Awards Chatter

The Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner reflects on defying the odds and finding fame after 40, jumping between art-house fare (including two best picture Oscar winners) and blockbusters (five 'Pirates' films) and starring in National Geographic's first scripted series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's favorite astrophysicist, who splits his time between running a planetarium and hosting the first-ever TV talk show about science, shares how he learned to be media-savvy, what he makes of the anti-science Trump Administration and why he remains optimistic about the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The man who ran NBC during the 'Must See TV' era of the 1990s and then became one of TV's most successful producers discusses the secrets of programming a broadcast network, why his own shows go out via cable and streaming and what the future of TV will look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pop star turned Golden Globe-nominated actress reflects on her early music (she wishes she could refund everyone who bought it), personal and professional struggles that followed (she almost quit showbiz as recently as two years ago) and the "reboot" made possible by the success of NBC's top-rated series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best known for 'The Last Picture Show' and 'Paper Moon,' one of the 'New Hollywood' filmmakers at the vanguard of '70s cinema discusses rubbing shoulders with legends, the murder of his actress-girlfriend and why TV is now better than movies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 80-year-old late-night legend on his journey from the Corn Belt to ABC, why the label "intellectual" did his career no favors and which of today's talk show hosts he admires most. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 95-year-old actor/writer/director reflects on being a part of Sid Caesar's legendary 'Your Show of Shows' writers' room, how he and Mel Brooks created '2,000-Year-Old Man,' how a failed pilot came back to life as 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and what keeps him writing, tweeting and laughing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No person in Oscar history has received more nominations without a win than this sound mixer, whose 21 noms span 33 years, and who explains how he does what he does and why the Academy's voting process has room for improvement. (2/26/17 update: O'Connell finally won!) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 32-year-old, who already has directed two best picture Oscar nominees and is poised to become the youngest best director Oscar winner ever, reflects on the roots of his passion for music and movies, the Harvard pal who became his closest collaborator and the rollercoaster of a journey to realizing his dream of making an original movie musical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 37-year-old who could become the first black person ever to win the best director Oscar reflects on how his tumultuous childhood has informed his work, the film school pals who have been by his side ever since and the causes and effects of the eight-year gap between his debut feature and his taboo-busting masterpiece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 'Meryl Streep of France,' finally an Oscar nominee at the age of 63, discusses her close collaborations with Claude Chabrol and Michael Haneke, her attraction to "perverse, manipulative, icy" characters and the controversial new film for which she's received the best notices of her career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Poised to become, at 36, the youngest EGOT in history, the creator of 'Hamilton' reflects on that groundbreaking musical's origins and success, realizing his lifelong dream of writing music for a Disney movie while at the center of his show's "wonderful tsunami," the roots of his love of music and theater and the ambitions he has not yet fulfilled. (And yes, there will be a 'Hamilton' movie.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 28-year-old critics' darling and fan favorite opens up about overcoming "debilitating" childhood anxiety through acting, moving to Hollywood at 15 (and changing her name and dyeing her hair), finding magical chemistry with Ryan Gosling in three films and, under the oversight of Damien Chazelle, breathing new life into the American movie musical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 26-year-old Brit reflects on the life-changing impact of 'Slumdog Millionaire' — good and bad ("It was like being in a gold-plated cage") — and why he so aggressively pursued and transformed himself for the film for which he just became only the third person of Indian descent ever to receive an acting Oscar nom: "A script like this — a journey like this — is never gonna come around again." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dashing star reflects on the ups and downs of 25-plus years in the biz, from the indie he calls "one of my favorite movies" to the studio bomb that "just never really understood what it was" to one of 2016's biggest blockbusters ("I was born to play this guy"), which could even land Oscar love ("I can certainly promise one fucking crazy reaction video"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fan favorite on breaking through in 'Swingers,' not being seen as funny until after 'Old School' and 'Dodgeball,' the intention of 'The Break-Up' ("I really designed it to go from comedy to drama"), his decade in the cold ("I didn't follow through") and his career-reboot in Mel Gibson's acclaimed war film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Oscar-nominated veteran reflects on his early years of struggle as an actor, the tumultuous 'Lord of the Rings' production ("I don't think anybody knew it was gonna be the huge success it became"), turning down an invitation to join the Academy ("I've changed my mind since then") and the odds-defying success of the film for which he's received best actor Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and Spirit noms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legendary songwriter/composer behind 48 top 10 hits, including nine that topped the charts, opens up about the inspirations for his most beloved music, what caused his breakup with longtime collaborator Hal David and how his late daughter, who was afflicted with Asperger Syndrome, inspired him to write his first film score and song in years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trailblazing two-time Oscar winner dishes on the advice Sidney Poitier gave him early in his career, his "formula" for whether or not to make a movie, the #OscarsSoWhite controversy ("You don't want to be nominated just because you're black") and why he agreed to direct and star in a big screen adaptation of the play for which he won a 2010 Tony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The star of the last two best picture Oscar winners reflects on his groundbreaking pair of 'Batman' films ("If it went down, we were going down in a big way"), walking away from a third ("It sucked"), his years in the cold ("Not a whole lot of folks were knocking on my door"), almost starring in 'Lost' and his great run over the last three years ('Birdman,' 'Spotlight' and now a Ray Kroc biopic). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Only one person ever has been Oscar-nominated for multiple songs featured in documentaries: this 41-year-old former prodigy with a social conscience second-to-none. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 33-year-old discusses life pre-stardom ('I worked as a barista at Starbucks... and then I was fired'), 'The Social Network' (he originally was to play Mark Zuckerberg), his 'Spider-Man' films ("I didn't feel like that was my work up there") and his experiences with Mel Gibson and Martin Scorsese. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 49-year-old Oscar winner reflects on her roots in Australia, her marriage to Tom Cruise, why her career flourished after their divorce and the personal reasons why she was so drawn to playing the adoptive mother of two Indian children in fellow Aussie Garth Davis' directorial debut. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 years after her debut solo album 'Little Earthquakes' made her a star, the singer-songwriter reflects on her unusual upbringing, clashes with record industry execs and why she wrote the Oscar-contending song 'Flicker' for a Netflix doc about the sexual assault of young women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The newly-minted Golden Globe nominee discusses growing up as Phil Collins' daughter, her distinct look (eyebrows!), early auditions (she lost parts in 'Twilight' and 'Snow White and the Huntsman' to Kristen Stewart) and proving her chops opposite Oscar winners (Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts and this year, in his first film in decades, Warren Beatty). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The consummate entertainer reflects on his early appearances on 'Star Search' and 'Mickey Mouse Club,' the evolution and dissolution of N Sync ("I had something that I wanted to do that, quite honestly, I didn't think any of them would be interested in"), his pivot to acting and the creation of the biggest single of 2016, Oscar contender "Can't Stop the Feeling!" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Critics' Choice Award nominee on why she hates the term 'mumblecore' ("I'm just waiting for the day that I never have to hear it again"), rejects the 'hipster' label ("I've never been cool enough to be a hipster") and agreed, to the surprise of many, to do 'How I Met Your Dad' ("Those guys saved my life"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fast-rising actress (Oscar-nominated at 14 for 2010's 'True Grit') and singer (whose 2015 debut EP 'Haiz' was a hit) talks about child stardom (she auditioned for 'The Hunger Games'), balancing movies and music ("I don't see myself doing one and not the other"), plans to direct and the teen dramedy for which she just got a Golden Globe nom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The British actor of Nigerian descent reflects on a childhood caught between two worlds, why he owes so much to George Lucas (and repeat-collaborators Lee Daniels and Ava DuVernay), the 'Selma' "snub" ("The films I do very quickly get politicized") and his latest project: Disney’s first live-action film made with an all-black cast and/or set and shot in Africa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The single most influential person in the history of doc filmmaking reflects on how a gig that was to last 13 weeks has gone on for more than 30 years, how the arrival of Vice at HBO and the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Amazon has impacted her division and what she thinks the future holds — for her, her division and doc filmmaking in general. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of Hollywood's most bankable young stars reflects on his early pretty-boy roles ("I had no fucking interest in all these"), his failed audition for 'Avatar' ("I was just awful"), almost turning down 'Star Trek' ("I was scared") and finding his best part yet in a modern-day Western ("the only experience I've had where I knew I had to do it"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 65-year-old rock star reflects on how he got his nickname ("It was derisory"), why he disbanded The Police ("My intuition was telling me that that was the thing to do") and how, over Thanksgiving dinner, he came up with the song that could bring him his fourth Oscar nom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 33-year-old discusses why he joined the Marines after 9/11, how he wound up at Juilliard, why he almost passed on 'Girls' and 'Star Wars,' and what drew him to the indie 'Paterson,' for which he has been voted best actor of 2016 by the LA Film Critics Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the finest actresses of her generation looks back on child stardom, her decision to attend college and refusal to attend graduate school and the two films she's made with Darren Aronofsky, 'Black Swan' ("It was very lucky it happened exactly when it happened") and 'Jackie' ("one of the most incredible creative experiences — if not the most incredible creative experience — of my life"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legend on his greatest roles, how he's different than he was when he broke through ("I don't feel that I need to put that much time and effort in"), Marty and Leo ("I'd love for the three of us to do something"), directing again ("It's a real uphill battle") and Trump ("I feel like I did after 9/11"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The beloved actress reflects on her 53 years in the business, including the sitcoms that made her a star ('Gidget' and 'The Flying Nun'), her odds-defying jump to the big screen (via 'Sybil'), her two Oscars in six years (for 'Norma Rae' and 'Places in the Heart'), that infamous acceptance speech and her struggle to keep finding great roles as she gets older. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The beloved Oscar winner reflects on growing up in the business, overcoming his 'anxiety' about acting, playing 'The Dude' and garnering some of the best reviews of his career for his portrayal of a retiring sheriff in one of 2016's most acclaimed indies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The two-time Oscar nominee opens up about being discovered by Al Pacino and starring in six 2011 films ("I was like, 'What is happening in my life?!'"), the 'Zero Dark Thirty' "take-down" ("I wanted to just murder everyone") and plans for the future ("I'm probably going to act less... I'm more interesting in producing and maybe even directing"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of Hollywood's few leading men under the age of 30 discusses the near-death experience that changed his life (and face), why he owes his career to Nicole Kidman, the reason he almost turned down 'Whiplash,' his thoughts on 'Fantastic Four' and finally landing his first come-of-age role. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 79-year-old legend, during his first podcast interview, reflects on his 55 years in the business, how he became "a control freak," the impact of 'Bonnie and Clyde,' the "agenda" that took down 'Ishtar' and his latest film, which centers around Howard Hughes and "America's sexual puritanism." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The revered Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner discusses a long-ago visit to a prophetic palm reader, her experiences of sexual harassment, what she wrote in a letter to Queen Elizabeth II and the one award she hasn't yet won but really wants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The most commercially successful black filmmaker in history discusses his abusive upbringing ("What kept me going was my faith"), harsh critics ("We all have the right to tell our stories") and future 'Madea' subject matter (he'd like to "find a way to talk about police brutality, and all of these people being shot by police officers, through this character"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 40-year-old Brit reflects on unexpected roles in blockbusters (two 'Pirates' and Bond films), high compliments (Winnie Mandela "said no one had ever depicted her better") and why she almost turned down the role for which she's now an Oscar favorite ("I'd always drawn a line at playing a crack addict"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 42-year-old, best known as Remy Danton on 'House of Cards,' reflects on his journey from athletic prodigy to poet to actor, his disastrous 'Game of Thrones' audition, the social significance of 'Luke Cage' and generating Oscar buzz for helping to bring to life "the most beautiful script I'd ever read." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 43-year-old opens up about young motherhood, Hollywood sexism, the upsides and downsides of 'Underworld' stardom and reuniting with Whit Stillman and Chloe Sevigny, 18 years after 'Last Days of Disco,' on a project that's brought her career-best reviews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The youthful 41-year-old reflects on his early years with Ben and Matt, following an Oscar-nominated perf with a controversial mockumentary, falling in love with acting again thanks to Christian Bale and doing his best work for old pal Kenneth Lonergan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 28-year-old, coming off an Emmy nom, dishes on his breakthrough roles on 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Breaking Bad,' 'Fargo' co-star Kirsten Dunst, auditioning for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens,' his controversial sex scene with Zach Woods and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 83-year-old Oscar nominee and Emmy winner on Natalie Wood and Paul Newman's influence on his career, the unexpected success of the original 'The Magnificent Seven' ("We thought, 'This picture's gonna be the bomb of all-time'"), his pursuit of a Ph.D while starring on 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' and returning to the big screen in Victoria Negri's feature debut. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The best actress Oscar contender reflects on her biracial heritage, getting cut out of '12 Years a Slave' and tapping into 'the spirit' of one half of the couple at the center of the landmark 1967 inter-racial marriage Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 69-year-old reflects on growing up in his legendary father's shadow, shifting his focus after 'All in the Family' from acting to directing and the 2016 presidential election ("I'm rooting for the gal that Meathead would've voted for," not a "con man"). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices