Diane Lane on Her Long Acting Career, Working with Kenny Rogers & New Show Feud: Capote vs The Swans

our first guest is a terrific wonderful actress who made her film debut at 13 she's currently Emmy nominated for her role in Feud capot versus the swans it's available to stream right now on Hulu please welcome Diane Lane [Applause] [Music] [Applause] it is so great to have you here yeah we watched you grow up this is true I'm still growing though you're still growing still learning you have worked more than any other actress in the history of Hollywood Fair I'll just run with that yeah what was what's the longest amount of time you were not in a makeup chair getting ready to go in front of a camera the longest amount of time you were not uh probably I think I got close to two years off at one point okay what did you do in those two years I was hanging with my mama in Georgia we were eating a lot of bacon and butter and I was pregnant with my daughter and fixing the lawn mower and allg things yeah we're in Washington County where's Washington County Georgia well there's a small town named Barto Georgia barow or BTO BTO uh one hor town and um and and it's where my grandmother's Church used to be her church she's a she was a Pentecostal preacher really yes so my my great-grandmother my grandmother and my mother are all there and it's did she speak in tongues uh yeah have you ever played a role where you had to do that kind of a thing oh I'd be scared you would be cuz she'd be looking down saying ahhh well I mean you know you got to really tow the line when when you emulate certain things I don't know there was some famous person who was quoted saying one should never be on camera scene praying or having sex and I don't have anything to add to that yeah and that person who said that was Linda love lace fair enough yeah what do you attribute Your your long career because it's not normal to have a career as as long as you've had I mean uh 13 your first feature film and then before that you were on stage yes yes that's true I mean the era when Feud takes place uh capot versus the swans is the 70s and I remember 1975 and watching Truman capot on shows like this really kind of self- emulating with alcoholism and and it was a shock I don't know if you ever saw the cover of the Esquire man oh yeah I have it right here yeah here it is okay what he's what he's using for a nail cleaning his nails with a switchblade I think yeah so it it really cast its PA over New York and even as a 10-year-old when the swans were going to laot Basque I was at smilers Deli eating honey buns wow you know yeah I didn't know from nothing yeah where SM where was smilers Deli uh right around the corner from Carnegie Deli I GRE on the block of Carnegie Deli but Carnegie Deli was a little more expensive yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah so uh uh you remember the the talk show I remember those talk shows from the 70s and Truman capot and on were you familiar with the character you play in in no I I didn't know the uh Elite socialites of Manhattan I did not uh I thought you spelled bask like B why not I know how to bask I can Bas and and what kind of research did you do on this character because you play Slim Keith yeah what do you know about her I learned a lot about her um I could say many things but I because I admire you so much and we we you know knowing somebody's core wounds is important when you're going to play them and when I got to read her autobiography I was fascinated about how it is that she had this steel will to not let Truman capot take her down and essentially she learned that that strength of character by not letting her father force her to choose against her mother when she was growing up that's a very tough position to be in it's shocking I know what it's like I had that happen to me in my childhood there will be a book oh your book because it's it's always your mother right well no I mean there's just I mean again your your life is we feel like we know so much about your life already because we've watched you grow up from childhood that brilliant film A Fine Romance A Little Romance A Little Romance but it was fine too it was A Fine Romance too until you know even watching you play older people like in uh I always play the age I am well what's the what's the movie about the well I we gray gray wig sometimes in in the in the uh Secretariat oh yes you play an older person yes well that got me into trouble because I wanted to wear the original wig which actually had silver hair in it I was trying to be authentic yeah and um we had a new head of the company who saw me in the stunt wig and said oh no she looks so happy and young and sexy in this other wig and I thought this wig is not appropriate this is the wig that the Double's going to be in the distance with the horse yeah if I had a nickel for every time I've said [Laughter] that if I could never contribute to your onliners I'm winning now okay now we talked about all these huge movies that you've done in this fabulous television show let's talk about the most important movie that you've done six-pack okay Kenny Rogers yay thank you for bringing him up I love Kenny Rogers I love Kenny roers you got to know when to fold them you got and when to hold them that's right now what do you have a f favorite memory of working with Kenny Rogers Well he got my father and I in a helicopter to go to what's that town in in in rgia no New Jersey where where all the concerts are and oh oh right metal metal lands something like that but anyway and so my father was mortified he's I'm not going to get in the helicopter he's been a cab driver you know he's like we'll take the train whatever you need and he said no you don't understand if I don't spend the money I can't keep it I have to fly people in in this and he was performing at this concert in New Jersey and he gave me a guitar he was trying to help encourage me to play music I thought sixpack was in Georgia yes but he came through New York and his large ass Des Bri you know he invited us to his show because he was in town was he a lovely person lovely man yeah yeah big-hearted I mean the name of his production company was Lion Share and back in the day it was $5 to go to the movies and he got one of every one of those $5 and I said indeed Lion Share yes really did WOW but he's a Leo I don't know whatever and then and that that was in Georgia and and so your family did your grandmother get to come to set and watch you perform no grandma was gone by then but my mother came so I turned 17 on that and then I went right into Outsiders and Tulsa so I just stayed in the South for a while and then do you you do your own songs in a Streets of Fire no you didn't who was the voice many people okay and different people will tell you accurately that they were the person who was my voice it was a melange dequa I don't know it was a Jimmy iven production there was a lot of a lot of irons in the fire there see because we we were familiar with the movie so much because of MTV and all the songs from that movie were on MTV yes and it was uh do hey Armani did the costumes you know what I'm saying Armani did the costumes yes oh my who did this right here oh s goet if I'm saying it right okay you look absolutely gorgeous yes brought it for you R well you brought it and you brought it well thank you all right we're going to talk more we'll be right back after this how about this for truth I'm suing you for defamation and if you want more legal woses send babe an invitation to your sorry little party I Dare You slim get real dear you were all immortalized by me admit you actually appreciate the appreciate the what the philandering men the idle shallow pornographic women you told more lies to hurt people than who does that never let the truth get in the way of a good story that's the that's the whole show right there don't let the truth get in the way of a good story yeah that is what it's all about right there you know uh it's made Truman capot uh Tom Hollander wonderful he is divine and Naomi as babe I gosh I love their work and their show and Treat Williams yeah were you friends with the ladies of the other swans before yes we had fun yeah were you friends with them before you started filming no we had so many close associations you know it's almost like your siblings just by association yeah when you when you're in this business as you know it's kind of like a big circus family it is like a big circus family cuz I your father was an acting coach um he was a teacher of was a teacher he and John cassavetes in fact God bless Jenna rolands may she rest in peace yeah Gloria forever Gloria forever exactly exactly they were all they were all buddies in the 50s really with Peter Faulk and and all those those guys and so um did your father uh teach you how to go on a set and and ask for what you needed no he tried and you know the cobbler's children have no shoes I wouldn't take any advice God forbid I could learn anything from my father who was a professional teacher um no I was very shy around him he would try to help me prepare for auditions and I would only let him get me so far I was a terrible auditioner I think I don't think I got many jobs from auditioning yet you have been in the business forever what what do you think what do you think casting methusa well yes well there's that too but you still look gorgeous thanks absolutely gorgeous thanks Mom I credit her going to keep those jeans going as long as you can you know I I was out of the country recently and I I started watching uh um the RO romul the um movie about the the Russian family um Romanos Romanos again I started watching that again you're marvelous in that how sweet are you no it's the truth I'm telling speaking the truth up in here thank you Ruth yeah and in House of Cards what was that like that was a wild ride um you know all all I really want to say is that it was my first foray into two SE Limited Series where and and also coming onto a show that was completely evolved so you have to fit into their world and so I couldn't stray too far with how my appearance was or anything and and uh you know you have to be in that world and it's great when you can see the show and you say okay I know exactly how I have to scooch into it's like being late to school yeah you know you come in the middle of the Year hi I'm here just going to play my little part I know you all are good friends and I'm just here for this little while but um no they they embrace you and you get to Cozy up pretty quick well you you you you did it so well and the character has so much grit to it I just love it and the same with uh your character on Feud uh capot vers the swans which is available to see right now on Hulu thank you Diane Lane thank you back in a minute [Applause]