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00:00You were actually taking a night off from watching Abbott at home with the audience.
00:05Instead, we are being honored this evening for really the way that you've used your career
00:10to give back to others in so many ways.
00:13What does it mean to kind of have lived not only a purpose-driven life, but also a purpose-driven
00:19career?
00:20You know, that's very interesting because my career is absolutely on purpose.
00:25The roles that I have chosen, the roles that have chosen me, have been on purpose.
00:30Because I know there will be a generation and people that will come after me, and I
00:34want them to know that they can participate in their career.
00:38They can participate in the legacy that they leave behind.
00:43They don't have to take what's offered just because, but plan your career to leave something
00:49good for others to look at.
00:51Yeah.
00:52Well, I'm curious, as you kind of look at the legacy of your career, how would you define
00:57it?
00:58I don't know if I would define it.
01:00I don't know.
01:01Well, you're still building it, is part of the answer with that.
01:03I mean, you still have so many more projects you have in the works.
01:07Not only Abbott, but also there's an upcoming film, Ricky, as well.
01:12I'm very proud of Ricky.
01:15You know, first of all, I love doing films and projects that are important, especially
01:23Ricky deals with recidivism.
01:25Ricky deals with immigration.
01:27Ricky deals with so much love, family, dysfunction, and the fact that there is one person who
01:34believes in this young man enough to say, I believe you because I see you.
01:41I understand.
01:42Oh, I'm very proud.
01:45And it's a complete departure.
01:47You know, I was, when working on the film, one of the people on the film, their child
01:52wanted to come and meet me from Abbott.
01:56And when they met me, I was in costume and they said, she's different.
02:02And I was like, yes, yes, that's what you want.
02:05A complete departure.
02:06I mean, that is the dream.
02:08You want to continue to make work where you can explore different sides of yourself.
02:14That doesn't always happen.
02:16People want to put you in a box.
02:17They want to say, oh, no, this is what she does.
02:19Oh, no, no.
02:20This is the character that she should play.
02:22And for this director to come out and say, no, this is what she can.
02:27I was like, yes.
02:30I actually am curious, looking back, at what point in your career did you recognize that
02:36making content that was, you know, values driven or faith and spirituality driven was
02:43something that Hollywood was going to allow you to do?
02:47Because for a while it seemed like, you know, that maybe isn't always what they're looking
02:51for, if that makes sense.
02:52I choose me.
02:54I choose what I do.
02:56I know what is going to work for me.
02:59Like I said, I know the legacy that is important for me to leave.
03:04I want my children's children's children when they speak my name, when they look me up,
03:10when they look at the work, the things that I said, the films, the television, the speeches,
03:17I want them to say, I'm related to her, Cheryl Lee Rouse.
03:23Do and are and always will say that.
03:26Your children already are carrying on that legacy so beautifully.
03:30My son's got his first film, no, his second film coming out, but his first bigger film,
03:35a Christmas film.
03:37A whole film festival, yes.
03:40So I'm very proud of them and they want to do it on their own, which I'm always like,
03:45I can help.
03:46And they're like, no, mom, we got this.
03:48And I'm like, okay.
03:49Well, I have to ask you, I guess one last bit of Abbott news, because you guys have
03:54the holiday special today, tonight, the two parter, but then you're also going to head
03:59over to that always sunny cast.
04:02So what was it like going to the bar with them?
04:06First of all, it was dirty.
04:09Second of all, I had no idea they were criminals.
04:11Okay, no, I hadn't watched the show.
04:15Nobody told me.
04:17And then when I was reading, I was like, wait a minute, what's going on here?
04:21How do these words collide, worlds collide?
04:24And literally they do collide in a way that's going to make some really wonderful TV.
04:29Was it any seafaring, Barbara?
04:31Are we getting the Barbara, a little tipsy too?
04:36She hasn't been drinking very much this season.
04:39No, she has not.
04:41But a young actor said something to me that really got me.
04:45He said, Miss Ralph, you taught me something about acting.
04:48And I was like, okay, what was it?
04:51They said, you don't always have to have a whole lot of lines to act.
04:57And I was like, you saw that?
05:00And he was like, yeah, I saw that.
05:02He said, sometimes you're saying nothing and I can see everything that you're saying.
05:08And I was like, oh my God, thank you so much.
05:11So what do they say?
05:12People do listen.
05:14People do watch.