>> WELCOME BACK TO ABC NEWS LIVE. FIRST ACTRESS REGINA KING IS OPENING UP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HER SON DIED TWO YEARS AGO. THE SUPERSTAR SAT DOWN WITH OUR ROBIN ROBERTS TO TALK ABOUT HOW SHE'S COPING WITH THE TRAGIC LOSS AND HER RETURN TO THE SCREEN. FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS, SHE'S REIGNED AS ONE OF HOLLYWOOD'S MOST VERSATILE. THAT PLAYING DOES NOT TAKE OFF UNLESS WE'RE BOTH YOUNG GUYS. >> BUT HER BREAKOUT ROLE IN THE ABC SITCOM SEVEN TO HER OSCAR WINNING PERFORMANCE IN IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK. >> DID YOU THINK YOU COULD MAKE SATIRE? REGINA KING IS KNOWN FOR HUMANIZING COMPLEX CHARACTERS. >> IF I CAN'T GET THE NOMINATION, I CAN STILL GET. INCLUDING HER LATEST ROLE STARRING IN THE BIOPIC SHIRLEY . HOW DID YOU PREPARE TO PLAY SHIRLEY CHISHOLM? BEEN A 15 YEAR JOURNEY SINCE WE WERE GOING TO TELL SHIRLEY STORY TO NOW. IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING AND. I THINK 15 YEARS AGO I WASN'T READY TO PLAY SHIRLEY. >> I MAY HAVE THOUGHT THAT I WAS THEN, BUT I WASN'T READY. >> NEEDED TO LIVE MY LIFE. REGINA IS JOINED BY HER SISTER, RAYNA, WHO CO-PRODUCES AND PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN THE FILM THAT CHRONICLES SHIRLEY CHISHOLM'S POLITICAL RISE IN 19 72 AS SHE BECOMES THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO RUN PRESIDENT. >> WE FELT LIKE THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE DID NOT KNOW WHO SHIRLEY CHISHOLM IS, WHO SHE WAS, WHO SHE IS, AND THAT BUGGED US. WHEN YOU'RE A FIRST, WHEN YOU SET OUT TO DO SOMETHING THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS DONE BEFORE. THERE'S NO EXAMPLE OF THAT FOR YOU. THAT'S A LONELY ROAD TO TRAVEL. YEAH. AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE AN ELECTION YEAR. YEAH, WE WERE LIKE, NO, IT NEEDS TO LIVE AND BE IN THE SPACE NOW SO THAT IF IT'S GOING TO INSPIRE ESPECIALLY YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE INVOLVED, THE POLITICAL PROCESS, THEN WE'VE DONE SOMETHING RIGHT. AND WE'VE ALSO HONORED SHIRLEY AND WE WE FOLLOWED THROUGH WITH WHAT SHIRLEY IS HAS UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED. FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, REGINA HAS BEEN TAKING MUCH NEEDED AWAY. IN JANUARY OF 2022, HER DEAR SON IAN, TRAGICALLY PASSING AWAY BY SUICIDE. >> YOU DEDICATED THE FILM TO YOUR BELOVED IAN TONIGHT. >> WHAT HAS THIS TIMESPAN, THESE LAST TWO YEARS BEEN LIKE FOR YOU? OH WOW. >> YOU KNOW, I'M. I'M. I'M A DIFFERENT PERSON, YOU KNOW, NOW THAN, I WAS JANUARY 19. I AM. GRIEF IS IS IS A JOURNEY. YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT GRIEF IS LOVE THAT HAS NO PLACE TO GO. I KNOW THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME TO HONOR IAN IN THE TOTALITY OF OF HE IS. SPEAK ABOUT HIM IN THE PRESENT BECAUSE HE IS WITHIN THE JOY AND HAPPINESS THAT HE GAVE ALL OF US. >> BUT BEHIND THAT JOY AND HAPPINESS. IAN'S MENTAL HEALTH TOOK A TOLL WHEN IT COMES TO DEPRESSION AND THAT PEOPLE EXPECTED TO LOOK A CERTAIN WAY AND THEY EXPECTED TO LOOK HEAVY AND PEOPLE EXPECT THAT IT'S OKAY TO HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THIS AND NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE THE TIME TO JUST SIT WITH IAN'S CHOICE, WHICH I RESPECT, UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE. AND THAT'S A HARD THING FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO RECEIVE BECAUSE THEY DID NOT LIVE. OUR EXPERIENCE DID NOT LIVE JOURNEY. >> I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE A OF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO APPRECIATE THAT SAID IT WAS HIS CHOICE AND THAT YOU RECOGNIZE THAT THAT WAS SO ANGRY WITH GOD. YOU KNOW THAT. WHY WOULD WHY WOULD THAT WEIGHT BE GIVEN TO YOU? YOU KNOW, OF ALL OF THE THAT WE HAD GONE THROUGH WOULD THERAPY, PSYCH PSYCHS, PSYCHIATRIST AND PROGRAMS AND HE JUST IAN LIKE I'M TIRED OF TALKING MOM. MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT MYSELF IS BEING IAN'S MOM AND I CAN'T SAY THAT WITH A SMILE, WITH TEARS, WITH ALL OF THE EMOTION THAT COMES WITH THAT. >> I CAN'T DO THAT. IF I DID NOT RESPECT THE JOURNEY. >> THEIR CLOSE BOND ALWAYS ON FULL DISPLAY AT REGINA'S RED CARPET EVENTS. >> I THOUGHT ABOUT HIM WHEN YOU WERE ON THE STAGE AT THE OSCARS BECAUSE YOU WERE ORANGE. >> THAT'S HIS FAVORITE COLOR. YES, I REMEMBER. USED TO ESCORT YOU. YEAH. TO. SO ARE THERE MOMENTS WHERE HE WAS ALWAYS THERE WITH YOU PHYSICALLY THAT THAT THAT HAPPENS A TRIGGER, BUT IS IT. OH, IT'S A TRICK OR IS IT? >> ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. SO SOMETIMES IT'LL TRIGGER JUST LAUGHTER MOST TIMES AS A RECENT IT TRIGGERS A SMILE. BUT THE ABSENCE, HIS ABSENCE IS REALLY LOUD. >> REGINA ADMITS SHE STILL STRUGGLES ACCEPTANCE. >> SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, IT'S A LOT OF GUILT COMES OVER ME. WHEN A PARENT LOSES A CHILD, YOU STILL WONDER, WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE TO. SO THAT WOULDN'T HAPPENED. I KNOW THAT I SHARE THIS GRIEF WITH EVERYONE. NO ONE ELSE IS IAN'S MOM. YOU KNOW, ONLY. AND SO IT'S MINE. >> AND THE SADNESS WILL NEVER GO AWAY. >> IT'LL ALWAYS WITH ME. AND I THINK I SAW SOMEWHERE. IT'S THE SADNESS IS A REMINDER OF HOW MUCH SHE MEANS TO ME. >> YOU KNOW, HAPPY SORROW. MY MOTHER USED TO BE. >> SO NOW YOU SAID SOMETHING THAT SHIRLEY CHISHOLM. >> WHAT ARE THE TWO WORDS? UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED. SO WHAT ARE TWO WORDS FOR YOUR MOTTO TO GET? >> WHAT WOULD BE YOUR TWO WORDS? YEAH. >> I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN. TWO WORDS. I HAVE TWO WORDS FOR YOU. DO YOU? IAN'S MOM. >> THAT'S THE FIRST THOUGHT THAT CAME TO OUR MIND. I KNOW YOU. THAT'S FIRST A LINE. BUT I WAS LIKE, OKAY, LET ME COME UP WITH SOMETHING MORE PROFOUND. >> BUT THAT WAS THE FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MY MIND. ALL RIGHT. AND MOM ROBIN ROBERTS, THANK YOU. >> AND IF OR SOM
