Movie Interviews

Richard E. Grant plays Jack Hock, the sidekick to literary forger Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) in Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Arts

Richard E. Grant Barely Survived Childhood. Now He's Thriving As An Actor

2:32pm December 13, 2018

by Terry Gross

The self-described "lifelong character actor" plays an alcoholic sidekick in the film Can You Ever Forgive Me? Through Grant is allergic to alcohol, he grew up in Swaziland with an alcoholic father.

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In Anna and the Apocalypse, Ella Hunt plays the titular teenager Anna, who fends off a zombie invasion in song.

Arts

'Anna And The Apocalypse': The Scottish Zombie Christmas High School Musical

7:55am December 08, 2018

by Scott Simon

Ella Hunt, who stars as the titular Anna, explains the undead metaphor, her own teenage years, and the impact of co-creator Ryan McHenry — who died before he could see this movie completed.

Stephan James and KiKi Layne star as Fonny and Tish, the couple at the center of If Beale Street Could Talk. The movie is director Barry Jenkins' adaptation of a James Baldwin novel of the same name.

Arts

Director Barry Jenkins Talks On Behalf Of 'Beale Street'

5:35pm December 06, 2018

The director of Moonlight has made a new film: If Beale Street Could Talk, based on the James Baldwin novel. He's using it to represent black complexity, vulnerability and skin colors.

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Arts

Actor Lucas Hedges On 'Ben is Back', ADHD And Crying On Screen

1:56pm December 06, 2018

by Terry Gross

Best known for his roles in Manchester by the Sea and Lady Bird, Hedges stars as a teenager in rehab for opioid addiction in Ben is Back. He's also nominated for a Golden Globe for Boy Erased.

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Bradley Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a musician struggling with addiction, in A Star Is Born.

Arts

Bradley Cooper Learned To Sing, Direct And Talk Deeply For 'A Star Is Born'

2:19pm December 03, 2018

by Terry Gross

Cooper makes his directorial debut with a remake of the classic film about a doomed love affair. He hope his version presents a fuller portrait of the iconic characters.

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Margot Robbie stars as Queen Elizabeth I in the film Mary Queen of Scots. "Right now we're making a push — I feel more than I've ever experienced — to have more women in leadership roles," Robbie says.

Arts

The Cost Of Being Queen: 'Mary' Explores The Sacrifices Of Women In Power

7:53am December 02, 2018

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Margot Robbie is Queen Elizabeth I in Mary Queen of Scots. "We re-examine history as a way of understanding what's happening in our present time, and where we're heading in the future," she says.

In The Front Runner, Hugh Jackman plays Gary Hart, whose 1987 presidential campaign was swiftly derailed by reports of an extramarital affair.

What 'The Front Runner' And Gary Hart Tell Us About Political Theater Today

11:09pm November 30, 2018

by Audie Cornish

Matt Bai and Jay Carson wrote the screenplay of a new drama about the swift 1987 downfall of the Democratic presidential candidate — an event Bai says has a "direct throughline" to President Trump.

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Encore: 'The Gospel According to André': Look Fabulous, And Know Your History

5:51pm November 27, 2018

by Audie Cornish

André Leon Talley is a fixture in the fashion world. A former Vogue fashion editor and former judge on America's Next Top Model, The Gospel According to André looks at his life, work and influence.

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Michael B. Jordan On His Ultimate Goal, Industry Diversity And 'Creed II'

6:05pm November 21, 2018

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with actor Michael B. Jordan as he bookends his year in movies with a return as boxer Adonis Johnson in the sequel Creed II.

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Rami Malek stars as Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

'You Better Own This': How Rami Malek Came To Embody Freddie Mercury

4:10pm November 21, 2018

by Terry Gross

Malek sang at the top of his lungs while playing Queen's iconic lead singer in the new biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Still, he says, "No one can sing like Freddie Mercury."

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