AND THE NEW MOVIE "THE GLASS CASTLE," OSCAR WINNER BRIE

LARSON STARS HAS A NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST STRUGGLING TO COME TO

TERMS WITH HER DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY AND TROUBLED UPBRINGING.

IT'S BASED ON THE BEST-SELLING MEMOIR ON HER CHILDHOOD AND

UNLIKELY PATH TO SUCCESS. TAKE A LOOK.

>> YOUR DAD SAID HE SAW YOU PASS BY IN A CAB THE OTHER NIGHT.

ACTED LIKE WE WEREN'T EVEN THERE.

>> YOU SHOULDN'T BE ASHAMED OF US BECAUSE WE CHOOSE A DIFFERENT

LIFESTYLE THAN YOU. >> BEING HOMELESS IN NEW YORK

CITY DOES NOT COUNT AS A LIFESTYLE CHOICE.

>> IF WE HEARD FROM YOU MORE, YOU WOULD KNOW WE FOUND A LOVELY

PLACE ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE. >> LORI SAID YOU'RE SQUATTING IN

AN ABANDONED BUILDING. THAT DOES NOT SOUND SAFE, MOM.M.

>> WHEN DID YOU LOSE YOUR SENSE OF ADVENTURE?

>> I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY NOW.

I CAN HELP YOU IF YOU WANT. >> NO.

WE'RE FINE. YOU'RE THE ONE THAT NEEDS HELP.

>> GOOD MORNING TO YOU. GREAT MOVIE.

GREAT CAST. NAOMI WATTS, WOODY HARRELSON.

CAN WE BOND OVER OUR LOVE OF "STAR WARS"?

>> YEAH. WE CAN TOTALLY BOND OVER THAT.

>> YOU POSTED WITH THE CAST OF THE HON SOLO ALBUM.

>> IT'S WOODY. I GOT TO MEET THEM.

HE SCREENS IT FOR THEM. I GOT STAR STRUCK.

>> ARE YOU A SUPERFAN? >> YEAH.

I'M A SUPERFAN. >> WOODY IS IN THE MOVIE AND

OBVIOUSLY IN THIS MOVIE, AS WELL, PLAYING THE ROLE OF YOUR

FATHER. IT'S AN INCREDIBLE STORY FOR A

LOT OF FOLKS WHO READ THE BOOK. WAS THAT INTIMIDATING TO TAKE

THAT ON? IT'S A STORY THAT PEOPLE KNOW SO

WELL. AND THE PERSON YOU'RE PORTRAYING

IS PART OF THIS PROCESS. >> AND CAN CAN BE ON-SET AND WA

IT HAPPEN? >> YES.

>> IF IT WAS ANYONE ELSE, IT COULD BE SCARY.

BUT JEANNETTE IS AN INCREDIBLE PERSON.

AND HER MISSION WRITING THE BOOK AND NOW THE FILM, IS FOR PEOPLE

TO OWN THEIR PAST AND BE HONEST. HONESTY IS A HUGE THING FOR HER.

THE FIRST THING SHE SAID TO ME WAS JUST TELL THE TRUTH.

I DON'T NEED YOU TO DO A PERFECT IMPRESSION OF ME.

THAT ERASED ANY FEARS I HAD. >> PEOPLE WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR,

SHE TELLS THE STORY OF HER UPBRINGING.

AND THERE'S PARTS THAT ARE SHOCKING.

PARTS THAT ARE ENDEARING. SHE HAD AN UNUSUAL CHILDHOOD,

BEING TAKEN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

EXTREME POVERTY. HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE HER AND

DESCRIBE THE STORY? >> SHE'S JUST A GREAT

REPRESENTATION OF HOW RESILIENT HUMANS ARE.

THAT WE CAN GO FOR A LOT AND MAKE IT ON THE OTHER SIDE

WILLING TO LOVE AND ACCEPT. ONE OF THE THINGS SHE TAUGHT ME,

SHE HASN'T FORGIVEN HER PARENTS BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T FEEL THERE'S

ANYTHING THEY NEED TO FORGIVE. THIS WAS THE BEST THEY COULD.

AND SHE ACCEPTS THIS WAS THE BEST THEY COULD.

AND THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL SENTIMENT.

>> YOU MENTION SHE WAS ON THE SET SOMETIMES.

I WOULD LIKE TO CALL MY LIFELINE.

DID YOU HAVE HER ON SPEED DALE DIAL DIAL?

HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO BE CONNECTED TO THE REAL PERSON

WHEN YOU ARE PORTRAYING A CHARACTER?

>> AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. AT THE END OF THE DAY, SHE WAS

LETTING GO AND ALLOWING US TO TELL THE STORY, KNOWING IT'S A

MOVIE. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AN EXACT

REPRESENTATION OF HER MEMORY HOW THINGS WENT.

WE SPOKE A LOT. >> AS I MENTIONED, IT'S SUCH AN

UNUSUAL UPBRINGING. THE MOVIE AND THE BOOK OPEN

WHERE SHE'S COOKING AT THE AGE OF 3 YEARS OLD AND IS BURNED BY

HOT FLAMES. I WAS THINKING, IT'S SO STRANGE

AND UNUSUAL. AND YET, THERE'S SOMETHING

UNIVERSAL ABOUT IT. YOU OVERCOME YOUR PAST AND YOU

SCRAPE BY AND YOU MAKE IT. I THOUGHT ABOUT YOU ACTING SINCE

YOU WERE 7 YEARS OLD AND KIND OF GOING THROUGH THAT SAME PROCESS

IN A SENSE. COULD YOU IDENTIFY WITH THAT

ASPECT OF IT? >> I THINK WHAT'S INCREDIBLE

ABOUT THIS STORY IS ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS LIKE A SPECIFIC UPBRINGING

THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE HAD, IT WEIRDLY HAS SO MANY

GENERAL THINGS IN IT THAT PEOPLE RELATE TO.

WHETHER YOU HAD AN UNCONVENTIONAL UPBRINGING OR A

PARENT THAT YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE RAISED YOU IN THE WAY YOU WANTED

TO BE RAISED. THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS

THAT I THINK YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS STORY AND CONNECT WITH IT.

SO, THAT'S KIND OF -- WITH THIS, IT WAS JUST ABOUT CONNECTING

WITH JEANNETTE AND TELLING HER STORY.

I TRIED TO KEEP MYSELF OUT OF IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

BUT I THINK FOR AN AUDIENCE MEMBER, THERE'S A LOT.

>> TO CONNECT TO. YOU ARE DIRECTING.

YOU HAVE A NEW MOVIE. "THE UNICORN STORE".

>> YEAH. I DIRECTED A FILM CALLED "THE

UNICORN STORE". >> YOU DIRECTED AND STARRED IN

IT. I DON'T KNOW WHY THAT IS FUNNY.

GREAT JOB, BRIE. GREAT SHOT, BRIE.

>> IT'S MORE INTERNAL THAN THAT. >> DID YOU CATCH THE FEVER?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO MORE DIRECTING?

>> IF I CAN, I WILL KEEP DOING IT.

>> YOU'RE GREAT IN THIS ROLE.