Transcripts For WJZ 60 Minutes 20130218

The glasses now are amazing. They actually do improve the texture and color of the grass. You ran a stat before you said merritt weve never had an l. A. Winner and normally when we say that the opposite happens. Get me . Maybe merrick will win. Jim you play all those vibes. Nick every time. We did it with bill haas much. Through 40 holes, as soon as we say he hasnt bogeyed, he bogeyed. Jim i never imagined when i was covering your career that you had all of this floating through your mind. Nick i wasnt listening. Lets continues trait on this. His caddie need to go the other way for the shadow. Walk behind him. Wow that was the biggest sixfoot of his career. David no shortage of intestines. Jim pulls back the visor. Hes got like on everyman kind of quality about him, doesnt he . The die you might get a bucket of balls and saddle up next to on the driving range. Now, onefooter. And were on to the second playoff hole. Which will be the 10th. Which i just love that a playoff actually finds it way to that hole with its way to that hole with so many strategies in play. Heres the lineup tonight on cbs and here is a broadcast announcement. We are going to be switching over for everyone outside of the west coast. Were going to be switching over to the golf channel. Golf channel will be picking it up here in just a minute. For the rest of you on the west coast, well stay on cbs. Jim nantz, nick faldo and the crew from the Northern Trust open. Captioning funded by cbs and ford built for the road ahead. Simon iron dome is a technological marvel, a cutting edge weapon of war that even some pacifists might come to love. Instead of killing people, iron dome saves them by intercepting rockets loaded with explosives before they can land on innocent civilians. And it does all this in less time than weve just spent explaining it. Do you think people in tel aviv feel safer today than they did six months ago . By far. Pelley the africa mercy sails into ports to treat diseases that the rest of the world doesnt see anymore. Youre all right, baby. Pelley for her mostly american crew. Hey, i hear your voice. Pelley . It is the journey of a lifetime. Talk to us. Pelley you know that there are some people saying to themselves, i could never do what she does. Those poor people are terribly disfigured. I cant look at them. People have been saying that to these people their whole lives. Someone has to look at them. Someone has to look them in the eye and tell them that youre human and i recognize that in you. laughs kroft you seem to have no interest in celebrity. Absolutely none. Kroft do you accept the fact that youre a star . If you say so. That is entirely due to the television set. Kroft shes talking about Downton Abbey, the highbrow british soap opera that follows the intrigues of an aristocratic family and their servants at the turn of the last century. Its drawn critical acclaim and record audiences due, in large part, to Maggie Smiths portrayal of violet, the imperious, sharptongued dowager countless of grantham. Im steve kroft. Im leslie stahl. Im morley safer. Im bob simon. Im lara logan. Im scott pelley. Those stories tonight on 60 minutes. [ male announcer ] what are happy kids made of . Bikes and balloons, wholesome noodles on spoons. A kite, a breeze, a dunk of grilled cheese. Catches and throws, and spaghettios. Thats what happy kids are made of. Campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. Amyblue shirt we do. U have all the popular smart phones . Thats what happy kids are made of. Amy at t . Blue shirt yes. Amy sprint . Blue shirt mhmm. Amy verizon . Blue shirt got it. Amy do you make commission on this . Blue shirt no. Amy do you have all the plans . Blue shirt we do. Amy does this make my head look big . Blue shirt no. Amy can you activate all of these . Blue shirt yes we can. Amy can you transfer my contacts . Blue shirt yes. Amy are you sure . Blue shirt yes. Amy im pretty popular. Blue shirt no problem. Amy youre good. What number am i thinking of . Blue shirt nine. Amy yes. Vo save up to 50 on Samsung Smart phones. Only at best buy. music throughout why turbo . Trust us. Its just better to be in front. The sonata turbo. From hyundai. Simon iron dome is a technological marvel, a cutting edge weapon of war that even some pacifists might come to love. Instead of killing people, iron dome saves them, by intercepting rockets loaded with explosives before they can land on innocent civilians. And it does all this in less time than weve just spent explaining it. The system was developed by israel, with hundreds of millions of dollars of support from u. S. Taxpayers. Its been called a gamechanger that might relieve military pressure on israel and make it easier to achieve peace in the middle east, and that was something we decided we had to see for ourselves. siren blaring people screaming over the past 11 years, more than 15,000 rockets and mortars have been fired at israel by hezbollah in lebanon, and by hamas in the gaza strip. Until recently, the only thing israeli civilians could do was run for cover. But in the latest round of fighting between israel and hamas late last year, some people stopped running and tried to get some good pictures, because this time, when hamas fired rockets from gaza at israeli cities, iron dome fired missiles to intercept them in the sky before they could do any damage on the ground. Youre looking at an iron dome missile on its way. You cant see the hamas rocket its going after, but watch how the missile will adjust its course to get close to the hamas rocket and blow it up. At night, the images of iron dome are even more spectacular. This video was taken at a wedding in southern israel. As squadrons of iron dome missiles could be seen hunting salvos of hamas rockets, the wedding music played on despite the battle above. Do you think that people in tel aviv and ashkelon feel safer today than they did six months ago . Ehud barak by far. Simon ehud barak is a legendary israeli commander and general, and israels defense minister. We interviewed him just before israels recent elections. Now, people are not running to shelters so much . Theyre staying in their cafes . Barak no, i. I dont think so. Probably some, probably in tel aviv, where no rocket actually landed. But there is less anxiety deep in their. In their minds. Because, after all, everyone knows the statistics that basically, most probably, the incoming rocket will be intercepted. Simon it really looked like israel was in for it in november when israelis leaders, fed up with rocket attacks from gaza, assassinated hamass military commander. Hamas and Islamic Jihad responded by firing more than 1,500 rockets at israel. The Israeli Air Force says iron dome destroyed 85 of the rockets headed towards israeli towns and cities. Theres no way to independently confirm that figure, but the fact that iron dome could shoot down a shortrange rocket travelling between 500 and 1,000 Miles Per Hour is remarkable in itself. Its like a bullet shooting down another bullet, which is why, when iron dome was just a concept on a drawing board several years ago, many israeli strategists didnt think it could be done. Barak it sounded extremely dramatic, to make two bodies meet together when both of their. Their relative velocities are immense. Simon we understand that it. Again, even the Israeli Air Force was against it . Barak yeah. There were many, many corners of resistance, because people didnt see it as natural. Simon to see how iron dome works, we paid a visit to one of israels five operational batteries. Each battery has its own radar, commandandcontrol center, and launchers that fire the intercepting missiles. The equipments worth about 50 million. Its sitting in a potato field, manned by what appear to be college kids. Shai kogensky is the battery commander. How old are most of your soldiers . Shai kogensky between 18 to 21 years old. Simon thats pretty young. Kogensky yes, yeah. Simon and youre the commander . Kogensky im the commander. I am 32. Simon youre 32. Kogensky yeah. Simon so youre the old man here. Kogensky yes, im the old man. Simon when hamas launches a rocket, iron domes radar detects it, and its computers calculate where it will land. If its headed for an empty field, iron dome wont waste an interceptor on it. But if its going towards a populated area, the system will figure out the best place to intercept the rocket so that the falling shrapnel wont do any harm. Iron dome will then ask one of those kids for permission to fire. So youve got three to five seconds to decide whether or not to intercept it. And you have to do something, the soldier has to do something. It will not be automatic. Kogensky no, no, no, its not automatic. The soldiers are intercepting the rockets. They have to make a decision. Simon this is the iron dome interceptor. Once its launched, it has a mind of its own. And this is the mind right here, the brains. It guides the missile very close to the enemy rocket and explodes, blowing the rocket out of the sky and keeping it far away from an israeli town. A rocket fired from the gaza strip will take just seven to 15 seconds to land in the israeli town of sderot. The israelis say iron dome has knocked down many of those rockets. The rocket scientists who invented iron dome cant, for security reasons, show their faces on camera. But didi yaari, the c. E. O. Of rafael, the lead manufacturer of the system, is under no such restriction. Didi yaari these are the batteries. Simon as he showed us what the inside of an iron dome command center looks like, he told us more fire was directed at southern israel during the eightday battle in november than during all of israels previous wars. People have called the development of the iron dome a game changer. Does that mean anything . Yaari it does, definitely. You know, people go to work. Harbors are working. Cars are moving, trains are moving. Nothing stops. And still, you have circumstances where, in the past, you would consider as full war. Simon israel was ready for full war. 75,000 soldiers and hundreds of Armored Vehicles were called up ready for an invasion of gaza. It didnt happen. Is it because of iron dome that the army didnt have to invade gaza . Yaari by all means. Without iron dome, well. We were inside gaza, you know, after two days. Simon and the casualties on both sides would have been higher . Yaari yeah. Simon while iron dome worked well against hamass rockets, no one knows how it would do in the north against hezbollahs larger, more sophisticated arsenal. And theres expense each iron dome interceptor is believed to cost more than 75,000. A hamas rocket can be built for as little as 500. What if, the next time around, hamas fires a hundred at once, or 500, and half of them are. . Barak i dont want to go into extremely kind of. Extreme kind of scenarios. But basically, that was a question mark that was raised by critics how come that youre launching something that might cost 50,000 or 100,000 against something that cost. Costs 500 or 5,000 . And i say thats not the right way to look into it. Basically, there is high price that i put on our capacity to run normal life, to let the people live as normally as possible, to let the economy flourish and move forward. Simon barak argues that if iron dome makes israelis feel more secure, less threatened, theyll be more willing to make peace with the palestinians. You wont find many palestinians who agree. Husam zomlot before the iron dome, they felt no pressure to make any concessions. After the iron dome, they will feel the pressure to. To make concessions . Of course not. Simon husam zomlot is a p. L. O diplomat and a professor at bir zeit university. Whats this demonstration here . As we walked with him through the streets of ramallah on the west bank, a group of protestors marched right past us. Zomlot certainly, it will not be the iron dome. Simon right. Zomlot this will not be the area, you know, of security. It might be about prisoners. Most likely, it is about prisoners. Simon it was about prisoners, palestinians arrested by the israelis. People here have many complaints about their political and economic situation, but unlike hamas in gaza, the Palestinian Authority on the west bank hasnt fired any rockets at israel, and has been praised by israeli officials for maintaining law and order. But a more peaceful situation on the west bank hasnt led to renewed peace talks, and each side blames the other for the gridlock. Zomlot life is very normal in tel aviv. People are jogging on the beaches of tel aviv. There is a wall thats separating from whatever happening there. It doesnt concern them whatsoever. And this is the dynamics we are faced with. The reality is, until the Israeli Society feels some sort of a sense of crisis, a sense of an urgency, we will go nowhere. Simon surely, youre not suggesting that it would be better if rockets fell on tel aviv, or are you . Zomlot absolutely not. I think the u. S. Should tell them that our money comes with our advice. If you take our money, you better take our advice. For the last 25 years, you have been taking only our money and putting our advice aside. Simon the 270 million the u. S. Has provided israel to help build iron dome is in addition to the 3 billion israel gets annually from the u. S. In military aid. Palestinians complain that while all this u. S. Support is being given to israel, the Israeli Government has repeatedly defied u. S. Policy and approved the construction of new settlement blocks in the west bank. The americans have already given 270 million. Barak more than this, i believe, along the. Yeah. Simon and theyre promising, just for iron dome, another 660 million. Barak yeah. Yeah. 680. Probably 211 million might be given in the coming fiscal year. Simon while the americans are helping you so much in your defense, israel goes on building settlements, which is exactly what the americans dont want. How does that work, when youre asking america for help and doing exactly what the americans dont want you to do . Barak you know, bob, i. I prefer not to answer this question right now. You know, we are in the height of the election period. I basically think that the relationship, especially between our intelligence communities and our defense establishment, is extreme. Are extremely close. Simon you mean, between the israelis and the americans . Barak yeah. Extremely close. And, of course, we have certain differences. Simon but how does it work . I mean, right now, israel has Just Announced the building of a gigantic settlement project. This is at the same time that the americans are providing the money for israels most important defense system. Barak you know, we are highly grateful to the administration, to American People as a whole, for this support. I dont think that its relevant to the issue of iron dome. Simon israelis argue that americas commitment to their security must be kept separate from political disagreements between the u. S. And israel. Six israelis were killed in this latest battle with hamas. The u. N. Says more than 100 palestinians perished as the Israeli Air Force and navy pummeled targets in gaza. But hamas never surrendered. Despite iron dome, it kept firing rockets, and after a ceasefire was negotiated, hamass longexiled leader made a triumphant visit to gaza, claiming victory. So who won . Depends who you ask. The loser, again, is any prospect of peace, and no machine, however brilliantly designed, can fix that. As your life and career change, fidelity is there for your personal economy, helping you readjust your Retirement Plan along the way. Rethink how youre invested. And refocus as your career moves forward. Wherever you are today, a fidelity ira has a wide range of Investment Choices to help you finetune your personal economy. 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So this year, make the most of it. Fly like youve never been grounded. Scream like youve never been shushed. Let go like you have nothing to lose. And hold on to what matters most. Its your vacation. Dont just take it. Mean it. Universal orlando. Vacation like you mean it. Bag my business and bury it in the trash anymore. Good, that was awful. [ female announcer ] introducing litter genie. Easy litter disposal. Simply scoop, drop and help lock in odors. New litter genie. Your wish granted. Thats 50 off lenses its the lenscrafters semi annual sale. Lock in odors. Including bifocals, no lines even sunglasses made with your prescription. So hurry in 50 off lenses wont last forever. Pelley around the world, countless millions suffer with diseases that could be easily cured if those patients could reach modern medical care. For a fortunate few, there is a lifeline called africa mercy. She is the largest civilian hospital ship on the seas. But she is also the closest thing to a time machine youre ever likely to see. Her largely american crew brings 21stcentury medicine to people who believe that illnesses are caused by evil spirits. The patients beliefs may seem archaic, but their courage is to be admired. They suffer from diseases unseen in america, illnesses that can make you believe in curses. Spend a few days, as we did, aboard the africa mercy and you will see how two worlds meet at the intersection of courage and compassion. She can be described in the usual dimensions of a ship 500 feet in length, eight decks, a crew of 450. Or you can reckon africa mercy as a hospital 90 nurses, 15 doctors, 78 beds, and six operating rooms. One of the first doctors who invited us into surgery was gary parker, a maxillofacial surgeon who came to the ship on a lark. Gary parker and i remember saying to myself, when i get an opportunity, i want to come maybe for a few months and just see what this is about, see if im cut out of the right fabric for that kind of life. Pelley and how long have you been here . Parker 26 years. Bonjour. Pelley youll understand why he stayed when you see the ship at work, as we did, in togo, west africa. A lot of ways here havent changed in centuries. Most live on 2 a day. There are few medical facilities. When the ship comes in, folks line up by the thousands for free dental surgery, eye surgery, and maxillofacial procedures for cleft palates and other deformities. Africa mercy makes port in countries all along the arc of west africa, 1,800 miles where slave ships used to land. Trace that coastline and youve put your finger on several of the poorest countries on earth. Here in togo, the lack of development and the poverty mean that one out of ten children one out of ten dies before the age of five. They die of diseases that we just dont see in the united states, including a particular kind of facial tumor that is a specialty of the ship. What youre about to see can be very hard to look at, but if youll be patient, it will be worth it. Gary parker is the chief surgeon. Hello. Pelley and one of his patients, edoh, was back for a checkup 17 years after surgery. Youre thinking shes disfigured now, but in 1995, at the age nine, a tumor destroyed her face and it was crushing her windpipe. Parker she was struggling to breathe. I was amazed at the sense of community. Lots of people were waiting outside the gate, and many with problems of their own. But when they saw edoh, they picked her up, put her over her. Over their heads, and literally passed her through the crowd, over the gate, and into the screening. Because they recognized that her need was greater. Pelley these tumors arent cancer; theyre benign. In fact, its tooth enamel that wont stop growing. In the u. S. , a dentist would remove it before it ever showed. But here, its understood to be a curse. Parker these are people that go out at night and they forage for food. And then, in the day, they hide. They cant go to the market. They certainly cant go to school. They are isolated. Pelley so these patients arrive and theyre coming up the gangway. What do you imagine thats like for them . Parker ive seen it happen over and over and over again that when they are greeted on the ship or when theyre greeted at screening, and someone comes and shakes their hand, its like somebody recognizes that im inside here. You know, im trapped, i cant get away from this tumor. But im still in here. And the healing begins when they get acceptance based on who they are, no conditions, just, we know youre in there. Fatimata. We know youre in there. Pelley and thats what he told a woman named marta whos been trapped behind a tumor that has been growing for three years. Her husband had banished her from the home. She could die, over time, from this . Parker oh, yeah. Why, in 2012, should people be dying of benign disease . There are lots of reasons. There are no good reasons, but there are lots of reasons why thats the case. Longtooth forceps please . Pelley so youre going to replace her jaw with a titanium jaw, essentially . Parker yeah. And then, some months later, bone from the hip is taken and put around the titanium, and that grows into new jaw bone. Pelley we followed martas progress over several months, and in a moment, well show you the change. Parker the uniform thats put on people when you have these terrible deformities is, youre rubbish, youre worthless. Youre spiritually cursed, youre. And when you can change the uniform, its huge. And the person starts to imagine that they might not be rubbish after all. No one in our world is rubbish. Pelley edoh, that first patient that we met, who came as a child, reclaimed her humanity with four surgeries in 17 years. I understand that youre in school. What are you studying . Translator she wants to become a nurse to help other people, too. Pelley she wants to be a nurse. Translator yes. Pelley shes met a lot of good nurses in her life. Translator yes. laughter pelley and we met a lot of good nurses, too. Do we want to do more than two days of. Pelley ali chandra is from new jersey. You know, you could be a nurse anywhere. You could be a nurse back home. I wonder why you do this work . Ali chandra i could never be a nurse back home anymore. I could never go back. Theres just this sense of Real Community that i would really, really miss if i ever left. Pelley one of her jobs in this community is to care for the sickest patients. Chandra youre all right, baby, youre all right. Pelley this is esther, another one of the tumor patients, as her breathing tube was being removed. Chandra okay. Pelley esthers tumor was massive and her recovery a desperate struggle. Chandra hey, i hear your voice, i hear your voice. Thats so good. Pelley esther could not understand the language, but the touch was unmistakable. Chandra good job, sweetheart. Pelley you know that there are some people watching this interview who are saying to themselves, i could never do what she does. Those poor people are terribly disfigured. I cant look at them. Chandra people have been saying that to these people their whole lives, and someone has to look at them, someone has to look them in the eye and tell them that youre human and i recognize that in you. And its really interesting when. Sorry. When new nurses come, a lot of the times, theyre very shocked, and you can tell that this is, oh, i remember that, the first time i saw that it was kind of shocking. But you. It gets to the point where you dont. You dont see it anymore. You dont see the tumor. You just can see the persons eyes. Or if they only have one eye, because the other one is a tumor, you find their eye and you find a way to connect with them. Pelley that personal connection can last for years. A lot of these patients need multiple surgeries, and theyll come back again and again as the ship returns. The idea for all of this set sail back in 1978, when don stephens of texas started a charity that he calls mercy ships. So how did you find this ship . Don stephens we found her in denmark. She was a rail ferry. Pelley africa mercy replaced three earlier vessels, and stephens says that, over 35 years, hundreds of thousands of patients have been aboard his ships. Where does the money come from . Stephens weve got corporate sponsors that we couldnt do what we do without them. Secondly, by the crew themselves. We have a unique business model. We charge everyone for the privilege of volunteering. Pelley and you pay them nothing . Stephens everyone pays their own way. Pelley doctors, nurses and crew pay their own way with donations from home, mostly from churches. Would it be okay if we pray with you . Pelley youre often reminded onboard that this is a christian charity. Chandra god, you are good. Parker we pray for your protection over her. And we pray for a complete recovery. Pelley . A charity that treats patients of any faith. Amen. Pelley west africa is a territory of tribes, and the ship is a tribe unto itself. Theres no help out here. Fire on board. Pelley the crew drills for every emergency. Its a tight community. Many stay for years. R, which is the rate. Pelley they raise their children in the ships school, and return to america on vacation. Ali chandras been on board four years and, now, shes pregnant, but she plans to stay. I wonder do you think of this as a sacrifice that youre making . Chandra no, not at all. Theres things i miss from home. I miss strawberries and i miss fresh milk. And i miss my family. Not in that order. You have no idea how awesome this life is. I get to see the world. And i get to take care of incredible people. And why would you want to live in a house on land . This is way more fun. Pelley you met your husband here . Chandra i did. Yep. I am one of the mercy ships romances. Not the only one. Pelley are there a lot of those . Chandra they call it the love boat. Yeah. Pelley who calls it the love boat . Chandra i know a lot of. Any of us who have found our loves here. Pelley she found phil, a ships electrician. Gary parker met his wife, susan, onboard. And theyve raised wesley and carys in a 630 squarefoot cabin. Susan found out how long they were staying on tv. Susan parker somebody had asked him the question, how long do you plan to be here . And gary looked straight in the camera and he said, i hope for the rest of my life. And we looked at each other and sucked in our breath. laughter and we started a journey of adjusting our expectations from that point. Pelley the first time you saw him after you saw the documentary, did you say. Susan yeah, i did. And he said, you never asked. Pelley you never asked. The only life the kids have known makes them strangers back home. Susan a couple of years ago, we were in santa barbara, visiting garys mom. And i gave carys a letter and i said, would you go down and mail this for me . And she was gone for about 20 minutes. And when she came back, she said, i dont know what a mailbox looks like. laughs and i thought, okay, were in trouble here. Pelley and today, you do not wish you were somewhere else. Susan no. You know, theres nothing wrong with living at home, but i dont think its what were supposed to do. Pelley that conviction tends to be renewed with every life that is changed. The quickest change that we saw came in the patients who were the slowest up the gangway, each step taken on trust. Theyre blind cataracts. The surgery takes half an hour cataract out, new lens in. Some of them had been blind for decades; now, they can see in 24 hours, a cause for celebration. The maxillofacial patients are years from healing completely. This was marta before her jaw was replaced. And this is how she looked after surgery. The tumor is gone; it wont grow back. And when the ship returns, shell have cosmetic surgery for the scars. Africa mercy spent five months in this port. 281 tumors removed, 34 cleft palates made whole, and 794 blind patients returned to sight. With that, africa mercy threw off her bonds to togo and steamed for another desperate point on the african coast. And now a cbs sports update fred by e. Trade. Today in dayton beach, florida, Danica Patrick became first woman in nascar Sprint Cup Series history to qualify in pole position for the dayton 500. In top 25 ncaa mens basketball action, fourthranked michigan outlasted penn state. Arizona defeated utah, louisville beat south florida and wisconsin upset ohio state. For more sports news and information, go to cbssports. Com. Another article that says investors could lose tens ofer your old 401 k s to a new etrade retirement account. We have every type of retirement account. None of them charge annual fees and all of them offer low cost investments. Why . Because were not your typical wall street firm thats why. So you keep more of your money. Etrade. Less for us. More for you. Just begin with americas favorite soups. Bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. Or bestever meatloaf. Go to campbellskitchen. Com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. Campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. More than a paycheck. Plus a valuable coupon. It represents all the time youve spent helping those around you. So when it comes to taxes, were to help you. Thats why we have cpas, enrolled agents and tax attorneys to answer your questions. Helping you get deductions for uniforms, union dues, and even the miles you drive for a job interview. You deserve to keep more of your hard earned money. And were here to help make that happen. Try it free at turbotax dot com. 23 years on the job, been exposed to a lot of human nature. Theres a time and a place for flexing your muscles and pumping your chest; this aint it. Kroft of all the Great British actors of the past half century, none are more respected or honored than dame maggie smith. She is most familiar now as the dowager countess on Downton Abbey, which concludes its third season later tonight on pbs. She has won two oscars, three emmys, and a tony award, all wrapped around a long and illustrious career on the british stage. At age 78, she is at the peak of her fame, much in demand, and quite bankable. Last springs the best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a surprise hit, and there is a new film out, quartet, directed by dustin hoffman. She doesnt have much time or interest in giving interviews, which shes compared to testifying in court. Theyre a rarity. We were fortunate enough to get one. You seem to have no interest in celebrity and fame. Maggie smith absolutely none. I mean, why would i . Kroft do you accept the fact that youre a star . Smith if you say so. Yes. I do. I dont feel any different to the way i felt before, and im not quite sure what it means. I am familiar to people now, which is what i was not before. That is entirely due to the television set. Kroft shes talking about Downton Abbey, the highbrow british soap opera that follows the intrigues of an aristocratic family and their servants at the turn of the last century. Its drawn critical acclaim and record audiences in britain and for pbss masterpiece series here in the u. S. , due in large part to Maggie Smiths portrayal of violet, the imperious, sharp tongued dowager countess of grantham. Mama, may i present Matthew Crawley and mrs. Crawley. My mother, Lady Grantham. What should we call each other . Smith well, we could always start with mrs. Crawley and Lady Grantham. Kroft her role as a privileged matriarch coping with the intrusions of the modern world has become one of the most memorable in a storied career, and has already won her two emmy awards. Smith im so looking forward to seeing your mother again. When im with her, im reminded of the virtues of the english. But isnt she american . Smith exactly. Kroft did you have any idea that Downton Abbey was going to be this successful . Smith no, i didnt. No, a whole very startled group of people, you know. I mean, very pleased, but very amazed. Kroft youre proud of it . Smith yes. Well, yes, of course i am. I was just. Just thinking, pausing because i havent actually seen it, so i dont. I dont sit down and watch it. Kroft never . Smith no, i havent watched it. Kroft you must be the only person in england whos not watching it. Smith well, thats a record then, isnt it . Of some sort. Kroft dont you have a desire to see how the whole thing turned out . You do it in bits and pieces. Smith i will look at it when its all over, maybe, because its frustrating. I always see things that i would like to do differently and think, oh, why in the name of god did i do that . Kroft but if you dont watch the finished product, what do you get out of it . Smith its the delight of. Of acting. Kroft it was a childhood obsession that turned into a 60 year career, despite early advice from her grandmother that she wasnt pretty enough to be an actress and should learn to type. She made her broadway debut at 21, and was later recruited by sir Laurence Olivier to join Britains National theatre. She was already one of britains preeminent actresses when she first came to the attention of most americans with the prime of miss jean brodie. Smith morning, girls. Kroft . A film about a spirited teacher who becomes embroiled in scandal at an all girls school. It won her the Academy Award for best actress. Smith if scandal is to your taste, miss mckie, i shall give you a feast. Miss brodie smith i am a teacher i am a teacher first, last, always. Do you imagine that, for one instant, i will let that be taken from me without a fight . Kroft its been 44 years since you won your first oscar. Smith jesus, is it . Kroft mmhmm, 1969. Smith good god. Yeah. Kroft what do you think your greatest talent is . Smith i really dont know. If i knew, i would maybe teach or something. Im glad i have it, but i dont. I really dont know what it is, and i dont think any actors can actually put a finger on it. Kroft youve worked with every. I mean, youve worked with olivier, gielgud, burton, Michael Caine, albert finney, judi dench, alan rickman, michael gambon. I mean, therere so many. Do you have any favorites . Smith id be mad if i said. Kroft Michael Caine said that you steal every movie that youre in. Smith oh, thats far from true. Hes a pretty good scene stealer. Kroft they worked together in 1978 in the film california suite. Michael caine where are you going . Smith i need another drink. Kroft she played diana barrie, a strungout oscar nominated actress in los angeles for the Academy Awards. Michael caine played her bisexual husband. Caine ive never hidden behind closed doors, but i am discreet. Smith discreet . you did everything but lick his artichoke kroft in the film, maggies character did not win the oscar, but maggie did for her performance best supporting actress. That looked like it was fun. Smith i found the director a bit tricky, a bit spiky. Kroft what does that mean, spiky . Thats a british term. People have called you spiky. Smith sort of. Yes, they do. He was jagged. He was very difficult, but when i got upset, somebody said, try not to be, because it happens to a lot of people, and Walter Matthau left the set the other day in tears. So that cheered me up a bit. laughter i realized i wasnt the only one being picked on. Kroft is it already to libel this man . Is he. Is he above. Smith hes no longer with us. But i had nothing to do with his demise. Really, i didnt. Kroft she once said, i dont tolerate fools and they dont tolerate me. Smith oh, thats tacky, thats really tacky. Leave it. Kroft shes made a career playing spiky characters, and given her stature as an actress and the pressure she puts on herself for perfection, she admits being terrified before every take. She can be an intimidating presence on the set. So, everybody says youre a real professional. Smith oh, i hope so. Its about time, now isnt it . Kroft that youre a perfectionist, that you take it very seriously. That you have no time for low standards. Smith youre trying to say that im. What everybody says. They always seem to think that im. Im scary. And i understand that totally old people are scary. And i have to face it. I am old and i am scary and im very, very sorry about it, but i dont know what you do. Kroft i was concerned enough to ask somebody who had worked with you if he had any advice and he said, dont let her smell your fear. Smith who said this . Kroft i cant tell you. Smith i insist upon knowing who this dreadful person was. Kroft well, it wasnt julian fellowes, the writer and creator of Downton Abbey. He agrees that maggie can be difficult, but he says its always about the work. Julian fellowes its never about having a pink dressing room. You know, thats. Thats not it at all. Its about whether or not the scene works. Is this the right prop . Youre hurrying. That. That thing is wrong. For me, her bothering is worth attending to and listening to because she ends up with a better product. Kroft Lady Grantham in Downton Abbey is not the first role that fellowes created with maggie smith in mind smith ooh, yummy. Yummy, yummy, yummy. Kroft she was also the inspiration for the countess of trentham in gosford park, a performance that earned her one of her six oscar nominations. Fellowes she has a style as an actress which is very, very rewarding for a writer. Shes very dry. She has this strength, this kind of emotional strength, that is also underlying every laugh she gets. So if you write her a funny line, or you know a reasonably funny line, shell make it very funny. Smith dont worry, your turn will come. Will it . Or am i just to be the maiden aunt . Smith dont be defeatist, dear. Its very middle class. Kroft how important is maggie smith to Downton Abbey . Fellowes maggie is probably the hardest one to replace, could we put it like that. She would be, i think, the greatest loss. Kroft dont worry, its not in the script or on the story boards, and dame maggie has signed on for season four of Downton Abbey, which is now filming. At 78 and a Breast Cancer survivor, she displays no appetite for slowing down. Quartet, her 53rd film, which is now in theaters, is about a retirement home for opera singers. Guess who is the diva. Smith this is not a retirement home, this is a madhouse. Kroft it was directed by dustin hoffman, another strong willed actor, in his first effort behind the camera. Smith it was a great treat. It was such a relief to know that the person behind the camera knew exactly how you were feeling, and when you had problems doing something, knew exactly why. Hed been in that position himself and understood it inside out. Kroft how did you get along . Dustin hoffman perfectly. I mean, she. She did what she should do. In the middle of a scene, shed say, i dont know what the bleep this scene is about. And you know, strong and hard, and the whole crew goes like this. And i literally enjoy it when that happens. Kroft he got maggie smith to say a word that she had never uttered in more than 50 movies, and she delivered it with the authority of a dame commander of the british empire, which she is. Smith im going to Say Something very rude to you bleep you. And you. Kroft the fbomb scene, she said that shes never said it in a movie before. Hoffman well, maggie, you certainly said it in life. laughter its one of her favorite words in life. Thats one of the main reasons i love her shes a sailor. Kroft hoffman and smith have become great friends, and she relaxed noticeably when he joined our interview two septuagenarians, still in the game. How are you dealing with the whole aging thing . Smith i dont like it at all, but then i dont know who does. Noel coward, and i dont mean to namedrop. But he said, the awful thing about getting old is that you have breakfast every half hour. And thats sort of what it is. I cant. I cant understand why everything has to go so fast. Kroft she has two sons from her first marriage to robert stevens, her costar in the prime of miss jean brodie, and both of them are successful actors who visit regularly. She remarried to playwright beverley cross, who was the love of her life. Your second husband passed away. Smith some time ago now. Kroft is it lonely . Smith i dont know. It seems a bit pointless. Kroft what seems pointless . Smith going on on ones own and not having someone to share it with. Kroft but you have no interest in finding someone else . Smith absolutely not. I. No way. Kroft how many grandchildren . Smith five. Kroft can you deal with that . Smith yeah. Kroft you like it . Smith theyre wonderful. Theyre wonderful. Kroft she lives very comfortably now, splitting time between her house in london and a place in the country, her only annoyances being a tricky hip and the unwanted celebrity of being a tv star. The seven harry potter films she appeared in provided her with what she calls her pension, and a legacy with a new generation as professor mcgonagall, plus a decade of memories with her young co stars. Smith potter, take weasley with you. He looks far too happy over there. It was extraordinary to see them grow up like that. Ten years of their lives half their lives, that is, in fact. Kroft and you didnt change at all. Smith no, i just got meaner and meaner, and spikier and spikier. No, i didnt change at all. Kroft what do you look forward to . Smith i guess just. Just to go on. Kroft well, theres season four. Smith there is indeed season four, but i mean, logically, violet must be about 100 and something now, so i dont know how long shes going to last. I really dont. Kroft julian says hes never going to kill her off. Smith and therell be. Have to be bath chairs and various things that they can push me around in. Kroft he said theyll send you to the seaside. Theyll never kill you off. laughter smith i think hell have to. Kroft have you ever thought about retiring . Smith i think that the date for that has gone by. I fear that i wont work in the theater again. Im sad about that. But i wont. Wont retire. I think ill keep going with violet and whatever other old biddy comes along. Go to 60minutesovertime. 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