Hollywood Unscripted

Dave Holstein, creator and showrunner of “Kiddingjoins Scott Tallal to discuss this Showtime series.”

Dave starts off by explaining how the world was looking for a Fred Rogers-style character who is innately good (1:05) and the differences between the various biographical projects and the inspiration for this fictional character (1:58). He explains his personal reasoning for giving his lead character, Jeff Pickles, so many dramatic hurdles (3:05).

Dave delves into how “Kidding” came about, starting with his job as a writer on “Weeds” (3:56). Searching for another satisfying project, he ended up writing something for himself (4:24) with Jim Carrey in mind (4:52). Dave describes the journey “Kidding” went on as it was developed, passed around town, green-lit, and paused (5:24) before finding a unique way to get the script into Jim Carrey’s orbit (8:04).

Now in season 2, Dave explains how the show has grown and found its footing (9:32). He reviews plot points and the magic in making them (11:12). Dave discusses how in season 2 the backstories of the characters are deepened (13:03) and dives into Catherine Keener’s role (14:32). He talks about the creative ways the writers found to  explore the themes of the season (15:07).

Dave gives a rundown of the writers room (17:45) and reveals their creative process (18:36). He describes the atmosphere on set (20:58) and explains a particularly interesting shoot day (22:57).

He admits that he prefers television as a writer’s medium (26:08) and revels in the creative opportunity he has found himself in (27:28)

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

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Kyle MacLachlan joins Scott Tallal on Hollywood Unscripted for a conversation of passion and creativity.

Starting at the beginning, Kyle describes how his mother was his initial guide into the world of theater (1:17), and discusses his musical training (2:08). He describes how his path changed when he was cast in his first film, “Dune” (2:52) and the experiences of that film. The conversation continues to his next couple films, “Blue Velvet” (4:07) and “The Hidden” (4:30).

Kyle returns to his early years, finding his journey to being a professional actor (6:35). The conversation touches on another passion of Kyle’s, winemaking (7:52) and circles back to why acting became Kyle’s path (8:33).

Kyle explains his initial experience turning down Oliver Stone (11:25) and how he ended up working with him on “The Doors” (12:30).

He explains how he hasn’t felt the lack of privacy that other celebrities have faced (13:06).

Kyle jumps into “Twin Peaks” (14:12) and the reason the story resonated so strongly with audiences (14:35). Then the conversation lands on “Showgirls”, the ups and downs of that project (15:51) and how the lull after it (17:10) subsided with his roles in television (17:30).

He notes his recent experience in Sundance with “Tesla” (17:47) and discusses the nature of that film (18:06). He then talks about “Atlantic Crossing” (18:36) and reveals the surprises he learned in researching his role of FDR (19:18).

Kyle talks about his first experience in half hour comedy with “How I Met Your Mother” (20:30) and how that led to his current role in “Carol’s Second Act” (21:16).

With almost 40 years in the business, Kyle reveals his best experiences as an actor (22:36) and some of his worst (23:30). He opens up about his experiences with some of the directors he’s worked with, including David Lynch (24:23), Oliver Stone (25:14), Paul Verhoeven (25:41), and Pam Fryman (26:08). Kyle then looks back on how his approach to acting has changed since the beginning of his career (26:40).

The discussion comes to Kyle’s one and only experience directing (27:31) and why he likely won’t try it again (28:28). He then reveals the characters he misses playing (29:06) and why these characters are so much fun (29:35).

With the official interview over, CurtCo CEO, Bill Curtis, and Hollywood Unscripted producer, Jenny Curtis, join the conversation over a glass of Kyle’s wine, Pursued By Bear (30:17) to discuss the similarities and differences of Kyle’s creative endeavors (32:22), his journey with this brand (33:01), his various wines (37:35) and more of his experiences as an actor (40:39).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

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Jeremy Teicher and his wife, Alexi Pappas, shot a feature inside Olympic Village during this Olympics. Jeremy joins Hollywood Unscripted to discuss the details of this incredible opportunity.

This was all possible because Alexi herself is an Olympian. Jeremy starts off by explaining how the origin of grew from their previous film, (0:43) and how that film reached the president of the International Olympic Committee (1:45). They received an offer to join the Artists-in-Residence program at the Olympics (2:53) and Jeremy explains how their film went from a series of shorts to a feature length film (3:13).Olympic Dreams Tracktown

Jeremy dives into the necessities, equipment and logistics of being a “one-man-band” (5:43). He also discusses the inspiration drawn from Richard Linklater (7:46).

The conversation moves to how Jeremy and Alexi met and helped each other grow (8:47).

Jeremy explains the ins and outs of working off a “scriptment” rather than a full script (10:13). He goes on to discuss how on top of the two main actors, Olympic Dreams would utilize real Olympians as additional characters and Jeremy talks about how they would get these Olympians involved (13:12).

Jeremy clarifies the similarities and differences from Alexi’s real experience as an Olympian and her character’s experience (14:07), the reality of post-olympic depression (15:30), and discusses the medal ceremony scene in the film (16:29).

Jeremy describes the freedom he felt on this shoot (20:12). He explains how Nick Kroll came on board (22:21) and Nick’s contribution as a team player (24:16). He dives deeper into the nature of the shoot, explaining how many takes they would get per scene (24:49) and how they worked with a flexible schedule (26:17). He also reveals the differences between the medical practices at the summer and winter games (29:25).

The conversation wraps up as Jeremy dives into his working partnership with his wife and how that connection fuels their creativity (31:09).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

Learn more about Hollywood Unscripted and host Scott Tallal: https://www.curtco.com/hollywoodunscripted

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Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, the co-writers and co-directors of Downhill, join Hollywood Unscripted for a hilarious and candid discussion about their creative partnership.

They begin with their friendship, stemming from their days in The Groundlings (0:35). From there they explain the journey to their directorial debut (2:23) and how they got the star names involved in the film (3:20). They discuss how the atmosphere on their sets leans toward being light and fun (3:49), how starting as actors informed how they create their projects (4:56), and how they work as a team when directing (6:05).The Way Way Back

Then they explain the challenges and opportunities of adapting a film. Jim talks about the differences and similarities in Downhill and Force Majeure (7:45) while Nat explains how a writer needs to find their own voice in an adaptation (9:13).

They reveal the process of finding the balance in dark comedy (10:52). Jim explains how the audience is represented in the flagpole scene of the movie (13:22) and how they have larger-than-life supporting characters work in the framework of the film (13:48). They admit to seeing themselves in some of their writing and discuss how the audience can as well (15:27).

Jim talks about what he learned in his experience on (17:53). They then explain how they tackle disagreements in their partnership (19:09).The Writer’s Room

The conversation moves to upcoming projects and they explain the status of (20:54) and (22:01).The Heart Batso and The Wall

Both Nat and Jim weigh in on if being actors makes them better writers (23:06) and they review some of their favorite parts they’ve gotten to play (25:15). Finally, they each open up about what part of the industry they most enjoy working in (28:37).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

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John Fithian, the President and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), sits down with Scott Tallal to discuss the exhibition side of the movie industry.

John opens by shining a light on the continuing myths of disruption in the business (1:21). He discusses how streaming services actually boost theater attendance (2:38).

They talk about how the quality of technology at home and in theaters is changing (5:28). John talks about the differences between the experiences of movie watching at home and at the cinema (6:10).

The conversation moves to the high end cinema experience with Dolby Cinemas, IMAX and PLFs (8:55). John talks about the exciting technology coming down the pipeline (11:09), explains the debate about high dynamic range in cinema (12:00), and discusses other technology that may or may not work (13:43).

John talks about the incredible cinemas being built across the country (16:34) and explains what a ScreenX theater is (17:04). They then talk about the industry debate of flexibility in programming and the potential of what kind of special programming theaters could do (19:54).

The conversation turns to alternative content (24:10), benefits and controversy of dynamic pricing (26:26), and subscription services in cinema (28:08). John reveals how he got involved with NATO and what the best part of this business is (30:09).

John explains to Scott why direct-to-home content (32:11) and the premium service of Red Carpet (33:10) is not currently concerning to the business of theater owning. He discusses the challenge with Netflix and hopes for further negotiations (35:28). They review 3D technology and how the roll-out of 3D in America did not succeed as it could have (37:14). They wrap up with a discussion about pre-show content such as short films (40:57) and post show possibilities (41:38).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

Learn more about Hollywood Unscripted and host Scott Tallal: https://www.curtco.com/hollywoodunscripted

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Producer Kara Vallow joins Hollywood Unscripted to discuss her career in animation.

The conversation begins with the most recent endeavor, (0:49). Kara discusses her hesitance to take on the project (1:57) and how she eventually came on board (3:07). She explains how Cosmos functioned differently from her other shows (7:13).Cosmos

Scott and Kara move on to discuss the large operation she and Seth MacFarlane set up at Fox (8:15). Kara talks about the Family Guy’s original cancellation (8:27) followed by a large renewal order (9:37). She reveals that while the renewal was a great opportunity for her (10:23), animation is a challenge for studios (10:43) and she admits to the cutthroat nature of staffing this style of animation (12:04).

Then Kara candidly discusses her experience of being a female in a male-dominated industry (13:59) and how she has been able to help encourage change (17:34).

The conversation loops back to Kara’s beginning jobs (21:04) and how she moved out to LA (22:24). She discussed meeting Seth at Hanna-Barbera (24:41), moving to a less enjoyable situation at Sony (26:59), and finally leaving to go to Family Guy (27:51).

Kara explains why as a child she wanted to be an animator (28:47) and how art school shifted her perspective (29:48). She thinks back on her favorite shows to watch as a child (31:18). She discusses how Cosmos now is so different from the version she watched as a child (31:48).

They discuss Seth MacFarlane’s talent and their partnership (32:52). Finally, Scott and Kara wrap back around to Kara’s love for what she does (35:23).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

Learn more about Hollywood Unscripted and host Scott Tallal: https://www.curtco.com/hollywoodunscripted

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Irwin Winkler, renown producer, director and writer, sits down with Scott Tallal to discuss his prolific career in moviemaking. He opens by explaining how he stumbled upon his beginnings in the mail room of William Morris (1:11), his feelings about being an agent (2:46), and how he finally found himself in film production (3:31).

Irwin goes dives into what being a producer entails and how today’s producer differs from when he started (5:48). He discusses his book, and the process of writing it (8:02). He describes how the business is tough (10:03) and what made him a good fit for this career from the start (10:29).A Life in Movies,

He moves on to discuss how marketing is a vital and expensive part of a film’s budget (11:42). He reveals the “only difference” between working with a studio and a streaming service (12:53), raves about partnering with Netflix (13:11) and goes on to discuss the genesis and production of (13:43).The Irishman

The conversation then turns toward the Academy awards, where Irwin discusses his first win with (18:02) and the disappointing losses (19:08). Irwin dives into what qualities make a successful producer (19:41) and how the opportunities have increased for current filmmakers (20:20).Rocky

He declares that retirement isn’t coming for him any time soon (23:12), looks back at his proudest moments (24:14) and discusses some chances that he took that paid off (25:43).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

Learn more about Hollywood Unscripted and Scott Tallal: https://www.curtco,com/hollywoodunscripted

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Ron Moore joins Hollywood Unscripted for an in-depth conversation about his notable career.

Ron starts at the beginning, with his roots in fandom (:49) and how dropping out of school led him to California (2:25). He discusses how a Star Trek set tour led to his first script being picked up (3:34) and tells about how he met Patrick Stewart on the set of shooting that script (6:26).

He then moves on to explain how ‘Voyager’ was not a great experience (7:17) and how leaving that job was fortuitous (8:49) and he opens up about ‘Carnivale’ (9:48).

Ron goes back to the beginning and he talks about remembering watching the first steps on the moon (11:30). He remembers watching the original ‘Battlestar Galactica’ (13:22) and then discusses the enormous opportunity of his re-envisioning the show (14:05). He talks about pushing the envelope with sex in science fiction (16:29) and explains why science fiction is important (18:09).

Ron talks about changes in television, being at the front of the 2007 writer’s strike (21:01), interacting with fans on AOL (21:40), what he learned from social media (24:09) and how he writes his stories (25:56). Then he reveals the worst part about being a showrunner (28:38) and the best (29:21).

He discusses his current show ‘For All Man Kind’ (30:53). He talks about how the industry is very different now from when he started (33:28) and how framing for television has changed (36:08).

Ron wraps up by saying he does not know when retirement might come (37:39) and how he looks back at his childhood self all the time (39:07).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

Learn more about and Scott Tallal: https://www.curtco.com/hollywoodunscriptedHollywood Unscripted

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Alfre Woodard joins as the first guest of this episode. She starts off by revealing why she says “yes” to a role (1:09). She talks about the prisons she visited with Chinonye Chukwu in preparation to play the role of Bernadine (2:54). She explains how an actor’s body is their instrument and that they are trained to play the notes of their emotions. (4:14)

Alfre discusses her character’s fractured relationship with her husband (5:55), why her profession put the relationship in that position (7:10) and how Bernadine is emotional in a different way than an artist would be (8:20).

She goes further into the actors’ preparation for their roles, reveals the affect it had on her (12:32), describes how the actors were able to show up ready to work together (13:45), and how emotion is not something to be afraid of (14:41).

Chinonye Chukwu, writer and director of , then joins (17:46) and describes how the process of writing this film led her to uproot her life in order to deepen her research (18:04). She discusses choosing to write the story from the perspective of the prison warden (20:18) and talks about teaching her college filmmaking curriculum in a women’s prison (20:37).

She recalls how Alfre came aboard the project (21:51) and then talks about working with the team - cinematographer Eric Branco (23:29); editor Phyllis Housen (24:24); actors Danielle Brooks (24:28), Richard Schiff (26:08), and Wendell Pierce (26:29); and producer Bronwyn Cornelius (27:17).

Chinoye tells how changes to the script were made to focus on Bernadine’s story (27:57). She describes how it feels to have a financially viable film (29:01) and her next steps (30:02).

Finally, she discusses how she chose to begin and end (31:26) the film, the ability to bring joy to a heavy set (33:03), and her advice to aspiring filmmakers (34:28).

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

Learn more about and Scott Tallal: https://www.curtco.com/hollywoodunscripted

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Mark Bailey regales us with a variety of booze-fueled tales from Old Hollywood. Among various anecdotes, we hear readings of stories about Humphrey Bogart’s penguin troubles (3:08), the disaster set of (9:20), the wild side of Lee Marvin (17:38), Tallulah Bankhead’s off-screen fame (23:31) and Ava Gardner’s night out with Sinatra (31:36).

Happy New Year from Hollywood Unscripted

Executive Producer: Stuart Halperin

Producer: Jenny Curtis

Music By: Celleste & Eric Dick

Learn more about Hollywood Unscripted and Scott Tallal: https://www.curtco.com/hollywoodunscripted

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