Bill Kramer - Film Academy CEO

The former Los Angeles Times film critic reflects on his path from Brooklyn to Hollywood, the current state of film criticism and the LA Times, and what inspired him to spend four years writing the first dual-biography in 50 years of MGM's two most legendary executives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, the 'Dropout' Emmy winner and 'Mank' Oscar nominee reflects on early breaks like 'Mean Girls' and 'Mamma Mia!,' navigating the transition from child to adult star, and why she's so passionate about her latest project, a Peacock limited series in which she plays a cop investigating the disappearance of her own sister. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of TV's all-time great comedy actresses, a six-time Emmy winner, reflects on why she walked away from her first hit show, 'Designing Women,' mid-run; why she thinks she's had some of her greatest successes over the past decade, at an age at which many actresses can’t find any work; what she finds to be the greatest challenges and rewards of playing standup comic Deborah Vance; and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Boulder International Film Festival, one of the all-time great comedic scene-stealers reflects on having her career breakthrough at 40 with the first of her four Christopher Guest collaborations, shooting to stardom as Sue Sylvester on 'Glee' and, most recently, playing the stunt double of Steve Martin's character on Hulu's hit ensemble series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival (the first part of this interview) and via a 2025 Zoom (the second part), the Korean master and three-time Oscar winner reflects on his path to filmmaking, the magical journey of 'Parasite' and his new film starring Robert Pattinson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The head of the 97-year-old organization behind the Academy Awards reflects on his path from Baltimore to Hollywood, teases details about Sunday's Oscars telecast and answers tough questions about the Academy's future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at Chapman University, one of the most exciting young actresses in the business — a newly-minted best actress Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner — reflects on her decision to abandon competitive horseriding for acting, breakthrough roles on 'Better Things' and in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' and bringing to life the character of a sex worker in Sean Baker's latest film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The veteran Aussie actor and first-time Oscar nominee reflects on how a childhood tragedy may have set him on the path to becoming an actor; how his experience with early TV stardom influenced the sorts of projects that he did and didn't pursue after he established himself internationally via 'L.A. Confidential' and 'Memento'; and why he’s as proud of his latest film as any he has been a part of. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of Hollywood's most dependable filmmakers — always good for an entertaining and solid, if not showy, film, with great performances, regardless of genre — reflects on how, at 21, his career took off like a rocket, then crashed, and then was rebuilt; how he learned to work with actors, including the biggest names in the biz (among them Stallone, Cruise and Chalamet), and guided two (Jolie and Witherspoon) to performances for which they won Oscars; and what it meant to him to personally land three Oscar noms — for producing, writing and, for the first time in his career, directing — for his new film about Bob Dylan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the revered English stage and screen actor reflects on how Shakespeare led him to his path; what he learned from collaborators like Steven Spielberg ('Schindler's List'), Robert Redford ('Quiz Show'), Anthony Minghella ('The English Patient') and Kathryn Bigelow ('Strange Days' and 'The Hurt Locker'); and what went into his latest — and, some believe, greatest — perfromance, as the dean of the College of Cardinals overseeing the election of a new Pope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices