Updated:
July 1, 2007

Italiano	Francais	Deutsch	Espanol

 

Regis (Co-host): Well, now, Brian Denehey was just saying how he'd love, you know, to get into directing and hopes to do that soon.

Kathie Lee (Co-host): Yeah. Did you have an... ever have any desires to direct?

Regis: I am directing right now.

Kathie Lee: What a guy.

Regis: So many actors want to, but this fellow made the jump a few years ago and is already working on his third major movie and had a terrific career on camera before that. You all knew him as part of that super cop team "Starsky & Hutch," and then moved in front of the cameras to begin his scenes as a director. Latest movie is called "The Cutting Edge" and opens March 27th. And here's Paul Michael Glaser.

Kathie Lee: Oh, I was so crazy about him!

Regis: Were you really, huh? Paul, how you doing? Nice to see you.

PAUL MICHAEL GLASER: Very nice. Thank you.

Regis: She just said to me, 'I was so crazy about him on "Starsky & Hutch."'

Kathie Lee: Oh, I... what teenage girl wasn't... or 20-year-old, whatever?

Paul: Thank you. Thank you.

Regis: Those were nice... good days, huh?

Paul: Those were good days.

Regis: You two guys running amuck.
(Regis shows pictures of Paul and David from "Starsky & Hutch")

Paul: Oh, my gosh, look at that.

Regis: Here you ar... now there you are just... just sitting there.

Kathie Lee: Keeping the planet safe.

Regis: That's right.

Paul: I still have that sweater.

Regis: Do you really?

Paul: Yeah.

Regis: Now here they are on the beach.

Paul: This... look at this.

Regis: Hmm? A little "Starsky & Hutch" retrospective. Close-ups right there. How young and beautiful we were. Look how nice. And still are, of course.

Paul: Thank you, Regis. Thank you.

Kathie Lee: You do have one of the greatest heads of hair known to mankind. Don't you think,.. I mean…

Regis: Can I touch your hair? Please?

Paul: Go ahead.

Regis: We're having a hair day.

Paul: No, no. I'm second. I heard what you said about John Forsythe. I don't want to be second banana.

Regis: No. I don't blame you. So you made the transition. Did you hear Brian Denehey out here? "I've got to direct. Or otherwise I'm going to…"

Paul: No. No, I didn't... I didn't hear him.

Regis: Well, he was saying that he wants to direct now. I guess…

Paul: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Kathie Lee: Said he just wrote a screenplay and he's on his way.

Paul: Yeah. They... a lot of actors want to direct.

Regis: Mm... hmm.

Paul: I can understand it. You know, when you're... when you're working in film and you see all this activity going on around you and you see everybody doing what they're doing and you say, "Well, wait. Why is he doing it that way?" And, "Why is that that way?" And you start to want to get more involved. So it's a natural…

Regis: But is it tough to get that break or... the studio heads say, "Another actor who wants to be a director."

Paul: Well, you know, CAA , which is one of the agencies in... in town here, has a T-shirt they used to give out. Do you know this T-shirt?

Regis: No.

Paul: It was a T-shirt that showed a dog on one side of the desk and an agent on the other. And the balloon over the dog's head was, "Well, what I really want to do is direct."

Kathie Lee: That was Lassie.

Paul: They... they sent me that T-shirt once.

Regis: But they also gave you the job, too.

Paul: I…

Kathie Lee: You started while you were doing "Starsy and Hus-Hutch"?

Paul: Well, I started while I was doing "Starsky & Hutch," yeah. I... I... I got very interested at... at that time. And... and then when I finished "Starsky & Hutch," then I went on to knock on doors and say, "What I really want to do is direct." And eventually people started to listen. And then I did a few "Miami Vices," and we were off and running.

Regis: And then came the... the big break with Schwarzenegger in "The Running Man."

Paul: Yeah, that was my second feature.

Regis: Oh.

Paul: I did a short ... I did a small feature just before that called "Band of the Hand," a very little known piece.

Regis: "Band of the Hand"?

Paul: Yeah. It was a... it didn't have any names in it, and it was sort of an Outward Bound bunch of bad boys who made good.

Regis: Mm... hmm.

Paul: And then I took over the Schwarzenegger picture. I did that, and then this film.

Kathie Lee: That's kind of a jump, though, to go from that one first film to a Schwarzenegger epic.

Paul: Yeah, it was... it was quite a jump.

Kathie Lee: Sink or swim time, right?

Paul: Yeah. Yeah.

Regis: Hmm. So you don't miss acting at all?

Paul: No. Every once in a while I kind of wonder what it would be like to climb back on that bicycle and take a turn around the park. But I don' t... I don't think about it a lot. As a matter of fact, I was doing a temp dub, you know, a temporary dubbing for the preview of my film "The Cutting Edge." And... and I had asked for a bunch of voiceover's to be put on the... on the film, and I was looking at the screen, and I was saying to all the technicians, "That's wrong. That... that... that's wrong. That do... that doesn't work." And I had been moaning about it for the longest time. And finally they turned to me and they said, "There's a microphone. You go and you do it." And I said, "No, no, no, it's OK." They said, "No, no, no, go do it." I said, "You really think so? You think I should?" They said, "Yes. 'No..no problem?" "No problem." So I walked over to the microphone and I had a very simple line to say, and I said it. And I got very embarrassed. And I said, "Well, let me try it again." And I said it again. And the third time I said, "OK, that's it. We've done it. If it's any good"... and I walked back to talk to a couple of friends of mine. And on the loudspeakers they played it over again. And I was in the middle of saying something to somebody, and they started to answer me. I said, "Shut up. Wait a minute." And I started listening to it. And I'm listening to it, and I go, "Boy, that's not half bad. I don't need any friends anymore!"

Regis: The old fires began to rekindle, huh?

Paul: Yeah.

Regis: What's this new move about, "Cutting Edge"?

Paul: This is a... this is a lovely film, I... even if I must say so myself. I had a lot of fun doing it, and we all had a lot of fun. It's a... it's a wonderful romantic comedy about two people who... a love story of two people who... when they meet each other, they hate each other at first sight.

Regis: Hmm.

Paul : He's…

Kathie Lee: He's a hockey star and she's a figure skater.

Paul: He's like the next Wayne Gretzky. You know, the golden boy of hockey. And got an incredible career ahead of him, and at the '88 Calgary Olympics has a terrible accident and loses his peripheral vision and can't play hockey anymore.

Kathie Lee: Mm... hmm.

Paul: And then there's this pairs figure skater who is incredibly difficult. She's gone through five players... four... five…

Kathie Lee: Partners.

Paul: … partners, four coaches. She's just... no one will work with her. No one will have anything to do with her. And so as a last resort, her coach puts the two of them together as a pair, and they can't stand each other. And it's a... it... I was very, very fortunate, you know. I had a... a... a wonderful chemistry. D.B. Sweeney plays the hockey player…

Regis: Mm... hmm.

Paul: … a girl named Moira Kelly…

Regis: Mm... hmm.

Paul: … who when she auditioned for me in Rockefeller Plaza, a skating audition, we had our skating auditions there. And it was the holiday season.

Kathie Lee: Oh, my God.

Paul: So, "Where's some ice? Well, there's some ice. Well, they're playing rock music. Well, whatever. Weave in and out of the people." And she got on the ice with her younger brother, and they started boxing and dancing at the same time.

Regis: That's pretty good.

Paul: This girl had been on the ice three times in her life. And I looked at her heart and I said, "That girl's got a lot of heart." And she became so proficient…

Kathie Lee: Huh.

Paul: … that we had to pull her off the ice one day a week because she started getting shin splints when she was training.

Regis: Wow.

Paul: And... so they were terrific.

Regis: So you got a good one to…

Kathie Lee: She agreed to do it that quickly? That's amazing.

Paul: Well, Robin Cousins, who's our choreographer, did a wonderful job, said that if she had started when she was eight, she probably would have been Olympic cal... caliber.

Kathie Lee: That's amazing.

Paul: Yeah. So…

Regis: Well, should we take a look at a clip?

Paul: Oh, yes. Yeah, we have a clip. That's…

Regis: Here's Doug, the ex-Olympic hockey player, and... and Kate, the beautiful figure skater, meeting on the ice and sparks begin to fly. Watch this direction now.
(Film clip shown from "The Cutting Edge")

Regis: Ooh.

Kathie Lee: Ooh. A modern love story.

Paul: Yeah.

Regis: Sounds like one of our openings. So other than that, how's life?

Paul: Life... life is. Life is.

Regis: Yeah.

Paul: Life's good.

Regis : Life is life. Yeah.

Paul: Yeah. Yeah.

Regis: You've had your share of family problems.

Kathie Lee: Tragedy.

Regis: Guess you could even call it tragedy, but... depends on how you look at it and how you feel.

Paul: Yeah. It's all... it's a question of perspective, you know. You take a look at the de... the hand your dealt and you play it. You take it a day at a time, and that's what we do.

Kathie Lee: I met your wife Elizabeth…

Regis: Yeah.

Kathie Lee: … Reg and I both did at the Miss America Pageant.

Paul: Mm... hmm.

Kathie Lee : And I was so moved by her. What an incredibly courageous lady.

Paul: Yeah, isn't she something?

Kathie Lee: Ah, she's…

Paul: She's really something. She just, you know, keeps battling it out, trying to get more funds for research, you know.

Kathie Lee: Pediatric AIDS, most of it.

Paul: Pediatric AIDS... most of it is... is... you know, has to do with pediatric AIDS. But also the whole journey of just getting people to learn, become educated.

Kathie Lee: Mm... hmm.

Paul: People in our government, which is most important to us for allocation of funds…

Kathie Lee: Uh... huh.

Paul: … to everybody, so we understand what the nature of this is all about and we don't shunt it off to the side and say it belongs to a particular group.

Regis: Yeah.

Paul : It's... she's done…

Regis: Great job.

Paul: … a remarkable job on that.

Regis: A terrific lady. Must be very proud.

Paul: I am. I am.

Regis: Well, we have a little surprise for you now.

Paul: Oh? (he looks a little concerned and surprised)

Regis: Yes. Yes.

Kathie Lee: Uh... oh. Look at the panic in his face.

Regis: Don't you... don't you hate these surprises on television?

Kathie Lee: This is your life, you know.

Regis: You hate surprise parties, you hate to be surprised on TV.

Kathie Lee: So why do we keep doing it to people, Reg?

Regis: Well, we just thought it'd be nice to see them together live one more time.

Paul: Oh, my God!

Regis: You've seen their pictures. Yes, here he is, David. "Starsky & Hutch."
( David begins to walk through the door as Paul waves at him and begins to walk off the set. David waves and closes the door without stepping through it. Such a tease!)

Kathie Lee: Hope you like each other.

Regis: We'll be right back in a minute. We're going to get them back here.
(As they go to commercial, Paul walks toward David, who has now come through the door. David greets Kathie Lee, then gives a great hug to Paul.)

Regis: I thought that was funny when the door opened and David came out, looked, and Paul went this way and David went back in. I said, for just a minute, "Wow." Anyway…

David: That's sort of the relationship, you know?

Regis: … here you are, back together again, guys.

Kathie Lee: I asked them during the break last time they'd been together, and you said a month ago. So it…

David: Yeah. Sometimes I take a month for a mercy lunch.

Regis: There you go. You ever talk about a "Starsky & Hutch" reunion? Everybody's having reunion shows.

David: We are having one.

Regis: This is it?

David: This is it.

Paul: You're doing so well. You're doing so well.

David: I didn't want…

Paul: That's great. No, I love it. I love it. I love it.

David: I asked... I asked Paul... during the break, I said, "You're not mad at me for coming out here, are you?" Because we never... I mean, I know... I know about.. .how he feels about Starsky &... we both loved that show.

Regis: Yeah.

David: But as far as where we're going with our lives…

Regis: Yeah.

David: … they're quite away from "Starsky & Hutch."

Regis: Sure. Of course.

Kathie Lee: Now we... everybody keeps reminding you.

David: That's right.

Kathie Lee: As if you don't remember.

David: It's like the screening of Paul's film that I wasn't invited to because they didn't want the issue to be Paul and I are seen together.

Kathie Lee: Yeah.

Regis: Is…

Kathie Lee: Are you kidding me?

David: That's how sil... how silly these marketing people can be.

Regis: Well, I hope we're not screwing up your lives here with this... I can't believe what we've stumbled on to here.

David: Nah, it's…

Regis: Well, what's going on in your life, Mr. David?

David: Oh, I'm trailing around after Paul... No.

Regis: You're directing, too, aren't you?

David: Oh, God. Everybody is.

Regis: Mm... hmm.

David: Yeah, well if.. .out of work actors have got to direct, I guess.

Regis: Yeah.

David: Yeah.

Kathie Lee: Well, don't actors feel like they're always at the mercy of other people? And when you're directing, everybody's at your mercy.

Paul: Oh, I think when you're a director, you're at the mercy of everybody else.

Kathie Lee: Really?

Paul: No, I understand what you're saying.

Kathie Lee: You give directions and…

Paul: I understand what you're saying.

David: I think the thing about the directing and I'm so proud of this guy. I mean, I've seen the film and it's wonderful, just really proud of him. But I think the thing about it is... is creating... creating a baby. You know what I mean? I mean, creating your own thing. After a while…

Regis: Mm.

David: It's like I used to say about songs, you know? Ain't going to sing somebody else's lyrics; I might as well write my own lyrics, you know.

Regis: Yeah. So... so you've made a fresh start for yourself and you're back in town and working hard, huh?

David: Well, I've never really left.

Regis: No?

David: I've been a slave to this town for a time.

Regis: Uh... huh.

David: I think we all are after a while, you know?

Regis: Sure. You can't get out after a while.

David: But directing, writing and directing are very important to me as well.

Regis: Good. Well, you guys still look good together, I'll tell you that.

Kathie Lee: You do. You do.

Paul: Still?

Kathie Lee: Yeah.

Regis Just.. .just a couple of months older, that's all

David: Yeah.

Regis: But you've got that power together, all right.

Kathie Lee: Great to see you. Thanks for coming.

Regis: Thanks so much for coming.

Paul: Thank you.

Regis: Good luck. "The Cutting Edge" opens March 27th all around America . Thanks, David. We'll be back to say goodbye.