The Treat: Adam Meeks

In the film 'Union County,' director Adam Meeks takes an unflinching and empathetic look at the opioid crisis in rural Ohio. Meeks and his star Will Poulter did a grassroots tour of independent theaters in that state around the film’s release. For his treat, Meeks makes an impassioned plea for independent cinema that doesn’t fly over the states between the coasts.  

Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black’s work often looks at real people struggling to find their place. He won the Oscar for the 2007 biopic 'Milk' starring Sean Penn as the openly gay activist and politician Harvey Milk. His other projects include the films 'Rustin and J. Edgar,' as well as the limited series 'Under The Banner of Heaven.' His newest project is the four-part docuseries 'Rock Out.' The series looks at the powerful impact the LGBTQ community has had on rock and heavy metal. Black tells Elvis how being an outsider can ultimately be a gift, why he doesn't like his work to feel comfortable, and why this is such a personal project for him.

Writer and professor Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor has grappled with her father Richard Pryor’s legacy through her teaching and her recent book 'Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me.' For her treat, she celebrates an early comedy special that demonstrated her father’s command of language and the stage.

First time director Adam Meeks’ new film 'Union County' takes on addiction with empathy and hope. The film, which stars actor Will Poulter, who was also a producer on the project, looks at the opioid crisis in rural Ohio through a real-life rehabilitation program that has had promising results. Poulter plays a recovering addict going through the program alongside many non-professional actors who are on their own sobriety journeys. Meeks and Poulter talk to Elvis about documenting real recovery stories, what Poulter's conditions were before taking on the part, and why he often plays characters wrestling with their own pride.  

Sir Christopher Frayling is a film scholar who has written extensively about Italian director Sergio Leone, most notably in the biography Sergio Leone by Himself. For his treat, Frayling reveals the early so-called children’s films he watched that horrified and thrilled him.

Tony-nominated playwright Jeremy O. Harris and director Pete Ohs are frequent collaborators. Ohs worked on a documentary about Harris’ acclaimed and controversial Slave Play, and Harris starred in Ohs’ film The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick. Their latest collaboration is the film Erupcja, starring pop star Charli XCX in a role far removed from her on-stage persona. Erupcja was filmed in Poland without a traditional script, and the actors all brought their own ideas to the project. Ohs and Harris tell Elvis how they got Charli XCX to be in the film, why Ohs likes to work without a script, and the origin of the film's Polish title. Note: This episode originally aired on May 15, 2026  

Actor Edward Norton seemingly reinvents himself with every role he takes on, from his breakout roles as someone who is more than meets the eye in 'Primal Fear' and 'Fight Club' to his take on folk singer Pete Seeger in 'A Complete Unknown' to his most recent role as a sexually adventurous neighbor in 'The Invite.' For his treat, he recommends a jazz album recorded by a friend who doesn’t want to rest on his laurels.  

Filmmaker Damien Hauser didn’t shy away from challenging himself in his new movie 'Memory of Princess Mumbi.' The sci-fi mockumentary romance gave him multiple areas to make his mark as director, writer, and one of its stars. Hauser talks to Elvis about trying to capture the randomness and mundane moments of life in 'Mumbi,' why acting in and directing the film was partly a matter of convenience and how Bollywood influenced the film’s musical moments.

Actor Will Poulter is known for disappearing into his roles, whether as an exacting pastry chef in the series 'The Bear' or a recovering opioid addict from Ohio in his most recent film 'Union County.' For his treat, he shares what he learned about addiction and recovery from one of his co-stars and that film’s press tour.

Kent Jones has worn many hats in the film world. He has written film criticism, collaborated with Martin Scorsese on several of his documentaries, and he served as director of the New York Film Festival. As a director, his work includes the documentary 'Hitchcock/Truffault' and his feature film debut 'Diane.'   His latest film is 'Late Fame,' starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee and adapted from an 1895 Arthur Schnitzler novella. Dafoe plays a poet who is rediscovered and celebrated by a younger generation. Jones tells Elvis how the film diverges from the novella; why he's glad he didn't direct films until later in life, and he shares why he believes the “beat” of a film should not be set in the editing.