Awards Chatter

The beloved actress/writer reflects on the huge influence of The Groundlings on her career, how being fired from 'Frasier' and taking a small part on 'Mad About You' paved the way for her being cast as Phoebe Buffay on 'Friends,' and why her post-'Friends' journey playing fictional actress Valerie Cherish has been "in some ways the highlight" of her career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Burbank International Film Festival, the legendary standup and late night host reflects on his ascent from sleeping in an alley near the Hollywood Improv to succeeding Johnny Carson at 'The Tonight Show,' his complicated relationships with David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, and how Donald Trump has changed late night shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The hugely inventive young Japanese-born director and producer reflects on how he began his career making music videos and installations, and then transitioned to longer-form projects; his special friendship and collaboration with Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino, which includes 'Atlanta,' 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith,' 'Guava Island' and 'This Is America'; and why Katie Dippold recruited him to help her build the world of a comedy/horror show about a fictional New England island town — which is now nominated for 19 Emmys! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The actor and rising star who plays Dr. Langdon on HBO Max's Emmy-winning drama series reflects on the years of personal and professional ups and downs that preceded him landing that role at 35; how his theater experience, real-life dynamic with Noah Wyle and battles with addiction have shaped his performance; and why he has returned to the stage even while shooting the TV show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Emmy and Tony-nominated character actor reflects on his decades of struggle prior to landing 'Stranger Things,' and the toll that both anonymity and fame took on his mental health; why, for his first post-'Stranger Things' project, he was drawn to producing and starring in an HBO limited series that raises questions about present-day masculinity, for which he is now a double Emmy nominee; and what's next for him, including a reunion with his 'Stranger Things' costar Millie Bobby Brown. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the master cinematographer best known for his collaborations with Oliver Stone (12), Martin Scorsese (7) and Quentin Tarantino (5) reflects on how problems with hearing may have heightened his sight; how he worked with different cameras and film stocks on 'JFK,' cranes on 'Casino,' top-light on 'Kill Bill,' digital and 3D on 'Hugo' and ultra-wide on 'The Hateful Eight'; and Jana Hojdová's new documentary about his life and work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The revered British writer on film — a critic, historian and author of more than 40 books, most famously one first published in 1975 under the title ‘A Biographical Dictionary of the Cinema’ and updated and reissued five times since as ‘The New Biographical Dictionary of Film’ — reflects on how a childhood stammer led to his fascination with words and desire to speak out; the happy accidents that led to his dictionary, and why there won’t be a seventh edition; and why he believes — and asserts in his latest book, out July 7 — that the proliferation of anti-heroes on screens big and small may have led to the presidency of Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second generation writer/director behind some of the most envelope-pushing and polarizing small and big screen projects of the last decade — among them 'Malcolm & Marie,' 'The Idol' and his HBO drama series that catapulted Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney onto Hollywood's A-list — reflects on his own battle with addiction, "social media mobs" and the real-life tragedies that shaped his show's third and final season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The stunning and versatile actress reflects on how modeling led her to acting via a 1996 magazine cover; the challenge of finding multi-dimensional parts even as she rose to prominence in horror (two 'Final Destination' and three 'Resident Evil' films), comedy ('Legally Blonde') and superhero ('Heroes') projects; and why the part of Angela Norris opposite Billy Bob Thornton in Taylor Sheridan's dramedy series is a dream come true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the former child actor-turned-multi-hyphenate reflects on his five years of work in front of and behind the camera on 'Ozark,' the unanticipated success of his — and Will Arnett and Sean Hayes' — podcast 'SmartLess,' and stepping outside his acting comfort zone on two limited series over the past year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The chameleonic character actor reflects on the importance of his college training and getting sober, his career-changing turn as the bipolar brother of Laura Linney's character on 'Ozark' and how becoming a parent with wife Kaley Cuoco helped to prepare him for his role of a lifetime opposite Mark Ruffalo in Brad Ingelsby's follow-up to 'Mare of Easttown.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Newport Beach TV Fest, the prolific multi-hyphenate reflects on the evolution of his interests in animation, comedy and music; the longevity and future of 'Family Guy'; and why he insisted upon expensive CGI for Peacock's adaptation of his films about a foul-mouthed teddy bear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trailblazing standup comedian, actress and writer, whose seventh hourlong comedy special recently dropped on Netflix, reflects on why she left a job at the NSA at the age of 27 to pursue standup, how her comedy changed after she divorced her husband and came out as gay, and what she makes of "cancel culture." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The actor, writer, director and producer, who is best known for playing emergency room doctors on two Emmy-winning drama series 16 years apart, reflects on the pros and cons of landing his big break at 22, the creative frustrations and rewards of the years between Dr. Carter and Dr. Robinavitch, how COVID sparked the conversations that led to a reunion with 'ER' showrunner John Wells and writer R. Scott Gemmill, and what it’s like to now be back at the center of the cultural conversation after so many years away from it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Newport Beach TV Fest, the trailblazing writer/director/producer/actress reflects on her time on 'The Office' and how it shaped the series she subsequently created, including 'The Mindy Project,' 'Never Have I Ever' and 'The Sex Lives of College Girls'; the sense of responsibility and pressure that comes with being an American-Indian creator and making shows with American-Indian protagonists; and why she has enjoyed working strictly behind the camera on her most recent series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Six Broadway standouts — nominated this year for 'The Lost Boys,' 'Fallen Angels,' 'Ragtime,' 'Giant,' 'Death of a Salesman' and 'Titaníque,' respectively — discuss the challenges and rewards of working on the Great White Way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ultimate character actor — and guide to Italy’s food and culture — reflects on early-career frustration with being asked to portray stereotypes of Italian-Americans, and how it led him to his breakout film 'Big Night'; the pros and cons of a career in which he has tended to play small parts in large projects and large parts in small projects; and the little-known story of how his food-centric shows, for which he has won three Emmys, grew out of a battle with oral cancer that forced him to eat his own food through a tube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Meta House during the Cannes Film Festival, the celebrated comedy actress reflects on how a bruising experience at 'SNL' inadvertently led to 'Seinfeld,' why 'Veep' was such a different and exciting acting challenge, and what led her to a new animated film in which she provides the voice of a wife and mother who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience in the Campari Lounge at the Cannes Film Festival, the Oscar-nominated German actress, who is in the midst of one of the great years in film history, reflects on her breakthrough roles in 'Toni Erdmann,' 'Anatomy of a Fall' and 'The Zone of Interest'; how she approaches art house projects, like those she accompanied to Berlin and Cannes this year, versus studio films, like her recent collab with Ryan Gosling; and why she is so excited for people to see Alejandro González Iñárritu's 'Digger,' in which she stars opposite Tom Cruise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience of students at Chapman University, the 32-year-old veteran actress reflects on child stardom and what she learned from co-stars like Sean Penn, Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise; how she navigated growing up, on screen and off; and why she has done some of her best work yet in limited series, including 'The Alienist,' 'Ripley,' 'The Perfect Couple' and, most recently, Peacock's show about the kidnapping of a child. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience of students at Chapman University, the legendary Broadway star — who has been nominated for and won more acting Tonys than anyone else — and TV character actress reflects on the early struggles that led her to attempt suicide, finding her voice and confidence on stage, overcoming her fear of screen acting and, most recently, highlighting a little-known chapter of Black history on three seasons of Julian Fellowes' critically-acclaimed HBO drama series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Napa Valley StreamFest, one of TV's most prolific creators reflects on being fired early in his career from 'Boy Meet World,' 'The Nanny' and 'Friends,' how he wound up co-creating and running 'Spin City' while in his 20s, the happy accidents that led to 'Scrubs' and 'Ted Lasso,' and why his Apple TV Emmy contender is being extended beyond its original three-season plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Napa Valley StreamFest, the legendary TV actress and breakthrough film director reflects on following her late mom Jayne Mansfield into the business; playing sex crimes investigator Olivia Benson for 27 years and counting (making her the longest-running character in an American primetime live-action show); and exploring her complicated personal history in a 2025 HBO doc that is now eligible for an Emmy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Boulder International Film Festival, the veteran star of screens big ('The Hunt for Red October' and 'The Cooler') and small ('30 Rock' and 'SNL') reflects on how he stumbled into acting, what forced his pivot from leading man to character parts, how we wound up impersonating Trump and what his life has been like since the tragic accident that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of 'Rust' in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legendary star reflects on how clinical depression led him to acting, the unlikely ways he broke into the movies and was cast in 'Star Wars,' why he long yearned to escape "leading man" roles and to play "character parts" and why he so loves his current challenge of playing an acerbic psychotherapist battling Parkinson's disease on Apple TV's Emmy-nominated comedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oscar-winning producer of films like 'Chariots of Fire,' 'Local Hero,' 'The Killing Fields' and 'The Mission,' who was once described by the New York Times as "the white knight of the British film industry," and who later became the first non-American to run a Hollywood studio, reflects on his path from school dropout to ad industry phenom to filmmaking; why he so often bet on first-time directors, non-star actors and character-driven dramas; and his brief and turbulent time running Columbia Pictures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the co-chairs/co-CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group reflect on their paths through the business as producers and execs over the last three decades; their crazy 2025, during which they went from almost losing their jobs to presiding over one of the most successful years any studio has ever had; and what it's like being behind both horses in a two-horse best picture Oscar race, 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legendary punk and rock singer/songwriter, who was a key part of the MTV-driven “Second British Invasion” back in the ’80s and has been a major figure on the global music scene ever since, reflects on coming to America, his greatest hits and the new documentary about his rollercoaster journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the celebrated Danish-Norwegian writer and director reflects on his family's history in film; what led to his celebrated "Oslo trilogy" of 'Reprise,' 'Oslo, August 31st' and 'The Worst Person in the World'; and why he decided "tenderness is the new punk" en route to his latest film, which is nominated for nine Oscars — more than all but three other non-English-language films in history — including best picture, international feature and, for him personally, director and original screenplay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Irishwoman who is widely regarded one of the finest actresses of her generation reflects on her path from 17-year-old BBC talent show contestant to RADA student to star of stage and screen; what she learned from early costars like Judi Dench and early jobs like 'Wild Rose,' 'The Lost Daughter' and 'Women Talking'; and how filming Maggie Gyllenhaal's upcoming 'The Bride!' right before Chloé Zhao's story of the Shakespeares helped to shape her Oscar-tipped turn as Agnes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the Korean-American singer/songwriter reflects on her pursuit of a career as a K-pop idol, her pivot to songwriting and how she came to be involved with the animated film that became the most -watched original title in Netflix history — and to create for it the song "Golden," for which she won the first Grammy ever awarded to K-pop and is now nominated for an Oscar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perhaps the greatest of all living film craftsmen, a production designer who literally built the worlds at the center of many of the most admired films since the '70s — including 'Badlands,' 'Carrie,' 'Days of Heaven,' 'Mulholland Drive,' 'There Will Be Blood,' 'The Revenant' and 'Killers of the Flower Moon' — reflects on coming to Hollywood with David Lynch, his decades-long collaboration with Terrence Malick, how he researches and designs sets, and what it was like recreating '50s New York for the new Josh Safdie/Timothée Chalamet film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chinese two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker reflects on her path to America and film, jumping from indie 'Nomadland' to Marvel's 'Eternals' and how her subsequent four-year "mid-life crisis" prepared her for her latest film, for which she is again double Oscar-nominated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the Australian actor/writer/director reflects on how he wound up in George Lucas' second 'Star Wars' trilogy, his memorable turns in art house standouts like 'Warrior' and Loving,' and the challenges and rewards of giving a largely dialogue-free performance in Clint Bentley's adaptation of Denis Johnson's 2011 novella about a laborer in the early 20th-century American West. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and Oscar-nominated actress returns to the podcast and candidly discusses how she found her pop sound, how she approaches music vs. acting, what she looks for in collaborators, why 'Wicked' means so much to her, how singing as herself and as Glinda are completely different, and what's next for her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The massively influential filmmaker and blockbuster machine behind 'The Terminator,' 'Aliens,' 'Titanic' and three 'Avatar' films, among others, reflects on his unusual path to the business, why his films tend to blend science/sci-fi and love stories, what has enchanted him about Pandora and the Na'vi for more than 30 years, and which question he hopes never to be asked again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the revered Oscar winner behind masterpieces like 'Cronos' and 'The Shape of Water' reflects on the roots of his infatuation with monsters, the importance of practical movie sets and effects, and finally realizing his 50-year dream of adaptating Mary Shelley's gothic horror novel about a Creator and his Creature into a movie of his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The South Korean master filmmaker reflects on the roots of his fascination with violence, the early struggles than prepared him for his Vengeance triogy highlighted by 'Oldboy,' and what inspired his latest film — his country's entry for the best international feature Oscar race, now among the final 15 — which reunites him with Lee Byung-hun 25 years after their joint breakthrough 'Joint Security Area.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world's most famous Brazilian actor reflects on why he once thought a screen career would be impossible for him, how the 'Elite Squad' films led to him playing Pablo Escobar on 'Narcos,' and how Brazil's Bolsonaro era impacted his career and inspired the film for which he was awarded Cannes' best actor prize and could land an Oscar nom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oscar and Emmy winning actress and Goop founder and CEO reflects on breaking into the business in the 1990s and becoming "the First Lady of Miramax"; working with a generation of great filmmakers early in their careers, including David Fincher, PTA and Wes Anderson; why she grew disillusioned with Hollywood and focused primarily on business for the last 17 years; and what lured her back in front of the camera to play, well, an actress coming out of retirement, opposite Timothée Chalamet in Josh Safdie's latest film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Miami Film Festival's GEMS event, the trailblazing filmmaker reflects on helping to usher in New Queer Cinema with 'Mala Noche' and 'My Own Private Idaho'; subsequently jumping between mainstream films, like 'Good Will Hunting' and 'Milk,' and experimental works, like 'Elephant'; why he came close to directing, but did not direct, 'Brokeback Mountain,' 'Call Me by Your Name' and '50 Shades of Grey'; and returning to feature filmmaking, after seven years away, with a film that is set in the '70s but is eerily timely today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The writer/director best known for dramedies like 'The Squid and the Whale,' 'Frances Ha' and 'Marriage Story' reflects on the people and films that shaped him, the evolution of his collaboration with Greta Gerwig spanning 'Greenberg' through 'Barbie,' and his new Netflix film, which centers on a movie star (George Clooney) in the midst of an existential crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The singer/songwriter and actress, who shot to fame as Hannah Montana and then became a real pop star, reflects on navigating child stardom; the origins of her biggest hits, from "See You Again" to "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" to her Grammy-winning "Flowers"; and how she wound up co-writing and perfomring "Dream As One," an original song for the third installment of James Cameron's blockbuster film series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The English singer/songwriter, who is arguably the most successful male pop star in the world and has been described by Taylor Swift as "the James Taylor to my Carole King," reflects on his path from busking on the streets of London to superstardom; the origin stories of hits like 'The A Team' 'Sing' and 'Thinking Out Loud'; and why he agreed to co-write and perform "Drive" and "Zoo," original songs for two of 2025's biggest blockbusters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the two-time Emmy nominee reflected on her breakthrough roles on TV's 'Euphoria' and 'The White Lotus' and in the film 'Reality,' getting into producing with 'Anyone But You,' and challenging herself as never before by producing and starring in a new biopic about boxer Christy Martin, for which she is currently garnering Oscar buzz. She also teases her upcoming film 'The Housemaid,' the return of 'Euphoria,' and her Kim Novak project 'Scandalous.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the winner of multiple Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG awards reflects on why he walked away from dancing and towards acting in his teens, what he learned from his 11-season run on 'Shameless,' how he landed his star-making role as chef Carmy Berzatto on 'The Bear' and how, subsequently, his own conflicted feelings about fame helped him to play Bruce Springsteen during the darkest period of the music legend's life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Virginia Film Festival, and a piano, one of the leading film composers of his generation reflects on how he was shaped by both classical and hip-hop music, how his best known scores for TV (the main title theme for 'Succession') and film (Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' and 'If Beale Street Could Talk') came to be, and how his score for Noah Baumbach's new film was composed and employed differently than any of his others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Newport Beach Film Festival, the writer/director describes his experiences progressing from low-budget ('Brick') to mid-budget ('The Brothers Bloom' and 'Looper') to big-budget ('The Last Jedi') films, directing some of the most celebrated episodes of TV ever ('Breaking Bad') and the origins and appeal of his Benoit Blanc series of murder mysteries, the third and most recent of which will open in theaters on Nov. 26 and then begin streaming on Netflix on Dec. 12. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The veteran actress, who was Oscar-nominated 40 years ago for 'Twice in a Lifetime,' reflects on how her music ambitions gave way to acting, how she met — and her many collaborations with — her husband Ed Harris, her memories of working on classics like 'The Day After,' 'Field of Dreams' and 'Uncle Buck,' and how she wound up giving one of the performances of her career as Gladys, a crazy aunt, in Zach Cregger's acclaimed blockbuster horror film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Australian actor and heartthrob reflects on almost missing out on his breakout roles in 'The Kissing Booth' and 'Euphoria,' working with female auteurs on 'Saltburn' and 'Priscilla' and venturing into unfamiliar but exciting territory as The Creature in Guillermo del Toro's new adaptation of Mary Shelley's horror novel, which is now the most-watched film on Netflix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices