The Treatment

Actor Greg Kinnear has starred in dozens of roles on film and TV from his breakout role in 1995’s Sabrina, to his Oscar nominated role in As Good as It Gets alongside Jack Nicholson, but he actually got his start in broadcasting. Kinnear hosted E!’s Talk Soup and the late-night talk show Later with Greg Kinnear. For his Treat, Kinnear pays tribute to the people who showed him the ropes for his first on-air gig.

This week on The Treatment, Elvis speaks with Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro about his film adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Del Toro talks about filming Oscar Isaac like he was a rock star, how Jacob Elordi stepped in quickly to take on the role of the monster, and why he sees the story as "catholic" in many ways.

Dwayne Johnson, the charismatic actor and producer known as 'The Rock', dives deep into his role as MMA fighter Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine. He discusses his quest for challenging roles and how this film marks a transformation in his career. Dwayne reveals his desire to disappear into the character and shares insights on vulnerability linked to his personal life. He also emphasizes the importance of trust in his collaborations with Emily Blunt and director Benny Safdie, while balancing big franchises with soul-fulfilling projects.

Director Joshua Rofé’s unforgettable HBO documentary series The Mortician, about an unethical family-run funeral home, left its mark on audiences. For his treat, Rofé pays tribute to the underrated 1977 William Friedkin film, Sorcerer. Rofé recalls his first time watching it in a theater and breaks down why it’s possibly the best thriller of all time.

Elvis chats with actor, comedian, and musician Fred Armisen about his fun new album 100 Sound Effects.  From fake applause to champagne glass breaking, this album is stacked. Elvis and Fred talk about the absurd specificity of each track, which sound was surprisingly hard to capture, the evolution of sound effect albums, and their shared love of drumming.   

 Director Matt Shakman helmed one of the summer’s biggest hits — Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But his earliest film inspiration was the 1949 Carol Reed noir The Third Man, starring Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles. Shakman cites the film’s post-war setting, storytelling, and great performances as having had a lasting impact on him. Plus, he reveals a surprising connection between the classic film and Fantastic Four.  

This week on The Treatment, Elvis speaks with writer-director Edgar Wright. His newest project is an adaptation of the 1982 Stephen King novel The Running Man, starring Glen Powell. They discuss the thrill of collaborating with King on the project, the prescience of the novel, and why it was important to make the protagonist an ordinary guy.  

 Although he’s been retired from the NFL for more than a decade, director and actor Nnamdi Asomugha still gets inspired by a team coming together under difficult circumstances. For his treat, he credits the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers about paratroopers in World War II  with keeping him going while recuperating from a football injury.

Elvis speaks with director, TV host, and comedian W. Kamau Bell, on making audiences laugh on his current stand-up tour Who's With Me?. They discuss his brand of comedy, what's happening in late night TV and what made his CNN series United Shades of America different from other travel shows.

Director Ari Aster’s films often go in unpredictable directions. That’s apparent in his works including Midsommar, Hereditary, and his latest, Eddington, which stars Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Emma Stone. For his treat, he pays homage to a 2024 French film that is more than meets the eye.