Neal Baer
speaker
36 appearances
1 recordings
1 series
first heard Dec 2024
last heard Dec 2024
Neal Baer’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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Appearances
Thanks so much, Lynn, for having me. And thank you for the lovely introduction. I've been extremely fortunate to work on these shows. The first two shows I did, ER and SVU, covered 18 years of my career. And that is really unheard of. And I don't know if that could ever happen again. Probably not, though SVU is still on year 26, which is incredible.
I also want to say that when I did Under the Dome, I like to say it's the two Stevens because it's based on Stephen King's book. And I worked with Stephen King, who is the consummate storyteller and kind hearted person. So I have been extraordinarily lucky to work with so many amazing people.
what are in your opinion some unforgettable stories and why are they so powerful what are the most powerful stories that you have seen so for movies i had the great fortune of working with sally field and i pitched that she should play maura tierney's mother on er because maura's character has an alcohol substance problem. And it's not uncommon that a parent might have bipolar disorder.
So we gave that disorder to Sally. And I was standing with her one night when we were shooting. And she said, why did you want me to come? And I said, well, you know, when I became a writer, you were the first person I thought of. And she said, why? Because you watched Gidget or Flying Nun when you were a child? And I said, no.
because I saw you and Norma Rae stand on the table and hold the sign and stand up to what was going on in the factory, the sewing and the manufacturing of fabric and say union and how you defended your mother. And I just said, oh my gosh, I want to work with someone like that. I want to tell a story like that.
And so when I saw movies that moved me, like Norma Rae or old movies that I watched as a kid about the war and what happens after the war, like the best years of our lives, it really ignited me. And I think it's because they're real. But for myself, it's been films that have been about the outsider.
like Norma Rae or folks who've had HIV when I was young growing up and their struggle that motivated me and have stayed with me. And that's what I try to write about as well.
Well, first and foremost, it's the relatability. It's like, we understand Sally as Norma Rae. We understand the position she's in. And her husband, Beau Bridges, is supportive, but he's not standing on the table with her. Her mother is being treated horribly. It's not well. And so we're for her. We love fighters for justice. So I think what makes...
These films, for me, stand out are the social justice that's embedded in them without being preachy. But it's just part of the fabric of these movies, like a movie like The Best Years of Our Lives. It's showing you what's happening with these World War II vets coming home, and one of them has lost his hands. Actually, Harold Russell, he won the Oscar for that. And
you see his struggle in a way that feels so real. Well, it was real for him, of course. But the other actors in it, Frederick March, Myrna Loy, all of them really capture the struggle after. That yes, there was jubilation after World War II, and we won and beat the Nazis. But there are also a lot of terrible things to deal with at home, just like what's happened again with Vietnam.
And then we can look at a film called Coming Home with Jane Fonda, Bruce Dern, and Jon Voight. Again, another great film about... that struggle of a Vietnam vet coming home and not being seen. I guess really what makes these movies resonate for me, and I think for the audience, it's about people being seen. People who haven't been seen and they become seen. And we all want to be seen.
We all want to be heard.
Well, you hire the best actors possible, first of all, because don't scrimp on the actors and don't scrimp on the script. Get the best actors to tell the story. I've been so lucky because I've always demanded to have the best actors. And the best actors are people who can really... bring on that character that we can relate to. Why is Clooney so popular? Why is Mariska so popular?
We relate to them. There's something about them, some magic that we feel comfortable with them. And then you just have to be as honest as you can in your storytelling. We've all been on the line. We've all had to prove ourselves. So I'm always thinking about the sociological, anthropological, psychological elements that we're all human beings. We all share these moments.
And if we can make them honest and relatable with great actors, then we're way far down the road of getting something really good.
I ask myself, what is their drive? For key first character, I asked myself, because I only did year three on Netflix, not the first two on ABC. Can a man of ethics and dignity run for president and maintain his ethical stance? And I'm going to put him through Dante's Inferno. And every week, every episode, give him a bigger and bigger challenge and see if he can do it.
And so the answer was a man of his ethics couldn't because he got caught up in running for president. And in the end, he can because he makes decisions that are maybe not in his best interest. And so I look at what is this character's journey? And for him, it was, you know, he was the head of HUD and he becomes president and he's not prepared. He wasn't a politician.
So can he maintain his dignity and his ethics? And no, not always. He's disappointing people, his daughter, others. And in the end, yes, it is TV. And it's like, I didn't want to be a nihilist. So yes, he did do the right thing. Sometimes people don't in the end. But I think it's important to have hope. So I look to develop characters that interest me.
And I haven't gone wrong in the sense that if I think the story's amazing or shocking or it's captivating, I've been lucky. They have been in general for the audience. And that's, I think, been helpful to me not to worry about pandering. Like, I'm going to teach you or I'm going to do this. It's like, how does this mother cope with a child that she has to watch die in front of her?
No way around it. No hope. No miracles. None have ever been reported. How does she live this life? That's a character I want to see. That's what life is about. Then I have compassion for what she did. I might disagree with her. I might say, hey, she should go to jail. But I have the other side saying she spared her child even more suffering and pain. That's what life is about, right, Lynn?
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