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Tavis: Director Jay Roach is arguably the most successful comedy filmmaker in Hollywood history. His terrific career includes all 3 'Austin Powers' movies, the most recent starring of course Mike Myers and Beyoncé. Love the hair. Those 3 films have grossed over $700 million worldwide. His latest film 'Meet the Fockers' is now the highest grossing live-action comedy in movie history. The film, as you know, stars Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand, and Dustin Hoffman. It's out today on DVD.

Tavis: Jay Roach, nice to have you on.

Jay Roach: It's great to be here.

Tavis: Glad to have you here. Um, tell me when you were putting these 2 films together, 'Meet the Parents' and of course 'Meet the Fockers,' whether or not you knew you had a hit on your hands. And I ask that because there are a lot of films that have major names attached to them. We can start running the list. Hollywood is replete with examples from 'Ishtar,' before 'Ishtar,' post 'Ishtar,' of movies that had big names attached to them that did not do well. But how can you not hit with Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, and Barbra Streisand? But I guess if the storyline isn't right, you could've tanked.

Roach: Yeah, that was on my mind a lot going in. I lost a lot of sleep, especially going into this when I think the expectations were very high. You know, it's never for me about sort of swinging for a big hit. It's about what casting makes the best characterizations. And I guess because we'd had such a strong thing between Ben and Bob--Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro--on the last film, I knew that the parents, Ben's parents, to take on Robert De Niro, had to be substantial. And there's a little bit of power that comes with who's playing the character, not just the character themselves--the kind of baggage, I suppose, from an actor's career. So when you picture Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as the people that Robert De Niro has to take on you go, oh, that--you know, that could be something. There's some suspense about how that's gonna go.

Tavis: Tell me how, speaking of suspense--it's a perfect word--tell me how one walks into a room with Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Robert De Niro...and pitches a project to them? Talk about suspense.

Roach: Yeah, that's a good question. You know, I remember when I first pitched to Robert De Niro, who was the first one we had on in the first one. I usually come in with, like, a 3-ring binder, and I'm all...overcompensating for my own perceptions of how big of a loser I usually think I am walking into a room with someone like that. And, you know, I just tried to pitch him why it mattered to me and simultaneously I was trying to say, you know, don't worry about the script. There's a lot to do and we'll get--but he was really--ultimately, he said afterwards...he said something that scared me which was, 'Don't worry, you're smart. You'll figure it out,' which is probably the most terrifying thing someone can ever tell you, especially if it's Robert De Niro. But he said what mattered to him was that I had a connection to it. And I pitched to him, you know, why I was connected to it. When I met my father-in-law, I was very much in love with my wife-to-be and she was amazing and she was--she's in the Bangles. Susanna Hoffs.

Tavis: I was about to get to that. You're not just married to anybody. You're married to Susanna Hoffs...who was hot with the Bangles back in the day. Probably still is, isn't she?

Roach: She's very hot, I must say.

Tavis: Just wanted to give you a chance to set it up right.

Roach: And, uh, yes, thank you, Tavis. So, no, she was amazing, and at the time, I hadn't worked that much. I was a professor at USC, sort of adjunct professor teaching cinematography. I had no money. I rode a motorcycle. I pictured me from her father's point of view was like...'Who is this guy?'

Tavis: What a loser.

Roach: So I then...you know, I typically will overcompensate anyway and tell a lot of bad jokes. And then I found out he was a shrink. I thought, 'Oh, my God.'

Tavis: Now you're really scared.

Roach: Now you're really-- 'cause, you know, in my mythology, shrinks have x-ray vision and B.S. detectors. So I did overcompensate, and I remember coming up with a lot of lame jokes about Sigmund Freud and walked in and just babbled and, you know, 'That Freud guy, he's something, right?' you know. I couldn't be funny. And that anxiety--he turned out to be really cool and a very tolerant person, and accepting. But that anxiety, that horror--I think a lot of men have that meeting their future father-in-laws. And I thought, 'That's a great character.' so I pitched that to De Niro. I pitched a little of my own father's background. My dad worked for the defense industry and is sort of professionally paranoid.

Tavis: So De Niro's the--

Roach: Yeah, so pitched a little bit of why a guy like that who worked in the CIA--especially if he's retired--might still use a little bit of that paranoia to protect his own daughter. And he bought that stuff. With everybody else, Dustin was... his own story. Dustin I met and I felt like 2 minutes in he and I had both agreed we were doing it. Because the character Bernie Focker is Dustin Hoffman. I know he was on your show.

Tavis: Not one night, two nights. The conversation was so fascinating--you know this story--it stretched into a 2-night conversation.

Roach: He's really funny, he's really loving and I just--he's also really inappropriate sometimes. He has no sense of personal space. I think he pulled the waitress over to demonstrate that fart kiss on her neck that we used in the film. And, you know, he was instant. And thenBbarbra... You know, I really had to... We took a long time to convince her to do it.

Tavis: Divas are usually like that.

Roach: You know, it wasn't so much that. She knew--people haven't seen her be funny in a long time. I watched everything, especially 'Owl and the Pussycat.' I don't know if people have seen that film. I recommend it. She can be hilarious and, uh...she hadn't been allowed to do that for a long time, and she knew that coming back it should be something special. It should not be just her standing there being a background person for these other guys. And so she held out, and she was wise to, 'cause it forced us to continue to make the script funnier. And she finally agreed to do it when I called up and pitched the idea of her being a sex therapist and the scene with her and De Niro where she throws him on the table and sort of gets the kinks out. And once she saw that I really cared that she'd be amazing on camera, you know, she finally agreed.

Tavis: I mention diva only in the nicest sense, though. She's a great actress. If you're watching, Barbra, I didn't mean...wasn't trying to dis a sister, you know. Um...but it's one thing to--back to the notion of pitching these individuals--I'm glad you shared these stories. So there's enough suspense around just going in and pitching each one of these major stars on doing a film like this. But once they all agree and they all show up on the set to work... I would only assume the suspense gets even greater than it was pitching them, because now you have to direct these people who are stars in their own right. How does one direct a cast with all of these folk in it?

Roach: You don't, really.

Tavis: Ha ha ha ha ha!

Roach: You sort of create the situation and introduce them to each other and show them where you'd like them to be. And then you really just kind of stand back and have a lot of film. I mean, they're all brilliant storytellers in their own right. Each of them has directed. I mean, Dustin hasn't directed, but I think in his mind he has. He's got such a great storytelling sense. But they're also all very playful and great improvisers. They just are constantly throwing out one-liners and sometimes in character, sometimes out. And I try to kind of have enough preparation that I know what I need from the scene. But then everything else is up for grabs. And they just kinda go at it. I mean, that scene around the dinner table we shot for, like, 4 days. It was a little bit like, I don't know--they use that expression 'herding cats,' 'cause they're just all so--they have such good ideas and so many sort of ways to go it, go at each other. And I just try to make sure that I have it all on film.

Tavis: Just between the two of us, does one get intimidated when you're trying to direct a scene like that?

Roach: Yeah. I mean, I don't sleep. Really, I get so worried when I'm trying to prepare for a scene like that, because it could--you don't want to be the guy who ruined a film starring all those people, and you don't even want to be the guy who you're standing there in the middle and Barbra Streisand says, 'What's this about again?' and 'Why are we doing this? I don't--' you know, and you not have an answer. That's my trick. I just try to have a lot of answers.

Tavis: Tell me what makes-- I was watching 'Benny Hill,' some old 'Benny Hill' reruns the other night, who I think was a funny guy. But there is a certain brand of comedy that we Americans export to the world. What is it about comedy American style, if I can put it that way, that resonates around the world? Because these movies like 'Meet the Fockers,' this movie isn't just doing well here stateside, you guys made a ton of money around the world, as did 'Austin Powers.' Little bit different movie, 'Austin Powers.' But tell me what makes American comedy work around the world?

Roach: It's funny. I wasn't sure it would work. There is a kind of conventional wisdom that talky comedies don't work around the world. But I saw it in London, I remember, and people really responded, and I went, 'Wow, this does have some universality.' I think comedies of manners are pretty universal. Everybody has in-laws. Everybody has been in situations where you try too hard and try to impress somebody. And I think that in this case it was a pretty universal predicament, you know, and it didn't really rely on language jokes or a particular turn of a phrase. But I've often wondered-- I think in the digital age, I would love if there were different versions of films that you could actually kind of recut a new version, you know, every week or for every culture and just e-mail it. 'Cause I think now with digital technology you will be able to do that.

Tavis: Tell me how it is that you found your way into the comedy niche as opposed to drama or sci-fi or some other interesting area that you could have--

Roach: That's a good question. I wrote a lot of sci-fi before I directed comedy. I went to film school after seeing 'Annie Hall' and just was amazed that you could be that expressionistic, you know, in making just a straight-out romantic comedy. And then I ended up, for 10 years after film school, started writing, shooting, and ended up doing a lot of sci-fi. But I met Mike Myers and I had also been a big fan of 'Monty Python' and Benny Hill, Mel Brooks. And I just got--I think comedy is an antidote to fear, and I've always been a very fearful person. The things that have always gotten me out of my own head in a way have been great comedies. So I just got a much bigger high watching the audience respond and lose their minds and that thing where they rock, their backs literally come off the back--it's just. It's like, 'Ahh.' that's a great feeling.

Tavis: All right, so this is out on DVD today: 'Meet the Fockers', but how do you top this?

Roach: I don't know. I don't know. I'm sitting around thinking about it almost every day.

Tavis: Well, have fun trying to figure that one out. If that doesn't make you fearful, nothing will. There's a lot of opportunity out there. Nice to meet you.

Roach: Thank you so much.

Tavis: Glad to have you on, Jay.

Roach: That's extremely cool.

Tavis: The new movie--not the new movie-- 'Meet the Fockers', now out on DVD. You'll enjoy it if you haven't seen it. That's our show for tonight. I'll see you back here next time on PBS. Until then, good night from Los Angeles, thanks for watching, and, as always, keep the faith.

Greg Focker: First cousin.

Jack Byrnes: First?

Greg: Yeah. And his kids Randy and Orny. Randy's good, but he had some problems, you know.

Jack: They all have that kind of problem.

Bernie Focker: ¿Sí?

Woman: I made some chimichangas. You guys want some?

Bernie: Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? You're talking to me? You're asking me if I want a chimi? How can I turn that down?