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<HTML>October 19, 1998 OnlineHost: Hi everyone! So good to see you all here tonight for Oprah's LIVE event about "Beloved" and Change Your Life TV! Send those questions in now! :-) HarpoAce: Welcome everyone to tonight's LIVE event with Oprah! Oprah stars with Danny Glover in "Beloved," which opened last Friday. She's come home to chat with us about her most challenging project to date and her new season of Change Your Life TV! Send your questions now! Please help us welcome Oprah LIVE online! Oprah: Good evening everyone! Howdy! Howdy! We're online! This is exciting! Giddy up everybody and let's GO! First of all, I want to thank everybody who went to see this movie. The fact that you went to see it is a big gift to me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you to everybody who saw it and went out to the theater to experience "Beloved." I thank you from the bottom of my heart ... sitting at my kitchen table. HarpoAce: Our first question for Oprah comes from Droopcrew! Question: Dear Oprah, was your purpose in making the movie a statement on slavery or a statement on human nature or both? Oprah: My purpose in making the movie was to make the book come alive. And the book is about the reconstruction of lives. What I learned from reading the book is that reconstruction wasn't just an era. Reconstruction was done by one person, one mother, father, grandmother at a time. So the book is about slavery, reconstruction, and the human experience of it all. HarpoAce: Hi Flepp, thanks for coming! Here's your question for Oprah! Question: Did your involvement in bringing this story to life influence your spiritual focus on healing in your new season of Oprah? Oprah: My involvement in the movie made me want to continue doing the show. Especially with a greater sense of focus on what is really important in the world. I think what's important in the world is what is good. Good exists in the world even in the midst of evil. That's what "Beloved" taught me, and I call that good spirit. HarpoDiane: Here's another question regarding "Beloved"... Question: Care asks, what is your greatest personal reward in seeing "Beloved" to completion? Oprah: My greatest personal reward is that others will see it and will be altered in some way by the experience of seeing it. You cannot see it without feeling for people from this time who dared to love in spite of every horrific thing that happened to them. HarpoAce: Hey there MOONISFULL, here's your question for Oprah, producer of "Beloved"! Question: What was the natural, supernatural or spiritual significance of the ladybugs on Beloved, when she first arrived at Seth's house, leaning against the tree stump? Oprah: None that I know of -- they were just ladybugs! The ladybugs were on the tree stump. And when the decision was made that Beloved is from the earth, the ladybugs would be on her. There is no mystical attachment to the ladybugs that I know of. It was the director's decision. HarpoAce: Our next question is from RDCER49, Question: Hello, Ms. Oprah, what age do you think children should see this movie? Oprah: I think you should see the movie first, and then determine, based upon your child, what age would be appropriate. There are some 14-year-olds who are more mature than others, and some who can't handle it. You know your child better than anyone else. Gayle is showing her children who are 12 and 11, but she's explaining the movie to them first ... but they know me, so they would have an interest beyond most 11-and 12-year-olds. Her 12-year-old daughter is very mature, and I think she'll get it. HarpoAce: You're up Sable3778! Question: Hi Oprah, I like the lyrics to your theme song. Where can I get them? Oprah: We made a decision not to do them for profit. They're just on the air. (Editor's note: You can also find them on the web at www.oprah.com.) Question: I did not understand the character of Beloved in the movie. Was she a ghost or what? Oprah: Paul D., is that you? That's the same question he asked at the end of the movie -- exactly. Speaking as Sethe, I will say she was the baby ghost incarnate into flesh at the age the daughter had she lived. It's the ghost incarnated into flesh. Question: Why are the scars on Sethe's back in the shape of a tree? Oprah: Lordy -- it's because when the boys whipped her, that's just the shape it formed. When crazy Amy Denver looked at the scars on her back, it looked to her like a tree. Sethe, who doesn't have a mirror to look at her back, just takes her word for it: a chokecherry tree. It's just like looking at the clouds and seeing different formations. Question: What was the hardest scene for you to film and how many takes did you have to do? Oprah: There were several. When they took my milk, when Sethe is at the sink telling Paul D. about it. I lost track -- it lasted all day. Then 28 days of freedom, and explaining to Paul D. why she did what she did, " ... hear my boys laugh a laugh I never heard before..." the first day I couldn't get through it and had to come back.. Question: How does your experience making "Beloved" compare to your experience making The Color Purple? Oprah: Night and day! Color Purple was my first acting experience. I had ten years to get ready for "Beloved." HarpoAce: Hi BlooNite, here you go! Question: Oprah, you are such an inspiration to everyone who watches your show or goes to see your movie, "Beloved." With all of the things you have accomplished: the Angel Network, Change Your Life television, etc., how do you plan to top yourself? Oprah: Life isn't about topping yourself ... life is about being the best self you can be. So, you just follow the flow of trying to be the best and that leads you to the best place. Who knows? I always say God can dream a bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself, so I don't try to top myself... I just try to hold on to the dream. Question: What did the pregnant Beloved have to do with the story? Other than get the man out of her mama's life? Oprah: If you're talking about the pregnant Beloved... I'm sorry but I can't answer that. But Beloved has everything to do with the story -- she represents the haunting of Sethe's past as well as her daughter come back in the flesh. Why she's pregnant? Well, ... you gotta ask Paul D. about that! Some say she wasn't pregnant -- she was just fat from eating all those sweets. You decide. Question: Angela asks...Oprah, Baby Suggs was such a moving character in the movie, was it equally as moving working with Beah Richards in person? Oprah: Beah Richards is our beloved. She is deep and wide ... being in her presence is a spiritual experience. I'd like to do a documentary on her life. She knows so much it would make your head spin. She is grace personified. Question: Oprah, I am so proud of the work that you are doing for all of us. But please tell me how you could have known ten years ago that this was a role for you, and then to bring it into fruition. You do amaze me. Oprah: Gut. Intuition. I finished reading the book and never doubted. I was very naive ... but I still never doubted. I just felt it. The only time I felt something that strongly was when I read the Women of Brewster Place and the Color Purple. HarpoAce, Hi Gergoncraz, here you go! Question: Are you upset about the #5 ranking it got at the box office? Oprah: I was aware that we were in 1,500 theaters, compared to 2,400, 2,600 and 2,700 for the others that ranked higher, so I knew they were tough odds to beat in terms of box office. And I am truly grateful for every person who showed up at the 1,500 theaters we opened to see it. Mathematically, I knew it was impossible. HarpoAce: Hi Drewlulu4, thanks for coming! Here's your question. Question: Oprah, when you were in Philadelphia, there was a scene where there were three white girls looking in a store window, and you came over to look in the window, and they moved away from you. Why did they cut that scene? I participated in that scene. But it was a really good movie. I had fun working on it! Oprah: I know for you that was the MOST important scene! I miss that scene, too. But the movie was running long and we needed to cut where we could. Sethe looking in the window at ribbons didn't add anything to the story ... but as I recall, you looked really good! Question: Why did Beloved show up when she did (after haunting the house for so long)? Was it because of Paul D.? Oprah: Yes, she wanted to get Paul D. out of that house. Paul D. had chased her out of the house, remember? When he's fighting the table and things are flying around the room. And then Denver says "You think baby ghost is gone, I think baby ghost has plans." And Sethe says, "Maybe. Maybe so." Question: Why did Denver not want Beloved to tell Sethe who she was? Oprah: Now that's a good question ... let me think... Because she wanted to keep Beloved to herself. But Denver may have another opinion. All of us had our own interpretation of who our characters were. I never discussed it with Kimberly, but I think she's good girl company for Denver. She says that. And Denver lived in that house afraid of her own mother. There was a part of her that knew her mother did do that. And there was a part of her that was afraid she might send her mother back there -- make her crazy. The beauty of this movie is that the film is done the way Toni Morrison writes -- like life is. It leaves a lot of things open to interpretation. That's why Paul D. was wondering who Beloved is. Not everything in life is spelled out. Things happen in life for reasons that are yet to be revealed ... in ALL of our lives. Sethe's included. Question: After her escape, why did the slave masters come for Sethe's children but not Sethe? Oprah: They came for all of them. And it was her intention to kill all of them, including herself. She just didn't have time. Question: Cristina L asks... Oprah, I was very disturbed by the character and performance of Beloved the character in the movie, why did Demme choose to portray her as being in such a contorted fashion? Oprah: There's a book called "Modern Medeas" which outlines the true story, about a woman named Margaret Garner. Read the book -- Jonathan Demme chose to interpret the book. Read it and you'll see she's even more evil than she's portrayed on the screen. Question: Why didn't Sethe realize who Beloved was when she said her name when she first arrived? Oprah: Great question -- I've been waiting for it all evening! The baby's name wasn't Beloved. Beloved is the name on the tombstone. Sethe wanted to have "Dearly Beloved" but could only afford to have seven letters. Beloved wasn't the name of her baby -- that's why she didn't recognize the name. Dearly Beloved is the only thing Sethe remembered from the sermon at her baby's funeral. But she could only afford the seven letters. HarpoAce: Hi Anytah, here you go! Question: Oprah, I saw "Beloved" on its opening day - Friday - I have one question -- during the movie -- the "ghost" disappeared! Where'd she go and who was she? Oprah: That's another Paul D! I don't know where she is ... she left me! That's all I know. She left me. I don't know where ghosts go when they leave. She was my daughter, and now she's gone again. Don't know. That's the mystery. HarpoAce: Carille, here you go! Question: What things do you have in common with the character that you played in "Beloved"? Why do you refer to "Beloved" as your baby? Oprah: It's my baby because I held it in my heart, nurtured it, worked with it, and nurtured it for ten years. Sethe is my past -- I am a descendent of slaves. We are all descendants of the past, regardless of what our ancestors roots of immigration were. HarpoAce: DSol920233, here you go! Question: Why wasn't there a baby in the blanket at the end? What was the reason for showing the nudity to the audience? It could have been implied. Where did the sons of Sethe go? For a woman who loved so 'deeply' why didn't she react to her sons leaving? Oprah: I don't know how you could have implied that nudity. That is exactly out of the book. The scene is in the book, and I wanted to interpret the book. I didn't want to tell another story. As for the sons of Sethe... Sethe sees them in her mind. After Beloved returns she believes that anything is possible. So when she walks out, she sees them in her mind. When she walks out onto the porch, they appear in her mind and then disappear, as a way of saying anything can happen now ... my baby returned from the grave, my boys must also be out there somewhere. Question: Sethe paid more attention to the dog than she did her boys leaving which contradicted her character's emotional instability of loving too deeply. What was up with that? Oprah: Oh, you're assuming that the dog hit the wall and the boys left all on the same day. The dog hitting the wall, the hand in the cake, the mirror crashing, those things had been happening for a long time, and Sethe knew in her gut for a long time that one day the boys would leave. She didn't go chasing them because she knew there was nothing she could do to keep them in that house. Question: Oprah, I understand your movie to not be so much about slavery, but the effects it had on Sethe in her internal struggle to be valiant for her children. Was Baby real or a spirit? I am confused. I heard the book doesn't clarify that issue much. Does it? Oprah: Baby Suggs is definitely real. Living, breathing. She was her mother-in-law. The baby ghost ... was a ghost. And then, she took a life form and came and sat at the table. If you see it again, pay real attention to the thirty women's meeting. Each one of them tells you who that is. Each woman who speaks tells you who Beloved is. Is it the baby? No, it's the age it would have been had it lived! How you know? It eats, sleeps, drinks and raises Hell. Each one of the women tells you who she is. What's key with this movie is that there are no gratuitous scenes and no words are wasted. That's how Toni Morrison writes. She doesn't write so you can skip words. And the movie wasn't made so you could skip scenes. HarpoAce: Hi there Kansas2oz, you've got the next question for Oprah, Question: Oprah, what was the reason for having another actress play the younger Sethe. I would have loved to have seen you play the younger Sethe (in the scene on the river, giving birth, etc.) ? Oprah: Me too ... but. Jonathan Demme felt that there needed to be a younger Sethe, because originally we had planned to, perhaps, show the younger Sethe getting married to Halle. That was his first question to me when he called me, did I intend to play her younger? I had never thought of her as young or old, but just as Sethe. So I asked, how young is she younger and he said, maybe 13-16. And I said, "Not unless you want to put the camera in Cleveland can I play 16!" That's how that was decided. HarpoAce: HI Krusing66, here you go! Question: Ms. Winfrey, has it always been your dream to work with Danny Glover, or was he just perfect for this particular role? Oprah: I always thought Danny was Paul D., from the first day I read the book. In my imagination, Paul D. was Danny Glover. HarpoAce: Heflinam, you're up! Question: How much input did Toni Morrison have on the movie? Oprah: Not a lot... Toni sold me the rights and said, "Go in peace." She loves the movie, however, she was amazed and pleased. Question: One of the most powerful scenes for me was when Baby Suggs demonstrated wisdom and the hope of the future. How many takes had to be done for those scenes. Because, if it had me in tears, I know you must have been equally as moved. Oprah: Many ... you lose count. Actually, maybe only three or four for Beah. The hard part was getting all the children laughing and the men dancing. Beah was the easy part. HarpoAce: Here's the next question, Question: Have you been pleased with the critic's response to the movie? Oprah: The critics' response has been fulfilling. It's always great to know that your work has been received well and that people got what you were trying to do. But the most rewarding is the people's response; though I'm also happy about the critics. It's better to have good reviews than bad reviews. HarpoAce: Hi EHoyle583, here you go! Question: Oprah, do you ever think you would do what Sethe did to protect your children from slavery? Oprah: I can't answer that question. I was born a free woman, and will hopefully never know the horror of no free will. Question: Was the ghost visible to everyone or was it just in their minds? Oprah: When Beloved runs out on the porch, don't all the women react to her? This ghost, everyone can see her. She's eating at the table! We all see her. Question: Skylar asks...Oprah, I am wondering how you prepared for such a challenging role--how did you go from talk show host to playing Sethe? Oprah: Long story! I wrote a book about it ... the proceeds are going to somebody, I'm not sure who, yet. HarpoAce: Hi LordSummom, here you go! Question: I was just wondering, how do you feel about the conversion of the characters form text to screen such as that of Beloved and Amy Denver. When you read the book is that how you saw them, Beloved with that speech problem and Amy being so rude and dumb? Oprah: I'll tell you what Jonathan Demme told me, "A book is one thing. A movie is something else." I accept both interpretations. What I imagined is that Bluestone Road is so darned busy. I saw it and thought, whoa, there sure are a lot of people on that road. Up and down back and forth all day long! Question: Was any of "Beloved" based in truth? Oprah: Yes -- the story of Margaret Garner, the runaway slave who killed her child in Cincinnati a 142 years ago, rather than see her returned to slavery. 1856. HarpoAce: Hi Mojopp, here you go! Question: Oprah, when you saw Beloved on the stump and ran off, you urinated, it seemed, straight out like a man. How is that possible, or did you have a bag of liquid? Did you get your dress wet? No, I am not a sick individual, just interested in the movie. Oprah: First of all, 12 glasses of water! That scene represents Sethe's water breaking when she sees Beloved. It's her water breaking, not just her peeing. For her baby daughter. Question: Why are you doing Change Your Life TV? Oprah: For those of you who don't know what Change Your Life TV is, for years people have written me thousands of letters explaining how a particular show changed their life. So we decided this year to just use the phrase that people had been using with us. "It changed my life." Whether it was about child abuse, divorce ... financial devastation, and more. Question: What do you think about press reports that say Change Your Life TV is too evangelical? Oprah: What I think is ... it's a shame that we've evolved into the kind of society where evangelical is considered negative. I have come to believe that we are all, or at least most of us, searching for the assurance that good exists in our world, even in the midst of evil and evil abuse. Now, you can call that good evangelical if you want to. I call it good, spirit, making the right choices, taking responsibility for your life... I call it recognizing that there's something bigger than your own personality and ego working in the world. But some people choose to call it evangelical ... and that's fine with me. HarpoAce: Hi Mmyon, here you go! Question: Oprah, each show you've done with John Gray has provided some sort of healing for me in various aspects of my life. Do these shows still help you heal in areas of your life where there has been hurt or are you past the deepest pain? Oprah: We're all on the same journey, and that is to be more human and more humane. And some days it's more of a struggle than others. I've overcome a lot of painful experiences. But like everyone else I'm still wounded, and working on truly healing those wounds, and not just bandaging them. So yes, I relate to what all of the guests say. There's hardly a day when I'm not moved by someone's experience. But then again, I'm moved by the Coke commercial where the girl opens the barn and there's a horse in there. Is that because I never had a horse? I don't know. I'm working on that! HarpoAce: Welcome PrettyBow, you've got the next question for Oprah! Question: I am having a hard time following your new season shows, because it is like if you miss one show, you are lost. Is this going to remain for the whole season? I am a real fan though, and I try to watch when my kids give me the time to. Oprah: Thank you so much -- but not true that if you miss one show you're lost. Not true! Not true! I watched today for the first time in about three months. You can pick up any day. It's not like it's a course. I made a decision. Some people don't agree with the decision, and that's okay, because they didn't make the decision. I did. The decision was to use television to provide information that could help people lead better lives. Sometimes it's as simple as last week's show where the woman who's been grieving her daughter said, "I never thought of it that way before," after Phil McGraw explained to her that she was holding on to the moment of death instead of celebrating the 18 years of her daughter's life. Her response, "I never thought of it that way before," is the reason I remain in television. And why I'm not sitting on island somewhere! HarpoAce: Hey Shell8828, thanks for coming tonight! You've got the next question for Oprah. Question: Does everyone that works for the Oprah show meditate every day and write in a journal? Does everyone feel comfortable doing that? Today's show was awesome! Oprah is awesome. Oprah: No ... no. I have a company filled with people of different beliefs, different attitudes and positions. They do what they please, and I do as I please. Some people meditate, most do not. The majority do not. It's optional. It's offered as an option. Question: I think it is great that you are trying to do uplifting, spiritual television, but sometimes we just want to be entertained. Are you still going to have celebrities on? Oprah: I have two words for you: Brad Pitt. Coming soon. Is that celebrity and entertaining enough for you? : ) HarpoAce: Hi Author37, here you go! Question: Can you describe in a simple sentence how it feels to experience God's fullness in your life? And by the way, thanks for change your life TV. Oprah: No, I can't describe it in a simple sentence. I'd be talking all night. Don't get me started. I can't. Now that you mentioned it I'll be thinking about it all night. When I get up at 3:13 to pee I'll be thinking about. I just can't. But thank you for asking! Question: Hi Oprah, thank you so much for joining us tonight! You're such a generous person, and I love what you're doing with the Angel Network. I can't wait to get into some of those T-shirt sheets. I would like to know, if you could give everyone one thing, what would it be? Oprah: It would be the T-shirt sheets ... truly. I cannot even explain to you what the T-shirt sheets are like on a cold winter night. That would be it. You spend at least 6-8 hours a night sleeping. Question: I was wondering about Remembering Your Spirit. What's that about? Oprah: I call that which is good in the world spirit. I believe that rejoicing in and claiming the presence of spirit can change people's lives for the better. It's changed mine. When everything outside of you is chaotic or confused or just boring, you have inner spirit. And so I'm constantly seeking a higher relationship with spirit. Some people call it goodness, God, the force of nature. I just call it spirit. There is a beautiful poem Maya Angelo wrote called Poem to our Grandmothers. And there is a woman who's been called everything but a child of God. And in response, she says your description does not fit my tongue, for I have a certain way of being in this world. For people who don't get it, that's okay. Then I'm not talking to them. When the student is ready, the teacher will come, and I'm not even a teacher, I'm still a student. I'm trying to learn from the lessons of my life and the lessons of everybody else's life. I'm just trying to pay attention. Question: Some of my friends have said that they're not connecting with your new shows, like they're out of touch with a good girlfriend. What do you say to them? Oprah: I say that I am the same person that I've always been. I have the same values, beliefs, what makes me sad has always made me sad. What makes me rejoice has always made me rejoice. But I've been paying attention and I'm growing, just as I hope everybody else is growing too. When you're 44, if you've got any sense, you try not to make the same mistakes you made at 34. You try to get better. I'm just trying to get better. And it's my belief that most people, if given a choice, try to be better. The goal in life as I see it is to be more of your authentic self. Question: I can't seem to figure out how to meditate. I seem to always fall asleep instead. Any suggestions? Oprah: Yes. You're probably sleep-deprived. Seriously. If you always fall asleep, you are sleep-deprived. You need to go to bed earlier, that's number one. Number two, if you fall asleep that's okay. The whole purpose of meditation is to quiet your mind, and if you fall asleep, you've done that. Question: Why do you have John Gray on the show so much? Oprah: We originally had John Gray on because my whole staff took a seminar this summer that we found to be very effective. We thought the same information spread out over a long period of time would not be effective, so we wanted to concentrate the information in a six-week period of time. Last Wednesday was his last weekly appearance. Question: How much longer are you planning to host "The Oprah Winfrey Show"? Are you tired of it? Oprah: 2002. I'm not tired... I'm recommitted to using the information to be of service to people. And to have fun when we can. Lord knows I love a good laugh myself. I'm tired of crying. I cried three days last week! HarpoAce: Hi HoldenB98, here you go! Question: What would you say to African Americans who don't want to see "Beloved"? Oprah: I'd say, "Why?" Why don't you? Because of some preconceived notion about slavery? This is the first film ever that expresses the humanity of people who dared to reconstruct their lives. The first film ever. This film is not about slavery! And why would we of all people be afraid or embarrassed or in denial of looking at the manifestation of slavery. Any American who doesn't want to see this film ... based on the notion that it is about slavery, I'd like to ask them, "Why not?" That's the dialogue we should be having. What are you afraid of? HarpoAce: Hi Flowrc835, here you go! Question: There was a great deal of symbolism and biblical references in the novel. How did you manage to include that in the film, and did you include as many as you would have liked? Oprah: No... I would have liked to have told everybody's story. Paul D., Baby Suggs. We would have had a seven-hour movie. I would have liked to offer lunch and then come back later. That's not how it works, so we had to pick and choose how to best interpret the narrative. HarpoAce: Next up, Shygir6769! Question: Oprah, You have had a tremendous affect on me what does it feel like to have such an affect on so many people? Oprah: I'm sitting at my kitchen table! I'm totally unaware of whatever effect I might be having on anybody else. I always thought I'd be a fourth-grade teacher. The fact that I have any effect on anybody is amazing to me. I thought I would be able just to affect my classroom. I'm just sitting at my kitchen table right now, eating some coconut cake that I shouldn't be eating. Coconut ... how much fat is that? HarpoAce: Deltaseer, you're up! Question: Your Change Your Life TV has been wondrous. How did you select the individuals to play key roles? Does Dr. Phil work with individuals in counseling? Oprah: Over the years I've interviewed hundreds, maybe even a thousand therapists. I selected these people because they seemed to get it and could articulate getting it for other people. You don't want to call on Phil unless you're in DEEP trouble. He used to do consultations on a regular basis, but now he does legal consultations. When you call on him you are in some HOT water. HarpoAce: Puddin4880, here you go! Question: Has Toni Morrison seen the movie yet? Did she think it captured the book's spirit? Oprah: Yeah -- she is amazed and pleased. Question: Change Your Life TV is too preachy. Can't you lighten up? Oprah: Yeah! It's different every day. And some days, it's heavy, I will agree with you. And some days it's really light. I've been across the board. HarpoAce: Hi SRU PIKES, here you go! Comment: Oprah how do you feel that you received your calling to help all of the people of the world, to help them to think better of themselves? I think the work and person that you are great. More power to you. Oprah: Thank you for your comment! I'm just a girl struggling to be myself. So I really do thank you for that comment. HarpoAce: Thanks for coming to tonight's event with Oprah! Unfortunately that's all the time we have with her tonight. Oprah: Goodnight everyone! It was a real pleasure chattin' with you all online. Thanks to everyone who's already seen "Beloved" ... and to everyone who came here tonight to see me! HarpoAce: Thank you everyone for coming tonight and joining Oprah! If you missed any part of tonight's LIVE event, please go to Oprah Online (keyword: Oprah) or www.oprah.com to get the transcript tomorrow! Here's wishing you all an inspirational evening! Good night! :-) OnlineHost: Copyright 1998 America Online, Inc. 5 </HTML>