Movie Interviews

Ady Barkan and Nicholas Bruckman during the making of the documentary Not Going Quietly.

Progressive activist Ady Barkan says his ALS has increased his platform

9:27pm January 30, 2022

Activist Ady Barkan and director Nicholas Bruckman talked with NPR about the new documentary Not Going Quietly. It follows Barkan as he deals with ALS while also maintaining his activism.

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Music & Culture

Renowned conductor Marin Alsop gets her own documentary

8:34am January 29, 2022

by Scott Simon

Scott Simon speaks with renowned conductor Marin Alsop about the new movie, "The Conductor," about her storied life and career in classical music.

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Books

Catching up with the author of 'Journal For Jordan,' a memoir turned movie

5:04pm January 22, 2022

The new film is based on the bestselling memoir by Dana Canedy. She tells NPR's Michel Martin about the film's release and the story of love and devotion at the center of it.

"[The West is] about as far from my lived experience as you can imagine," Cumberbatch says. He plays a cattle rancher in Jane Campion's film, The Power of the Dog.

Arts

Benedict Cumberbatch digs into toxic masculinity in 'The Power of the Dog'

3:13pm January 19, 2022

by Terry Gross

The British actor says the American West is "about as far from my lived experience as you can imagine." Cumberbatch got into his role for The Power of the Dog by spending time with real ranchers.

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Arts

Remembering director Peter Bogdanovich, chronicler of Hollywood's golden age

1:04pm January 14, 2022

by Terry Gross

Bogdanovich's directing credits include The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon and What's Up Doc? He was also a movie critic and a Hollywood historian. He died Jan. 6. Originally broadcast in 1983.

Nicole Kidman, shown here at the Los Angeles premier of Being the Ricardos, says switching between Lucille Ball and her I Love Lucy character was like performing a "high-wire act."

Arts

Nicole Kidman says being an indoor kid and a bookworm led her to acting

1:34pm January 12, 2022

by Terry Gross

While her friends and family went to the Australian beaches, Kidman stayed indoors reading — and imagining herself as a character in the books. Kidman stars as Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos.

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Books
Arts

Actor Kal Penn isn't afraid to take chances, on screen or in life

6:21pm January 10, 2022

by Ann Marie Baldonado

Penn got his start in stoner comedies, then took a hiatus from acting to work for the Obama administration. He shares stories from his life and career in the memoir You Can't Be Serious.

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World News

'A Hero' tells the story of how complicated a good deed (and a small lie) can be

5:28pm January 07, 2022

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Iranian director Asghar Farhadi about his new film, A Hero. The story examines the complexity of what appears to many to be a good deed.

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Arts

For Kirsten Dunst, 'The Power of the Dog' is a cinematic love letter to her children

1:50pm January 03, 2022

by Terry Gross

Dunst says acting opposite her husband, Jesse Plemons, in Jane Campion's new Western is an experience she'll never forget: "It was very special. ... He's my favorite actor to work with."

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Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, offers a unique depiction of motherhood.

Arts

Maggie Gyllenhaal explores the difficulty of motherhood in her directorial debut

5:01am December 28, 2021

The new movie The Lost Daughter shows a side of motherhood that Hollywood doesn't often depict.

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