Kathleen Kennedy, the co-chair of Lucasfilm, holds the future of the force in her hands.

She's been one the creative minds behind a lot of Hollywood hits since the late '70s, working in particular with Steven Spielberg on his films from "1941" to Oscar-nominated "Lincoln."

And, she's already going to great lengths for "Star Wars," bringing on Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt ("Toy Story 3") and original franchise writer Lawrence Kasdan as a consult.

Now, Kennedy's magically enlisted the talent of J.J. Abrams as director—a task that she went to great lengths to secure. 

In her first in-depth interview since acquiring the reigns of Lucasfilm, Kennedy opened up to The Hollywood Reporter not only on the measures she's taken to revive Lucas' coveted franchise, but also on her past works revealing that she has the gusto to take on The Force.

If you've been worried, or are still concerned about the future of "Star Wars," it's time to take a breather. Here's why ...

Kennedy persuaded J.J. Abrams to direct the new "Star Wars," even after he turned down the job.

In November, Abrams told EW and various outlets he would be too busy with original projects to work on "Star Wars."

The "Star Wars" executive producer spoke and met with J.J. Abrams anyway in December in hopes to change his mind.

"We spent a lot of time talking about how meaningful "Star Wars" is and the depth of the mythology that George has created and how we carry that into the next chapter,"Kennedy said. 

All she had to do was say "please."

"I learned firsthand how incredible and persuasive she is,"said Abrams. "The thing about any pre-existing franchise -- I'd sort of done that. But when I met with Kathy, it was suddenly very tantalizing."

Or, she's just very good with Jedi mind tricks because all Kennedy said she asked Abrams was to "Please do 'Star Wars.'"

She already has the respect of top directors.

"Social Network" director David Fincher recalled his working relationship with Kennedy:

"When you, as a director -- call Kathy and say 'I need this …' she can actually remember the meeting where you explained why something was LINCHPIN to an effect you were trying to create -- or helped support an idea that you felt was essential to the story you are telling, and SHE CAN ACT ON IT.

So when Kennedy said Abrams brought up his "very genuine concerns" about other projects and the impact the role would take on his family she hinted the timeframe of the film's release may alter.

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• Popular site YouPorn.com is willing to pay at least $150,000 for a nude photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the throes of passion. The photo was found in a storage locker that once belonged to deceased Penthouse founder, 
• Lindsay Lohanhas a new baby brother after her father, Michael, and his on-and-off girlfriend, Kate Major, had a baby boy named Landon Major Lohan yesterday in Florida. Just what the world needed!
• Meanwhile, Lindsay Lohanis suing (for a change) a clothing manufacturer that sold leggings designed by Lindsay for $1 million, claiming she owns the trademark to the line's "6126" name ... as in Marilyn Monroe's birthday. 
• "How I Met Your Mother" has been renewed for a ninth and final season. And the mother will finally be revealed!
• CAA is seeking $1 million in unpaid commissions from late director Tony Scott's estate. 
• Viacom teases release of a Nickelodeon app as part of network turnaround.
• Kim Kardashian's baby bump is really starting to show, no matter how many times she goes to the gym.
• LeAnn Rimes, put your clothes on.

SEE ALSO: "Iron Man" falls to earth in this brand new movie poster >

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During her SAG Awards acceptance speech, "Silver Linings Playbook" actress Jennifer Lawrence thanked MTV.

"I'll explain that," the 22-year-old said while on stage accepting her Best Actress award. "I earned my SAG card when I was 14, I did an MTV promo for 'My Super Sweet 16.' And I remember getting it in the mail and it being the best day in my entire life, because it officially made me a professional actor."

Watch Lawrence deliver her best "Mean Girls" impersonation below:

SEE ALSO: Here's what made Jennifer Lawrence's dress slip at the SAG Awards >

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In her upcoming HBO documentary "Life Is But a Dream," Beyoncé reveals she suffered a miscarriage, calling it "The saddest thing I've ever been through."

In the doc premiering February 16, the 31-year-old singer explains, "About two years ago, I was pregnant for the first time. And I heard the heartbeat, which was the most beautiful music I ever heard in my life."

Beyoncé continues, "I envisioned what my child would look like ... I was feeling very maternal."

Jay-Z even references their loss in his song "Glory," rapping, "Last time the miscarriage was so tragic/We was afraid you'd disappear/But nah baby you magic."

Beyoncé, for her part, has never spoken about the miscarriage ... until now.

But the Super Bowl halftime singer dealt with her tragedy by going back into the recording studio.

"I went into the studio and wrote the saddest song I've ever written in my life," she says, "And it was actually the first song I wrote for my album. It was the best form of therapy for me, because it was the saddest thing I've ever been through."

But soon after, Beyoncé and Jay-Z learned another child was on the way.

When discussing her daughter Blue Ivy, the new mom says, "Being pregnant was very much like falling in love. You are so open. You are so overjoyed. There's no words that can express having a baby growing inside of you, so of course you want to scream it out and tell everyone."

The power couple eventually did reveal the news to the world when Beyoncé surprised everyone with her baby bump on-stage during a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in August.

And despite being originally reluctant to let Beyoncé co-direct her own documentary, HBO programming president, Michael Lombardo, recently told GQ:

"You feel ... that vulnerability of someone searching for the comfort place where they're willing to be more than the image that has been fed to us—I was incredibly moved by that ... I dare anybody to tune in and turn it off."

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Although Cameron Russell has been a model for brands such as Victoria's Secret and Chanel for the past 10 years, she says the profession is not all it's cracked up to be — and it's definitely not for everyone.

"The real way I became a model is I won a genetic lottery and I became the recipient of a legacy," she says in a recent TEDxMidAtlantic Talk. "Saying you want to be a model when you grow up is akin to saying you want to win the Powerball when you grow up. It's awesome and it's out of your control and it's not a career path."

Russell went on to display numerous photos of herself, explaining the contradictions between what people think when they see the images and then the reality.

"These pictures are not pictures of me, they're constructions," says Russell. "They're constructions by professionals — hairstylists, make up artists, photographers stylists and all of their assistants and pre-production and post-production and they build this. That's not me."

Russell went on to explain that she was sexualized for modeling jobs as a teenager before she even had a boyfriend. She says the first time she ever wore a bikini was for a shoot between real life soccer matches.

Russell says that while, yes, the perks of being a model — such as traveling and working with creative people —are great, that's only half of the equation.

The other half isn't as shiny, as Russell reveals she's filled with insecurities.

"If you are ever wondering 'if I have thinner thighs and shinier hair will I be happier?' you just need to meet a group of models because they have the thinnest thighs and the shiniest hair and the coolest clothes and they're the most physically insecure women on the planet."

Watch Russell's complete talk below:

SEE ALSO: Plastic surgery requests for Kate Middleton's nose have tripled since 2011 >

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• After seven seasons on NBC, "30 Rock" wrapped Thursday night and critics are raving about the show's ending. See what BuzzFeed, Deadline, E!, Fast Company, Gawker, Jezebel, Huffington Post, The NY Times, LA Times and other have to say about the show's final episode here >
• Bootleg "Argo" DVDs are selling like hotcakes in Iran. The film is banned in the region, but the WSJ spoke to underground DVD sellers who say it's "their best seller in years" with an estimated "several hundred thousand copies" sold.
• Kristin Chenoweth says she was the victim of a screaming, angry gate agent who bullied and embarrassed her when she tried to board an American Airlines flight with her service dog. After the flight, Kristin tweeted, "American Airlines: Dallas flight attnt supervisor Ms. Kidwell. Abuse not okay. #tripfromhell." A rep for AA responded, "We have been in touch with Ms. Chenoweth to offer our apologies for the misunderstanding. We refunded the [$125] cabin pet charge as soon as we realized the mistake. We hope she will consider flying American again in the future."
• Kanye Westwore a straitjacket and "snowman mask" on-stage while performing a convert in Abu Dhabi.
• Diddyordered a bottle of Ciroc vodka for every table in Marquee nightclub Wednesday night. He then proceeded to take the DJ mic and proclaim “Diddy is back. New York is back. Marquee is back."
• Steven Tylerdressed up as a woman and mooned the camera during "American Idol" auditions Thursday night.
• John Mayersays he is "quite happy" datingKaty Perry.
• Kim Kardashian tweeted a picture of her burgeoning belly on Thursday, along with the caption, “Well hello there! #PoppedOuttaNowhere!!!”

SEE ALSO: Sony released a teaser hinting at a new game console >

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the best college in America for many reasons.

It has outstanding faculty, a top-notch engineering program, and alumni who have gone on to become notable politicians, historians, and physicists.

But many of its current students have already done some pretty incredible things.

These are the 15 most impressive undergraduate students on MIT's campus this semester.

Arfa Aijazi is creating affordable innovations for impoverished communities.

Class of 2013

Arfa Aijazi is a senior who is majoring in materials science and engineering with a minor in applied international studies. She's using her studies to change the world, particularly in the ways of housing and food.

She has done research on polymeric molecules, materials for fuel-cell cathodes, and bamboo as a structural material for stronger, sustainable, and affordable housing.

When Aijazi traveled to Tanzania, she developed a hand-powered grain mill that could grind corn kernels into flour, a life-changing machine for the village she worked with. She also worked to create better housing in Brazilian slums, and has conducted research at Oxford and Cambridge.

Aijazi also writes for the campus life section of MIT's newspaper, The Tech, and serves as the vice president of the Muslim Students' Association. She hopes to pursue a career where she can work to reduce the environmental impact of buildings.

Lizz Albany is an aspiring teacher who is researching the ways young children come to understand the world around them.

Class of 2013

Lizz Albany is a senior at MIT studying Brain and Cognitive Science, with a focus on early childhood cognition.

She conducts research in MIT's Early Childhood Cognition Lab on how children come to understand their environments through social interaction and play.

Albany is an active leader in many organizations on campus, including her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, in which she serves as the chair of its annual philanthropy event. She is also an associate advisor for the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming, a founding member of the Returning Students Mentoring Program, a member of the inaugural Student Advisory Committee on Diversity and Admissions, and a member of the Community Catalyst Leadership Program.

This past fall, Albany gave a TimTalk lecture on why she thinks all MIT students should graduate with at least two degrees, given that they learn so many valuable and different lessons while in school.

While she is working toward her Massachusetts teachers certification in elementary education, Albany is also a SMART Scholar with the Department of Defense, and plans to work for the Army after graduation. 

Noam Angrist is engaging youth in athletics and academics with a new approach.

Class of 2013

Noam Angrist is persistent. After he suffered from a blood clot that almost killed him and effectively ended his rowing career (he was a strong athlete and a member of his high school's crew team), he switched to coaching and led his high schools crew team to win gold medals in the Massachusetts state championships.

Now a senior at MIT, Angrist continues to coach crew. He has also found ways to share his love of crew: he co-founded the Amphibious Achievement program, in which he and fellow mentors teach swimming and rowing to Boston youth while also tutoring them and helping them with college prep.

The economics major gave a TIMTalk lecture in May about what he calls a "Do Now" approach to learning, which he uses to engage students in charter schools.

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After nearly 25 years at ABC News, 67-year-old Diane Sawyer is considering calling it quits in 2013, a source close to the "ABC World News" anchor tells the New York Daily News.

“She has discussed with a few close friends and some people at ABC that she is seriously considering retiring,” says the insider. “She said she’ll be ready to hang it up not long down the road. She loves work and what she does and has endless energy, but she’s overwhelmed with personal problems and she is thinking about leaving to take care of her family.”

In addition to taking care of her ailing mother, the NYDN also claims Sawyer is dealing with "a private matter."

“No one wants to see her going through a rough time," adds the source. "She’s the nicest woman. If it’s a co-worker’s birthday, she’ll throw a party. Anything to show everyone a good time.”

In November, Sawyer started trending on Twitter after she appeared sleepy (or drunk) during election night coverage after she started to slur her words. 

But ABC News Senior Vice-President Jeffrey Schneider is squashing the report, saying the story "is not true."

Schneider goes on to say, "had the Daily News actually asked us if Diane was considering retiring we would have told them yesterday that it wasn’t true.”

SEE ALSO:

• Everyone is talking about Diane Sawyer's strange on-air election coverage >
• Source says Diane Sawyer was not drunk during election coverage, just "overworked">

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Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein recently sat down for a lengthy Q&A with Deadline's Mike Fleming in which the pair discussed everything from paying for content on the internet to President Obama.

But it was interesting to hear what Weinstein, who is behind two of the nine Best Picture nominees at this year's Oscars ("Silver Linings Playbook,""Django Unchained"), thinks of his competition come February 24.

Here's what Weinstein says — or doesn't say — about his Oscar competitors:

• "Life of Pi": "Brilliant, Ang Lee at his absolute best."
• "Lincoln": "A masterpiece."
• "Argo": "Ben Affleck hit it out of the ballpark."
• "Amour": "Amazing, and those guys did such a good job getting that film noticed and nominated."
• "Beasts of the Southern Wild,""Les Miserables": "Stupendous year."
• "Zero Dark Thirty": He literally says nothing about it, just lists the film as a contender. Weinstein has notorious beef with the film's director Kathryn Bigelow after he released the competing "Seal Team Six" ahead of Bigelow's film also documenting the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The Weinstein company co-chair also takes on Megan Ellison, who produced "Zero Dark Thirty," as well as this year's "The Master" alongside Weinstein. The two have reportedly been feuding since working together on the film.

DEADLINE: What about Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master? Will you make money?

WEINSTEIN: Probably not, and I just feel bad for Megan Ellison on that. I think it’s a great movie and God bless her for bringing these great movies into the world.

DEADLINE: Why didn’t it click with a wider audience?

WEINSTEIN: I probably could have marketed it better. I probably should have prepared the audience. We opened up to the highest per screen average ever, but I think the audience had trouble with the movie and needed to be guided and eased into it. I was so enamored with the film that I didn’t think the audience would have that trouble. Other people around me did say the audience would have trouble, but I personally loved the movie and Paul. Maybe I would have done him more of a favor being a devil’s advocate instead of a cheerleader. I seem to do better when I’m playing devil’s advocate. I do think the film will stand up and have a long life down the line.

Weinstein, who additionally distributed "Django Unchained," also addressed Quentin Tarantino's Best Director snub by the Academy.

DEADLINE: Was Quentin robbed with no nomination for Best Director?

WEINSTEIN: I don’t want to use the word “robbed,” but Quentin Tarantino not in the running for Best Director? He is one of the greatest directors of our time. Here’s what I think happened on Django. We finished the movie December 1. We didn’t show it until a few days later. The race was early this year: the voting cutoff was January 3. We tried to show it to people in theaters, not on DVD. It’s an epic movie and that man put his whole life and heart into this. It’s his most important movie, his most important subject matter, and the idea of DVDs stopped me cold. And I stopped them. I wouldn’t do it.

To read the rest of the revealing Q&A on Deadline, click here >

SEE ALSO: Harvey Weinstein wants people to pay for content on the internet >

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Al Pacino was a guest on "The Late Show with David Letterman" this week, where he got a bit of a surprise.

After Letterman told Pacino what a good impression Kevin Spacey does of the actor, Spacey popped out from backstage to impersonate Pacino — straight to his face.

And it was spot-on. Watch below.

SEE ALSO: Watch Kevin Spacey's new Netflix show 'House of Cards' for free right now >

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Beyoncé's live Super Bowl halftime performance won't be the only singer keeping fans entertained this weekend. 

Celebrities are heading out in droves to New Orleans for concerts and parties this weekend. 

From Justin Timberlake's first live concert in years to a star-studded Michael Bay event, see what events will be keeping Hollywood busy in Louisiana.

Jennifer Hudson will sing America the Beautiful along with 26 children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School Choir.

One Republic and Matchbox Twenty are performing the Super Bowl pregame show.

Justin Timberlake will be performing for the first time in years during DIRECTV's Super Saturday Night.

(Washington Post)

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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the best college in America for many reasons.

It has outstanding faculty, a top-notch engineering program, and alumni who have gone on to become notable politicians, historians, and physicists.

But many of its current students have already done some pretty incredible things.

These are the 15 most impressive undergraduate students on MIT's campus this semester.

Arfa Aijazi is creating affordable innovations for impoverished communities.

Class of 2013

Arfa Aijazi is a senior who is majoring in materials science and engineering with a minor in applied international studies. She's using her studies to change the world, particularly in the ways of housing and food.

She has done research on polymeric molecules, materials for fuel-cell cathodes, and bamboo as a structural material for stronger, sustainable, and affordable housing.

When Aijazi traveled to Tanzania, she developed a hand-powered grain mill that could grind corn kernels into flour, a life-changing machine for the village she worked with. She also worked to create better housing in Brazilian slums, and has conducted research at Oxford and Cambridge.

Aijazi also writes for the campus life section of MIT's newspaper, The Tech, and serves as the vice president of the Muslim Students' Association. She hopes to pursue a career where she can work to reduce the environmental impact of buildings.

Lizz Albany is an aspiring teacher who is researching the ways young children come to understand the world around them.

Class of 2013

Lizz Albany is a senior at MIT studying Brain and Cognitive Science, with a focus on early childhood cognition.

She conducts research in MIT's Early Childhood Cognition Lab on how children come to understand their environments through social interaction and play.

Albany is an active leader in many organizations on campus, including her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, in which she serves as the chair of its annual philanthropy event. She is also an associate advisor for the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming, a founding member of the Returning Students Mentoring Program, a member of the inaugural Student Advisory Committee on Diversity and Admissions, and a member of the Community Catalyst Leadership Program.

This past fall, Albany gave a TimTalk lecture on why she thinks all MIT students should graduate with at least two degrees, given that they learn so many valuable and different lessons while in school.

While she is working toward her Massachusetts teachers certification in elementary education, Albany is also a SMART Scholar with the Department of Defense, and plans to work for the Army after graduation. 

Noam Angrist is engaging youth in athletics and academics with a new approach.

Class of 2013

Noam Angrist is persistent. After he suffered from a blood clot that almost killed him and effectively ended his rowing career (he was a strong athlete and a member of his high school's crew team), he switched to coaching and led his high school's crew team to win gold medals in the Massachusetts state championships.

Now a senior at MIT, Angrist continues to coach crew. He has also found ways to share his love of crew: he co-founded the Amphibious Achievement program, in which he and fellow mentors teach swimming and rowing to Boston youth while also tutoring them and helping them with college prep.

The economics major gave a TIMTalk lecture in May about what he calls a "Do Now" approach to learning, which he uses to engage students in charter schools.

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

Beyoncé was voted MVP of the Super Bowl by many after her jaw-dropping half time performance that featured lots of leg, more dancing than singing and a Destiny's Child reunion.

Celebrities were glued to the show and tweeted their reactions -- from awe to expletives -- after B's performance.

Her sister was supportive:

While most (including the First Lady) were simply in awe:

Of course, there were jokes:

And expletives:

But you can't win 'em all ...

SEE ALSO: Beyoncé Just Dominated The Super Bowl >

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If anyone's still questioning Beyoncé's singing abilities, she put them to rest when she rocked the Super Bowl halftime show.

The Queen B took the stage performing hits ranging from "Crazy in Love" to "Single Ladies."

And, while husband Jay-Z didn't make an appearance, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland did for a Destiny's Child on-stage reunion.

Beyonce emerged from smoke performing "Love on Top" and then "Crazy in Love."

She came out with her game face on.

And, kept it on throughout the entire show.

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• Last night's Super Bowl XLVII on CBS was the highest rated Super Bowl in metered market history. The four-hour-long game at in New Orleans was seen in an average of 48.1 percent of households. Last year’s Super Bowl was seen in 47.8 percent of households.
• And the most-tweeted! The Super Bowl drew more than 24 million tweets, exceeding last year's record 13.7 million tweets during the game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.
• Thanks to the Baltimore Ravens, 22-year-old rapper Soulja Boywon $200K on the Super Bowl after coming up victorious on a bet.
• Stevie Wonder halted his Super Bowl concert in New Orleans Saturday night to announce the news that his daughter/backup singer/inspiration for his hit "Isn't She Lovely?", Aisha Morris, had just gotten engaged.
• You can now buy tickets for early screenings of "Star Trek: Into Darkness" using the official app for the movie.
• Johnny Depp has just been cast to play notorious Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger. Based on a New York Times bestseller, the film "Black Mass" is scheduled to begin shooting in May, and will be directed by Barry Levinson. Bulger was allegedly involved in nearly 20 murders and was finally caught in June 2011 after being on the run and on top of the Most Wanted list for more than a decade. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon also have a project in the works about Bulger, who partially served as the inspiration for the film "The Departed."
• And now, it's time to track Kim Kardashian's growing baby bump.
• You can even kind of start to see Kate Middleton's royal baby belly ...

SEE ALSO: Celebs tweet funny reactions to Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime show > 

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No sooner than Beyoncé wrapped up a spectacular Super Bowl halftime performance, did she announce she's going on tour.

It will be Beyoncé's first time doing a multi-city show in more than three years.

The best part may be the name of the show ...

The Mrs. Carter Show. 

The tour will begin in Eastern Europe before heading to North America and closing the tour in husband Jay-Z's hometown of Brooklyn.

Watch the ad for her tour below:

SEE ALSO: 17 photos of Beyoncé owning the Super Bowl halftime show >

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Sofia Vergara, Olivia Munn, Victoria's Secret models and Playboy playmates all arrived in New Orleans this weekend to party before Sunday's big game.

Audi, Patrón, Maxim, XBOX and Belvedere were just a few of the major brands sponsoring big parties that drew a star-studded crowd.

Super Bowl weekend proved to be as much about partying as it was football.

See which celebs had a little too much fun at Super Bowl XLVII.

Stephanie Pratt, Audrina Patridge, Jenny McCarthy and Kendra Wilkinson hosted the 10th annual Leather & Laces.

Model/actress Brooklyn Decker was there posing with the Lombardi trophy.

While Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies had a photo op with Ghostbusters.

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Despite reports claiming DirecTV paid Justin Timberlake a whopping $3 million to perform an hour-long set at their Super Bowl party in New Orleans this weekend, a rep for DirecTV tells Business Insider "The figure reported by Page Six is wrong ... It is true that the performance benefitted Shriner’s Hospitals, but that is it."

Apparently the amount Timberlake was paid is far less than $3 million, but he did donate the entire amount to Shriners Hospital for Children.

Timberlake's performance in question was his first official concert in five years and included a ten-piece back up band, as well as surprise on-stage appearances by Jay-Z and Timbaland.

Timberlake ended the evening with his hit “SexyBack"— and by donating his entire paycheck to Shriners Hospital for Children, confirms a DirecTV rep.

Watch Timberlake's pricey performance below:

"Suit & Tie”

“Little Pusher Love Girl”

“Bad Girl”

SEE ALSO: Inside the star-studded Super Bowl parties in New Orleans >

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• After their hilarious Golden Globes presentation, Kristen Wiig has joined her former "Saturday Night Live" co-star Will Ferrell for the "Anchorman" sequel. Original cast members Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell and Dave Koechner will also be back for "Anchorman: The Legend Continues" due in theaters December 20.
• Robert De Niro cemented his hands and feet yesterday in front of Hollywood's Chinese Theatre.
• A filmmaker is making an independent movie pivoting around the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn. "Illness" plans to depict a mentally ill 13-year-old boy whose parents begin worrying about him after the Newtown massacre. Worse, the plan is to film in Ridgefield, Conn., twenty miles from Newtown, although Ridgefield officials have expressed opposition.
• Katie Couric has landed an interview with the widow of Joe Paterno. Sue Paterno will answer questions for the first time since the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal rocked Penn State.
• Brandi Glanville reveals she knew her husband Eddie Cibrian was cheating with LeAnn Rimes after the then-married couples went on a double date and Rimes pulled Cibrian on-stage to sing "I Got You Babe" during karaoke.
• "Magic Mike" the musical will have a song about thongs ... and will include lap dances.
• Check out the outtakes from Rihanna's racy photo shoot with Terry Richardson.

SEE ALSO: Oscar nominees got all dressed up for the Academy Awards luncheon >

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"Silver Linings Playbook" actors Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper joined director David O. Russell on Katie Couric's daytime talk show "Katie" on Monday to discuss their Oscar-nominated film.

Bradley Cooper's "Playbook" character, Pat Solitano, is a bipolar man who has recently been released from a mental institution and is returning home to live with his parents — played by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver.

Director David O. Russell says he wanted to make the film because the content is close to his heart.

"I've had a son who has a mood disorder, which means someone that can have moods that can pull them down the drain and send the home to a tornado in moments," Russell says in the "Katie" interview. 

O. Russell's real-life son Matthew plays the nosy next door neighbor whom De Niro chases out of the yard in the film.

When Couric asked De Niro if he felt a greater responsibility about doing a film in which the director had so much personally invested, De Niro begins to tear up and says, "I don’t like to get emotional, but I know exactly what he [David] goes through."

The director recalled to Couric, "I thought he [De Niro] was having hay fever, then I realized he was having an emotional reaction and I sat there and watched Robert De Niro cry for 10 minutes and I said, 'Wow he's really connecting with this material and this would be beautiful thing if it could work out, because I think his heart would be there' and it is there."

Watch the full interview below:

SEE ALSO: Robert De Niro hung out with Bradley Cooper at yesterday's Oscar luncheon >

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