blair underwood is a broadway star now, but it all began on tv's "l.a. law." >> we've been starting our associates pretty much commensurate with the going rate, which has i'm sure you're aware is considerably lower. >> i understand, sir, but i've already been offered 71 with heart and gold. >> so much for your doctrine of less is more. >> sometimes more is more. >> blair underwood is one of the most recognizable faces on television and now he's on broadway. blair underwood joins me now. >> good to see you, piers. >> i must have been 12 years old there. and i sound 12 years old. >> i think your hair is not as gray as the president's. >> not quite. i don't have the pressure. >> there is a great link here. this is brilliant. i didn't know the background, but you got to know barack obama on "l.a. law." because you were playing the president of the harvard law review and that's what he was for real life. >> i met him around that time. in that first scene, they say that my resume, harvard law president, this, that, and the other. so i had gone to the school, i

a lot of that analysis. >> we have more with blair underwood after the break. his playlist. i like it. nice. ♪ t >>> we're back with blair understood. we're talking about how you are stanley on broadway for this. what a path that must have been for you to try to interpret tennessee williams in a different way. >> it's amazing. we were talking about tennessee williams and just how as a man of the south and as a gay man of the south and as being an outsider, he understood especially the french quarter. he understood the mixture of the culture. >> think about doing this today. man like stanley is more marginalized by the economy today than he would have been in 1947. i wonder how that hovers over this in your mind. >> what a great question. he is that blue collar kind of guy. we spoke of desperation from him towards stella. the beginning of this play, stanley and stella are expecting a baby. as a father of three, there's that sense of protection of the family and that whole nesting side that comes in. everything is heightened. when the economy is bad and when it'

and blair underwood has been going for it for more than a quarter of a century.w him in 1987 as jonathan recall inz. >> tell them he can talk to me now or see me in car. >> reporter: the brash young associate on the hit series "l.a. law." >> he's about to give up. >> no! >> reporter: since then, he's had scores of roles in television and film. playing everything from doctors.... >> you have specified he's alive. dark hair. fair skin. >> reporter:... to patients. >> plus there are risks here. it's not like the navy is going to give me a medal for spilling my guts in here. i'm not going to open up to you just like that without knowing what you are. >> reporter: from soldiers to thugs. and even a president. >> i am the president of the united states. i need to know. >> reporter: but now he's taking on one of the most legendary roles in american theater. >> stella! >> reporter: stanley in the tennessee williams play "a streetcar named desire." >> i'm nervous. and i'm scared. therefore, i'm more excited than i have ever been in a long time. >> reporter: that was clear

and joining us now, two-time golden globe award nominee blair underwood, who's stanley along with oners, aaliyah jones. good to have you both on the show this morning. >> thank you. >> blair, you -- you were feeling and i know you know this, just some huge shoes, from marlon brando to aiden quinn to john c. reilly. >> alec baldwin. >> talk about that anthony quinn as well. talk about the pressure that's on you. >> you know, there is, of course and thank you for reminding me, joe. >> he is stressed out. he just started sweating. >> the pressure but the one most people point to is the iconic marlon brandon, one of the greatest actors of our time and one of my favorite actor, of course. but you know, what he did was so iconic and genius, that performance, i -- i can't imitate that i don't want to imitate that people who come to see this production don't want to see an imitation of that i found instead of trying to reach for a pedestal, start from screech, el ya kazan, and the producer. >> mike wallace on tv, used his own voice. that is what you are doing here. >> only way i know how to a

. >>> tonight, blair underwood's thoughts on race in america. >> there aren't enough black and brown in this country to elect, so there are many other people, white, yellow, red, everybody in between,

>> my pleasure, i was there for opening night and i have to say you looked beautiful, you an blair underwood, both. i know the guys in my team here are all ready to leave their wooifs. they're just crazy abyou here. you have a beautiful husband as well. they don't compare. >> all the ladies love my husband, too. >> yes. we saw all of you that evening. it was so passionate and you really did take on that character, the character 245 grew up in lesion fields. my mom grew up there. we're telling your story a little bit. >> i'm really the poster child now for dreams really do come true. uh it took 20 years for me to get this phone call. i'm just so great that they made this happen and took a chance on me. the material itself is very challenging. but with this cast and the music, we just brought it to life in a fresh way. and people were talking about the multiracial casting, but what emily mann has done is actually using the original text is of tennessee williams play with a few changes just for segregation purposes. it's how we as human beings with her weaknesses and strengths get through life.

. >>> two-time golden globe nominee blair underwood. >> i'm so excited. >> i'm doing this interview. playing stanley in this iconic tennessee play. >>> about to head to work, you don't need to miss the rest of the show, check out our live blog. cnn.com/startingpoint. re valley sweet & salty nut bars. ♪ [ camera clicks ] ♪ it's hard to resist the craveable nature of a nature valley sweet & salty nut bar. hey, dad, you think i could drive? i'll tell you what -- when we stop to fill it up. ♪ ♪ [ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. [ male announcer ] jetta tdi clean diesel. the turbo that gets 42 miles per gallon. that's the power of german engineering. ♪ the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ [ slap! ] [ slap! slap! slap! slap! ] [ ma