Movie Interviews

Sports

Deirdre Fenton On Boxer Andy Ruiz's Surprise Win In 'One Night'

8:30am December 07, 2019

Andy Ruiz defends his heavyweight boxing title in a rematch with Anthony Joshua. NPR's Scott Simon talks with director Deirdre Fenton about One Night, her documentary on Ruiz's surprise win.

Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc in Knives Out.

Arts

Daniel Craig: 'Knives Out' Aims To Be One Of Those 'Grand Pieces Of Entertainment'

9:18am November 30, 2019

by Scott Simon

As a kid, Craig remembers Agatha Christie "event movies" such as Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. He says his new whodunit, Knives Out, strives for a similar effect.

Arts

'Beautiful Day' Director On Mister Rogers' 'Radical Notion': Telling Kids The Truth

1:08pm November 29, 2019

by Terry Gross

Marielle Heller's film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood centers on Fred Rogers' unlikely friendship with a cynical journalist. Originally broadcast Nov. 20, 2019.

Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) and Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) are on the run in Queen & Slim, directed by Melina Matsoukas with a screenplay from Lena Waithe.

Arts

Lena Waithe's 'Queen & Slim' Is An Odyssey For The Black Lives Matter Era

5:02pm November 27, 2019

by Noel King

The screenwriter's new movie is about a black couple who shoot a white police officer in self-defense during a routine traffic stop. Their ensuing flight, she says, is a "meditation on blackness."

Queue Listen Now

Edward Norton (shown here with co-star Gugu Mbatha-Raw) describes his Motherless Brooklyn character as a sad and lonely "street kid."

Arts

Edward Norton On Urban Planning And 'Slow Cooking' 'Motherless Brooklyn'

1:56pm November 27, 2019

by Terry Gross

Norton wrote, directed and starred in the film adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's novel. The movie centers on a detective with Tourette's syndrome who uncovers corruption in New York City.

Queue Listen Now

Why Ana De Armas Was Hesitant To Take A Role In 'Knives Out'

5:23am November 26, 2019

In the movie Knives Out, the patriarch of a wealthy family is found dead. Was it murder or suicide? The dark comedy is packed with Hollywood stars - including a relative newcomer.

Mame Bineta Sane as Ada in Atlantics: A Ghost Love Story.

Arts

'Atlantics' Is A Haunting Refugee Story — Of The Women Left Behind In Senegal

5:02pm November 23, 2019

by Bilal Qureshi

Mati Diop is the first black woman to compete at the Cannes Film Festival — where her first feature won the Grand Prix. The movie about women left behind by refugees is coming soon to Netflix.

Tom Hanks stars as Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Hanks watched a lot of Mister Rogers to research the role and found as an adult, you don't really "get it": "Why is it taking so long? What's the big deal? What are these fish?"

Arts

Tom Hanks Plays Mister Rogers: Sharing Joy Is 'The Natural State Of Things'

12:02pm November 23, 2019

by Scott Simon

Hanks watched "about 8 million hours" of Mister Rogers to prepare for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Hanks doesn't necessarily consider himself "a nice guy" but rather "a joyful person."

Queue Listen Now

Jennifer Lee was named chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios following the departure of John Lasseter from the company. She is also the screenwriter and co-director of Frozen II.

Arts

Disney Animation Chief Jennifer Lee Is The Queen Behind Elsa And Anna

4:44pm November 21, 2019

by Elizabeth Blair

Her credits include Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia. Now, Jennifer Lee is the first female chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios — oh, and she co-directed the Frozen sequel.

Queue Listen Now

Mark Ruffalo And Robert Bilott On The New Film 'Dark Waters'

4:12pm November 21, 2019

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with actor Mark Ruffalo and the real life attorney he plays, Robert Bilott, in the new film Dark Waters.