The A24 Podcast

Celine Song, a Korean-Canadian filmmaker known for "Past Lives," and Eva Victor, an American actress and director of "Sorry Baby," dive into an engaging discussion. They share their fun take on hydration while celebrating the film industry. The duo candidly reflect on the complex emotions of making a debut film and the balance between visibility and authenticity. Celine's intriguing insights from the Oscars and Eva's intricate directing process also shine, along with a playful debate on celebrity crushes and the value of teamwork in storytelling.

Ari Aster, the filmmaker behind hits like Hereditary and Midsommar, teams up with Bill Hader, a comedic genius known for Barry and Saturday Night Live. They dive into the genius of Steven Spielberg's shot sequencing and the art of writing movies for actors rather than executives. Hader shares laughter over a memorable scene from Hereditary, while Aster reflects on his intensive research for Eddington. The duo explores the blend of dark humor and personal storytelling in film, revealing how classic cinema influences their creative journeys.

Topics covered include: True artists, Kyle meeting David Lynch for the first time on the Universal lot, getting Invisalign for the bit, Benito's world getting rocked by Blue Velvet in high school, saliva overproduction, going blonde, Overcompensating's origin story on the New York standup circuit, finding the laughter and heart in coming out, new perspectives in watching your old work, Kardashian skits with stakes, college as an epicenter of comedy and heartbreak, pledging Beta, Kyle's first job working at a lumber mill in Yakima, dad's loving Pride merch, Tom Hanks’ sage auditioning advice, college golfer siblings, being fluent in the "Apple" dance, Kyle's first introduction to Sex and the City's Trey MacDougal, and being all up for the craziness.

Topics covered include: Success giving you brain damage, Andy’s lifelong love of Jackass as a “silly, honest, and ancient” art, squirming to hide the truth, Turkish hair transplants, the influence of The King of Comedy on Friendship, the psychedelic experience of seeing your movie with a crowd, knowing enough to know that you’re wrong, wall-to-wall c*cks in Jackass Forever, beating fear spirals, and why it's absolutely essential to see Friendship in a movie theater.

Topics covered include: Jane Goodall as Isaiah’s lifelong Patron Saint, a very cheap edition of Tarzan of the Apes that changed a young Jane’s entire world, supportive mothers,The Legend of Ochi as a critique of anthropocentrism, Jane’s first experience watching one of the famed Gombe chimps David Greybeard use a tool for the first time, stewardship versus dominion, controversy around Jane’s first National Geographic cover, using empathy in the scientific method, the importance of anecdotes, inventing a fictional primate for the Ochi, filmmaking’s parallels to science, the possibilities of nonverbal communication between man and animal, a quest to understand if adult male chimps like rock and roll music, the size of a dog’s heart knowing no bounds, Jane experiencing the effects of USAID defunding, a shared determination to heal the world by reaching hearts and enacting change, and the aquatic ape hypothesis. 

Topics covered include: Charles connecting with his dad through his role in Warfare, total immersion, knowing your castmates' meal requests by heart (Noah Centineo: 3 burger patties), sage advice from Alex Garland to “never say yes to anything before you read it,” pinch me moments, impersonating Will's American accent, Charles working with fellow Garland alum Cailee Spaeny on the newest season of Beef, feeling out of continuity with your own life, playing many rounds of Mafia after hours, wild peacocks, Will having an absolute blast with Jenna and Richard E. Grant on set of Death of a Unicorn, Michael Gandolfini as the worlds best storyteller, and Warfare as the most transformative and meaningful experience of their lives.

Pedro Pascal, beloved for his roles in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, shares insights into his film Babygirl and his deep love for movies. Halina Reijn, the creative force behind Babygirl, opens up about her artistic process and the challenges of honest storytelling. They discuss travel quirks, connecting over their experiences with films like The Social Network. The duo also reflects on vulnerability in film and personal memories tied to childhood movie experiences, highlighting the therapeutic power of storytelling and the courage it takes to embrace intimacy.

Topics covered include: The strength and fragility of László Toth, chunky old tape recorders, Adrien’s Hungarian grandfather, heavy accents, giant dictionaries, descending from immigrants, the photography of André Kertész, 3-4 hours of prosthetics for Queer, the transformative experience of making The Darjeeling Limited, emotional truths paired with broad f*cking comedy, walking all over India barefoot, digital and analog instruments, loving gear too much, and Jason telling his 10 year-old she can’t come to The Brutalist because she could barely get through Wild Robot.

Topics covered include: Spotting a five month old baby at a screening of Heretic, hitting a wall of cries when filming horror, being film bros, craving lightness, jinxing projects, being a superstitious child, watching a DVD of Bergman's Seventh Seal at age 11, Sophie's (still active) shoegaze Tumblr, having a twin with superior taste, meeting your idols, going to “the evil place” aka Silver Lake Erewhon, Lizzie Grant era Lana, Chloe's dream double feature of Heretic and First Reformed, Mormon pretzel jello salad, and a shared devotion to Taco Bell.

Topics covered include: Harris’s longing to be 40, finding security in insecurity, eternal things, having an allergic response to fame, unsolicited wisdom from Tom Cruise, giving bite-sized chunks of yourself, murky waters, I Heart Huckabees healing a broken heart, wounded bits, embracing scary material, matching Florence’s courage in We Live in Time, soothing the nervous system, avoiding cliché, interrogating performance and desire in Babygirl, Andrew’s memories of shooting the iconic laptop smashing scene in The Social Network with Fincher, Ben Affleck’s actor’s commentary on Armageddon, having trust problems with directors, breaking bones skating and surfing, playing with Tech Decks at home, Harris’s childhood sketch comedy YouTube show, being a chubby boi, basketball as poetry, and Andrew honoring his own grief through We Live in Time.