Candice Bergen Transcript 7/18/06 Candice, thank you for coming here. A pleasure. And I'm gonna start at the end, 'cause I'm gonna tell you I'm gonna start at the end. And I may even look tired. And the reason I'm tired is I got your book from the library, Knock Wood, yesterday. 'Cause somebody told me there was this book. And I started reading it. And I stopped at four in the morning. And I've never done an interview this way. Usually I start at the beginning, where were you born and all that stuff. The book is extraordinary. I can't believe you read this book. Well, no, I did. And I-- I-- I was only there to read it, you know, to try to get... to underline from things and get some stuff. And very surprised. It's well written. (LAUGHTER) what a surprise...not. And-- the thing I wanna talk to you about which was the most interesting to me was the relationship with your father before we get into other stuff. And the reason it's interesting to me and-- and-- and maybe our audience doesn't understand that Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy was the biggest act in America, kind of David Letterman and Johnny Carson And Mickey Mouse. --and-- and Mickey Mouse and Billy Crystal wrapped into one. And I really came in at the end of it, 'cause it was-- I-- radio was in its last year in my first year. But I certainly knew who Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy were. And-- they were so gigantic...and so I was interested in that. And your father, even though he played both parts, was the straight man. And the puppet was the idealized child and the brilliant child. (LAUGHTER) And how did you feel being the sister to this brilliant child?
The odd thing is that I never really stopped to-- explore it until the last few years. And-- because it's-- that was the brother I grew up until I turned 15, and then I got a real brother. But by then I was practically in college. And-- and now I have this kind of semi-obsession with-- and-- and a certain amount of pride with having the weirdest childhood and a childhood that nobody else has but me. And-- and I think it impacted me in ways that I'm only just beginning to understand. I-- I don't think it was an accident that my early reviews were-- I was described as "wooden," literally. (LAUGHTER) Like Charlie McCarthy. Yes, exactly. And-- and in the beginning, I chose men who were manipulative because I was-- and-- and my father actually did used to sit with me on one knee and Charlie on another. And he would squeeze the back of my neck. And then he would have Charlie and I talk to each other. And he would provide the dialogue. And when he squeezed my neck, it was my signal to open my mouth. And-- I mean, there's times I'm just proud of myself, frankly. (LAUGHTER) When you were in college and you decided that-- you weren't gonna do whatever it is you were planning to do but wanted to go into photography, was that out of-- a keen interest in photography? Or because, "Well, that's something actually I can do. And it's there." And it's-- No. It actually-- was something that I was very passionate about and-- and felt-- I think I felt I escaped my self-consciousness when I was a photographer because the focus was off of me and on people that I was interested in or-- fascinated by. And-- and it-- at the time, it was-- it was when photojournalists were, I don't know what-- movie directors or-- or producers are today or-- or anchormen. I mean, they-- they had this incredible glamour. And they had fascinating lives. And-- and they were so engaged with everything that was going on in the world, that I just thought that it was-- a fine thing to do. And-- and then the doing of it. I mean, I just-- loved it. Okay. So here's another question. From the time you were four years old, you were beautiful. You just were. I mean, that's a fact. You had a beautiful mother. She's a model. You were beautiful. And you've always been beautiful.
And you're gonna-- I say this to my wife, I'm gonna ask Candy this. And she'd say, "Well, all those women that have been beauty from day one will say, 'No, no, no. I was scrangly at 11. I was overweight at 14.'" I said, "No. Candice Bergen was beautiful from the moment she walked on the Earth. And everybody said she was beautiful." What did that make you feel or think? Intensely self-conscious and-- unworthy of an attention that I had done nothing to earn. And did it make you-- do you think that, in your early years of-- of acting, didn't allow you to be-- what you've become, which is a great comedienne? Let it happen, 'cause you were so, "I'm beautiful. And that's all I am. That's what I am"? Yeah, I-- I think it constrains you. And I think also people allot you certain gifts. And-- and I had mine, which was looks, to which I have no connection whatsoever, of course. And so I wasn't entitled to be funny. And I didn't look like a person who would be funny-- when-- when really that's-- because I've grown up with humor. 'Cause it's rare for some reason-- there are very few beautiful women that are also funny. It's just rare. Usually beautiful women are more stately. And I remember when we were discussing Starting Over, the movie that we made-- I was at the studio. You made it with-- Alan Pakula and Jim Brooks wrote it. And Jim Brooks said to me, "I'm gonna show you Candy Bergen hysterical." And it was the movie I think that showed the world how funny you are. It-- well, perhaps not the world. But, yes, it was the first time I really got the chance to do that. And because it was so unexpected, it-- it-- it worked well. And it was so much fun, and it was so liberating to finally get the chance to-- to do that. But that opened up the ability of casting directors and-- and people and directors and producers to say, "Hey, wait a second. Candice Bergen is a comedic actress as well as a leading lady, as well as a femme fatale," whatever it is.
I-- I was only comfortable in-- in a comedic-- sense. I was never-- I was always terribly self-conscious... From then on? Or always. I was always self-conscious in-- in dramatic things and being a kind of leading lady. I was never very good at it. But I-- I was-- and I was always so-- aware of myself and insecure. But with-- with comedy-- I-- I had a kind of-- fearlessness that I always lacked. So did you know in marrying Louis Malle, you would have a comedy life? (LAUGHTER) Did you-- I mean, here's a man who, again, made for a company that I worked at-- Pretty Baby, a-- a very intense international kind of movie about a very rough subject, about-- child prostitution. And-- so it wouldn't appear, by looking at this movie, that this was a, you know, Abbot and Costello. (LAUGHTER) And-- you're attracted to this kind of intensely intelligent filmmaker. Yeah. Yeah. Louis Mal was-- an extraordinary man, an extraordinary intellect. And-- just a voracious curiosity. And a-- and a-- and a real provocateur. He-- he just loved to stir the pot with his films. Did he want you to do Murphy Brown? Did he think that was-- or did he want you to do-- No, he did. --some French underground movie. No, no. He-- he knew-- (LAUGHTER) he knew my limitations. I think he was-- he was thrilled for me when I got to do Murphy Brown. I mean, it-- it grew to a-- greater identity than we ever anticipated. But-- but he certainly knew that's what I would do best. And was that tiring, doing that-- that many years? Or was it just fun, constantly doing-- having Dan Quayle say, "It's a horrible show because it's an unwed mother," or a single mother or whatever it was.
That year was a little-- overwhelming. But-- and-- and, yes, it was-- it was exhausting 'cause I had-- my daughter was very little at the time. And-- and-- so I didn't get a lot of (NOISE) sleep. But it was-- I mean, it's so thrilling. I mean, the writing was-- the writing was just so brilliant. And-- and because it took place in a newsroom, I mean, a bullpen, you had real life journalists on. And you had people in the news. And you had to be, you know, current about the news. So that it was a much more interesting context for-- for someone to do a show. So how do you like Boston Legal? 'Cause I was a big advocate of-- of having you be in that show. I-- it wasn't my decision. But when somebody told me and-- and I called you up and said-- Right. -- and said-- Candice Bergen in that show, it just seemed fantastic. The right attitude. It-- it-- I-- you know, when I got the script, I just-- you know. I mean, they come along so rarely that-- it was just a-- such a David Kelley comes at things in such a wonderful oblique way. And at the same time, he's so passionate about issues and-- and such a subversive that you never know that your consciousness is being affected until afterwards. And-- and his humor is-- is so tremendous. And-- and I'd watch the show and just thought, "Oh, what I would give to work with James Spader and Bill Shatner." I mean, you know, it's such a dream duo. --takes you and Shatner and Spader, it's hysterical. So much fun. How many are you doing a season now?
Well, last season I did all of them. So you went from "maybe I'll try a few"-- Yeah. To do them all. Yeah. I mean, sometimes I-- I wasn't in, you know, episodes except just as a presence, just to keep a kind of continuity. But-- but it's-- it's a very good job. How often in a lifetime does one actress get two television shows that are so successful and so unique? Usually you get that one show, and it's this big run. And then you try another and you never can match the lightning that you got that first time around. And here it's happened. Well, I mean, I-- I came onto this show as-- as an afterthought, I mean, a mid-- mid-first season. And I'm, you know, I'm one of the-- the ensemble of the show. So it's not like Murphy Brown. But I never even tried to do anything after Murphy Brown. I-- I knew that the odds were-- astronomical of never finding it. And-- and, frankly, I was very glad to get my life back, if you know what I mean. Yes. I totally-- I have-- after this discussion, I do not have to go back to an office and make 22 phone calls with three barns that are burning and-- and all of that. Well, I obviously, from starting over and before and all this stuff you're doing now and a intellectual fan of your father and-- and-- Charlie McCarthy, I just am so happy that you came and were able to-- to be on this show. Michael, I'm so glad you're doing it. It's really fun, isn't it? It is fun. The fun part is talking to the person. The arrangements and-- and how it all gets done is not as much fun. That's business. But you actually get to sit down and ask the questions that you're given license to ask and-- And the homework is fun.
Oh, I love the homework. I love reading about it. And you're out to dinner, you'd never ask these questions cause you'd slap me. No, no. But here I'm supposed to ask some of these questions. So it's-- it's fun to do. Yeah. Thank you very much. Well, a great pleasure. Thank you.