Ep278 - R.J. Cutler, Director ‘Belushi,’ ‘Dear…’ & ‘Billie Eilish - The World’s a Little Blurry’

R.J. Cutler loves the “narratives of the real world,” but spent the first few years of his career as a theater director. These days, he’s best known for his documentary work, such as The War Room, A Perfect Candidate, and The World According to Dick Cheney. Most recently, he’s tackled a documentary on comedian John Belushi, a documentary on musician Billie Eilish, and the new Apple series Dear… which chronicles the “biographies of iconic figures in society by using letters written by those whose lives have been changed by the work.” In this interview, Cutler discusses being compelled by subjects, why he avoided “talking heads” for Belushi, what it was like to discover Marlon Brando’s secret recordings, what he learned from biographer Walter Isaacson, details on an upcoming Martha Stewart documentary, and his Wayne Gretzky approach to filmmaking. If it’s your first time listening, make sure to subscribe and visit my new website for information on the YouTube channel, the blog, this podcast, and my new book ‘Ink by the Barrel’ which takes advice from these 200+ interviews at the link below… Join the email list here: www.brockswinson.com Follow us on Instagram for updates: @brockswinson If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60-seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom on your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!