(upbeat music) (upbeat music) ♪ Could it be that the lady is me in the photograph?

♪ ♪ I'm afraid, cuz it feels too good ♪ ♪ And I want it too bad ♪ ♪ It's just not true ♪ ♪ Couldn't ask for any more than you ♪ ♪ Because you look at me as though I'm beautiful ♪ ♪ Could it be that you want me?

♪ - Hi, everyone.

I'm Steve Adubato.

See, you could see her shushing her dog right now.

We're actually live on camera right now.

That is the Amy... That's Amy Irving.

That's right, Academy Award nominated actress.

She's a singer as well.

Her first album is coming out called "Born in a Trunk" April 17th.

This'll be seen before and after.

Amy, do you mind if I give you some credits while you're petting your dog at the same time?

Do you mind if-- - Good, I need to be reminded.

(Steve laughing) - Here we go.

"Yentl," "Crossing Delancey," "Carrie," "the Fury," "Honeysuckle Rose," "the Competition."

You are amazing.

- I've been in a few movies.

That doesn't necessarily make you amazing.

(Steve laughing) - You got into acting when?

- I was born in-- That's why "Born in a Trunk."

My dad, Jules Irving, started the San Francisco Actors Workshop in 1954.

My mother was the lead actress in the company and all three of us kids were put on the stage.

My first play, I was nine months old and I was the baby in Rumpelstiltskin, then I was two and a half for, I believe it was my first speaking role.

I was Princess Primrose in the Magic Butterfly.

We used to tour around the Bay Area with Children's Theater, my dad's company.

So I acted a lot in those shows.

- Always loved to sing, always could sing, correct?

- Always loved to sing.

I've pretty much been learning how to sing.

I sang in a few projects.

I actually was at the St. Louis Opera doing "A Little Night Music" that Isaac Mizrahi directed and designed, and so I sang Stephen (indecipherable), but he wrote that one particularly for actors who can act better than they sing.

So I felt okay doing that.

But my son apparently likes the way I sing and he's a music manager, Gabriel Barreto.

And he handles this wonderful band called Goolis.

And he convinced me to do an album with them.

And I had a blast and they're so wonderful.

Jules David Bartkowski, AKA Goolis, did all new arrangements for every song that I chose and it's pretty thrilling to get up on a stage with an amazing group and be able to sing a song.

I did get training from a wonderful coach, Celeste Simone, who helped me figure out how to strengthen my voice and how to use it and how to have stamina, and so during COVID, I sang every day.

I worked with her constantly and was able to say yes to my son as far as getting up on a stage and performing these songs.

- And speaking of getting up on a stage, by the way, let's keep plugging "Born in a Trunk," Amy'’s first album.

Also March 4th, Montclair Outpost, in the burbs.

which is great, in my hometown of Montclair, also in New York City, you're performing there as well April 10th, and where is that?

- City Winery main stage.

It's in Chelsea Piers.

- Right, but I'm curious about this.

So that's not the first time you've been up singing in front of a live audience?

No.

- As myself, yes.

In character, I've had to sing a few times, but as myself getting up there, it's my first time.

- What are your thoughts and feelings about that as you lead up to it right now?

- Well, at first it was daunting.

I was terrified.

I didn't think I could do it.

I thought I would be shaking too much.

So we did a test run.

The band came out to my barn, this is a barn I live in, and we just did it for like 30 neighbors and friends, and I had such an excellent time doing it, and I didn't get nervous, which shocked me.

A little bit of tequila helped.

(laughing) - Whatever it takes.

- But after that rehearsal, dress rehearsal, I guess, I said to Gabriel, "Okay, I think I can do this," and since then, in order to get up and sing to get some experience, there's Birdland.

Susie Mosher has a Tuesday night lineup and twice she's had me on, and I've sung two of the songs from the album on her show, and that was a good experience, and I didn't get terrified, and I thought, "Okay, I'm enjoying this," and I told Gabriel, as long as I'm having a good time, I'm gonna keep doing it.

- I have this crazy idea that I want you to either buy into or disagree with.

I always tell people there's a fork in the road when it comes to something in public or something they're afraid of, and the road to the left is fear, anxiety.

"What if I screw up?"

"What if this happens?"

The road to the right is, "Listen, I'm gonna go all in, Try to have fun with this, connect with the crowd," and once you're in, you're on that road to the right and you can't get off.

Does that make any sense?

- It does, and I think you're absolutely right, and I do feel-- I geared my whole life to be an actor.

So the anxiety of getting up on the stage as an actor, I've had stage fright all my life.

I've dealt with it, but getting up and singing...

This is Jules.

- Who is that?

That's Jules.

- That's Jules.

This is another Jules.

He's a Wirehaired Griffon Pointer.

- How big?

- He's 85 pounds.

- Just checking.

Okay, good.

You were talking about anxiety-- - That's why he's not sitting on my lap, although he'd like to.

- By the way, check out our Steven Van Zandt interview where his dog was on his lap the whole time.

Not 85 pounds, I'm just gonna say that.

Amy, go back to the anxiety part, please?

- Well, I have been gearing up to be and I have been working as an actress all my life.

To get up and sing, there's a little less of an onus on me, because this isn't what I geared my whole life to do.

I'm doing it now, and you're right, connecting with an audience after being isolated for all these years, it's like when I was out there and I'm looking at people, and they don't have masks on anymore, and they we're looking at each other, and were communicating, and we're connecting, and it's just been so great to feel connected in the world again.

I just thought I was gonna be staying home for the rest of my life and it just feels good to be getting out again, and that connection, and this show is very personal.

It's very much, every song is from my life.

Whether it's from a film I did or from a love affair gone wrong, or a marriage, or my family, or whatever it was, it all came from me.

I'm the common denominator of these 10 songs.

I don't think anyone else would piece these 10 songs together.

For instance, I sing, "Why Don't You Do Right?"

I'm the singing voice of Jessica Rabbit in the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

So it made sense for me to do that song.

But Jules has done an amazingly different arrangement for it.

So it's nothing like what I did in the movie and it's really fun to sing, and I did a film called "Honeysuckle Rose," and Willie Nelson and I became quite close, and he wrote a beautiful song for me called "I'm Waiting Forever for You."

I do that and Willie sings it on the album with me.

- That's awesome.

That is you, and obviously I'm gonna plug this again.

March 4th, Montclair Outpost in the Burbs, eight o'clock, and the New York City show, April what, again?

- City Winery, April 10th, main stage.

- City Winery.

And check out the Instagram that's been up for Amy.

Amy, you honor us by joining us and we thank you for all the great work you've done, and the great work you're going to do moving forward.

- Come to the show.

- Well done-- Well, it's around the corner from us in Montclair.

We're checking it out March 4th.

- Okay.

- That's Amy Irving.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

- Thank you.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Wells Fargo.

New Jersey Institute of Technology.

MD Advantage Insurance Company.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The New Jersey Education Association.

Delta Dental of New Jersey.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

NJM Insurance Group.

And by The Adler Aphasia Center.

Promotional support provided by Northjersey.com and Local IQ.

And by BestofNJ.com.

Hey, kids, PBS Kids and Delta Dental want you to have a healthy smile.

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Number one, eat plenty of crunchy fruits and vegetables.

Number two, brush your teeth after eating sugary snacks or drinking sodas.

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