Awards Chatter

The ‘12 Years a Slave’ director and producer (the first black producer ever to win a best picture Oscar) opens up about how his work in art led to his career in film, his close collaborations with Michael Fassbender and why he followed his big Oscar night with an elevated heist flick he has been mulling for 35 years. But first: Matthew Heineman, a 35-year-old filmmaker best known for his Oscar-nominated doc ‘Cartel Land,’ explains how he came to make his narrative directing debut with ‘A...

One of the greatest basketball players of all time reflects on his career on the hardwood, transitioning into retirement and using his profile to call attention to socially-significant films. But first: Gabe Polsky, the director of the new documentary ‘In Search of Greatness,’ joins Scott to discuss his quest to determine what separates the greatest athletes from the rest.

One of the most popular singer/songwriters of all-time — a woman who The Guardian described as “the biggest star country music has ever produced,” and who has crossed back and forth, for more than 40 years, between country and pop, while also starring in movies and on TV — discusses her Appalachian roots and road to Nashville, the backstories of her greatest hits ("Jolene," "9 to 5," "I Will Always Love You") and how she came to provide the soundtrack — and Oscar-contending single 'Girl in...

One of today's few true movie stars — people buy tickets to see a movie because she's in it — opens up about the source of her early self-esteem and confidence; the crazy way she wound up performing standup and then improv; why she was planning to quit showbiz just before she landed 'Gilmore Girls'; how the blockbuster success of 'Bridesmaids' and an Emmy win for 'Mike & Molly' within just a few months of each other changed her life; and why she's now expanded beyond comedy into drama, or at...

One of Hollywood's most versatile actors opens up about his discovery of improv en route to 'The Daily Show,' how a small part in 'Anchorman' led to a star-making role in 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' which, in turn, saved the fledgling 'The Office,' and why he ventured into darker material with 'Foxcatcher,' for which he received an Oscar nom, and his newest film. But first: Sandra Lee, the Daytime Emmy-winning TV host, bestselling author and first lady of New York, joins Scott to discuss 'RX...

The three-time BAFTA winner, Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee who has received massive acclaim for her portrayal of one queen in Yorgos Lanthimos' new dramedy — and who is now stepping into the role of another one on Netflix's 'The Crown' — reflects on her beginnings in comedy, how the British indie film 'Tyrannosaur' and TV series 'Broadchurch' exploded her profile and the period piece performance that has catapulted her into the thick of the best actress Oscar race. But first: Elsie...

One of Hollywood's most colorful characters — he has morphed from bit player to leading man to matinee idol to Oscar winner over the last 25 years — shares the backstories of "Alright, alright, alright," his big break, his rom-com/shirtless era and one of Hollywood's most remarkable career-reboots, 'the McConnaisance.'

The living legend, one of only 21 EGOTs, opens up about falling in love with music, being black in Hollywood, talent cultivation (Michael Jackson, most famously) and discovery (from Oprah to Will Smith) and what he thinks of music and America today. But first: Al Hicks and Rashida Jones, the co-directors of the acclaimed new Netflix doc 'Quincy,' discuss the making of the film and its enigmatic subject.

The twice Oscar-nominated British actress, who has been on Hollywood’s A-list for the last 15 years, opens up about how acting helped her to overcome dyslexia, how sudden celebrity caused her to have a breakdown and why she has always been drawn to — and done much of her best work in — period pieces.

The English Oxford alum turned Bond girl turned best actress Oscar nominee opens up about breaking out of early typecasting with 'An Education,' playing her first leading film role in 'Gone Girl' and, in perhaps her most challenging assignment yet, portraying war correspondent Marie Colvin in Matt Heineman's new film. But first: Matt Belloni, THR's editorial director, joins Scott in Toronto to discuss the 43rd TIFF, Venice's award winners and the Academy's tabling of the popular Oscar.

The living legend of stage and screen — who is the most Oscar-nominated living performer without a win, at 0-for-6 — talks about growing up in a cult, her later-than-usual film debut and how she made up for lost time, aging in Hollywood (she went to TV and back to Broadway) and the performance that has made her, at 71, the best actress contender to beat.

The star of Marvel's first film to center on a black superhero shares why Phylicia Rashad and Denzel Washington are responsible for his shift from writer/director to actor, how he weighed the honor of playing black icons against the fear of being typecast and what he makes of Wakanda's cultural significance during the Trump era and the Academy's new popular Oscar. But first: Stephen Galloway, THR's executive editor of features, joins Scott to preview the Venice and Telluride film festivals...

Emmy-nominated for both Ryan Murphy's 'Glee,' in 2015, and now for an FX limited series in which he played serial killer Andrew Cunanan, the Filipino-American discusses 'passing' as white, pre-'Glee' life (he made a living playing piano at Maggiano's) and the tricky terrain of being a straight actor who has made his name playing LGBTQ parts. But first: Lacey Rose, THR's executive editor of TV coverage, joins Scott to discuss Jim Carrey's upcoming return to the spotlight in the Showtime...

The world's most recognizable living scientist, who is to behavioral sciences what Albert Einstein is to physics, reflects on 58 years of studying chimpanzees in Gombe, encountering sexual demands and objectification in the workplace, turning unexpected fame into a tool for activism and being the subject of dozens of documentaries, the best of which is now nominated for seven Emmys. But first: Rebecca Ford, THR's awards editor, and Rebecca Sun, a senior reporter at THR, join Scott to discuss...

One of the most significant and beloved figures in TV history, best known for her groundbreaking variety sketch program 'The Carol Burnett Show' (1967-1978), reflects, at the age of 85, on the Cinderella story that led her to showbiz, doing things that other women hadn't done before and her and her show's impact more than a half-century after its debut. But first: Matt Belloni, THR's editorial director, joins Scott to discuss the hugely controversial changes to the format of the Oscars that...

The TV icon best known for 'Cheers' reflects on his unlikely casting on that NBC classic, the struggles that followed its 11-season run and how roles on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' and 'Damages' rebooted his career and prepared him to play the character for which he is nominated for an Emmy. But first: Pamela McClintock, a senior film writer and box-office analyst at THR, joins Scott to discuss this summer's biggest blockbusters, the surge of hit docs and the crash of MoviePass.

The stage and screen veteran reflects on why she was so averse to doing a soap opera or a sitcom before making her name on 'One Life to Live' and 'Who’s the Boss?,' and what she's learned since returning to the theater (she's one of only six performers to win Tonys in back-to-back years) and TV (she's landed Emmy noms for 'Ugly Betty,' 'Transparent' and 'Versace').

Nominated for the best actor in a drama series Emmy for the second year in a row, the 41-year-old reflects on his journey to acting, almost quitting the biz after his stints on ‘Gilmore Girls’ and ‘Heroes’ ended and how he wound up playing everyone’s favorite TV dad of the Peak TV era. But first: Kevin Cassidy, THR’s international news editor, joins Scott to preview the fall film fests.

One of the most popular entertainers ever to emerge from Puerto Rico — a two-time Grammy-winning singer, a dancer and now an Emmy-nominated actor — reflects on growing up with Menudo, his 'Livin' La Vida Loca' era and the personal and professional rebirth he has experienced since coming out as gay in 2010. But first: Rebecca Ford, THR's awards editor, joins Scott to dissect the Emmy nominations that were announced on Thursday.

One of the last male stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age — the top one at Warner Bros. from 1955 through 1959 — died on Sunday at the age of 86. In this 2015 interview, he spoke about what it was like making movies — and being gay — in the fifties, what happened after his star faded and how he hoped to be remembered. But first: Andy Lewis, THR's books editor, joins Scott to discuss the best Hollywood-related reads of 2018 so far.