Comedienne Joan Rivers in a scene from the new documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. Comedienne Joan Rivers in a scene from the new documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. (Charles Miller/E1 Films)

Comedienne Joan Rivers has received extensive press over the years, so it’s hard to believe there’s anything left unexposed. But a new feature-length documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, takes us into the life of this self-described workaholic.

'Anyone who goes into this business knows it’s an addiction. If you’re going into this business thinking you’re going to have a nice, cushy time of it, then get out of it, baby.'

— Joan Rivers on showbiz

The cameras follow Rivers over a 14-month period, during which she vies for the top spot on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice, agrees to a humiliating roast on Comedy Central, develops and performs a one-woman show about her life in Edinburgh and gets shot up with Botox. At 75, Rivers makes it quite clear she has not slowed down, and vows she never will. We see her at her best — she says she’s happiest when she’s on stage performing her act. But the film also revisits some of her low points, including the end of her friendship with Johnny Carson and the suicide of her husband.

Many people know Rivers merely as someone who’s had extensive plastic surgery, but the picture that emerges here is of a creative artist. A Piece of Work is a revealing portrait of a comic legend, as well as a cautionary tale about a life in show business. On the phone from her Manhattan penthouse, Rivers spoke to CBC News about the new movie and her life in stand-up comedy — and did so while having her hair bleached.

Q: Was there anything in the doc that you asked them to remove?

A: Shots of my ass. No, if you’re going to do a documentary, then you do a documentary. I think it’s one of the reasons this one is working. You show your subject. It would have been ridiculous if we’d taken things out. It would have ended up like that stupid one with Anna Wintour, in which we learned nothing except that her hair is nice.

Q: There’s an incredible moment in the film when you get heckled by a man after you make a joke about Helen Keller. You stop and tell him he’s stupid.

A: That happens so rarely at this stage of the game. I had forgotten it happened. When I saw it in the documentary, I was taken aback. I felt terribly sorry for the man. I thought I was very hard on him. But I was in such shock. My mother was deaf. I was so thrown by it. You think, My God, this man must be so unhappy. It was a little Helen Keller joke! The pain he must be going through.

Q: In the film, a number of people refer to you as a workaholic. What you’re going through does seem to be an addiction, because there are incredible highs, and then when there’s a low point, you’re depressed and desperately want the high again.

A: Anyone who goes into this business knows it’s an addiction. If you’re going into this business thinking you’re going to have a nice cushy time of it, then get out of it, baby. I advise people to get out of it all the time. If you can do anything else, then go into that. This is madness, and unhappiness, and constant rejection. I have friends who are top names, and I know how little they work, and how they lose out a script to someone else. It goes on at every level.

Q: Your routine always includes some celebrity trashing. You once joked that when Liz Taylor gets a headache, she puts mayonnaise on her aspirin. Was there ever a moment where you felt you’d gone a bit too far?

A: Not really. Once you reach a certain level, you’re open to everything. Liz Taylor, as a matter of fact, I did contact through Roddy McDowell. He was a very close friend of hers and was godfather to Melissa [Rivers, Joan’s daughter]. I said if it’s too much, I’ll stop. He came back and said that Liz had said, ‘Tell her it doesn’t hurt me where I live.’ I thought that was amazing, that she was secure enough in herself and her beauty that it didn’t matter.

Q: Did a celebrity ever call to complain about an act?

A: Willie Nelson’s daughter complained that she was getting a hard time at school — I used to joke that [Willie] was so dirty he wore a roach motel around his neck. So I took it right out. If a child is going to school and getting teased, of course you take it out. Cher was upset with me because I took her out of the act. I used to do a routine on her, and when I stopped, she called me and demanded to know why I’d left her out. She’s smart enough to know that it’s better if she’s being talked about than not.

Q: Who do you admire among today’s comedy stars?

A: Me. Absolutely, I think, ‘Look at her go!’ But I also think Little Britain is brilliant. Graham Norton is amazing. Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock — all fabulous. I have a shrine I’m building for Sacha Baron Cohen. People took offense to Bruno, I couldn’t believe it — I thought it was hilarious.

Rivers poses during a photo session in Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. Rivers poses during a photo session in Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. (Charles Miller/E1 Films)

Q: Why do you think gay men adore you so much?

A: It’s mutual. I connect with them first. Automatically when I see someone who’s gay, I think they’re going to be smarter, brighter, have more taste and more fun. And then sometimes you go, “I’ve seen his apartment — not so wonderful.” I think I connect with gay men first. Gay men often have the characteristics of both men and women, but the best of both. They have the loyalty of men, they have the sensitivity and heart of a woman.

Q: What do you think of Britney Spears?

A: I can’t wait for her career to be over so she can serve me coffee at a 7-11. She’s such white trash.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I’m putting together a care package for Lindsay Lohan. I’m filming a reality TV show with Melissa, called Joan and Melissa: Mother Knows Best? I’m still doing Shopping Channel stuff, so I come to Toronto every few weeks for that. I feel connected to Canada. I was Tim Horton’s mistress. I was driving the car.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work opens on Aug. 13.

Matthew Hays is a writer based in Montreal.