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Tavis: Pleased to welcome Patricia Clarkson to this program. The Oscar nominee and New Orleans native has starred in a number of notable films, including "The Green Mile," "Pieces of April" and 'The Station Agent.' This fall you can catch her in two new projects; busy woman is she. First up, the George Clooney directed film, "Good Night, and Good Luck," which you're receiving rave reviews, as I'm sure you've heard by now. Early next month she stars in 'The Dying Gaul." The film opens November 4th in New York, and LA, and in other cities to follow. Patricia Clarkson, an honor to have you on the program.

Patricia Clarkson: Thank you so much, I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you.

Tavis: I'm glad to have you. I want to come back to 'The Dying Gaul' here in just a second, and 'Good Night, and Good Luck,' and all the other stuff you're working on. But first, you are a New Orleans native I mentioned.

Clarkson: Born and raised; my whole family.

Tavis: Just got through talking to Alden McDonald, head of Liberty Bank. You're not just from New Orleans; your mother is a city councilwoman in New Orleans.

Clarkson: Yes, district C, yes.

Tavis: Tell me about this.

Clarkson: Well - it's thrilling and it's an honor to have my mother serve politically, a city she loves so dearly. And, you know, now, of course it is in such crisis and the city needs so much help. - But it is, you know, it is my hometown. It's where I was born and raised. It's where my mother, my father, all of my sisters, we were all born there. My aunts, my uncles, cousins, I have a very, very large family. And fortunately, all of them are safe, alive. Displaced, very much so for the moment, but survived.

Tavis: Where - was your mother during the aftermath, the days following the storm?

Clarkson: She was in the Hyatt with the mayor, with Ray, yes.

Tavis: In the Hyatt with the mayor.

Clarkson: She never left, my mother. They finally got her out towards the end. They finally said, the police chief said, Jackie, you got to go. And she left. But she was not leaving, you know. My mother - bleeds New Orleans. It is her life, it is her love, and she has an extraordinary district, you know. It's a district that I think is kind of a cross section of the heart and soul of New Orleans, you know. It's the French Quarter; it's Algiers; it's Tremais; it's Bayou St. John. I mean she, it's an extraordinary district, and she loves it and she serves it proudly.

Tavis: Have you had a chance to go down and visit since the storm?

Clarkson: I did. I went down - I was in Venice, actually, the irony, I was in Venice Film Festival with "Good Night, and Good Luck," in one floating city, and my hometown was floating. And I went down there right after Venice. And was there for about a week with my mother, and went all over the city with her deputy, Fitz (ph). And saw, you know, the devastation. But enormous hope, too, in people, you know. It was a remarkable time.

And one of the most beautiful scenes I saw was, I was in my mother's district, the French Quarter, and we round this corner, and on the corner was this whole group of NYPD Blue cops. And here I am a New Yorker. You know, I live in New York now. And I jumped out, and I was like, oh, my God, thank you so much. I said, 'This is my hometown, but I live in New York.' And one of them recognized me. And I said, 'Thank you for coming, thank you for trying to save this city and helping and doing what you can.' And it was a beautiful moment, actually.

Tavis: Alden McDonald obviously sounded very hopeful, not just about his bank coming back, but about his city coming back. Is your mother as hopeful about New Orleans coming back?

Clarkson: Oh, yes. I mean, this is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. - It will come back. It will be glorious. And - the thing about New Orleans is as beautiful as a place to visit, it's a great place to visit, it's an extraordinary place to grow up. I mean, I - love that my childhood - I went to a big public high school. I lived in the suburbs. We were always in the Quarter. It's a great place to have grown up. And I think all the die-hard New Orleanians will be back.

Tavis: Speaking of growing up there. Tell me how it was that you grew up not to go into politics like your mother, but to go into this acting field. How did this happen?

Clarkson: I don't know. Well, and I'm the only actor in the family. The rest of my family has real jobs.

Tavis: But you have more fun, though.

Clarkson: Yes, I do.

Tavis: A lot more fun, yeah.

Clarkson: I have - I don't know. It started in high school. I went to a remarkable, I went to Carr Junior High School, and O. Perry Walker High School, and I had great teachers there. And they convinced me to get involved in acting, and I did, and it went from there. I went on and got my undergraduate at Fordham, then I went to Yale School of Drama, and I've just - been fortunate to be working. But - you know, I had to leave New Orleans or I'd probably still be there if I weren't an actress.

Tavis: Tell us about "The Dying Gaul.' You've got some many projects going on at one time, two good ones. This 'Dying Gaul' story is a fascinating story. There are all kinds of stories about, all kinds of movies made about women who find themselves in marriages where somebody is having an affair. But this one has an interesting twist.

Clarkson: An interesting twist.

Tavis: To say the least.

Clarkson: I mean, it is a kind of, you know - it is a Hollywood tale. But I think the beauty of Craig Lucas and a testament to Campbell Scott and Peter Sarsgaard, the two actors in the film, is that it is - we are, you know, somewhat clichéd or stereotypical characters on the outside. But it is a very dark and complicated tale, and it's very true, and it's very real.

And I think these people, you know, they are flesh and blood and it's - really a story about how the beast within us can be unleashed. We can be the kindest, most, you know, we can have the most perfect lives. We can be happy, we can be, you know, settled. And something can shift us and unleash, you know, and we can suddenly be forced into doing, you know, the most despicable of deeds at times.

Tavis: Tell me about the character that you play.

Clarkson: I play Elaine, a kind of Hollywood wife, wife of a big studio executive, a former screenwriter, which is the interesting aspect of her. And, you know, I think she was a screenwriter for a while. Stopped that and became a mother. Had two children a little later in life and has been, you know - and finds herself kind of totally smitten with this young writer who comes into my husband's studio, that he's going to produce the film. You know, he's just this wonderful, incredibly soulful young man. And things go terribly awry.

Tavis: That's one way of putting it. We will leave it at that. It is a fascinating tale, though, of what happens in this marriage.

Clarkson: Yes, it is.

Tavis: In this affair, yeah.

Clarkson: Yes, and how sad, you know, how I think - how deceiving looks can be, you know.

Tavis: Are you - drawn to - are you attracted to characters who happen to be, that happen to be darker and more complex, to use a couple of words you used earlier? Is there something about that that you like, or - this just happened to be one of those characters.

Clarkson: Well, this is one of the most complicated characters I've ever played. But I am drawn - I'm drawn to shifting, I'm drawn to characters that surprise me, that are sometimes emotional and comedic in an instant, or deceitful and pure and honest in a moment. I like - polar - I like a character that is filled with opposites. And I think it's usually a sign that you're working with a great writer/director, if it's that kind of project.

Tavis: "Good Night, and Good Luck.' This project has more buzz on it. I still have not seen it yet. But Neal, my producer, saw it, and has been raving about it, as are all my other friends. I've got to get out and see it as soon as I get the time to do that. But I'm hearing such wonderful stuff about it. And here you are on this project as well.

Clarkson: Yes. It's a beautiful film. And George has just...

Tavis: That would be George Clooney.

Clarkson: Oh, sorry.

Tavis: I don't know George. Yeah, you know George.

Clarkson: You know, George. Yes, George. But he, Mr. Clooney has done just a beautiful job. And you know why it's so beautiful? It's - personal to George. George grew up the son of an anchorman. He is Rosemary Clooney's nephew, and all of that comes together. He's political. He puts his money where his mouth is.

This is a personal, intimate piece, and, you know - Steven Soderbergh, you know, arguable one of the best mentors you could ever have in the world. But it is only, it is truly George's film. He's the only man who could have made this film. And I think it's a very timely and topical subject, and I think it's crucial that we remember the past - so we don't repeat it. And that's, I think - and he lets McCarthy just play himself.

Tavis: You play a producer here.

Clarkson: Yes, I play Shirley Wershba, yes.

Tavis: Who's married secretly to...

Clarkson: To Robert Downey Jr.

Tavis: ...Robert Downey Jr.

Clarkson: Yes. And 'cause employees at CBS could not be married to one another back in those days. And I recently saw Les Moonves at an evening dinner party and he said, 'We're thinking of reinstating that.' I said, 'Oh, great.'

Tavis: Yeah, a little late for Les. Now that he's got his wife. That's another issue, Mr. Moonves. I'll get out of your Kool-Aid, since I don't know the flavor. But anyway, now that he has his anchor wife on CBS, yeah.

Clarkson: But - yes, I mean, I play one of the few women, I mean, Shirley Wershba is - was a treat to get to know her. It was really one of the highlights of my career to get to know Joe and Shirley Wershba, and they're remarkable people. But, yes, she's one of the, Murrow's crew, her team, one of the few women that were there, because there were maybe two. And, yeah, they're working behind the scenes.

Tavis: Did you learn something out of that project? I assume you did. But - it's one thing to be creating a story like "The Dying Gaul," another thing to be part of something that was in fact real, with regard to "Good Night, and Good Luck.' Was there something that you didn't know about that, or playing that character allowed you to consider about what was actually happening inside of CBS at that time?

Clarkson: I'm thinking - what I actually learned, and I'll always been a fan of Murrow.

Tavis: You're a news junkie, I hear.

Clarkson: I'm a news fanatic. I love the news.

Tavis: 24/7.

Clarkson: I love the news. I love, love, love the news. And I love journalists. - But I learned more about Murrow than I - and I thought I knew quite a bit about him. But actually doing this project, I learned kind of what really the machinations like behind the scenes of this - of how they actually really kind of got McCartney, you know, the real moments that led up to it - the real details. And I just got to know more about Murrow, and I've gotten to know more about Murrow just meeting Joe and Shirley Wershba, which is just all the great perks of our day.

Tavis: This thing's got Oscar buzz on it. Is it that good?

Clarkson: Yes. It's good. Oh, David Strathairn is glorious, and he's impeccable.

Tavis: I've got to find some time over the weekend to go check this out. I'm honored to meet you.

Clarkson: Thank you.

Tavis: Glad to have you on the program. What's next? You've got like two things out at the same time.

Clarkson: Well, I have "All The King's Men" coming out in December. (laughs) And then I have some projects lined up for the spring, a few.

Tavis: Work - is a good thing, isn't it?

Clarkson: It is. I mean, at my - you know, I'm not 25, and so the fact that I'm still working and whee-hee.

Tavis: Get a high five on that. There you go, good stuff. Nice to have you here.

Clarkson: Thank you so much.

Tavis: That's our show for tonight. You can catch me on the weekends on PRI, Public Radio International. Check your local listings. See you back here next time on PBS. Until then, good night from Los Angeles. Thanks for watching, and, as always, keep the faith.