>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
NOW HE RETURNED TO MY CONVERSATION WITH
STEVEN SPIELBERG. HAD YOU BEEN THINKING ABOUT
TELLING THE STORY OF THE FABELMANS FOR A LONG TIME?
>> Steven: FOR YEARS. >> Stephen: WHAT KEPT YOU FROM
TELLING IT BEFORE THIS OR WHY WAS THIS THE RIGHT MOMENT?
>> Steven: FOR ONE THING, I HAD A LOT OF PASSIONS AND
THINGS, STORIES I WAS TELLING HIM THINGS I HAD ON MY WISH
LIST. IT WOULDN'T EVEN CALL IT A
BUCKET LIST. I REALLY WANT TO MAKE THIS KIND
OF MOVIE. I WANT TO GET INTO THAT GENRE.
I WANT TO DO A MOVIE ABOUT, I WANT TO DO A MOVIE ABOUT AI.
I HAD ALL THESE OTHER THINGS. I REALIZED I KEPT PUTTING
SEGMENTS OF THE FABELMANS' STORY INTO ALL OF THESE OTHER FILMS.
>> Stephen: IT'S A DARING THING TO LOOK AT YOUR OWN LIFE,
I THINK, IF YOU CAN DO IT HONESTLY.
THERE ARE THINGS YOU MAYBE DIDN'T WANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT
YOUR LIFE. IS THERE ANY POINT WHERE YOU
SAID, THIS MIGHT BE A MISTAKE? >> Steven: YES.
I THOUGHT BY TELLING A STORY ABOUT HOW I DISCOVERED MY MOM
WAS HAVING AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART WITH HER AND MY FATHER'S
BEST FRIEND AND MY FATHER'S BUSINESS PARTNER, IT WAS
SOMETHING THAT NEVER HAD TO BE PUBLICLY EXPRESSED.
I HAD A LOT OF SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT.
BUT TO HIS CREDIT, TONY KUSHNER CONTINUED TO SAY, THAT IS THE
MacGUFFIN OF THIS MOVIE. THE CENTER RING, THE CENTER OF
YOUR LIFE, THE CENTER RING. THAT'S WHERE YOU GOING TO BE
FLYING THROUGH THE AIR ON A TRAPEZE AND THERE'S NOT GOING TO
BE A NET. I THINK YOU CAN AFFORD WITH ALL
YOUR SUCCESS TO POSSIBLY SLIP AND FALL TO HER DEATH.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT BECAUSE YOU'VE EARNED THE RIGHT TO TELL
THE STORY. >> Stephen: IT'S BRILLIANT
MOVIE. I THINK IT'S VERY BEAUTIFUL.
THAT MIGHT BE THE GREATEST MOMENT IN IT, THE MOMENT OF
DISCOVERY. WHERE SAM, WITHOUT WORDS, IN THE
PUREST FILM WAY DISCOVER SOMETHING TO THE LENS OF HIS
CAMERA. [FILM CLICKING]
DO YOU HAVE A CONSCIOUS SENSE THAT YOU CAN SEE MORE THROUGH
THE LENS AND YOU SEE IN YOUR DAILY LIFE?
>> Steven: YES. BECAUSE I OBVIOUSLY OBSERVED MY
MOM'S BEHAVIOR, HOW SHE LIT UP WHEN SHE WAS AROUND BERNIE.
I NEVER THOUGHT THERE WAS ANYTHING UNTOWARD ABOUT IT.
I WAS NEVER SUSPICIOUS ABOUT IT. MY MOM HAD A BEST FRIEND WHO
HAPPENED TO BE MY DAD'S BUSINESS PARTNER.
SOMEHOW WHEN I PUT AN ASPECT RATIO AROUND THAT LOOKED THROUGH
MY LITTLE BOLEX 8 MILLIMETERS CAMERA AND CUTTING THE FILM
TOGETHER, THE FILM TOLD ME THE TRUTH WHERE MY EYES COULD
PERCEIVE IT. IT WAS SOMETHING I COULDN'T SEE.
AS A HUMAN INTERACTING WITH MY MOM AND DAD AND BERNIE, ON THESE
CAMPING TRIPS. SOMEHOW ON THAT LITTLE SCREEN OF
THE MOVIE EDITOR, I SAW SOMETHING THAT I'D NEVER SOUND
WITH MY OWN EYES. >> Stephen: WHAT WAS IT LIKE
TO STEP ON THE SET FOR THE FIRST DAY WITH PAUL DANO AND MICHELLE
WILLIAMS AS YOUR MOM AND DAD? >> Steven: I THOUGHT IT WAS
GOING TO BE ROUTINE. >> Stephen: DONE IT A MILLION
TIMES. >> Steven: DONE IT A MILLION
TIMES. I KNOW IT THE FIRST DAY OF
SHOOTING IS LIKE. I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO GET THE
CAST ASSEMBLED AND GET THE BLOCKING COME OF THE CAST AND
THE CAMERA. IT WAS VERY ROUTINE.
BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN THEM TOGETHER.
I'D ONLY SEEN MICHELLE IN HER COSTUME WITH MARK BRIDGES, WHO
DESIGNED THE COSTUMES, AND PAUL DANO, I SAW THEM SEPARATE.
THE FIRST DAY OF SHOOTING, MARK BRIDGES CAME OVER TO ME AND
SAID, I'VE GOT PAUL AND MICHELLE HERE.
THEIR HAIR AND MAKEUP AND COSTUMES.
I WAS TALKING TO CHRISTY. I TURNED AROUND AND I TURNED
AROUND AND THERE WAS MY FATHER AND MY MOTHER.
I JUST BURST INTO TEARS. JUST LIKE THAT.
I DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. IT JUST HAPPENED.
MICHELLE RAN TO ME, HUGGED ME. PAUL CAME AROUND THE BACK OF ME,
HE'S REALLY TALL, HUG ME AROUND THE SHOULDERS AND JUST HELD ME.
BY THE WAY, AND GIVEN THEM SPEECHES LONG BEFORE THE FIRST
DAY OF SHOOTING. I GOT ALL MY TEARS OUT IN THE
SCRIPT WITH TONY KUSHNER. WHEN TONY AND I COWROTE THIS, I
GOT ALL MY EMOTION OUT. I'M A PROFESSIONAL.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME. YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE CARE O
ME. MY JOB IS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU
AND GUIDE YOU TO GIVING SOME GREAT PERFORMANCES.
IT WASN'T TO BE. [LAUGHTER]
>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE MONKEY.
HOW LONG DOES YOUR FAMILY HAVE THE MONKEY?
>> Steven: MY FAMILY DIDN'T HAVE THE MONKEY.
MY MOM HAD THE MONKEY. >> Stephen: YOUR SPLITTING
HAIRS, STEVEN SPIELBERG. IF THERE IS A MONKEY IN THE
HOUSE, THE WHOLE FAMILY HAS THE MONKEY.
>> Steven: I DIDN'T PUT THIS IN "THE FABELMANS" BUT THE
MONKEY WOULD BASICALLY THROW ITS FECES AT US TO THE MISSION OF
HIS CAGE. MONKEY.
>> Stephen: YOUNG SAM, AND I ASSUME YOUNG STEVEN SPIELBERG IS
BULLIED AND FEELS ALIENATED BY HIS JEWISHNESS.
YOU HAVE SAID IT TOOK YEARS FOR YOU TO EMBRACE YOUR HERITAGE.
NOT DOING SO FULLY UNTIL YOU'RE ACTUALLY MAKING "SCHINDLER'S
LIST." YOU CREATED THE SHOA FOUNDATION.
I'M CURIOUS, AS SOMEONE WHO HAS EXAMINED HIS OWN JEWISHNESS, DO
YOU FIND IT SURPRISING, THE RISE OF PUBLIC ANTI-SEMITISM NOT ONLY
IN THE UNITED STATES BUT IN AUTHORITARIAN COUNTRIES ALL
AROUND THE WORLD NOW? >> Steven: I FIND IT VERY,
VERY SURPRISING. ANTI-SEMITISM HAS ALWAYS BEEN
THERE. IT'S EITHER BEEN JUST AROUND THE
CORNER AND SLIGHTLY OUT OF SIGHT BUT ALWAYS LURKING.
OR IT HAS BEEN MUCH MORE OVERT, LIKE IN GERMANY IN THE '30s.
BUT NOT SINCE GERMANY AND THE '30s HAVE I WITNESSED
ANTI-SEMITISM NO LONGER LURKING BUT STANDING PROUD WITH HANDS ON
HIPS LIKE HITLER AND MUSSOLINI, KIND OF DARING US TO DEFY IT.
I'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS IN MY ENTIRE LIFE ESPECIALLY IN
THIS COUNTRY. >> Stephen: IT'S DISTURBING.
IT'S HEARTBREAKING. DO YOU HAVE ANY THEORIES AS TO
WHY IT'S RAISING ITS UGLY HEAD? >> Steven: SOMEHOW THE
MARGINALIZING OF PEOPLE THAT AREN'T PART OF SOME KIND OF A
MAJORITY RACE IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN CREEPING UP ON US FOR
YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. SOMEHOW.
2014, 2015, 2016, HEAT BECAME A KIND OF MEMBERSHIP.
HATE BECAME A KIND OF MEMBERSHIP TO A CLUB THAT HAS GOTTEN MORE
MEMBERS THAN I EVER THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLE IN AMERICA.
HATE AND ANTI-SEMITISM GO HAND-IN-HAND.
YOU CAN'T SEPARATE ONE FROM THE OTHER.
>> Stephen: IS ONE OF THE GREATEST, GATORS IN THE WORLD,
WHAT GIVES YOU HOPE THAT THE GAMBIT THAT IS DIVISIVENESS AND
HATE AND ANGER IS THE POLITICAL POLICY, THAT IT WILL NOT
SUCCEED? WHAT IS THE COUNTERVAILING
MESSAGE TO THAT THAT YOU WOULD WANT TO SAY?
>> Steven: I JUST THINK WITHOUT PAINTING A NAIVE
PORTRAIT OF MYSELF SITTING HERE TALKING TO YOU AND TO QUOTE
ANNE FRANK, I THINK SHE'S RIGHT WHEN SHE SAID IN MOST PEOPLE
THERE IS GOOD. SHE SAW GOOD IN MOST PEOPLE.
I THINK ESSENTIALLY AT OUR CORE, THERE IS GOODNESS AND THERE IS
EMPATHY. >> Stephen: WHEN WE COME BACK,
STEVEN SPIELBERG AND I ARE JOINED BY LEGENDARY COMPOSER,
THE GREAT JOHN WILLIAMS. STICK AROUND