it's true. he truly could. >> and ricki lake opens up on love. >> when you're in love with someone, the sex is so much better. >> her weight. >> i battled it, but it continues to haunt me. >> and her dark childhood secret. plus, only in america, a ceo of the right stuff. how the the man who runs amazon makes billions by putting his customers first using an empty chair. this is "piers morgan tonight." good evening. tonight. keeping america great. the one and only gary marshal and hi interview with ricki lake. she says her life's an open book and she reveals all about that open book life in a pretty intimate conversation with me tonight. we begin with our big story, a man who's not just a big star, he's got some pretty interesting thing to say about race in america. blair underwood is a broadway star now, but it all began on tv's "l.a. law." >> we've been starting our associates pretty much commensurate with the going rate, which has i'm sure you're aware is considerably lower. >> i understand, sir, but i've already been offered 71 with heartton and gold. >> so much for your doctrine of less is more. >> sometimes more is more. >> blair jrndwood is one of the most recognizable faces on television and now he's on broadway. blair jrunderwood joins me now. >> good to see you, piers. >> i must have been 12 years old there. and i sound 12 years old. >> i think your hair is not as gray as the president's. >> not quite. i don't have the pressure. >> there is a great link here. this is brilliant. i didn't know the background, but you got to know barack obama on "l.a. law." because you were playing the president of the harvard law review and that's what he was for real laf. >> i met him around that time. in that first scene, they say that my resume, harvard law president, this, that, and the other. so i had gone to the school, i think later in my first year, and some of the producers of "l.a. law" and met the law students actually met him there. >> what was he like then? >> tall and quiet. i have to tell you, piers, i actually forgot nethat meeting, and not until his campaign in 2008, he mentioned about that connection, and someone called me and said, is that true? i'm like, that's that tall guy with the big ears. okay, i remember now. >> were you surprised that that guy became president, became the first african-american president. >> absolutely. >> an amazing thing. >> absolutely shocked. i mean, honestly, i never thought i'd see that in my lifetime. and the fact that i had that connection way back when was kind of cool. >> i mean, you're throwing down other barriers in "a streetcar named desire," the first multi-rational production of this. how far is america getting in the battle with race? the reason i ask, there are two schools of thought. many believe that having the first black president has made a huge difference to america, in a positive way. others say, actually, it's rooted up a lot of racism, a lot of anger again, and it's been a double-edged sword. what do you think? >> i think both are true. i think both are true. but i always have to preface this question, this conversation with the fact that we have to remember that to have the first african-american president, there aren't enough black and brown people in this country to elect him. so there are many other people, white, yellow, red, everybody in between, that elected this man to the presidency of the united states. so that's a huge statement about where this country is today. at the same time, it has kind of brought a lot of opinions and fervor and passion and a dark side that we've seen in a lot of people, on all sides. both sides. >> do you feel that the political discourse in this country has made that worse? that things are so aggressive now, so partisan, so angry, in many ways, and the rhetoric is so inflammatory that if you go back to ronald reagan's era, it would have been unthinkable that people talked about each other in this way that they are now. quite openly in washington. >> no, you're right. you know, i'm an army brat, because my dad is a retired army colonel, so i grew up in a household where you don't necessarily question your commander in chief, you do what you're supposed to do. and to see a certain disrespect and a certain disregard for the presidency of the united states, you know, i think about all the last four or five presidents we've had have had issues, as we all do. you know, no one's perfect, which each president along the way, but you respect the office. and i don't see that as much as we used to and i think we should retain that as a country. >> the trayvon martin case has been in the news now for quite a few weeks and has really polarized america and americans. most polls showing that the vast majority of black people in america believe that this was racially motivated and was a senseless killing of a young unarmed teenager. a lot of white people polled don't share the same interest in the case, don't see it that way. real polarizing, as it was in reverse with the o.j. simpson case. the complete reverse, where most black people polled said, the guy's innocent. most white people said, he's guilty. so you get these cases, which for whatever reason, hit a nerve. we knew why with o.j., but with trayvon martin -- you're the father of three, one a teenaged boy of 15. not far away from trayvon's age. what do you make of it? as a parent and an american? >> i had that conversation with my son. when this hit the news, i watch you all the time and watch this network all the time, but when the story hit, my son -- before it became a huge awareness in people's minds, but my son was traveling to florida for the first time, he's 15, flying by himself for the first time. i'm here in new york rehearsing for the lay. i sent him this long text just to let him know that not everybody, unfortunately, is going to see the brilliance and the genius and the beauty of your brown skin. that's the sad reality. and you have to understand that there are those who will not see that and if you're ever confronted in a situation like trayvon martin must have been, your job is to not escalate the situation. now, it's a sad conversation you have to have as a parent. you have the sex conversation, you have to have the race conversation. and he got it. but what was important to say to him then, and i say to my 10-year-old son, and my daughter, who's 13, is you have a recourse. we have come too far as a country, and this kind of madness cannot continue. so your recourse is the media, the press, and hopefully the justice system. >> what do you say to your son who's walking home in that situation, if a george zimmerman appears on the scene? what do you now say? has it changed? >> i still say, you know, there's a conversation about, do you -- can you wear a hoodie, should you not wear a hoodie? >> but is there a point about a young black teenager and the hoodie as an emblem of suspicion, of a potential troublemaker? >> the point is, as i said to my son, is you're beautiful. and i always preface the word black with beautiful. your beautiful black skin is a threat to some people. it is a sad reality, but it is a reality. something my father told me. and i grew up in a house with a middle class privilege. he was an army officer, to a certain extent. but he said, your presence is a political statement. my father told me that. i tell that to my son. so that is a sad reality. you don't let it make you upset or become embittered by it. but it is a sad reality and you circumvent that. >> should there be more anger among the black community about what young black teenagers are doing to each other in places like chicago, where there are dozens, hundreds being shot in the streets every year. >> you're talking about black-on-black crime? >> yes. it's something that i don't think people like me should be getting on our high horse about, but someone like you could if you believe it's something that's not getting enough attention and exposure. >> absolutely. there's always more that can be done. and, you know, there are those in the community who are doing that. there are organizations who are stepping up. but it's not enough. right is right and right is wrong -- right is right and wrong is wrong. this situation with the young man in baltimore, caucasian man, who was beaten. mo it's wrong. if that medician was my brother son or friend, it's still wrong. these conversations about race are not necessarily a bad thing. in fact, i welcome those conversations, because we can start dealing with the nuances and discuss these things. i always like watching your show, because that british respect you have, you always bring a different perspective. >> well, we have race issues in britain, no question of that, but we have a very different gun control law in britain. which i've talked about a lot. 68 people, on average, get killed a year by guns. here, it's 10,000. >> did you say 68. it's negligible, because people can't carry handguns around. there's no right to bear arms in britain. so i think the perspective i bring to it is based on coming to a country where we have race issues, but they're not fueled by guns as well. it's not possible. people can't have, legally, guns in their homes. so it's a different world. >> if we had that law here, trayvon martin would be alive. >> let's take a look from "streetcar named desire," because it's fabulous. >> i just want my baby to come down. >> ha! >> stella! stella. >> it's a fantastic production, and from all accounts, you're brilliant in it. were you excited by it? >> piers, i'm having the time of my life. the stage is my first love. >> is there anything like it? the thing about being a tv star or a movie star, you never get that visceral, raw, theater experience of a proper audience reacting to you. >> that's it. we're in the room together. if there's joy, if there's passion, if there's danger, we all feel it together. and to take this ride every night for three hours, it's phenomenal. and then you're dealing with a literary master piece in "a streetcar named desire." i've been spoiled. this is my so-called broadway debut. >> it's been a real pressure. good luck with it. coming up, gary marshall, the hollywood heavyweight who gave us so much. ♪ ♪ wow... ♪ [ female announcer ] sometimes, all you need is the smooth, creamy taste of werther's original caramel to remind you that you're someone very special. ♪ werther's original caramels. on december 21st polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space. which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd, and you still need to retire. td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans? (female announcer) most life insurance companies look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently. we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic. see the difference at avivausa.com. do i look okay? >> mm. >> mm? >> something's missing. >> well, nothing else is going to fit into this the dress. i'll tell you that. >> maybe something in this box. i don't want you to get too excited. it's only on loan. >> oh! >> a great scene from "pretty woman," directed by gary marshall, who also brought us "beaches," "the princess diaries." here to talk about all that, plus keeping america great, is gary marshall. gary, such a pleasure to have you here. it really is. you're an absolute legend of hollywood. i love the fact that you called it "my happy days." i've read so many damned misery books. >> there are a lot of them. i wrote this with my daughter, lori, so i didn't want to depress her. >> but really, it's infectious, the enthusiasm you have for hollywood, for heamovies, for me stars and so on. you have a reputation of being mr. nice guy. are there too many people that just take it all a bit too seriously, do you think? >> a bit too serious. and success, you know, is about half the people who are successful deal with it pretty well. and the other half don't deal with it well at all. and that -- >> what is it? is it fame? is it fortune? is it money? what is the most corrupting influence? do you think. >> i think the adultery. the paparazzi. everybody cheering and so many, including many i've worked with, don't think they deserve such yelling and screaming. it goes back to bert law's day, where he would always be so nauseous before a show, because he doesn't know why they were laughing. i usually know why. oh, they laughed at that, what a shock. but most of a time i get a hint because the actors are funny. >> the bit i loved today is where you meet the dalai lama courtesy of richard gere. i asked the dalai lama, have you ever watched a richard gere movie, and he said he hadn't. it was a really fascinating experience to meet somebody like him who just doesn't lead a life like the rest of us. you see so much of the opposite end, the excessives. >> the people who use everything you mentioned. >> and yet a lot of them are unhappy. the point the dalai lama was making is just being idolized, having all the material things in the world, that doesn't bring you happiness. >> i think, material things, i don't see get people in trouble. it's the everybody pulling at them and, you know, anytime. i solved it going in. i said, i'm not going to wait for relatives to pull me and ask for money. i hire them right off the bat. my kids, my wife, everybody's in what i do. so i deal with it. but a lot of people get very upset and can't deal with it. and i have to work with them. >> yeah. >> so the answer, sometimes, is drugs or booze or pills now, it goes in cycles. and that's -- people keep saying, who's the hardest to direct? people who are stoned are the hardest. not individuals, but it's -- you can't get through. but i used to be a father figure. now i'm a grandfather figure, so i try to make it. >> i had somebody on the show, who you may remember, rosie o'donnell. >> yeah. >> i showed her a clip of one of her movies. let's just say what she had to say about it. how do you feel about being involved in one of the really appalling films ever made. >> i'm happy i did it. for two reasons. number one, it's gary marshall, how do you go wrong with that? he's the greatest guy and one of the most successful filmmakers. and garry first wanted sharon stone for that part and she said no. so they offered it to me. when i heard that, i thought, i am taking this role. when is the chance that's ever going to happen again? can't get tom cruise, let's get gilligan. >> she's very funny. >> would you agree that it was one of the big turkeys? >> well, people keep asking me now, because i did "exit to eden," well, garry, "exit to eden" bombed, there's a new book, "50 shades of grey," they bought it for $50 million. what do you think? it was the same subject you did and you were quite unsuccessful. i was unsuccessful, but we tried and we had a good time making it. so i think maybe the world is ready. europe, you know, the market has changed. europe is the big market. and they may accept it better. >> it's been a while, but lindsay lohan is going to play elizabeth taylor. rosie was pretty scathing. i don't think she's right for the role, i don't think she's capable at this point to portray that character. you directed lindsay in the 2007 film "georgia rule" with jane fonda, one of my favorite actresses. you said in your book, she could be as talented as julia roberts, very high praise. but that may have been before some of her most recent tremendous vails. do you think she has it in her to play somebody like liz taylor? >> i think she has her in it, if you can get her to come and, you know, on the set and everything. i think that she is a very good actress, but like many, the success at a very young age has sent her off here and there. >> is she a classic example of what you were talking about? somebody that just has been unable to deal with the amount of fame that she had so young and sought some kind of release in all sorts of ways that have been unhelpful to her? >> well, she's another one who thinks her head is no good, she has freckles, you know, she's not happy with herself. so it's hard to be happy with everybody else. but i went out with her a few times to see what all that carrying on was about, and it's the same as high school. they're kids, they talk about boys, only they have a lot of money. so that kind of makes them go here and there. >> who's been the greatest movie star you've seen? for whatever reason. >> the best one i ever worked, just for all the reasons, is julie andrews. i mean, she could act, she can sing, she's a lady, she can -- an interesting thing about her is she curses, different than anybody -- i come from the bronx. we few how to say things. she curses with perfect diction. and i never heard that before. every word. she don't curse at anybody. it's at inanimate objects. but she's the best. >> and would be the leading man you'd put with her? in a dream movie. >> in a dream movie, i'd put somebody that -- i have, my friend hector alexandro, i like him. but they were a nice pair in "princess diaries." >> let's take a short break and come back and talk "pretty woman." this could be good. 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