Ep232 - Alex Winter, Star ‘Bill & Ted Face the Music’ & Writer-Director ‘Showbiz Kids’ Documentary

Alex Winter got started on Broadway at a very early age, where he landed roles in productions of The King and I and Peter Pan, which led him to NYU Film School and eventually to Hollywood. These days, Winter is best known for his role in the Bill & Ted franchise, where the most recent film Bill & Ted Face the Music comes out this year. However, when Winter is not playing a role, he’s often behind the camera, working on documentaries such as The Panama Papers, Zappa and HBO’s latest film, Showbiz Kids. In Winter’s latest film, “ A documentary about the highs and lows of children in show business, featuring interviews and examinations of the lives and careers of the most famous former child actors in the world.” In this interview, Winter discusses his experience as a “showbiz kid,” why he structures documentaries in a narrative fashion, how docs show subtle misconceptions (and misperceptions), why he sets parameters on his work, how docs deal with the “true nature of humanity” and fluid storytelling, and what it was like to step back into the shoes of Bill S. Preston. If you enjoyed this interview, join millions of viewers for the new YouTube video essay series, Creative Principles, which dissects new films, series, and more: bit.ly/2FARJz5