Former President Obama and Oprah use technology for "face to face" interview

WASHINGTON - Former President Barack Obama and media mogul Oprah Winfrey recently came face to face for an "in person" interview. 

Using the power of technology, the former president was able to chat with Winfrey from a studio in Washington, D.C. while Oprah remained in California. 

In a social media post, Oprah revealed that she was in her home while Obama was a few thousand miles away. 

Winfrey said she got the idea for the virtual setup from Drew Barrymore's talk show which uses similar technology.

The interview, which was released on Apple TV+, was part of the press tour Obama is currently on to promote his new memoir, “A Promised Land”.

Green screens were used and monitors were placed at both Obama's and Oprah's eye levels to sync things up. Because of the pandemic, Obama will not go on the all-star arena tour or hold large in person promotional events.

The book sold nearly 890,000 copies in the U.S. and Canada in its first 24 hours, putting it on track to be the best selling presidential memoir in modern history.

The first-day sales, a record for Penguin Random House, includes pre-orders, e-books and audio.

“We are thrilled with the first day sales,” said David Drake, publisher of the Penguin Random House imprint Crown. “They reflect the widespread excitement that readers have for President Obama’s highly anticipated and extraordinarily written book.”

The only book by a former White House resident to come close to the early pace of “A Promised Land” is the memoir by Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, whose “Becoming” sold 725,000 copies in North America its first day and has topped 10 million worldwide since its release in 2018. “Becoming” is still so in demand that Crown, which publishes both Obamas and reportedly paid around $60 million for their books, has yet to release a paperback.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.