>> his real name was joseph merrick. he died in 1890 and grew up in lesser england and moved to ireland. they still are not clear what it is, they bleached his skeleton so they cannot get a good dna sample. he had this effect on london at the time because he started to exhibit himself as a freak show artist and then this doctor, it was his idea, different from the play. he grew up, his mother died when he was 10 and his mother remarried and her children tortured him. he left and lived with his uncle. he rolled cigars until his hands got so deformed to could not do it. he was educated. to be educated as a child you had to be religiously affiliated and his mother was a baptist. he knew the bible by heart and he knew the book of prayers. and he enjoyed jane austen. >> you described him as innocent and beautiful and effortlessly benevolent. that is the man that you saw. >> that is right. >> did he see himself that way? >> that is a good question. i do not know. >> you must've appreciated his intelligence. >> for sure. he did

the great joseph merrick. he wooed me in a way that was just right. i felt it was right. what was i thinking? you know in the part, what was i thinking? i thought it would be a simpler path. >> you show a lot of yourself. >> i show a lot of myself and what was i thinking? it is also a journey i have never taken before as an actress. it brought me to a new place. i am thankful for that. i am very thankful for that. >> who is ms. kendall? tell us about john merrick. >> john merrick is this man who was hideously deformed and had a difficult and treacherous life and was in the carnival. he was a circus freak. but he is taken in by, he has this, these grotesque deformities that were rather unprecedented, and this extraordinary doctor, dr. treaves in the play, it takes him in and he became a cause celebre. he was this brilliant, erudite funny, charming, slightly feminine, a winning man. and a truly --people always equate mrs. kendall and john merrick as the beauty and the beast but the truth is he was, he is the bea

and i knew of his profound love for this man joseph merrick the great joseph merrick.e moved me in a way that was just right. and i just felt it rass right. what was i thinking? you know in the part what i have to do. what was i thinking. i thought it would be-- i thought it would be acismer path. >> you show a lot of yourself. >> i show a lot of myself. and what was i thinking again. >> rose: it was great. >> but it's also a journally i've never taken before as an actress it brought me to a new place. and i am thankful for that. i'm very thankful for that. >> rose: who is mrs. kendall. tell us who john merrick is first. >> john merrick, of course is this extraordinary man that was hideously de formed and had a rather very difficult and treacherous life. and was in the carnival. >> rose: as the freak. >> was the circus freak. but he is taken in by-- he has this-- these gross desk deformities that were rather unprecedented. and he this extraordinary doctor played by the great alessandro nivola in the play t takes him in and he became a cause celeb. he was this brilliant