FRIDAY

• Home
• Video
• Podcasts/RSS 
• Local Showtimes
• Past Shows
• Blogs
• About the Show
• Tell Tavis
• Features
• Mobile

RELATED LINKS

• Article on Ms. Adams
• Come Early Morning
• Ms. Adams' bio

E-mail a friend

Tavis: Joey Lauren Adams is a talented actress whose film credits include "The Break-Up," "Chasing Amy" and "Dazed and Confused." Her latest project marks her directorial and screenwriting debut in the film, "Come Early Morning." The movie hits theaters in select cities on November 10. Here now a scene from "Come Early Morning."

[A film clip is shown]

Tavis: Joey Lauren Adams, nice to meet you.

Joey Lauren Adams: Nice to meet you.

Tavis: You were commenting while that clip ran that they always pick interesting clips. What did you make of the clip that somebody picked?

Adams: No, they always pick the weirdest clips from the film. It's like, oh, it's a comedy, yeah. The film is a comedy so people will go see it (laughter).

Tavis: (Laughter) What did you make of that clip?

Adams: It's such a random scene. You know, that actor, that's his only scene in the movie. He's going to be thrilled (laughter). He's going to be in heaven. I'm going to call him.

Tavis: I bet if I did some research, I'd find he's close friends with somebody in my editing room.

Adams: I think it's one of the only like, I guess, funny scenes in the movie that's sort of like you can get it in a few seconds of what's going on.

Tavis: So speaking of "Come Early Morning," his cameo notwithstanding, what is "Come Early Morning" about?

Adams: It's so hard for me to put it in a nutshell because the film is so personal and stuff, but it sort of all started with this bible verse that I heard. I was raised Southern Baptist in Arkansas and I was in the church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. When you're a kid, they send you to Sunday School and God is Love and you're a little lamb and Jesus Loves You, This I know.

Then the first time I went to the big church and heard my first sermon, the whole sermon was on the sins of the father being passed down for three or four generations. It just was so contrary to what I had been taught God is. Here's this old man in heaven punishing innocent children. So I went to the preacher and he couldn't really explain it to me.

It wasn't until like much later in life once I got out of Arkansas and sort of understood God in a different way that I realized it's not God's doing. Like if you beat your kid, it's a negative energy that that kid will carry and pass on and it naturally takes about three or four generations to work itself out. So it's like, okay, let's pick a character and put her in the second or third generation of a sin and how do you get out of it?

Tavis: I'm just curious now for my own personal reasons. Did your faith get challenged around this incident, around this story, around this time in your life?

Adams: No, not - you mean when I first heard the sermon?

Tavis: Yeah.

Adams: No, I was too young. I think I was just always sort of questioning. I used to want to be a missionary. You know, I was just very involved in the church. You know, because you grew up in Mississippi, was born in Mississippi, but -

Tavis: - grew up in the church, yeah.

Adams: Yeah. Religion is almost like an appendage. You know what I mean? It's just innate. It's just a part of who you are and you constantly struggle with it, you know. When I pray, I still have to go back to the like "Dear Jesus," you know, because that's how I learned it.

Tavis: When you learned how to pray.

Adams: Yeah.

Tavis: So how much of this, then, is autobiographical, "Come Early Morning?"

Adams: None of the events actually really happened. I left Arkansas when I was nineteen. But some of it is loosely based just because it was easy to write, you know, what would Granny say in this situation? But I think it's more emotionally autobiographical, so it was definitely dealing with issues that I was going through at the time when I wrote the script which was about seven years ago.

But really I just wanted to see a female character onscreen who, you know, in some areas of her life. Like Lucy, with her work, excels and she's very responsible and she's on time and does well. Then, in some areas of her life, she's screwed up and that's me. Like I do very well in some things.

Tavis: Sounds like all of us (laughter).

Adams: Yeah, exactly. You don't see that on film. It's either a heroine addict and they can't get it together or, you know, I wanted to see a realistic portrayal of what my experience has been.

Tavis: Two questions out of that last comment. One, you wrote it seven years ago. It really does take time in this business to get something made, doesn't it?

Adams: Yeah (laughter).

Tavis: By the time you write it, by the time it gets made, if it ever gets made, is a journey. How fascinating was yours?

Adams: You know, it was awful.

Tavis: (Laughter) I said fascinating. I didn't say awful.

Adams: No, there was nothing really fascinating about it. Honestly, it was awful and hellish. It even turned to the point where like your family stops asking you about it. It's like an abusive relationship. You know, they'd asked me so many times how is the film coming. Well, I've got the money and then, the next time they talk to you, we don't have the money, this actor is going to do it, he's not going to do it. You know, they literally stopped asking me about it.

When I got the call December before last from one of my producers that we had the money, I said sure. I've heard it so many times before. I went home for Christmas and I told no one because I never thought it would be on at that point, you know, five years in.

Tavis: Another question out of that comment a moment ago. A lot of actors end up turning to writing and directing, to your point earlier, because there's stuff they want to see that they don't see, but oftentimes they write it for themselves. You write and direct, but you didn't cut yourself in.

Adams: No, but I was never one of those people who was thinking what I really want to do is direct. I never had ideas or notions of directing and I wrote the script originally for myself to act in it. You know, when I first started writing, it wasn't like I saw it being made one day. It was really just to feel proactive because, as an actress, especially if you're not on the A list, you're in such a reactive position sitting waiting for Hollywood to call you in. I just found it very frustrating, so I wanted -

Tavis: - and then you get told no most times when you show up.

Adams: Exactly, exactly. You know, you can wake up and say like I feel so great today. I want to work. I want to, and there's no audition. There's no scripts to read. Then you find yourself in the bar drinking. It was very disruptive for me. I just sort of found my life going to like the E through Hollywood.

Tavis: (Laughter) Fast forward to E through Hollywood.

Adams: Yeah, what can I do?

Tavis: So that begs the question, Joey Lauren Adams, why do this thing? It is hellish, it's difficult, there aren't the roles out there for you. Most days you end up in a bar at night. So why do this?

Adams: Well, I mean, that's why I wanted to start writing and then, eventually once I finished the script, it became so precious to me. My desire to direct was born out of fear of someone else translating the material, you know. I'd worked so hard to make these people real and not caricatures. If I was there acting and the director said to one of actors, "Why don't we sing one of those funny country songs," I would have had to shoot him and then there'd really be an E through Hollywood.

There's nothing like, you know, the first day I walked on the set. What was once an idea, then a blank piece of paper, and then there's a hundred ten pieces of paper that you've written it all out. You walk on set and everything you wrote is there. There's Lucy laying in bed and they move and they talk and it's just an amazing feeling.

Tavis: So now that you've done this successfully and others will get to see how well you've done it, has the bug bitten you? Do you want to do more of this?

Adams: I do. I definitely do. You know, like in my head, I think the next one won't be so hard. That's how you think as a human being. It's the will to survive and it may take seven years. If I'd known going into this what a nightmare it would have been, I'm sure I couldn't have done it. But you don't know, thank God.

Tavis: We were talking earlier before you came on the air here that you got so sick of being out here in Los Angeles with the rest of us, you packed up and moved to Oxford, Mississippi.

Adams: I did, yeah.

Tavis: How are things in Mississippi? You know, I'm born there.

Adams: I know. I've heard, yeah. I love it. You know, I thought that I was depressed for five years and got on antidepressants. I realize now that I was just unhappy. Things are different. But it's a small town. I have a bicycle. I have a pickup truck. One of my best friends, Ronzo -

Tavis: - what's his name?

Adams: Ronzo.

Tavis: Ronzo.

Adams: Yeah. We're both big fans of yours. We really are. I really watch your show. But he's more of a fan because he will literally leave the bar and go home and watch your show (laughter).

Tavis: (Laughter) Ronzo left a beer on the bar to go watch this show?

Adams: Yeah. He says, "I got to go." He'll take off and he's gone like forty minutes and then he's back.

Tavis: I'm wondering if I'm actually driving Ronzo to the bar. I mean, he starts there, he watches the show and then he goes back to the bar. I'm not sure that's a compliment, but thank you.

Adams: It is, it is.

Tavis: (Laughter) and, Ronzo, if you're watching - thank you - Ronzo, if you're watching in Oxford, Mississippi, I appreciate it, as does Joey. Joey, it's a pleasure to meet you.

Adams: It's really nice to meet you.

Tavis: I'm glad this is out and I'm glad you finally got - this must be a wonderful feeling to see it actually in theaters.

Adams: Yeah.

Tavis: Nice to meet you.

Adams: Nice to meet you, Tavis.

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