>>> HOUR NEXT GUEST IS A TRUE HOLLYWOOD HEAVYWEIGHT. MINNIE DRIVER BURST ON TO THE SCENE WITH HER 1995 FILM "CIRCLE OF FRIENDS". >> STARRED IN "GOLDEN EYE" AND OF COURSE THE OSCAR NOMINATED ROLE IN THE HIT MOVIE "GOOD WILL HUNTING." >>> A NEW MEMOIR "MANAGING EXPECTATIONS" AND SHE'S HERE TO TELL US OUT ABOUT IT. >> YESTERDAY I WAS KAYAKING ON THE HUDSON. >> -- IN THE RAIN, SOUNDS -- >> ALL RIGHT. SO THE TIMEOUT OF YOUR BOOK IS CALLED MANAGING EXPECTATIONS. WHY DID YOU NAME THAT IT. >> I THINK IN OUR LIVES IT IS PRETTY MUCH ALL WE DO. WE HAVE EXPECTATIONS FOR THINGS AND HOW THEY ARE GOING TO WORK OUT. AND IT IS KIND OF AN EVIL WORD "EXPECTATION." YOU ARE ALWAYS LET DOWN. SO KIND OF AN IRONIC TITLED AND ALL WE'RE LEFT DOING IS MANAGING EXPECTATIONS WE HAVE OR SOCIETY HAS OF US, OURSELVES. >> BUT IF YOU CAN DO IT WELL, IF YOU CAN MANAGE EXPECTATIONS YOU CAN SET YOURSELF UP FOR A HAPPIERS EXISTENCE I THINK. >> I THINKER COMPLETELY RIGHT. IT IS JUST OUTCOME. YOU CAN NEVER BE SURE WHAT THE OUTCOME OF ANYTHING WILL BE AND WHO IS TO SAY THAT A BAD OUTCOME DOESN'T BECOME SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S REALLY GOOD. >> OFTEN TIMES IT DOES. >> WE LEARN A LOT ABOUT YOU IN THIS BOOK. AND ONE THING I THOUGHT WAS SO INTERESTING IS AFTER CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, YOU WOULD THINK A THAT'S THE START OF YOUR WHOLE ACTING CAREER. BUT THEN YOU ACTUALLY LEFT FOR URUGUAY TO SELL USED JEANS. >> YEAH. I WAS BROKE. COULDN'T GET A JOB OVER. I DON'T KNOW. IT WAS REALLY TRICKY. MY SISTERHOOD MOVED TO THIS LITTLE DOWN IN URUGUAY AND SHE WAS SELLING USED JEANS. AND SHE HAD SAID COME DOWN HERE. YOU CAN LIVE FOR LIKE A DOLLAR A DAY. AND ABOUT THREE MONTHS IN I GOT A CALL AT THE POST OFFICE AND IT WAS MY AGENT. THEY WANT TO SEE YOU FOR THE BOND FILM. AND I WAS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW. LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS LIKE A WHOLE THING. LIKE A LOT OF BOND GIRLS KIND OF, THEY DISAPPEAR INTO THE ETHER. LIKE BACK THEN. AND SHE WAS LIKE, GET ON A PLANE. >> SNAP OUT OF IT. >> ALSO, YOU ARE NOT A BOND GIRL. YOU DON'T KILL ANYBODY. YOU DON'T NECESSARILY SPEAK WITH ANYBODY. AND REALLY YOU ARE JUST IN A BOND FILM. BE GREAT. >> MY FAVORITE -- ALWAYS PROBABLY GOING TO BE "GOOD WILL HUNTING" I WOULD THINK. YOU BOW WRITE ABOUT MATT DAMON IN THE BOOK AND THE RELATIONSHIP. AND SOME OF YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, MOTHER ESPECIALLY, THEY WERE LIKE WANT TO MAKE SURE I GET THIS RIGHT, YOU SHOULD LOVE HIM WITH LOOSE HANDS. >> WHEN YOUR PARENTS SEE, IT IS REALLY NOT -- THEY LOVED MATT. IT WAS REALLY BEING WITH AN ACTOR WHO IS ASCENDING AT A RATE NOT JUST LIKE I WAS, AND IT IS SUPER COMBUSTIBLE. YOU KNOW, LIKE TEACHER PHIL COOK WOULD SAY. LIKE THAT WAS JUST A RECIPE FOR NOT NECESSARILY DISASTER BUT COMBUSTIBILITY. AND THEY WANTED ME TO CALM DOWN AND -- >> THE AND MR. COOK IS WATCHING. >> VERY COOL. >> SPEAKING OF "GOOD WILL HUNTING." YOU WERE NOMINATED FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE IN THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS CATEGORY. BUT BEFORE THEY ANNOUNCED THE WINNER YOU SAY YOUR FATHER WHISPERED IN YOUR EAR THAT YOU WERE GOING TO WIN. >> YEAH. YEAH. I THINK HE WAS MANAGING MY EXPECTATIONS. DADDY WAS LIKE WILL BE, I GOT YOU. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WIN. AND I WAS LIKE WHY NOT. HE WAS LIKE DEFINITELY THE OLDER LADY FROM TITANIC OR KIM BAS GER, THEY HAVE A GOT IT IN THE BAG. BUT DON'T WORRY, IT IS NOT YOUR YEAR. IT WILL BE YOUR YEAR ANOTHER YEAR. >> WAS THAT COMFORTING. >> YEAH. HE SAID IT WITH SO MUCH LOVE AND JUST SO LIKE, BE IN THE MOMENT. THAT IS ALREADY. ALL OF THAT STUFF T HARDWARE AND ALL ALL THAT STUFF. MAYBE THAT WILL HAND. BE HERE HOLDING MY HAND AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS WITH YOUR DAD. AND IT IS ALL COOL. AND HE WAS SORT OF SMILING AND I THINK KNOWING, YOUR LIFE IS FULL OF SO MANY MOMENTS THAT LOOK LIKE ONE THING AND ARE ACTUALLY SOMETHING ELSE. >> IT SEEMS AS IF THIS WAS CATHARTIC FOR YOU T PROCESS OF WRITING THAT MEMOIR. >> YEAH. YOU KNOW MY MAMA DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING THE BOOK, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GOING TO, WOULD DERAIL THE WHOLE THING AND I COULDN'T WRITE FOR A REALLY LONG TIME ABOUT ANYTHING EXCEPT HER DYING WHICH WASN'T GOING TO BE FUN FOR ANYBODY TO READ. THE STRANGE THING WAS I SORT OF WROTE MY WAY THROUGH IT. ALMOST TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THAT PARTICULAR ASPECT OF GRIEF. AND WHEN YOU COME UP FOR AIR. I KNEW SHE WOULD WANT ME TO FINISH IT AND SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN ENRAGED IF I HADN'T. SO I GOT EVERYTHING OUT ABOUT HER DYING. AND THEN I JUST BEGAN IN. AND THEN COULD SOMEHOW FIGURE OUT HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT HER DEATH THAT I DO THINK IT MANAGES TO BE FUNNY AND WRY AND BEAUTIFUL. AND HER DEATH WAS A PRIVILEGE AND SUCH A GRATEFUL THING TO BE A PART OF. >> MINNIE, YOU HAVE BEEN SUCH A DELIGHT TO HAVE. AND TALK. I WISH WE COULD TALK FOR ABOUT HOUR.
