This is popcorn where we tell you what's happening at the movies and there's a great movie for you to see right now called Richard Jewel based on a true story but my guest today Kathy Athey Bates who you know from so many things I could mention them but then the show would be over because she has too many credits too many awards but she plays the title character's actors mother in this and she will break your heart six ways from Sunday. But today we're GonNa be having fun are absolutely welcome to the first time you've done done. This popcorns yours get no no. I've lost sixty pounds in managed to keep it off the last three or so I've been on. They sell popcorn pretty okay at least and we're smelling as Peter Stocks. The top doing this so you just got of course all the awards you have. Now you have a new nomination as best supporting actress for Richard Jewel for me. Ah The best award for this movie has been the fact that bobby jewel richards mom who's still alive Loves the movie. Because if she didn't now I know Gosh 'cause in the movie you know how she got Tom Brokaw. I know I know I know. We don't want her to be getting mad. Now you know and also You know there have been Statues in Centennial Park and young and Billy Payne who brought the Olympics to Atlanta. And finally there's going to be a a plaque with Richard's name and what did he say. Oh well that's a good thing should set that up or you should. Why should I work really really? Yeah that's it no Richard Jewel. That's the name of the movie. Clint Eastwood directed at but a true story. Can you tell us a little about Richard J. Just absolutely Richard had been a cop for a few years and then resigned or was fired depending on how you look at it. And then he we went to become a guard at at A college nearby and he got leftover the the thing with Richard that I found so tragic about this whole story story is that he was this hyper vigilant person. Ever since he was a kid at nine of the police the police even as a kid eight in church he wanted to help people And even in Turkey would run around and make sure everybody had a program and then later on when he was a cop he carried like one one hundred thirty pound you know battering Ram but he also had beanie babies for the kids who he might find who had been in accidents so he could give him he was is just this generous simple humble kind man who wanted to help everybody and it was that vigilance that Helped him in his job. He was hired to be a security guy for the Olympics. They were calling everybody in and he was at the sound and light tower and and he'd gone off to the restroom and he came back and there was a bench there and he noticed right away there was what they call an Alice. Pack this big military pack the officious very suspicious and so he told the sit idle like that and they say oh. Come on Richard he said no no I have a bad feeling and they so they brought in the bomb guys and he described it that the the guy went underneath and looked at it and then he just froze and he just back very slowly out and he told his buddy to turn turn a cell phone off and they tried to get everybody back as many people back but through a series of mishaps and nine one one calls and not being able to get in touch touch with people Eric Rudolph who actually planted the bomb and was not caught until like six years later Had this phone message You know there's going to be a bomb in Centennial Park in thirty minutes and thanks to Richard got all that is out of the tower. He was running up and down with doing everything everything a hand and suddenly he became this hero in and then for three days three days and his mother was all got that three day. Yeah my mom his his mom he's on TV. He's bets right he's on. TV is the hero of the day if CNN wanted to talk to him and what turned out was there was a leak from the FBI to Cathy scruggs at the Atlanta Journal Constitution and they decided to break the story and overnight they everybody turned against him and said he was the he was the guy he exempts Mama Except Momma. She was there for him she was they were very very close. She had two miscarriages ages and Richard was her only child and Both his real dad and his step step dad banished from their lives for various. The reasons and So he was her child her boy you know and she knows she knows how he can be be overzealous knows the things that he shouldn't be doing. You trust the police so much too much that it cost him by they use. This is what was so cruel colon. I remember when I started out working with Clint. We were all there to meet with him and I said why do you want to do this movie. And he said because I think it's an American tragedy and he said this is a story that people need to see Jon Hamm was down in Atlanta and people said well what are you doing down here. And he said Oh it's about the bombing and Oh yeah that guy. Richard Jewell who was the bomber summer. Because there's some suspicion and for eight days without any evidence People camped out you know media the FBI suspected in even when they brought him in for his first interview they already had a cell for him. Yeah we like him for this. That's what they always say. Yeah because the public. Everybody's demanding to know who did this. There's that desire. Why are to get somebody up there and say he did it well? There were millions and millions of dollars resting on this because of the Olympics and they had to get it sorted say it's nineteen ninety-six on this is happening so we weren't even in the big cellphone period of the everything was just taking off and don't forget we'd had waco the Federal Building we had Ruby Ridge. We had ninety three Truck Bombing World Trade Center so it was the beginning of the new normal ordinarily of this terrorism. And and it's that going. That's that seesaw. From we love you to stay away from us. I think that the real tragedy and I'm sure that this is what bobby default is that the very quality that enabled him to find that bomb his vigilance. They turn that into a liability And they beat him up with it that to me I think is just the tragedy of all. We'll one amazing scene that you have among renting in this is when bobby went on national. TV making a plea to President Clinton at the time yes to see what's happening and do something for some. Yes so let's look a little bit attack okay. My son is innocent. Richard is not the Olympic the big park bomber. He saved people's lives. Please hear me Mr President and help me. My son is a hero. If they do not intend to charge my son. You please tell us. Please tell the world Mr President. Please clear heartbreaking. Breaking it is is really is. I don't know how many times you had to do that. Well actually we got it in the first take. That's so clint into eastwood is fresh and real. Whenever I've been on a set of this it's always let's move on now but you know people say that the do said I J do when you're always think it's going to be quick but it's not that he takes his time and he leaves it open and it so efficient that he doesn't need need to do more than a couple of takes? Is this your first time with Clint Eastwood. Absolutely absolutely what was that like was a nervous wreck I was a nervous wreck. Check it I I and I think we all were because we all wanted to just I mean we all WanNa do our best all the time. But when you're with someone like client or Mike Nichols just you really and I think we also felt a real responsibility to bobby she survived. Of course she's still alive. And and Richard passed away ten years later he was thirty three when this happened and He got some money CNN NBC you know. They sued them and but the Atlanta Journal Constitution never accepted responsibility for it and the real. FBI Guy who's played by. I Jon Hamm went to his grave saying this guy did it. We see that teen in the movie where he says I still think yeah even when somebody else has confessed knowing it. That's the kind of thing. Well it's a movie that is pretty hard basically on the media and on the feds. It's really saying that in a world where we're supposed to trust certain things we've lost it you know that was nineteen ninety. Six things are worse now. Well and I think it's important to realize is that they just got it wrong and they were in such a rush to try and say the Olympics. That had really. This was only the second day I think it'd be Olympics and and So that was really driving it. And I don't WanNa paint it with two broader brush because look more than ever we need the truth from the press more than ever we I need the truth from the FBI. You know the government we depend on those institutions so that was very specific to this case and I hope people people don't feel that we're just trying to malign those institutions. What does Clinton do when after take? He's happy with it. Well this is what I love of about him and and I didn't realize this is that he just lets the camera. Keep going and we just keep going The scene may be done. I mean our lines. May It'd be done. But we just keep improvising and just continuing to live in that situation and he gets a lot of great stuff that he can use and it's also an opportunity for us to have more time together to experience the chargers together especially nowadays when you don't have rehearsal time you're you'd have your as my friend. Jessica Tandy God rest or used to say your kitchen work nowadays. You have to do your kitchen or in your kitchen you know at at home alone so it's great to have that it's been working. Well when he was when Clinton was here last he was saying that he hates movies. Where the director will say? Hey you know because he said I'm really quiet about it. I just go go when you're ready when you're ready. Just do something I also heard about. I don't know if this is is apocryphal. Or not was when he was doing Spaghetti Westerns and they would scream action the worst would at all also in TV. You know it's just also crazy. The and I think that's when he he developed his style he thought you know. Wait a minute. Everybody's just rushing in and getting it wrong and rushing and getting it wrong again and he just wanted to keep it real simple simple. He says when you're ready people going like this and I remember the first time adequate seen merge running downstairs in Iran into the sound guy who are really liked and I was was trying to speak French Dami said and I thought I thought the scene was over. You know and then that's when I realized it's not over till it's over it until he says it's yeah that's got it he also has. Can I just say he has an amazing cameramen Stephen Campanella he's he's been with them for twenty five years like many of the people on the crew. It's like a family and he just knows how to tell that story with the camera and one of my favorite shots and Clint's to win when the FBI are there. And you see Richard putting his blue gloves on and we've been telling him and telling them not to help the police and then it pans over to salmon. I just standing there looking at him. Like he's never gonNA stop. You know you just wants to throttling. But whatever he's doing he's doing great eighty nine now. Yeah he's still sexiest. Hell you go see. And you've turned that he is. He is sexy telling you. Imagine what it'd be like when he's ninety at like good wine. Everything is perfect to do. Well you you've worked with so many people you know Mike Nichols and primary primary colors. He's somebody I missed tremendously. He's not only a great director but he's just one of the smartest most fun people people that ever lived on this earth. Yeah I agree I remember. I was at an awards thing I think it was the EMMYS and and I lost you know and like about half an hour later. I get this text for Mike. Saying you're among one of my favorite actors I've ever worked with and I thought well that's it dude. I know it's like how lovely of him to do that. In that moment it is but he was right well he was well. It was one of the high points of my life to work with him. I and with that