The Barbara Walters Special airing Tuesday, April 1 at 10pm E/P on ABC

[Pavan]

BARBARA WALTERS TALKS WITH ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES NICOLAS CAGE, JULIANNE MOORE AND RENÉE ZELLWEGER, FOR “THE BARBARA WALTERS SPECIAL”

AIRING TUESDAY, APRIL 1, AT 10:00 P.M. ON ABC

Barbara Walters spends a fascinating hour with eccentric Nicolas Cage, gorgeous dual nominee Julianne Moore and sultry Golden Globe winner Renée Zellweger. These phenomenally successful and diverse talents sit down with Barbara Walters for the Emmy Award-winning “The Barbara Walters Special,” airing on TUESDAY, APRIL 1 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET). For the first time, all three guests are Oscar nominees – Mr. Cage for Best Actor in “Adaptation,” Ms. Zellweger for Best Actress in “Chicago” and Ms. Moore for Best Actress in “Far From Heaven,” as well as Best Supporting Actress in “The Hours.” The special was originally scheduled to air Sunday, March 23, in conjunction with the Academy Awards.
Ms. Walters says, “I’m thrilled to have this unique opportunity to sit down with three of tonight’s nominees. Each one has shared with me their own perspective on what this nomination, and in
Julianne’s case nominations, means to them. Nicolas Cage opens up about his dual role in ‘Adaptation,’ as well as the end of his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, and quells rumors about his unconventional life and career. Renée Zellweger talks about the whirlwind that has surrounded her nominated role in ‘Chicago,’ from the wild audition process to the intensive rehearsal schedule to the kudos she’s receiving. Julianne Moore tells me her thoughts on being a rare double nominee, her engagement to her long-time partner and father of her two children, and which of the two nominated roles she prefers.
I was very fortunate because all three actors have graciously opened up their homes for their interviews and they have all shared their truly unique perspectives on Hollywood.”
Nicolas Cage, who previously won an Oscar for Best Actor in “Leaving Las Vegas,” has had a tumultuous private life with his recent divorce from Lisa Marie Presley. Mr. Cage opens up for the first time about this to Ms. Walters, as well as about his difficult childhood and rumored obsession with Elvis. He tells Ms. Walters: “Lisa Marie and I weren’t going to buy Graceland, we were never going to live in Graceland, I wasn’t going to build Graceland for her on top of a ranch somewhere, no answering
machine with my voice on it as Elvis. When I saw Lisa, she was this beautiful girl, not Elvis’ daughter.”
This year’s Academy Award nominee for Best Actress and Golden Globe winner Renée Zellweger is the “it” girl of the moment, the little girl with the heart as big as Texas who’s proving she
can hold her own with the heavyweights of Hollywood. Ms. Zellweger admits to never having seen the musical “Chicago” or even heard the music until she showed up for the first day of rehearsals with director Rob Marshall. She opens up about the fear of tackling a musical as someone who neither sang
nor danced, and about what drove her to accept the challenge. She talks about the unabashed trust that Rob Marshall placed in her from the beginning, despite her lack of experience in musicals. She tells Ms. Walters: “There was a lot of responsibility that comes with that kind of faith. He believed so strongly
that everything was going to be great, it was going to be fine, that I didn’t want to let him down. There wasn’t a moment on that set that I wasn’t beside myself. Grateful, laughing, just really enjoying the process.”
Julianne Moore is only the ninth person in the Academy’s 75 years to receive two nominations and she’s relishing the moment. This has been an exciting year for Ms. Moore. Not only has she
received accolades for her powerful roles in “The Hours” and “Far From Heaven,” but she also became engaged to long--time love Bart Freundlich. Ms. Moore tells Ms. Walters about nomination morning, “It was exciting, shock and real happiness. It’s a wonderful thing, no matter what anybody says. My little
boy, Cal, thought I won. When I picked him up from school that day, the teacher came out and said, he told everybody that you won two Academy Awards.”
“The Barbara Walters Special” is produced and directed by Bill Geddie.