>>> AND WELCOME BACK. MOST SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
DON’T GET COOL NICKNAMES OR
T-SHIRTS WITH THEIR FACES ON
THEM, BUT JUSTICE RUTH BADER
GINSBURG HAS BECOME NOTHING
SHORT OF A POP CULTURE
PHENOMENON SINCE TAKING HER SEAT
ON THE HIGH COURT IN 1993 ZL
LATELY SHE’S BEEN IN THE NEWS
BECAUSE OF HER HEALTH.
JUSTICE GINSBURG UNDERWENT
CANCER SURGERY THIS SEPTEMBER.
JUST THIS PAST FRIDAY RETURNED
TO WORK FOR THE FIRST TIME.
>> HER STORY COULD WIN AN
ACADEMY AWARDS THANKS TO THE NEW
DOCUMENTARY "RGB" THAT RETRACES
HER TRAIL BLAZING CAREER.
>> Reporter: RUTH BADER GINSBURG
IS OFTEN DESCRIBED AS A POP
CULTURE PHENOMENON, COMPLETE
WITH HER OWN CULT FOLLOWING.
SHE HAS A RECURRING ROLE ON
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE.
AND HER LIFE RECENTLY HIT THE
BIG SCREEN ASS THE SUBJECT OF TH
FILM "ON THE BASIS OF SEX".
>> WHAT DID YOU SAY YOUR NAME
WAS?
WAS? >> RUTH BADER GINSBURG.
>> OUTSIDE OF THE COURTROOM, HER
GRUELING GYM WORKOUTS ARE KNOWN
TO MANY.
TO MANY. THE DOCUMENTARY "RBG" GIVES
VIEWERS A LOOK AT THE JUSTICE’S
PRIVATE SIDE.
PRIVATE SIDE. THERE’S HER COLLECTION OF ROBES.
>> AND THIS ONE IS FOR ASSENTING
OPINION.
OPINION. >> THIS AND IT POKES FUN AT HER
LACK OF COOKING SKILLS.
>> TO THIS DAY I STILL CAN’T EAT
SWORD FISH.
SWORD FISH. >> IT WASN’T UNTIL I WAS 14 THAT
I ENCOUNTERED A LIVE VEGETABLE.
>> EARLY IN HER CAREER SHE
WORKED AS A LAWYER WHO FOUGHT
HARD FOR GENDER EQUALITY.
>> P MEN AND WOMEN ARE PERSONS
OF EQUAL DIGNITY, AND THEY
SHOULD COUNT EQUALLY BEFORE THE
LAW.
LAW. >> YOU WON’T SETTLE FOR PUTTING
SUSAN B. ANTHONY ON THE NEW
DOLLAR?
DOLLAR? >> THEY WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE
THIS.
THIS. HOW DID YOU RESPOND?
>> WELL, NEVER IN ANGER AS MY
MOTHER TOLD ME.
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN
SELF-DEFEATING.
SELF-DEFEATING. ALWAYS AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO
TEACH.
TEACH. I DID SEE MYSELF AS KIND OF A
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER IN THOSE
DAYS BECAUSE THE JUDGES DIDN’T
THINK SEX DISCRIMINATION
EXISTED.
EXISTED. WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS I TRIED
TO PLANT IN THEIR MINDS WAS
THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD
LIKE THE WORLD TO BE FOR YOUR
DAUGHTERS AND GRAND DAUGHTERS.
>> SO GOOD.
BETSY WEST AND JULIE COHEN ARE
THE DIRECTORS AND PRODUCERS OF
"RBG."
"RBG." THANK YOU FOR COMING IN THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. THIS WAS A GIFT TO THE CULTURE.
IT’S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE
I’M SO GLAD IT WAS OUT NOW.
SHE WAS OUT FOR A MONTH FOR LUNG
CANCER SURGERY.
CANCER SURGERY. SHE WAS BACK TO WORK LAST
FRIDAY.
FRIDAY. HAVE YOU TALKED TO HER?
>> WE ACTUALLY DID TALK TO HER
TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN WE RECEIVED
THE NEWS THAT WE WERE NOMINATED
FOR AN OSCAR.
WE CALLED HER.
WE TOLD HER.
SHE WAS VERY HAPPY FOR US AND
QUICKLY SEGUED INTO TALKING
ABOUT GETTING READY TO GO BACK
TO WORK, THAT SHE HAD BEEN
READING AND WRITING AND KEEPING
UP WITH THE CASES SO SHE COULD
RETURN TO THE COURT.
>> NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR, TWO
OSCARS, BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
AND BEST ORIGINAL SONG.
I WANT TO ASK WHAT THE REACTION
WAS LIKE, BUT WE ACTUALLY HAVE
IT ON VIDEO.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK.
>> OH, NO.
RBG!
RBG! YES!
YES! [ LAUGHTER ]
>> I’M GLAD THERE WAS A COUCH
THERE.
THERE. I’M GLAD THERE WAS A COUCH THERE
SO YOU DIDN’T FALL AND HURT
YOURSELF.
YOURSELF. >> SO DIGNIFIED.
>> I KNOW, REALLY.
>> AND DID YOU CALL RBG TO TELL
HER?
HER? >> YES, WE CALLED HER RIGHT
AFTER.
AFTER. >> RIGHT AFTERWARD.
>> SHE FELT THE NOMINATION WAS
EMINENTLY WELL-DESERVED.
EMINENTLY WELL-DESERVED. >> WE LIKE TO TAKE A BIT OF
CREDIT FOR THIS DOCUMENTARY HERE
AT NBC NEWS.
FULL DISCLOSURE JULIE WAS A
PRODUCER HERE AT "DATELINE" FOR
A NUMBER OF YEARS.
WHY DID YOU FEEL LIKE IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS STORY
TOLD RIGHT NOW?
>> JUSTICE GINSBURG’S STORY IS
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. PEOPLE KNOW HER FOR THE STINGING
DISSENT SHE’S WRITTEN IN RECENT
YEARS.
YEARS. WE KNEW A LARGER STORY.
SHE WAS THE ARCHITECT OF THE
LEGAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
SHE’S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE IDEA
THAT MEN AND WOMEN UNDER THE
CONSTITUTION NEED TO BE TREATED
EQUALLY.
EQUALLY. THAT’S FROM A SERIES OF CASES
SHE ARGUED IN THE 1970s AND SOME
BIG ONES INCLUDING ONE HUGE ONE
SHE DECIDED IN THE ’90s.
SHE MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE, AND
SOME OF HER BIGGEST FANS DIDN’T
KNOW ABOUT IT.
WE WANTED TO TELL THE STORY.
>> SHE SORT OF WAS EMBLEMATIC OF
THE RESISTANCE BEFORE FOLKS
STARTED CALLING@RESISTANCE.
STARTED CALLING@RESISTANCE. >> IS THERE ANYTHING THAT
INSPIRED YOU THE MOST OR YOU
FOUND SURPRISING?
FOUND SURPRISING? EVEN THOUGH I KNOW YOU KNEW SO
MUCH ABOUT HER.
>> SHE IS A VERY RESERVED AND
QUIET PERSON, VERY INTELLECTUAL
AND STUDIOUS, BUT SHE HAS A
FABULOUS SENSE OF HUMOR.
SHE LOVES TO LAUGH, AND WE WERE
VERY HAPPY THAT WE COULD MAKE
HER LAUGH WHEN WE SHOWED HER THE
"SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" CLIP.
THERE WERE A WHOLE BUNCH OF
SUPREME COURT PR PEOPLE STANDING
THERE.
THERE. THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT WE WERE
GOING TO DO AND WHEN WE PRESSED
THE BUTTON, THEY ALL LOOKED, OH,
NO.
NO. SHE WITTED WAITED FOR A SECOND A
THEN SHE BURST OUT LAUGHING.
IT WAS SO CUTE.
>> WHAT ABOUT HER WORKOUTS?
YOU GOT TO EXPERIENCE THOSE
FIRSTHAND.
FIRSTHAND. >> THAT WAS INCREDIBLE.
THERE HAD BEEN A FAIR AMOUNT OF
LEGEND ABOUT THE RBG WORKOUT.
FRANKLY WE WERE SKEPTICAL UNTIL
WE SAT IN THAT ROOM WATCHING HER
GO THROUGH HER PACES WITH HER
INCREDIBLE TRAINER, BRIAN
JOHNSON.
JOHNSON. HE DOES FINANCE TRAINING FOR
MILITARY GUYS.
MILITARY GUYS. HE SAYS RBG IS TOUGHER.
>> WE KNOW SHE HAD A UNIQUE
RELATIONSHIP WITH ANTONIN
SCALIA.
SCALIA. WHAT ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH
JUSTICES NOW?
JUSTICES NOW? >> JUSTICE GINSBURG IS SOMEONE
WHO IS EXTREMELY COLLEGIAL.
IT’S VERY IMPORTANT FOR HER TO
HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL
THE PEOPLE SHE WORKS WITH, EVEN
THOSE WITH WHOM SHE DOESN’T
AGREE.
AGREE. YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT’S KIND OF
PRACTICAL BECAUSE HOW ARE YOU
GOING TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO COME
OVER TO YOUR SIDE?
YOU WANT THEM TO LIKE YOU, AND
SHE’S SOMEONE WHO PEOPLE REALLY
LIKE.
LIKE. >> IN A TIME WHEN WE’RE SO
DIVIDED I FOUND IT VERY TIMELY.
SHE EVEN KIND OF TALKED ABOUT
THAT.
THAT. YOU CAN DISAGREE WITH SOMEONE
AND STILL SIT DOWN AND WATCH AN
OPERA, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
ASK STILL ENJOY SOMEONE’S
FRIENDSHIP.
FRIENDSHIP. I THINK IT WAS TIMELY.
THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR
COMING IN.
COMING IN. >> GOOD LUCK.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> WE’LL HAVE ANOTHER CAMERA ON
YOU.
YOU. THE DOCUMENTARY IS "RBG."