Transcripts For KQED Charlie Rose 20240622

Deal and the middle east. You can never get perfection. Iran has mastered the Nuclear Field cycle. The question is what do you do about it. I think secretary kerry and the president have tried to come up with a deal that refences this capacity. And that in my view would be in israels interest. Rose we conclude this evening with learning to drive a new film directed by Isabel Coixet and starring sir ben kingsley and patricia clarkson. When i was first attached to this project, i was ten years younger or nine years younger and nine years later i arrived to play this part and i thought oh, yes, now im ready now. Im here. I know what this is. I have no more doubt. I have, i know exactly how this woman, what her life involves, what her life entails. And i understood it in a deep organic way. Rose matt dowd, roger cohen and a new movie called learning to drive. All rose funding for charlie rose has been provided by rose additional funding provided by and by bloomberg, a provider of multimedia news and Information Services worldwide. Captioning sponsored by Rose Communications from our studios in new york city, this is charlie rose. Rose we begin this evening with a look at the 2016 president ial election, Donald Trumps campaign for the republican nomination continues to surge. He earned 24 in a recent poll followed by jeb bush and ben carson. The Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton remains under scrutiny for her email while secretary state. He spent time talking with voters at the iowa state fair where they all were. He is an analyst for abc news and he joins me now from one of our favorite cities, austin, texas. Welcome, sir. Thanks charlie, great to be here. Rose so how was the iowa state fair. Well you know ive been there multiple times both years ago in the capacity to help a candidate and now recently observing the candidate. It was quite an unbelievable situation, both with hillary there and with donald trump there who just added a complete, you know, circus atmosphere to it. But i was actually fascinated by what a bunch of his supporters had to say in the course of it. Much different than i think many of us suspected or analyzed before. Rose what did they say . Well theres less anger to them and much less anger to them. Its not ideology, its not driven by issues. The only issue thats consistent is immigration. Thats the most consistent issue across it. But its basically a level of frustration and desire for somebody they think speaks their mind, somebody that they think is strong. In his sort of bombastity and bravado is an asset to these folks. They want to think of Something Big in the United States, big person, big power, big strength. For now they think donald trump best represents that. Rose can that think or what would happen to it to slow it down. Well, what none of the other candidates i do will impede him at this point in time. The only thing that can prevent donald trump in my view from getting the republican nomination is his mouth, his own mouth. Whether he says something over time that basically finally adds up to too much for the voters or he doesnt add enough meat to the bones. The supporters love him, adore him, want him but they worry about what he might say and they want him at some point in time, not necessarily right now charlie but at some point in time they want him to add meat to the bones. I think the other thing that will compound those things is time. Were not having the caucuses this week or next month. Were having them 170 days from now. So thats a lot of time to keep this huge bright fire work burning that donald trump is and a lot of that has the potential to dissipate over time. But the problem i think for the gop field right now is nobody is even in his atmosphere of ability to connect with people and the bright we he shines in every event he does. Rose and who is the most likely though theyre not there. Is it some other nonpolitician like ben carson or is it jeb bush, because jeb bush, if he ever gets his campaign rolling has the capacity because of the support he has from a broad base of the party and the Economic Resources he has. Its not jeb its absolutely not jeb bush. I think jeb bush is on the verge, unless he does very well in the debate next month thats going to be held at the Reagan Library in september. It doesnt how much money he has its going to be difficult to win the lookion. The voters the last person they will pick of the 17 is jeb bush when you talk to them. It is the potential being an outsider somebody like ben carson or Carly Fiorini or somebody like john kasik but in some views hes the governor of ohio. In some view hes view as a little bit of an outsider. I think if john casick meets it up and meets the voters in a strong more direct way he has the potential for it. Right now these voters will not vote for jeb bush and they want an outsider. Whether its Carson Fiorina or say casey but its not jeb. Rose suppose it is john casey and suppose his running mate is marco rubio. There you have ohio and florida. Does that mean that the chance republicans against the presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton is greatly increased . Then lets assume also adding to that that donald trump doesnt run as a third party and he behaves himself in the course of the general election. I think if somebody like john kasick and marco rubio was the president ial nominee they would be a huge advantage against Hillary Clinton in the general election. You point out the states, florida and ohio. The demographics, a latino that would be on the ticket. Then you go look at the circumstances of the country right now and where Hillary Clinton stands. People dont trust her, they dont like her and they disapprove of the current president right now. In that circumstance with the right nominee, then i think the republicans are the odds on to win the whitehouse in the course of this. But they have to nominate the right nominee in the course of this. Rose could donald trump if he gets the nomination beat Hillary Clinton . I think its really difficult. I mean its always a possibility. I dont ever like under these circumstances never like to say never. Its a possibility but hes probably interestingly enough the least electable in the general election. Rose is immigration a bigger issue than you imagined in the Republican Party because of the way its been used by donald trump. I think its not surprising to me that immigration is a big issue but i think it really stands for something more than the issue. When you talk to the folks they wanted something done about the borders but it really stands for something about our country and in their way they think the country has been lost in some ways over the last ten years, 20 years really. This is a way of recapturing our country. Immigration is really a telling issue for a bigger concern in the sense of where they think the country is and losing the country they thought they always wanted. And thats what immigration really stands for to them. Rose what do you think of Bernie Sanders. Hes the opposite side of the trump coin for the democratic party. Heres a guy thats viewed as an outsider taking on a very populous role, very dominant candidate Hillary Clinton in the course, i think Bernie Sanders could easily win iowa, could easily win New Hampshire and complicate the process along the way. Hillary clinton has odds to win the name nation but Bernie Sanders shows just like donald trump shows on the republican side that a candidate touches a way to convey a populous message connects really well in this country right now. Rose if Hillary Clinton lost iowa then lost New Hampshire, would that bring in joe biden. I think joe biden, hes going to have to make a decision because the way you look at delegate slates charlie, he has to come in by the middle of october. He has to decide hes in this race in order to set up the process of this. I think if joe biden thinks that Hillary Clinton is probably going to lose iowa and New Hampshire, he then figures out the play, i can make a play and win south carolina. Because Bernie Sanders is very difficult in south carolina. Thats what i think the calculation if joe biden wants to run is the calculation that Bernie Sanders is aiblght ao very well in the first states and come in and win the states then it would become a contest with joe biden as the more dominant the more establish on the other hand candidate in the course of those other primaries and bigger states along the way. Rose whats likely to be the defining issue or theme of this campaign in 2016 . I actually think donald trump is closest to the idea, not the issues but the closest to i think theres a sense we have lost americas greatness in many voters minds weve lost our sense of greatness both economically and domestically in the way we convey ourselves internationally and how we play with others internationally. I think that combination with a lot of sub things but that combination is can we remake or remodel the American Dream in a way that people can believe again. I think that is the over arching dommic. Theres a lot of struggles and issues going on and all these sorts of thing, the economy and all that. I think thats really the big value or the big vision that people want presented and donald trump is doing it in a sort of awkward bulldogy sort of way but hes probably come closest to where the country is on how do we remake the American Dream. Rose his theme is make America Great i guess. Well as i said the other day to somebody, donald trump is the floyd may weather of politics. He has the brand he has the hats, he has the entertainment value. He has all of those sorts of things. I think donald trump the biggest thing is can he be disciplined enough and can he put more substance on the bone in the course of this time. And will the republican establishment over time permit him to win the states obviously that he possibly could win. There is no question in my mind that there is now a possibility that donald trump could be the gop nominee. Rose matt dowd thank you. Great to see you a pressure. Great to see you charlie, always a pleasure. Rose matt dowd analyst from austin, texas. Well be right back. Roger cohen is here. Stay with us. Rose my friend roger cohen is here, hes a columnist for the new york times. He focuses on International Affairs and diplomacy. His most recent column is iran and american jews. The Jewish Community in the United States and the divisions it has caused. I am pleased to have him back at this table. Welcome. Thank you charlie. Rose remind me one more time the title of the book about your dad and your own history. Its called the ghost from human streets ghosts of memory in the jewish family. Rose its incredible. Thank you charlie. Rose if you havent had a chance to read it and understand from where roger comes. The give me the sense of this debate which is ongoing with lots of pressure and lots of people trying to impact the debate. People from beyond the United States. Clearly we know that Prime Minister netanyahu feels strongly about this and i take him at his word he believes this is not good as a threat to israel. Youre seeing all kinds of pressure being used almost more than debate. Yes. Well this is the most divisive issue in the american Jewish Community for a long time. And you have even within families fiery disagreements as to whether this deal is overall good for israel, good for the United States, good for the middle east or its not. On the one hand, you have apac heavily against the deal. On the other you have the up start j street with a much smaller budget and liberal organization. On balance this deal is good. On that context and my column is about that, that Prime Minister netanyahu weighed in yet again with the Jewish Community here and in essence said this deal will give iran hundreds of bombs within years wild high purposably thats simply not true. Have the yellow cake and eat it which is in my view, the line of reality. This deal is not perfect in diplomacy. You never get perfection. Iran has marched the nuclear fuel cycle. The question is what do you do about it. I think secretary kerry and the president have tried to come up with a deal that refences this capacity. And that in my view would be in israels interest. Rose why dont you think the Prime Minister sees it that way and the significant part of the Israeli Community as well as the american Jewish Community. Look, the Islamic Republic charlie has said vial up conscionable things about israel over many years. It said rose and im not making a clinical point but i mean hasnt the been important for israel and people who love israel to take seriously people who say they want to destroy it. It is important to take seriously that kind of unconscionable language. On the other hand, iran, the Islamic Republic has i would argue survived since the iranian revolution since 1979 to be a fairly prudent power. And the fact is that in recent years, iran has been able to install more and more centrifuges, get more and more enriched iranian yew uraniu, cuts way back the number of send centrifuges, installs things that exist. People say iran will cheat. Well it may cheat, who knows. But the fact is over the past few years it did not cheat and in this agreement, charlie, there is nothing that says the United States or its allies cannot take any action they deem appropriate including military action if iran reneges and the United States remains on divisive issues like iranian support, to continue to pressure iran to stop that kind of behavior. Rose they said they would do that. Absolutely. One fundamental question rose to try to tie the two together would be are you better off with some kind of framework that condemns United States and iran to a relationship, a difficult hostile relationship, a relationship for the next 15 years. Are you better placed to begin to be able to talk about those issues with that or without that. And if youre without that, look this deal wasnt made by the United States. It was made by the United States, china, russia, germany, france and britain. Those are not small or unserious powers. Rose and without their support of the sanctions, would they have been effective if they were. No. And if this deal is rejected which i think is unlikely in the end and will be approved in a moment tuesday accord, the sanctions regime would fall apart because china and russia would conclude the United States is unserious about an agreement that has been two years in the making. Rose when you look at the president s argument for what it is that there was no other way and that the people who criticizes has no other argument other than military force. Is the president right about that . Is there no other way that you could have brought about an iranian rejection of nuclear power, weaponnized nuclear power. I dont think complete dismantlement which is initially what Prime Minister netanyahu pushed for. I dont think complete dismantlement was ever on the table. Iran is proud of the Nuclear Technology its developed. It says its not for use for a bomb, it says as a signatory of the iaea, of course it has a right to develop this technology. And i think if you argued for complete dismantlement in effect, youre arguing for war. Look iranians remember that for a long time, their oil was not controlled by themselves, it was controlled by the United States and britain. And when the Prime Minister came along in the 1950s and said hey, we actually think this oil should be ours, we instituted a coup. The Nuclear Technology is a little like oil 60 years ago. Its something that iran feels that it has a right to develop. And of course it looks around, it sees a nuclear a israel and pakistan, sees a nuclear on russia, nuclear on india. Its not a neighborhood where everybody is without Nuclear Weapons, much to the contrary. So i think the best way, yes i mean iran is not any of those countries and we need to stop iran developing a nuclear weapon. There is no question about that. And if necessary, we need to use military force to stop them. Rose do you believe the president would new Nuclear Force if in fact he thought they were by one means or the utmost likely covert come very close to a nuclear weapon. I believe not only this president , president obama but any subsequent president that i can imagine. If the Islamic Republic is still in place and if it is still using the kind of language that it has used about israel and is still supporting hezbollah and hamas in the way that it has, if that Islamic Republic was still in place and we had uncontro vert prove they were going to make a weapon, i believe any president would use force. What this deal achieves, i think, is to put that deal hopefully forever. But at least for 15 years. A lot of things can happen. Rose if they used Nuclear Weapons today it would only delay, it would not necessarily if they used force today, what would happen . Iran would race for bomb. It would throw out international inspectors, it would tear up its agreement with the iaea and at most it might put back the program for a couple years. I think its close to a no brainer. Plus theyve been at war in afghanistan and iraq. In between lies a country called iran. Do we really want to be at war across a sway of 2500 miles and convince the muslims of the world we have nothing against them. I dont think thats going to play very well. Rose could the United States have negotiated a better deal . Is there any reason any argument that suggests we had more leverage than we exercise, and we should have exercised it. Do you see any merit in the argument this administration was too quick to make the deal . Look, in de moment diplomacy its a question what do you want, with a do they want and what can we agree we both want. I wasnt in there, neither of us was in there sitting at the table. I think our president is tough and i think secretary kerry is tough. And i think what we have, you might wish that if theres a suspect site, we could get in there faster than the maximum 24 days that is now permitted. Rose i dont know how they calculate on irans missile program, maybe we could wish for mere. But i really believe that over two years of negotiation with a very very serious diplomats in the room, this is about, this is a compromise that gets us over 20 rich uranium goals. The vast majority rose i dont want to what those critics of the deal say after ten years, hell have an opportunity because a lot, this is the ten year deal or 12 years, and even though the president says certain things will remain in effect, well argue that the iranians will have a chance after ten years to go forward without sanctions and the impediments. I dont know, charlie. We didnt know in 2001 we didnt know arab spring will erupt. Anyone who says the Supreme Leader is well into his 70s. Theres no succession plan. You can make a very cogent argument, the likelihood is through more contacts with the west which is what the vast majority of the population of iran craves, most young iranians are propro western. The only top economy in the world thats not integrated with the Global Economy you can make a cogent argument that the likelihood is over the next 15 years you could see some softening of the regime. As this new generation rises to power, an iran is more to our liking, can i prove that, can anybody prove that . No, we cannot. But i think that is a reasonable bet. If iran goes in the other direction again, all options are open. Rose let me turn to a point in which the United States and iran agree. It is the rise of isis. It is a very dangerous phenomenon. Mainly because its with respect to the iranians and because of the impact it might have in iran, in iraq, another shia state, the majority of shias. The United States and iran are on the same page something ought to be done but neither of them want to Work Together necessarily. But tell me how you see the possibilities of a coalition against isis today with the overlay of the shia sunni conflict. I think isis is a terrible threat to the west. Weve already seen the bombings and the attacks in paris, brussels and elsewhere. These vial beheadings mass rates of this medievalist literal interpretation of certain verses of the koran. And the United States is weary. Weve been at war in iraq, weve been at war in afghanistan. We are looking for allies in the region to take on isis. Of the most fervent isis members see their main mission as attacking and defeating the shia, ie defeating iran. So iran has a common interest rose with iraq. Yes. Iran has a common interest with us in fighting isis. It doesnt want isis as you just said to take over iraq. I dont have any illusions this is going to transform itself into an alliance between the United States and iran to fight isis but i think the two countries can help each other. That is a plausible scenario. And i think in the context of a nuclear deal which rightly starts just to the nuclear dossier, in that context that becomes more likely and would that be a good thing . Yes it would be a good thing. But theres so much mistrust built up between the United States and iran that these kinds of things are not going to happen over night. Is it possible there will be a u. S. Embassy in trash and one in washington. Rose theres one in havana. Why not. Rose the president s gone out of his way to give credit to russia for the iranian deal. Hes spoken about their contribution to this. Russia has also spoken to the idea of looking for some change in some way to get out of the mess in syria, even though they have been supportive of assad. The iranians have been even more supportive of assad but you get a feeling that somethings at play. What do you think that is. Well, i think everybody agrees that the dismemberment of syria which is what has happened, it ceased rose 150,000 plus. Anybody looking at the legacy of the obama presidency, this is going to be one of the negatives, big negatives on the northern policy side and i dont want to get into what might have been done before. But i think going forward, if russia and the United States can begin to Work Together and theres a way to move the assad regime gradually out, obviously that would be. There are lots on of areas in iraq and afghanistan where iran can be helpful. And in syria. Whether it will be remains to be seen. As you know irans very divided between the hard line faction of the revolutionary guard and the population in general, which i think generally wants stronger contacts with the west. Rose with the west. Yes. And probably many would like over time to see the system of government in iran at least evolve. And i think on all those fronts, having a deal is better than not having a deal. A good deal is not perfect. Rose youre talking about a nuclear deal. Yes. Rose im more interest in terms of the possibility, lets assume the deal passes one way or the other. Which i think is a reasonable assumption. You need a 25 defection of Congressional Democrats for that to be an override of the president s veto. I think the republicandominated house and senate will disapprove. In a way thats pain free. They can do that without serious consequences for american diplomacy in the world because it will be vetoed and there arent enough votes, i dont believe. Despite all this levying for an override. Rose is there a change between this administration and the administration in israel for the re remainder of this presidy term. I dont think it changes it fundamentally charlie because i think the alliance is strong, very strong and that wont change. I also think that relations between the president and Prime Minister netanyahu are bad. Theyve been bad for a long time and this may make those relations marginally worse and i think the president is exasperated by this habit of Prime Minister netanyahu and weve seen it to the webcast in the Jewish Community this habit of trying to go around the president and during the last election it was clear that Prime Minister netanyahu favored mitt romney. So there were a lot of elements to this mistrust between the president and the Prime Minister. Rose suppose the president wanted to make, hes not going to take an action that does anything to lessen the military power of israel. On the contrary. Rose on the contrary. And israels including netanyahu giving him credit for that. They do. And people in the military establishment. But is there any way that the president could take out his, some sense of disdain for the way the Prime Ministers acted. I think the only way is a way thats being quietly talked about is for the accord had the United States had in mind in the Palestinian Peace during last intense rounds of negotiations with secretary kerry with the territorial line running at the 1967 divide. For that to be published in some form and then contained in a resolution, in the United Nations security council, that the United States would not veto. In other words israel would realize if it carries on in the current course of expanding settlements on the whole not being serious about a piece with the pal stainians and the palestinian leadership is plenty at fault too. If israel continues down that path it may no longer be able to rely on the consistent u. S. Veto in the United Nations of anything deemed to be against israels interests as those interests are defined by netanyahu. So i think thats the one area where the president could have leverage and its conceivable his last year in office might be prepared to use it. Rose i think you may be right. I dont know what the president is thinking but you do give some indication theres some thought about that because youve seen what other western nations have done with respect to palestinians. Yes. Thats one idea bubbling beneath the surface. Rose there is finally this. You said in a column, germanys debt to youre can never be repaid. It is the real and deepest one. That obviously has to do with the and the implications are with respect to germany and youre and germany and greece are what . Well, i just wanted to remind people that in the end, the European Union is about war and peace. It grew out of of the ruins of5 and its important in the europe and what happened in europe and the European Union have been able to overcome by creating a borderless europe. Theres an implication weve been talking about today because of the holocaust, it is absolutely vital that the jewish people in israel, that we be assured that israel can defend itself in any circumstances. And the question with this deal is, this iran nuclear deal, is this a way of a time to rules the threat to israel. Because the nuclear know how the iranians have anyway is going to be put in a place where it cannot be used for the development of a bomb. And people are going to differ on that. My own belief is that that is the outcome of these negotiations and should therefore be backed and approved. I also think iran is a country with a lot of potential. And we should explore that potential. Rose thank you for coming. Good to see you. Thank you. Rose you went to london to live. And youve come back. What happened this . Didnt you like the british. I grew up in london. I like london fine. But i became rose you missed us. Yes. My home is in new york, charlie. I had to come back. Rose thank you roger. Roger cohen writing for the new york times. Thank you. Well be right back. Stay with us. Rose the film learning to drive is a story of an unlikely friendship between two new yorkers. A writer who has lost her sense of direction and the driving instructor who helps her find it. The screen play is based on a 2002 new yorker magazine essay. Here is the trailer for the film. And joining me for todays topic the critic wendy shields. Always a pleasure. I heard about you in class. Wanting sex. Every seven years it comes over him. He gets restless, he does something juvenile. Im not going home with you wendy. He bought a motorcycle and decided to give an adult tress one. Its time you started driving. I used to have a husbands who drove. You just like them young, you could mold them however they like, teach them tricks. Awe. You can see everything. The drivers biggest problem is everyone else. You cant always trust people to behave properly. Aint that the truth. Wendy whats a woman like for a gift. I dont know, candy, flowers. This is where i grew up. Now youre married maybe a double date in chinatown. Why do you want to drive. To go somewhere else. I want something to take my mind off my mind. Thats why i do yoga, meditate. I do ambien. I dont know what i believe. Why do you teach driving. For a better job i have to take off my turban shave off my beard but this is power, i know who i am. Why didnt i ever think i could write. Everything and everybody around me. I never cook for me half the work fend between us soi make my own food. Learning to drive. I think its time to discuss road rage. It doesnt matter what is going on in your life out there. Thats all there is, your life right now. Rose joining me now is Isabel Coixet, the directors and the films two stars, surben kingsley and patricia clarkson. Where did this start. You were at the film festival. My impression is youve known about this for a while. Oh yes. Nine years. I saw the, i read the essay in the new yorker. I read it and i was captivated by it, it resonated with me, it stayed with me. And then just serendipitously someone came to me and said theyre making a movie about this. I thought oh my god, i know this, i know this story. I love this story, i love wendy. So i became attached. Rose a character you like. Yes. And i became attached. And nine years later. We got the film made nine years later with these extraordinary people. Rose you went in at what point. I read it a while ago. In fact i read it shortly after a film ive done and i still have the residue of this house of sand and fog. We spoke of this here. This was the place of the immigrant coming to america under unfortunate circumstances. They were exiled to certain regime changes in their countries. And i felt that it was a little too, i wrote to explain this to you. It was a little too close to something i was trying to let go of. And then rose what was that. Some kind of angst, some stone of sadness that was not quite dissolved then. Then in happier times, my darling wife daniella i thank for that, in happier times the script came to me and i felt more capable of breathing something into it that was life rather than endure. Rose before we turn to the director, is it about friendship, is it about independence, is it about new life . What is it . The story of you playing a driver. She is recently divorced. You happened to be in the car when this happens and the two of you connect and you come up with the idea of driving lessons. I, through a set of circumstances, personal circumstances decide to learn to drive at 50. Rose well your husband as you saw had been driving for you. Its a very common occurrence in new york. These powerful people, these people at the top of their game but they never learn to drive which is a very tri state area. When you learn to drive in a far away place in vermont. Rose so is it friendship or relationship. Charlie, when im offered a wonderful piece of work as this is, i rarely love to reduce it down to some metaphor or myth that i can sort of carry in my pocket. For me, its a myth of the eternal ferry man. You get on to the ferry on one bank of the river, he ferries you across the river and somehow your molecules have been arranged. Youre not sure or how or why but he thought you. The ferry man left you with something. Its more than a journey from one bank to another. Theres something lifeenhancing about his silence, his stillness, the way he maneuvers the boat across the water. Hes absolutely taking to the new, are yes. Rose the last time she was here, you and i did, we rift together indeed for a wonderful film. Its good to see you again. Good to see you too. Rose how did you get into this. When we were shooting, patricia gave me the new yorker story. And you know, i was living the same thing. I was, you know, i was in the middle of a break up. From my partner of many years. Then i didnt know how to drive. And i have to say i loved the story and also the story teach me something, you know, something very simple, something, you know, this is not the end of the world. Okay, you know, hes living with another woman. What are we going to do. It taught me something that stayed with me. Appreciation. Rose of . That we have to look up and forget to take in the good things we have and we forget to look around us and therefore the whole driving metaphor of course. Rose you work into this one post 9 11 america and we see the sense of discrimination that can exist at a time of fear. Yes. Ironically it was the sikh taxi drivers who turned off all their leaders and very distraught, why do you want to go, ill help you find your loved one. But consistent with sikh behavior. Rose did you look into that because you were prepared for this role or did you know that. Charlie, when i was filming gandhi, i had a sikh body guard driver. And i, he was my ferry man. All through the trauma of difficulty and joy of that extraordinary experience in india, he was there, my constant, my driver the back of his head because i was sitting in the back of the ambassador car and i would see him gently sway side to side. After the hardest day shooting, glorious day as i managed to get back into his car he drove through this massive crowd, looked at my face in the Rearview Mirror and said well done sir. Rose well done. Thats all he. And that stayed in my heart forever. This is what sir ben brought every day to the set, to see him was very moving. Rose in the context. Well to see him in these beautiful turban and this incredibly graceful calm powerful man. I often thought in life as patty, i need a darwin, please. Rose we all need one. Absolutely, we do. Rose theres also this, the arranged marriage idea. Yes. It was a lovely irony in the film theres a desperate attempt to arrange her marriage by her close relatives so that just as in the west our close relatives like to match make so in the punjab some relatives like to match make. Rose sometimes your family knows you better than yourself and you should trust some of that to hem. Perhaps wendys sister could subscribe to the same argument. Rose lets look at the scene here. This is darwin giving wendy a driving lesson. Here it is. Im in the middle of the lake. Whoa whoa whoa. I thought we killed you. Does that happen to you often . Every day, people try to push a button. You dont engage with them especially when you drive. Dont lean on the horn. I dont understand why men have to do that, they have their balls in your face. I think its time to discuss road rage. Dont you think when, you know, when that happened when some guy in the accident scene, i mean he took the turban why e doesnt react. To me the most admirable thing that the grace that he just take it and i doesnt let this thing affect him. And thats for me is a big lesson. Hes a warrior, hes such a beautiful internal. Wendy is teaching him lots of things too. Rose what is wendy teaching him. You know, there is another world, there is a world of love. And i think the possibility of love she offered for him is going to stay with him and help him to be with jasmyne. I think at the end of the day and someone said to me last night at the premier this is a profound film about adult friendship too real. Rose male female. Male female friendship, real friendship. And just, and the limitations that that has. Rose you saw this and then you get to make this and you said you needed the ten years in between to be able to play wendy. Because you had to face some adverse i dont know, theres a lot of life, a lot of changes in my life, a lot of loss and love and ups and down and adversities. It all came with these packages i could carry on my back as i traveled through wendy. And i arrived, when i was first attached to this project, i was ten years younger or nine years younger and nine years later i arrived to play this part. And i thought oh, yes, now im ready now. Im here. I know what this is. I have no more doubt, i have, i know exactly how this woman, what her life involves, what her life entails. And i understood it in a deep organic way, in a way i didnt. Rose is there a common theme . What do you make, eight movies . 12. Rose 12 . I know. It impressed me. Rose impresses or depresses. No, impresses. My depression is when i see all the films i have to, i want to do and maybe im not able to do. Rose why not . You know, life is short. But do you know what, i plan, im planning to direct even with a walker and no kids and im going to say action. Rose how long did it take you to make this movie. Five weeks. Rose thats not bad. Thats not bad. Rose in some movies it takes long just to get to the shoot. I have to take like patricia, i was ready to do it ten years ago, nine years ago. But you know. Rose youve grown in the last ten years. No. Not at all. Im trying to avoid to grow up. Rose is there a common theme to the films that you make to make . About relationships, number one. To me, my main thing, its intimacy. Its really intimacy. Rose intimacy. Its what happens when two people are alone. What happens there. Whats going on. What kind of links link very different people. I love that. Rose take a look at this. This is a scene where darwin talks to wendy about his own life. There is your reward. Do you have a masters. I was University Professor like my father. Why do you teach driving. For a better job i would have to take off my turban, shave of my beard. People think i look dangerous but this is how i know who i am. Do you ever get visits. I ask never go home to india. Part of a political you asylum. I couldnt see my dad before he passed away last year and my moms funeral too. But then i was in prison there. Why . There is no justice for sheikhs. How long were you in prison. Long time. Rose why do you take so long to learn so much about the people we care about . Shes having to pull it out of him. One more scene before we go. This is wendy bonding with her daughter played by the beautiful grace gummer. So much stuff. Believe me i threw out tons. Thank you for helping but i think you have to get back on the road. You have a long drive. I dont think im going to go back. What this. I love farming but i mainly was there to be with this guy and now suddenly hes decided to go back to dartmouth so im all alone and all my friends are gone. Im so embarrassed. Can i stay here with you. Id love that. I would so love that. But you cant because if you move in here, it would be in the spirit of failure. You have to see this thing through. You have to go back to vermont and harvest your ass off. Its funny when you see these scenes, no . I really thought about the moment we did it. All i can see is that the lollipop melting. And youre like this lollipop is melting, why you give. Its very beautiful. Rose you saw the initial scene. Yes, i had a popsicles in my hand and we had to have 47 pops kulz. Rose you learned how to drive. I learned how to drive in l. A. But never to park. Rose this is about relationships. Believe me charlie, shes behind the camera, shes the operator so shes just right, its the most intimate work youll ever do. Shes just right there with you are. In the popsicle. Its a beautiful feeling. It gives you solace. Shes right there for you. Its kind of difficult because youre there, youre seeing things like oh my god, penis and you take the camera away. Rose are you taking off the summer. Im going to finish the play, im in the middle of this, Big Press Junket for a film and im going to lie in bed. Rose when youre in a play with bradley cooper, are you seeing up close what it means to be famous today. Yes. You see it every day. And how well he handles it is, its beautiful to watch. He has such grace. How he navigates every day is astonishing. Rose and you my dear . Im going to do a film called the book shop. Its a journal novel and its set in england in 1959 and its about a woman opening a little book shop in a tiny villaraigosa. Tiny village. Rose thank you. August 21st, friday. Learning to drive. Thank you for joining us, see you next time. Captioning sponsored by Rose Communications captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org a kqed television production. Its sort of like old fishermans wharf. It reminds me of old san francisco. And youd be a little bit like jean valjean, with the teeth, whatever. And worth the calories, the cholesterol, and the heart attack you might have. Its like an adventure, you know. Youve got to put on your miners helmet. It reminds me of oatmeal with a touch of wet dog. I did. Inhaled it. People when they say sommelier or something