There is, perhaps, no actor at the moment more synonymous with New York indie filmmaking than Keith Poulson. His uncanny comedic sensibilities first caught my attention in Bob Byington’s “Somebody Up There Likes Me.” He’s since honed his mastery of the low key “throw away” in dozens of low budget gems and appeared in nearly everything made recently by the prolific Brooklyn filmmakers Alex Ross Perry and Nathan Silver. He got to stretch his wings a bit in Zach Clark’s “Little Sister,” where he played a severely disfigured Iraq War veteran. We talk about the incestuous world of independent film acting in New York City, why he can’t do sit-coms, and the beauty of Ctrl-F. 

Not every ingénue is deserving of the attention Zoey Deutch is about to get. But this 23 year old already has the miraculous and mysterious skill of a veteran actor. Since her brilliantly nuanced performance in “Flower,” I have wanted to find out the secret to her magic. Her natural talent shines equally bright in heart-wrenching dramas such as “Before I Fall” and wild comedies like “The Year of Spectacular Men.” And now she has delivered a rom-com-pantheon-worthy performance opposite Glen Powell in the Netflix film “Set It Up.” We talk about “process and not outcome," being “right for a part and not just liking it,” and the “miracle” (my word) of The Pizza Scene. To say Zoey Deutch is about to be a giant star somehow belittles the power and artistry I believe she possesses. Instead, allow me to introduce her with one word I use sparingly: Maestro.

Glen Powell gives me hope for the future of the movie industry. He crushed the role of legendary astronaut John Glenn in “Hidden Figures,” and donned some 80s duds in Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some,” but he really grabbed my attention in the brand new Netflix rom-com “Set It Up,” where, in my humble opinion, he has crafted a classic, for-all-time, romantic lead performance opposite the incomparable Zoey Deutch. We talk about his process in general and do a deep dive into his work in “Set It Up” in particular. And by the end, I come closer to understanding why this movie works so well. Hint number one: Glen Powell.

Lea Thompson has a lot of wisdom to share. Her work as an actor spans three decades with hit films like the “Back To The Future”  trilogy and “Some Kind of Wonderful” to successful television shows like “Caroline in the City” and “Switched at Birth.” She recently started a second chapter as a director. Her first feature film “The Year of Spectacular Men” (opening Friday June 15th) stars her daughters Madelyn and Zoey Deutch and was written by Madelyn. We talk about how this true family affair was stitched together with nothing but love, and how actors need to be “director-proof” & “writer-proof,” and why, only now, she finally considers herself deserving of a place at the table as an artist.

The brilliant J. Smith-Cameron blew us away in “Margaret” (written and directed by her husband, Kenneth Lonergan) and in the acclaimed series “Rectify.” Currently she’s starring in the new play “Peace For Mary Frances” (with Lois Smith), and the praiseworthy film “Nancy” (written and directed by Christina Choe and co-staring Andrea Riseborough and Steve Buscemi), which opens Friday June 8th. We talk extensively about her work in the latest two pieces and how her desire for rehearsal is sometimes satisfied in a roundabout way on a TV shoot. She also shares what she does right before she steps on the stage and how she feeds her “inner actor” when she’s not working.