Greta Gerwig joins us from atop a Fire Station on this scorching summer morn. We chat in-depth about the importance of le cinéma: ‘un-fussy filmmaking,’ Hitchcock, even the genesis of the word “movie” itself. So grab your taffy and have a laughy; it’s SmartLess.This episode was recorded on June 20, 2023.Please support us by supporting our sponsors. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

This week, we're diving back into the archives for Part IV of our 25th Year Spectacular! We've got interviews with George Takei, Martha Stewart, and Mariska Hargitay, plus some time with Barbie director Greta Gerwig!Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Greta Gerwig, director of the feature film Barbie, discusses her journey from actress to filmmaker and shares childhood experiences with Barbie dolls. She reflects on embarrassing moments, the importance of creating a safe environment on film sets, and her belief in humanity. Gerwig also talks about living in New York and shares her plan to memorize all of Shakespeare if stranded on a desert island.

The last time Greta Gerwig was on WTF, she had just directed her first solo feature, the independent film Lady Bird. Now she returns after directing and co-writing the biggest movie of 2023, Barbie. Greta talks with Marc about everything that went into making it, including the costumes, the production design, the performances, the comedy, the music and the personal vision she set out to communicate within the contours of a $140 million summer blockbuster. Sign up here for WTF+ to get the full show archives and weekly bonus material! https://plus.acast.com/s/wtf-with-marc-maron-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greta Gerwig and the creative team of the film 'Barbie' discuss the musical evolution of the movie and how the pop songs influenced the score, tone, and even Barbie's heart. They talk about collaborating with artists like Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, Lizzo, and Billie Eilish, blending pop songs with the score, and creating a song with Dua Lipa. The speakers also explore the impact of specific songs on the connection between Barbie land and the real world, and the process of creating the soundtrack.

Sean and Amanda are joined by Ringer-verse co-host Joanna Robinson to dive deep into ‘Barbie’—its innovation, its performances, its overwhelming success at the box office, and everything in between (1:00). Then, Sean is joined by Greta Gerwig to discuss her approach to building the ‘Barbie’ world, the unique challenges it presented, how it relates to the other two films she’s directed, the cultural phenomenon it has set off, and more (1:29:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuests: Greta Gerwig and Joanna RobinsonSenior Producer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In making “Oppenheimer,” which opens in theatres this weekend, the director Christopher Nolan relied on a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2005 biography of the father of the atomic bomb, “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. Bird is credited as a writer of Nolan’s movie, and he spoke with David Remnick about the ambivalence that the scientist expressed publicly about the use of the bomb, which led to a McCarthyist show trial that destroyed his career and reputation.  “What happened to him in 1954 sent a message to several generations of scientists, here in America but [also] abroad, that scientists should keep in their narrow lane. They shouldn’t become public intellectuals, and if they dared to do this, they could be tarred and feathered,” Bird notes. “The same thing that happened to Oppenheimer in a sense happened to Tony Fauci.” Plus, Greta Gerwig talks about her path to directing. Like “Barbie,” Gerwig’s two previous films as a director and writer are concerned with coming of age as a woman. Once criticized as a “bossy girl,” Gerwig recalls, she tamped down her instinct to direct, focusing early in her career on acting and then screenwriting. She told David Remnick how she finally gave herself permission to be a filmmaker.

Explore reflections on childhood experiences and the impact of films, collaboration with actors, financial management tips, emotional highs and lows of the Oscars, challenges of dialects and character creation, struggles and uniqueness of dyslexia in memorizing scripts, Canadian comedy talent, visual aesthetics in film creation, themes of love and betrayal, music evolution, and home-based music creation.

Get insider insights on top Oscar contenders for Best Picture 2024, including exclusive interviews with Cillian Murphy, Greta Gerwig, Emma Stone, Jeffrey Wright, and more. Mark shares his thoughts on films like Oppenheimer, Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Maestro. Dive into the excitement of award season with this podcast!

Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig discuss their Oscar snubs for their work in Barbie. Jimmy Failla analyzes Nikki Haley staying in the race, which actually benefits Trump. Tudor Dixon doubts the Democrats will replace Biden before summer. Emily Austin shares thoughts on Michelle Obama's potential future in politics. They also discuss Trump's New Hampshire primary win, media reaction, weaknesses in his campaign, controversial books in schools, and media's role in politics.