THE VIEW, TRANSCRIPT OF MARG’S INTERVIEW
June 7, 2007
ABC
Lorraine Bracco from The Sopranos serves as a guest host in this interview.
Lorraine: In the new movie Mr. Brooks, being married to a serial killer isn’t Marg Kellen…(completely butchers Marg’s name)
Barbara: Helgenberger
Lorraine: I knew I was going to do that.
Barbara: That’s okay. That’s why I’m here, darling.
Lorraine: Thank you, darling. Hellenberger…
Barbara: Helgenberger
Lorraine: Helgenberger
Barbara: Try Soprano…just keep going…
Lorraine: Marg Hel…(butchers it again; audience laughter and whistles)
Barbara: Tell them to go to the clip!
Gail: Say ‘Take a look.’
Lorraine: Okay, go to the clip. Oh my God!
(clip from Mr. Brooks is shown)
Barbara: Okay, since you can’t say it, I will…
Barbara & Lorraine: Please welcome, Marg Helgenberger!
(Marg walks out and greets each host by name).
Lorraine: I’m so sorry!
Marg: Hel-gen-ber-ger. Hel-gen-ber-ger.
Lorraine: Helgenberger.
Marg: That’s okay! That’s okay. I’m used to that. They usually mess up the first name. They say Marge.
Barbara: How many times…I’ve said Marge before.
Marg: Don’t Call Me Marge is the name of my production company, by the way.
Barbara: How many times have people suggested you change your name?
Marg: Not…no! Not very often.
Barbara: Really?
Marg: No.
Barbara: They’re okay saying Helgenberger.
Marg: They were okay with it. Yes.
Elizabeth: Didn’t you change it for…when you did weather? It is true you changed your name?
Marg: (laughs) How did you know that?
Elizabeth: I just…
Gail: What did you change it to?
Marg: I did the weather one summer when I was 19 years old for this tiny station in rural Nebraska. And I was asked to change my name because there was…the anchor team was Harvey Knocklinger, Joyce Eisenminger, and…
(Everyone laughs)
Gail: I know them. Oh, I know them. They’re a riot.
Marg: So yeah, they didn’t want it to be the Knocklinger, Eisenminger, Helgenberger Report so I was the low man…person…
Barbara: Below them
Gail: So what did you change it to?
Marg: I took my grandmother’s maiden name.
Gail: Which was?
Marg: McCarty. Margi McCarty.
Gail: Margi McCarty.
Marg: Had a nice little ring to it.
Elizabeth: That’s cute!
Marg: Thank you.
Lorraine: Sounds like a stripper! (Everyone laughs)
Gail: She is a grunt, this one. Didn’t you…didn’t they ask you to pose for Playboy once because you’re so cute? Didn’t they?
Marg: Yeah. I was asked, yeah.
Gail: Why did you say no? Because I was…
Marg: Oh, you know, I was flattered, terribly flattered, but I…
Elizabeth: Was it a quick no or did you think about it?
Marg: No! I didn’t think about it at all! But my husband, when I told my husband, he was…immediately called all of his buddies, ‘Guess what? My…Margi’s going to be on the cover of…she was asked to be on the cover, rather. But umm, anyway…
Gail: What about your son?
Marg: Oh, well, he would have been mortified. Yeah.
Elizabeth: Yeah.
Barbara: We should get to your movie.
Elizabeth: Yes.
Marg: Okay, sure. It’s Mr. Brooks.
Barbara: (talking to Lorraine): You saw it?
Lorraine: Of course, I saw it. I thought it was spectacular.
Marg: Thank you.
Lorraine: Well, I’m a big fan ever since I saw you in Erin Brockovich.
Marg: Oh thanks, Lorraine. Thanks you.
Barbara: Let’s talk about this movie.
Lorraine: Let’s talk about this movie.
Barbara: Okay!
Lorraine: Let’s talk about CSI. No, okay. You know, Mr. Brooks…I watched it last night. I thought you were absolutely fantastic. I was riveted, and the first thing I did was…after the movie was over, was make sure all my doors were locked. (laughs)
Barbara (to Marg): Well, why don’t you tell us a little bit about it because Kevin Costner is in it and he’s this wonderful Mr. Brooks and you play his wife…
Marg: Yeah, isn’t he great?
Barbara: And you don’t know…you don’t know what a terrible man he is.
Marg: He leads a double life, that’s right. To me, he’s…
Elizabeth: He’s a serial killer.
Marg: Yeah, to me, he’s the perfect husband, the perfect man – great husband, father, provider…
Barbara: How do you…?
Marg: You know what? That was the first thing I asked Kevin when I met him.
Lorraine: That’s what most people…
Marg: I said, how is she completely unaware that there’s something…and I know that the character, Emma Brooks, was aware of a dark side, just I don’t think she would have ever thought in a million years that it led to murder.
Gail: She’s kind of a Carmella Soprano in a way, who also doesn’t realize…
Marg: Well, exactly. Exactly.
Gail: Who was in some sort of denial.
Elizabeth: Well, spouses do that sometimes.
Marg: Like the BTK Killer. You remember that case?
Elizabeth: Yeah.
Marg: You know because they…he led this, I mean, it does happen. There people who live these completely…are able to compartmentalize, and…
Elizabeth: There’s talk of a sequel. Because there are some…after seeing it, there are a lot of, kind of, things…potential…
Marg: Right.
Elizabeth: That could happen
Marg: That’s a good way of putting it.
Elizabeth: So, is that true? Do you think there might be a sequel?
Marg: Well, you know, the writers, Bruce Evans and Ray Gideon, had initially thought of it as a trilogy so who knows? I mean, Kevin’s up for it. I mean, obviously the script’s gotta come in and meet his approval, blah blah blah…
Barbara: I like Kevin Costner. He’s a nice man.
Elizabeth: I do too.
Marg: He is a good, good guy. I loved working with him.
Barbara: You did?
Marg: Yeah. He was really cool. (laughs)
Lorraine: Also, I liked that Lindsey Kraus was in it.
Marg: Yes, she was! That’s right!
Lorraine: She was great. It was really great to see her again.
Marg: That’s right. She’s a wonderful actress.
Lorraine: Absolutely. I thought it was incredibly well cast, and also if you like the psychological thriller thing, this is the movie for you.
Marg: Oh, thanks.
Gail: What’s the creepiest scene you ever did on CSI, you think? That’s another show that’s creepy in a different way.
Marg: Well, I don’t know if it was creepy, but it was definitely the most intense, kind of raw scene I’ve ever done. My character was ummm…date raped…was given a date rape drug.
Lorraine: Yes, that was a fantastic episode.
Marg: Oh!
Lorraine: And you were absolutely magnificent.
Marg: Thank you. Oh, thank you.
Gail: But what was disturbing to you as an actress?
Marg: Because, you know, the character wakes up in this skanky hotel…motel room and realizes ‘Oh my God, what the hell happened here?’ and she just makes the decision to process herself, you know, so what was in my bag was like a tampon, so I gave myself my own vaginal swab…
Gail: You gave yourself a test because you’re a pro…Oh.
Marg: And I collected evidence. I collected it all and processed it and because I was mortified. I didn’t want to tell my coworkers…
Barbara: What a nice, raunchy segment (cut off by Gail and Elizabeth’s chatter)
Marg: Pardon me…
Barbara: I said, what a nice, raunchy segment.
(Elizabeth says something but can’t make it out)
Marg: The coolest thing was that it was no dialogue…It was just all…it was internal and it was amazing.
Lorraine: I think it’s fantastic, that women should know what to do when a situation like that happens.
Marg: My teen, my young niece, actually said that to me. She emailed me and said, you know, ‘Wow, I really learned a lot.’ Because, you know, these 20 year old girls…(cut off by the others)
Lorraine: Don’t shower, because that’s where all of the evidence comes from.
Marg: Yes, exactly.
Elizabeth: Marg, I don’t know how you sleep at night between CSI, this film. I mean, honestly, it is so chilling and gripping. I think everyone should see it. Just grab on to your seats.
Marg: Thank you.
Elizabeth: You are excellent, Marg. You really are. And there’s also a CSI exhibit in Chicago if you guys happen to be in the area.
Marg: Oh, that’s right. The CSI Experience.
Elizabeth: Yes! And Mr. Brooks is in theaters right now. Catch it! Thank you, Marg!