Alan Cumming and 'Two Popes' Screenwriter Anthony McCarten

Alan Cumming and "Two Popes" screenwriter Anthony McCarten are our guests this week.We talk with Cumming -- whose Twitter profile describes him as a "Scottish elf trapped inside middle-aged man's body" -- about dancing, DJing, mentoring young moviemakers, and his role in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. He tells us about the visual sex joke that Kubrick asked him to do again and again, and about what it's like to be Alan Cumming, witty and outgoing star, and Alan Cumming, real person.Then we talk with McCarten about how his Catholic upbringing informed "Two Popes," his mixed emotions surrounding ABBA's "Dancing Queen," and what you need to know when you start writing your script. He also talks about how the stories of two pontiffs with very different world-views reflects the political situation in the United States today.Holiday shopping? We invite you to visit moviemaker.com/subscriptions and use secret code XMASMM to get nice discounts on MovieMaker Magazine subscriptions.Here are highlights of the episode, with timestamps:1:15: Alan Cumming interview begins.4:04: "I've chosen to do something waaay outside my comfort zone."4:45: A few words about cabaret bar Club Cumming.5:34: "I think I've understood from way way long ago how important fun is as a component in your life... especially when you do things that are very dark. And a lot of my work is very dark."7:00: Don't be the kind of DJ who refuses to dance.11:00: "I think of myself as a character... I think there's me, and then there's Alan Cumming. And Alan Cumming goes out and is like, 'Hello everybody, hi! Yes, I'm here! That's right. Thanks so much!"12:30: Let's talk about the 20th anniversary of Eyes Wide Shut and what he learned working with Stanley Kubrick.13:05: "It's a huge thing in my career, even though it's like maybe four minutes."15:55: "There's a saying, which is, you can go as big as you like, as you want as long as you mean it."17:08: Anthony McCarten interview begins, as he explains how he used humor to humanize Two Popes.18:40: The Vatican's response to Two Popes.19:19: "We built our own Sistine Chapel."24:00: "There's very very little tolerance or listening to the other side. ... Sometimes the talking should stop and we should listen a little more."31:50: ABBA's "Dancing Queen": "I was kind of traumatized by that song."37:20: Anthony McCarten talks about his script for Bohemian Rhapsody.41:00: His advice for screenwriters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.