Fresh Air: Remembering Diane Keaton
Date: October 14, 2025
Host: Terry Gross
Episode Focus: A rich retrospective celebrating the life and legacy of Diane Keaton, featuring an appreciation by TV critic David Bianculli and an in-depth archival interview from 1997 with Keaton herself.
Episode Overview
This episode of Fresh Air honors actress Diane Keaton, who has passed away at age 79. The program pays tribute to her multifaceted career—as an actress, director, author, and cultural icon—revisiting her most memorable performances and revealing the personality behind her enduring, relatable roles. The centerpiece is an engaging 1997 interview between Keaton and host Terry Gross, covering Keaton's process, her feelings on typecasting, her views on aging and beauty in Hollywood, and the personal experiences that shaped her art.
David Bianculli's Appreciation of Diane Keaton
[00:39 – 04:19]
- Bianculli reflects on Keaton’s diverse career, emphasizing:
- Her Oscar-winning role in Annie Hall
- Her fashion influence and ability to ignite trends before "influencers" were a thing
- Early Broadway success in Hair and her refusal to participate in nude scenes
- Work with Woody Allen in stage and film (Play It Again, Sam, Sleeper, Love and Death, Manhattan, Interiors)
- Three other Oscar-nominated roles: Reds, Marvin's Room, and Something's Gotta Give
- Noted her believable duality in both comic and dramatic roles, and her chemistry with co-stars (with personal relationships including Woody Allen, Al Pacino, Warren Beatty)
- “Keaton was impressively relatable and believable in both [comic and dramatic roles]…” – David Bianculli [03:14]
- Lists additional notable films: Father of the Bride, Baby Boom, The First Wives Club, Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and Marvin’s Room (which is the focus of the subsequent interview).
Archival Interview: Terry Gross and Diane Keaton (1997)
On Marvin's Room and Embracing Dramatic Roles
[05:10 – 14:36]
- Gross notes Keaton’s striking shift from comedic to deeply dramatic roles.
- Keaton says she’s nothing like Bessie, but related to her through “intense identification” and the script’s substance. She contrasted this with her own driven, ambitious nature:
- “There’s clearly really nothing in common between Bessie and I, except probably just this intense identification with her for me when I read it.” – Diane Keaton [06:28]
- Keaton found the challenge in delivering lines of deep sincerity (“I’m so lucky to have loved so much”) and describes seeking help from director Jerry Zaks and co-star Meryl Streep:
- “I really literally couldn’t say that because it’s dead on, flat on the truth.” [09:02]
- “Meryl...just kind of lifted me up and helped me go there…Frankly, it’s not easy for me…It’s hard to imagine being that kind of a person. I guess I’m shallow.” [10:57]
- She discusses relying on direction:
- “I think I’m kind of a chicken actress. And I think people really have to keep saying, you can do it. You can do it.” [11:49]
On Directing vs. Acting
[12:51 – 14:36]
- Keaton insists she cannot effectively direct herself while acting; the two crafts require separate mindsets:
- “No, no, Terry...when I’m acting, I’m acting and I need help...I don’t have a good enough imagination, which is why it’s harder for me. Like when I see Meryl Streep, I go, 'Oh my God. She’s got everything.'” [13:00–14:09]
- Sees herself as thriving more in comedy and humor:
- “I’m more inclined to live comfortably in the world of humor.” [14:11]
Keaton’s Early Life, Family & Influence
[14:36 – 16:25]
- Mother was “Mrs. Los Angeles,” a symbol of ideal domesticity; Keaton found inspiration in the stage aspect, not homemaking:
- “There she was in the theater, and I saw the curtain open, and there was my mother, and I thought, hmm, I think I like that for myself.” [15:55]
- Gross jokes Keaton took the “wrong message”—interpreting pageantry as performance, not domestic aspiration.
Stage Beginnings: Hair & Play It Again, Sam
[16:25 – 19:45]
- Keaton clarifies why she declined to be nude in Hair: not political, just didn’t want to.
- Describes audition for Play It Again, Sam as “terrified”; she recalls being attracted to Allen's comedy from TV.
- She and Allen had strong chemistry from the outset.
The Woody Allen Collaborations & Annie Hall
[19:45 – 26:10]
- Keaton discusses their real-life cultural differences, feeding into the shiksa/Jewish dynamic onscreen:
- “I think so. I would say sure. At this point, yes.” (on their backgrounds influencing film tension) [19:45]
- Her Annie Hall voice and mannerisms were natural to her then:
- “No, I think I spoke in that character at that point in my life.” [25:30]
- On the famous “la dee da” line: “Never. Never did say that, though, that he wrote.” [25:35]
- Ongoing thread of Allen’s creative simplicity—if something wasn’t working, a simple fix would often unlock the character.
On The Godfather: Being the Outsider
[26:10 – 28:46]
- Keaton describes feeling like the real-life outsider among men on set, mirroring her character Kay Corleone:
- “I never understood why he [Coppola] cast me in that, ever. I still don’t understand why he cast me in that.” [27:05]
- Felt overwhelmed and out of her depth, just 23 at the time.
Behind the Scenes: Directing and Collaborating
[32:03 – 35:10]
- Gross highlights underrated performance in Mrs. Soffel; Keaton was passionate about that part and started paying attention to directing.
- On becoming a director, Keaton admits discomfort with taking command:
- “It’s not my way, but it’s the desire to do it that overrides the fear of saying...’That’s not good. We’ve got to do it again.’” [33:16]
- Believes casting is the “very, very, very important thing.”
Plastic Surgery and Authenticity in Hollywood
[35:10 – 36:57]
- With The First Wives Club, Keaton relishes discussing plastic surgery and industry pressure:
- “How can you be a real woman, age 60,... if you’ve had a facelift? You can’t.” [35:39]
- Keaton stresses the futility of chasing youth. Jokes about possibly getting plastic surgery herself someday, but admires actresses like Jessica Tandy who age naturally.
Return to Roots: Singing
[36:57 – 38:24]
- Explores her love of music and singing:
- “Janet [Frank] taught me a way to approach a song and try to make it an acting thing...” [37:07]
- Sang in First Wives Club (“You Don’t Own Me”); would like more opportunities, but modest about her vocal range.
Musical Interlude: “Seems Like Old Times” (Annie Hall)
[38:41–40:01]
- A clip of Keaton singing from Annie Hall offers a poignant sonic tribute to her unique charm.
Notable Quotes & Moments
- “I think when you’re an actress, you’re just intensely attracted to projects with substance.” – Diane Keaton [06:28]
- “Meryl... just kind of lifted me up and helped me go there.” – Diane Keaton [10:57]
- “I guess I’m shallow.” – Diane Keaton (ironically assessing her discomfort with pure sincerity) [11:02]
- “I think that I’m more inclined to live comfortably in the world of humor.” – Diane Keaton [14:11]
- “No, I did not want to be a happy homemaker.” – Diane Keaton on learning the lesson of performance, not domesticity, from her mother [15:55]
- “It’s not my way [to direct], but it’s the desire to do it that overrides the fear…” – Diane Keaton [33:16]
- “How can you be a real woman, age 60,...if you’ve had a facelift? You can’t.” – Diane Keaton [35:39]
Key Timestamps
- 00:39 David Bianculli’s appreciation
- 05:10 Start of 1997 Terry Gross interview with Diane Keaton
- 06:28 Keaton on identifying with dramatic roles
- 10:57 The challenge of emotional acting with Meryl Streep’s support
- 14:11 Prefers comedy to drama
- 19:45 Real-life background dynamic with Woody Allen
- 25:35 “La dee da” line
- 27:05 On feeling out of place in The Godfather
- 33:16 Learning to direct and command
- 35:39 Critique of plastic surgery expectations for actresses
Conclusion & Tone
The episode is warm, thoughtful, and often lightly self-deprecating—mirroring Keaton’s unique blend of honesty, humor, and vulnerability. The interview reveals her persistent self-doubt—about her acting, about directing, about beauty—but also her deep curiosity, joy in collaboration, humor, and refusal to fit into a single category. This Fresh Air tribute encapsulates Keaton’s rare ability to connect through both laughter and authenticity.
For listeners and fans alike, this episode is both a celebration and a heartfelt goodbye to one of the most relatable talents in American cinema.