Awards Chatter

Bill Kramer, the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, shares insights from his transformative journey from Baltimore to Hollywood. He teases the upcoming Oscars telecast led by Conan O'Brien and discusses the Academy's push for inclusivity, particularly with Carla Sofia Gascon's historic nomination. Kramer addresses the challenges of diversifying revenue streams post-pandemic and the balance between tradition and innovation in award categories, all while highlighting the importance of community engagement in the film industry.

Mikey Madison, an acclaimed actress known for her roles in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' and 'Scream', recently won a BAFTA for Best Actress. She shares her transition from competitive horseback riding to acting, reflecting on the emotional journey that shaped her career. Mikey dives into the challenges of portraying vulnerable characters, the dynamics with directors, and the collaborative spirit of filmmaking. She also discusses the unexpected twists that led to her breakthrough roles and the thrill of receiving prestigious nominations.

The veteran Aussie actor and first-time Oscar nominee reflects on how a childhood tragedy may have set him on the path to becoming an actor; how his experience with early TV stardom influenced the sorts of projects that he did and didn't pursue after he established himself internationally via 'L.A. Confidential' and 'Memento'; and why he’s as proud of his latest film as any he has been a part of. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of Hollywood's most dependable filmmakers — always good for an entertaining and solid, if not showy, film, with great performances, regardless of genre — reflects on how, at 21, his career took off like a rocket, then crashed, and then was rebuilt; how he learned to work with actors, including the biggest names in the biz (among them Stallone, Cruise and Chalamet), and guided two (Jolie and Witherspoon) to performances for which they won Oscars; and what it meant to him to personally land three Oscar noms — for producing, writing and, for the first time in his career, directing — for his new film about Bob Dylan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In front of an audience at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the revered English stage and screen actor reflects on how Shakespeare led him to his path; what he learned from collaborators like Steven Spielberg ('Schindler's List'), Robert Redford ('Quiz Show'), Anthony Minghella ('The English Patient') and Kathryn Bigelow ('Strange Days' and 'The Hurt Locker'); and what went into his latest — and, some believe, greatest — perfromance, as the dean of the College of Cardinals overseeing the election of a new Pope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the biggest pop stars on the planet, who is now an Oscar-nominated actress, reflects on how she broke into showbiz as a kid, each of her studio albums, how music has helped her through tough times, why she yearned for years to play Glinda, how her fame helped her to understand the pros and cons of being "Popular," plus much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The actor/writer/director reflects on why he, a socially-awkward kid, became a child actor, how the explosion of his acting profile (he was Oscar-nominated for 'The Social Network') coincided with his increased interest in writing and why, for his second outing as a director, he cast Kieran Culkin in the role that he originally intended to play himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The thrice Oscar-nominated actor, who is widely regarded as among the best of his generation, reflects on the explosive start to his screen career, collaborations with his era's greatest auteurs and why he was so impressed with his latest film's helmer, James Mangold, and star, Timothée Chalamet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The enigmatic Scottish Oscar winner, who doesn't consider herself an actress, reflects on her formative collaborations with Derek Jarman, how she wound up juggling the artiest of art house films with the biggest of big studio films and why she was so drawn to working with Pedro Almodóvar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legendary English filmmaker reflects on the origins and specifics of his mysterious method of writing and directing; why he was forced to spend 17 years between his first and second theatrical features working in television, and the pros and cons of that; and how it feels to see his latest film, which was rejected by the Cannes, Venice and Telluride film fests, being so well received. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices