Little Gold Men by Vanity Fair

This weekend's newly-rechristened Actor Awards gave the Oscar race a dash of chaos — and excitement. John and Rebecca recap how the evening's surprise winners changed their predictions for Best Actor and the Supporting categories, and whether the PGA's predictable coronation of One Battle After Another means it's a lock for Best Picture or not. Then, VF Staff Writer Savannah Walsh joins to preview the nominees in the Shorts categories, giving her picks so you can win your Oscar pool. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

John, Rebecca, and VF Staff Writer Chris Murphy answer listener mailbag questions on everything from how they'd fix the often-confounding Best Song category to how new Academy members get sorted into branches and whether the Best Actress race is as certain as it seems. They also talk about the incident at the BAFTA Awards this weekend, and discuss how the outcry might alter the Oscars chances for Sinners. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Stellan Skarsgård has acted in over 150 films and television shows, from independent projects in his native Sweden to some of Hollywood's biggest franchises. But his performance in Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, as a filmmaker trying to connect with his estranged daughters, earned the actor his first-ever Oscar nomination. Rebecca and John sat down with Skarsgård in London ahead of the BAFTAs to talk about his career, his favorite directors, and how he advises (or not!) his children, who've pursued their own acting careers. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Michael B. Jordan is so busy right now he'd actually benefit from having a twin to help lighten the workload. The actor, a self-proclaimed workaholic, is nominated for his first Oscar for his performance as twin brothers in Ryan Coogler's Sinners, and he's also in post-production on a project he's both directing and starring in, The Thomas Crown Affair. Rebecca caught up with him after the Academy Nominees Luncheon to talk about why Sinners was the hardest role of his career, how therapy has helped him as an actor, and how he protects his personal life. Plus, he answers a slew of rapid-fire questions about movies and filmmaking. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week, John, Rebecca, and Hillary preview the 5 films nominated for Best International Feature: The Secret Agent (Brazil), It Was Just An Accident (France), Sentimental Value (Norway), Sirāt (Spain), and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia). They recap their favorites and evaluate each film's chance in the race. Plus, they explain why more and more non-English-language films have been breaking into other categories at the Oscars in the last few years. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week, Rebecca and John take a pause from this year's Oscar races to dish about Emerald Fennell's buzzy, divisive, and tongue-forward "Wuthering Heights". Then, VF Staff Writer Chris Murphy joins to break down why sexy TV shows like Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette and Heated Rivalry have captured our imagination and created rabid fan bases for its stars. They also discuss how the Academy has historically rewarded (or not) depictions of romance and sexuality, and whether there might be an imbalance in the accolades. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The Secret Agent has broken through the Oscar conversation in a big way: the Brazilian film is nominated not only for Best International Feature, but also Best Picture, Best Casting, and, of course, Best Actor, for Wagner Moura's indelible performance. Rebecca caught up with Moura a few weeks after his historic nomination to talk about the film and how he sees himself and his politics in the character he plays. He also discusses his upcoming directorial project and plays a round of Proust Roulette. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

John, Rebecca, and Hillary discuss last week's California Post story about an alleged incident on the set of Josh and Benny Safdie's Good Time (2017), and debate whether the news will affect Marty Supreme's Oscar chances. They also look back at Oscars scandals and whisper campaigns of the recent past, from Emilia Perez to Shakespeare in Love, and consider how social media has influenced the race over the years. Read Rebecca's piece about the story on vanityfair.com. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Vanity Fair Style Correspondent José Criales-Unzueta joins John and Rebecca to discuss how dressing for the red carpet has evolved since the days of Old Hollywood. He breaks down the stylists and partnerships that have made dressing for awards season more corporate, and shares whose look he’s most excited to see at the Oscars. Plus, John and VF Senior Hollywood Editor Hillary Busis share their takes on the hits and misses of this year’s Sundance Festival. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Happy Oscar Nom Day! Rebecca, John, and VF Staff Writer Chris Murphy were up bright and early to analyze this year's Academy Award nominations. They talk about Sinners's historic 16 nominations, and the snubs (Wicked: For Good) and surprises (Kate Hudson) that might make this Oscars more unpredictable than everyone initially thought. Plus, they offer suggestions and predictions for the ceremony itself, from the In Memoriam segment to hosting bits for Conan O'Brien. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The 83rd Golden Globes kept the momentum going for most of the expected winners, but the night still delivered a couple of notable surprises and a killer monologue from Nikki Glaser. Rebecca and John share their impressions of what went down inside the Beverly Hilton (including Rebecca's almost-Jason Derulo moment), and try to predict what the Globes wins—and losses—mean for Academy nominations voting this week. Plus, VF Global Director of Social Media Carly Walsh joins to dish about what she saw on the carpet and in the winners' room behind the scenes. See all the winners on vf.com! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The winter break is barely over, but Rebecca and John have already hit the ground running. They share dispatches from the Palm Springs Gala and the Critics Choice Awards, and debate whether Academy voters will be able to get over the Kardashian of it all. Then, Little Gold Men's best friend, Hillary Busis, joins the conversation to make some bold predictions about what will happen at Sunday's Golden Globes — and explain why the once-embattled awards show still matters. Check out VF's Golden Globe Predictions here! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

At a special Little Gold Men live event at the Regent Santa Monica Beach, the Australian actor revealed that he had tried to get the rights to Denis Johnson's book four years earlier. But, he tells John and Rebecca, the wait was worth it to make Clint Bentley's version of the story, which explores fatherhood. "Robert, for me, felt like some version of myself and that felt like a worthwhile thing to do at that time in my life," says Edgerton, who also spoke about how directors like Baz Luhrmann have influenced him and what he thinks about the current state of the industry, including the possible Warner-Netflix merger. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In this episode from the archives, Rebecca talks with the Aftersun Oscar nominee and Hamnet star Paul Mescal, who starred last year in Ridley Scott's long-awaited Gladiator II. The indie darling reveals why he finally said yes to a blockbuster, the sage advice he got from his director, and why he's been working at such an intense pace since Normal People. Plus, he answers the Proust Questionnaire, revealing his greatest (mini) extravagance. This episode originally aired on Nov. 19, 2024 Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In this episode from the archives, the Oscar nominee talks to Rebecca about how much playing Glinda the Good Witch transformed her, from permanently changing her vocal cords to shifting her emotionally as well. Plus, she talks about how she survives living a very public life and plays a round of Proust Roulette. This episode originally aired on Feb 11, 2025 Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Rebecca and John are joined by VF's Hillary Busis to share some words of wisdom for Hollywood as we enter the new year. And Hollywood had better take note as they offer priceless unsolicited advice to the powers that be. They also share their predictions for the 10 Best Picture nominees, and discuss who is on the bubble and where there could be some surprises. Finally, Rebecca and John review the biggest losers (The Testament of Ann Lee) and winners (Sirāt) of the recently announced Oscars shortlist. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Rebecca talks with Amanda Seyfried, who has two films coming out over two weeks: she stars as a wealthy woman with secrets in The Housemaid, and as the leader of the Shaker religious movement in the ambitious epic The Testament of Ann Lee. The actress discusses the confidence she needed to have in herself, along with the challenges of learning the intense dance style used in the latter. "The nature of learning those choreographed moves, it's a real bitch," she says. She also talks about the challenges of overnight fame, which she's witnessed with her Housemaid co-star Sydney Sweeney. Plus, she reveals her obsession with taxidermy and her love of crocheting. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Rebecca chats with Jacob Elordi, who plays the creature in Guillermo del Toro’s moving film. He reveals how he prepared for the unique role, his biggest concerns with the hours-long prosthetics process, and why it was, in a way, a religious experience. "I suppose maybe it takes a mask sometimes for people to see the truth of something," he says of his experience. Plus. the Australian actor talks about filming the third season of Euphoria, and reflects on how his career has transformed since the first season of HBO’s hit series. Finally, he reveals why he hates talking about AI -- and would rather be kissing on the beach. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Rebecca and John are joined by their VF colleague Chris Murphy to talk all about the Globes nominations, including the biggest snubs (Wicked: For Good) and surprises (Eva Victor, Emily Blunt). They also discuss the influx of international features and what's going on with the new podcast category. Plus, they debate how the news about Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. might affect the Oscar race. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week, Rebecca and John are joined by VF Senior Editor Hillary Busis to answer a slew of mailbag questions. They highlight some of the more interesting below-the-line races, including cinematography and editing. They also debate if having a popular TV show can help an Oscar contender's chances, and whether "KPop Demon Hunters" has a shot at a Best Picture nod. Finally, they make their December movie picks for films that are worth catching in theaters this month. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices