threw me for a loop. my wife burst out laughing because she knew where it was going. but in the end, you know, love is love, really. and i'm playing a man who is married for many years. allison janney plays my wife. i guess she was on the show not

long ago. >> not too long ago, yeah. and not unlike you, she's working two jobs. >> that's right. yeah, one comedy, one -- >> one comedy, one drama, exactly like you, yeah. >> so, yes, we've been married a long time. we have a grown child. and we love each other very deeply, but we're operating different worlds sexually. we don't want to give up our closeness, our love relationship. and so we work through that in the show. and it's pretty complex. but i think beautiful because, you know, our -- i don't think our sexual drives define us. i mean, i think there's more important, more deeper aspects to the human condition than that, although that's an important part of it. >> so, you're by your own admission on a bit of a roll

right now with these two different series. let me go 180 degrees in the other direction. so, you're part of this rich legacy, this lineage of wonderful, brilliant acting in this business. how does beau bridges survive the lean years, when we weren't seeing you on one, much less two series, at the same time? how dyou sustain yourself in the lean periods? >> well, you know, i was a circus brat. my dad, lloyd, was an actor. and so i saw, as his son, saw him go up and down on the roller coaster ride of being an actor. and so, you know, it wasn't news to me that that might happen in my career. and it did, it has. and he always told me, my father, that, you know, you want to keep working, keep being in a ready mode because you never know when that chance is going to come. and you have to work hard in this business, because there's a

lot of people that want that one role and only one person gets it. so, preparation was an important part of what he taught me. and also the word respect came up often, to respect yourself, respect those people that you work with, respect your fellow man. and i think if you do that as a person, it kind of helps you through those lean times because, you know, it doesn't matter if someone else is giving you a job or patting you on the back. as long as you respect yourself, i think you have a chance to get over it, to get it to happen. i also have a wonderful wife, wendy, who is there supporting me all the time and my five kids. we're a good family. and that helps in the lean times, too. >> this question might be a bit too stark, but let me ask it anyway. which is whether or not you have, for the most part, seen this lineage that you're part of

as a blessing or a curse? >> oh, well, definitely a blessing. i mean, it's very difficult to get the first job as an actor in this business. and my father being an actor put all his family to work, basically. me, my brother, my sister cindy, even my mom. and he felt it was a family business. and that's not too unique. i mean, i think if you look at a lot of professions, the children will at least try out their father's business. and -- but i don't lose sight of the fact that i was blessed to have that shot. that my dad provided. now, once i got that first job, he told me, he says, you know, that's it. you're now going to have to bring the goods because this is a professional world and they don't care after that first job whose kid you are. you have to show that you can do your thing. and so i did work hard at it,

you know. and i love it. it's a great business. >> because, again, you're playing these two parts now, dramatic series, comedy series, whether or not you have worked harder at one of those things to become proficient where the other might have come more easier or you had to work equ equally hard in both aspects? >> i think most every job in the acting business comes with its own set of challenges. "the millers" which is a comedy for cbs, that was unique for me because it was a live performance, multi-cam shot. and i had only done it once before. but we had a brilliant director, jimmy burrows who had done the best "friends,"friends,"" cheer

of great ones. i have a great cast, william arnett. we've done 22 episodes so far. in the beginning it was kind of scary because it was like doing a new play every week and i never felt totally prepared in when that live performance came. and you have nine or ten writers with you all the time, handing you new, you know, new stuff in a joke doesn't work, bam, they give you a new one right on the spot. and so that took some getting used to. but the immediate response from the audience is great. and i also learned that they probably enjoy more if i screw up a line than if i get it right. they laugh -- >> that's slapstick comedy. >> they laugh their head off. >> i ask that question in matter because i know, jeff, your brother a little bit better than and you i know each other, and i was trying to get a sense of whether you think your personality is given more to drama than comedy, although you're doing both of them pretty well right now?

>> yeah. i think there are elements of comedy and tragedy in all characters. and probably the first thing i look for is just the opposite thing. if i'm doing a real serious, dramatic role, i kind of look for laughter in there, because i think that's what people enjoy. and that will make the guy's kind of surprising so he's not one note. if i'm doing a comedy, i try to look for the heart and soul of a person. like in "the millers" i'm playing this man who leaves his wife after 43 years and moves in with his daughter. now, you know, it's a laugh a minute, that show, but that's a serious deal, too, someone out there trying that at my age. so, yeah, i had my first makeout seen in a long time on that show. >> and how was that for you? >> pretty good. it's impossible to talk to you or your brother for that matter,

if you're fans of the bridges' work for quite some time, as i have been for quite some time, without raising the "baker boys" project. it's in the rearview mirror now. i don't want to color this question too much deliberately. what do you think when you look back on that project with your brother jeff? >> well, one of the things i remember in that project ismy xhel in that red dress on top of that piano. >> everybody does. don't we all? >> it wasn't just my brother and i. >> point well taken. >> yeah. no, she was tremendous in the show. and i loved it. you know, the music was such a wonderful part of it. you know, the chance to get in and tickle the keys. my mom had taught me how to play a little bit when i was younger, but never like the real guys. david grousen did the wonderful music. it was great to see my brother get into music because he alw s

always -- i thought that's what he was going to become, a musician, in the beginning. and then he did his first movie "the last picture show" and got nominated for an academy award. i think he was like 19 or something. and now in his later career because of "crazy heart" and "baker boys" he's getting into his music. he thinks he's a rock 'n' roll star. he's getting into his country band. so, you know, it's -- it's fun to see him evolve like that. >> yeah. so, he, you thought, would be a musician or photographer. as a matter of fact, i have a book of his -- >> oh, yeah, he's a good photographer. >> his photography book is on my dresser in my dressing room, as a matter of fact. i see it every day. but you might have been, could have been, thought you might be, a basketball player. >> well, yeah. you know -- >> this is a great story. don't try to -- don't try to blow me off, man.

>> well, i was a walk-on. >> tell the story. >> i was a walk-on at ucla. i can't even remember the year. somewhere in the early '60s. and so the coach, you know, some say the best college coach of all time, john wooten. >> some say. if they don't say, they're idiots. >> he was my first. he walked out there the first day. i'm sitting there with a lot of high school all-americans and little me from venice high school with a halfway decent jump shot from the corner, sitting there. here he comes and he says, we will begin, gentlemen, by learning how to tie our shoes. start by pulling your socks up very tight so there's no wrinkle that will feel like a rock in your shoe after a length of time. you start with the laces at the bottom and you work your way up. and always double knots. we don't want them coming loose at the end of the game. and, you know, i played maybe two, three minutes a game, if i was lucky.

i think i scored 1.3 points a game. but i was there. and the beautiful thing about coach is he remained in contact with all his players. and just a wonderful man. you know, his pyramid of success he began as an english teacher and then later gave to his teams. i pass that on to so many young people. i couched all my kids' teams. and, yeah i'm so happy that i was a small part of his experience and he was part of mine. >> yeah. i was going to say, that has to be one of the great joys in your life. just -- i read his affirmations all the time. i had the honor of interviewing him a number of times on this program. >> oh, really? >> i'm from indiana. he's from indiana. every time we saw each other, we had the indiana connection. i just felt so honored when i got to l.a. just to get to know him a little bit, but those affirmations of his -- >> be quick, but don't hurry. >> that's it. you know them. >> make every day your master. >> you got it! you got it! it is amazing -- i don't care who you talk to, who's been around this +9zguy, played for n

wooten, that stuff, to your point, they all remember it. every one of them, like you, passes it on to their kids. >> oh, yeah, yeah. >> just to be in that space, though. >> he was the real thing. >> yeah. when, then, did you take this thespian thing seriously? >> well, after my jump shot faded -- and i got real -- >> yeah. >> -- i had this opportunity to maybe, you know, try out my dad's profession. go to work in my father's shop, so to speak. and i was -- i transferred from ucla to the university of hawaii. and was kind of phasing out my college education in the surf. i got into surfing. and then i had some opportunities to work in some shows. not with my father. and i tried them and i really loved it. and i've enjoyed it ever since. and now my kids, they're all

involved. my daughter, emily, who's getting her masters in arts and leadership at the university of minnesota, she does -- just completed an independent film. we wrote a play together quauca "acting the first six lessons" which french, and my son is regular, my son casey is a documentary film maker but he's in south africa building youth centers in soweto, you know, outside of jo-berg. i don't want to leave anyone out. my youngest son zeke is going to italy to study italian film and some italian classics. he's going to chatman university. they're all touching film and being involved in it. it's telling the story. it's continuing on that old

tradition of sittinground the campfire talking about what's going on in the next village. >> how important has it been -- how important has it been or did it just happen to happen that this next generation that you just speak of now, your kids, will continue this legacy? was that by design or by happenstance with your kids? >> well, you know, that's an interesting question. i think that probably a bit of both. i mean, because of the new technology. the whole communications industry has really, you know, expanded. and the potential and the possibilities are almost limitless. i mean, it's amazing. i think my children, like all young people, are aware of that. my son dylan, who i didn't mention, he's in digital marketing at universal. that's a whole new world.

you're part of the digital world. >> yeah, i'm trying to figure it out myself. >> yeah. and he helps school me on all this stuff. so, it's -- yeah, it's -- it's fun to see them all join in that effort. and also, you know, there's so many important things happening in the world today that need to be talked about and thought about. and i think we as performers in the entertainment industry, part of what we do is to lift up the rocks and say, okay, what about this? let's examine this in our lives today. and i'm glad that my family's a part of that. >> without prosthletizing, how do you feel you've been able to do that, to tell the kind of stories you want to tell, to get

us to wrestle with these issues you want us to wrestle with, through your heart? >> yeah, i mean my father saying to me when he was in his 80s saying, geez, you know, i feel so disappointed that i didn't really, you know, do all the things i wanted to in my career. i said, dad, what are you talking about? the man was successful. he had successful series, did some iconic movies. i said, how can you say that about yourself? but i think, you know, maybe it's that we all -- you know, we can't help but be in touch with those things that we didn't accomplish. but i've had a chance to be in some great flimsz, i think, that were meaningful. "norma rae" about unions. that was a classic. i remember sitting there in the south and marty rft itt, our director said, we were making a movie, and he said, we're making a movie that's going to change this country. and it did, to an extent.

it had a lot of important stuff in it. i think i did a tv film called "without warning: the james brady story," about jim braid y the press secretary who took the bullet for -- >> for reagan. >> -- to the head of president reagan. and jim, his whole life has been a story of perseverance and how he3y)s has overcome this challe of a brain injury. and i got to step in his shoes. >> you played that remarkably well. >> and show that to the world so hopefully people who are challenged in that way see that and say, oh, okay, that guy did it, you know. >> you played the heck out of that character. of course, the briefing room in the whougs now is named after james brady. brady briefing room. that was a great character. beau has done a lot of great stuff and he's still doing it on a couple things right now. "masters of sex" on showtime and "the millers" on cbs. how you had time to come see us

with two series, i don't know. great talking to you. >> thanks, tavis. >> thanks, beau bridges. that's our show for tonight. thanks for watching. and always, keep the faith. ♪ for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. >> i'm tavis smiley, join me for alex and senior simone campbell about her book "a nun on the bus." that's next time. we'll see you then.

and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

>> charlie: welcome to the program. i'm jonathan karl, filling in for charlie rose, who son assignment. we begin tonight with a look at the escalating crisis in the middle east. alexander marquardt joins us from gaza. >> there's a huge amount of outrage and you look at the death toll. the vast majority of people who have been killed are civilians, not militants, and a lot are women and children. so when you drive around the gaza strip and you see the houses that have been blown apart that have massive craters in them, people lost their livelihoods, they're not turning around and say we want hamas to stop firing rockets, they're saying, we want revenge, we want you to keep firing the rockets. >>urther consideration in the middle east with vice admiral bob harward and former acting director of the c.i.a. john mclaughlin. >> it's a more existential threat to neighboring