Enjoy this bonus episode from The Piano Lesson: The Official Podcast. When director and co-writer Malcolm Washington decided to adapt August Wilson's The Piano Lesson for film, he knew he couldn’t just drop a camera in the play. It needed to stand on its own. In this episode, we dive deep into Malcolm's creative process, along with the rest of the cast, to find out how they approached the making of this film. You can find all three episodes of The Piano Lesson: The Official Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Kerry Washington joins the show to talk about her role in Tyler Perry's new film, The Six Triple Eight, which tells the inspiring true story of the incredible women of the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to be stationed overseas during World War II. Washington portrays the unit's captain, Charity Adams.

Washington talks about her first collaboration with Perry (on his 2010 film, For Colored Girls) and explains why The Six Triple Eight was the perfect opportunity to reunite, digs into the history behind the film, and explains how she was able to connect with Adam's character through the unexpected discovery of a collection of her personal belongings.

She also discusses producing the documentary, Daughters, shares how she and her Scandal co-stars cultivated their gigantic fan base through live-tweeting, and speaks candidly about how growing up as an only child (and discovering that she was a donor conceived child later in life) contributed to who she is today.

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Lisa Kudrow joins the show to talk about her new series No Good Deed. Kudrow stars as Lydia, a retired pianist who is reluctantly selling her highly coveted Los Feliz home in the hopes of creating a fresh start alongside her husband Paul (Ray Romano). But as multiple families race to buy what they believe is their dream home, Lydia and Paul struggle to hide the dark and dangerous secrets that linger inside.

Kudrow explains why coming onboard the series was an easy yes, talks about finally getting working with Romano after years of wanting to collaborate, and digs into her experience finding Lydia's character amidst the story's many moving pieces.

She also reflects on the enduring popularity of Friends, muses about what her character Phoebe would be up to these days, and shares what she misses most about the pre-social media world. 

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Angelina Jolie joins the show to talk about playing the title role in Pablo Larraín's latest film, Maria. The film tells the tumultuous and beautiful story of the world’s greatest female opera singer, Maria Callas, re-lived and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris.

Jolie explains how she got involved with the film, dives into the intense preparation process (which required her to learn how to sing opera so her voice could be properly blended with Callas), and walks us through how the costume design process helped her find the private version of Maria that existed behind closed doors.

She also shares her unique connection with the extras who played the audience during her La Scala opera scene, describes her relationship with co-stars Pierfrancesco Favino and Alba Rohrwacher (who play Maria's butler, Ferruccio and her housemaid, Bruna), and breaks down a few of the film's most challenging scenes.

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Justine Lupe joins the show to talk about Nobody Wants This. The series centers on an unlikely relationship between an outspoken, agnostic woman, Joanne (Kristen Bell), and an unconventional rabbi, Noah (Adam Brody). Their relationship comes under the scrutiny of their loved ones, including Morgan (Lupe) – Joanne’s charming, quick-witted sister.

Lupe describes her audition process, explains how her first interaction with Bell set the tone for the entire filming experience, and breaks down one of the show's funniest scenes.

She also reflects on her decision to audition for Juilliard and the epic journey that led to her acceptance, shares what she learned from Sarah Snook and her other Succession co-stars, and explains how she has learned to handle the inevitable ups and downs of being an actor. 

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Adam Brody joins the show to talk about Nobody Wants This, the wildly popular series which centers on the unlikely relationship between an outspoken, agnostic woman, Joanne (Kristen Bell), and an unconventional rabbi, Noah (Brody).

Brody shares what it's been like to watch the series take off over the past few months, considers the role nostalgia played in fans' reaction to seeing him and Bell together on screen, and weighs in on the internet's "Hot Rabbi" versus "Hot Priest" conversation. 

He also explains how he went from being a San Diego surfer kid to a breakout heartthrob on the teen soap The O.C., describes how practicality has guided his path through the industry, and shares what songs are on the top of his yacht rock playlist. 

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Danielle Deadwyler joins the show to talk about playing Berniece in Malcolm Washington's directorial debut, The Piano Lesson. Based on August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the film follows a sibling clash over a prized heirloom piano – the sole vestige of their family’s heritage.

Deadwyler shares her long-standing connection to Wilson's work, discusses how Berniece's character relates directly to her independent work as a performance artist (which explores the blurred lines of Black female labor in America), and describes the family-dynamic that Washington created for the cast and crew over the course of filming.

She also considers how being a middle child impacted the deep sense of familial responsibility she felt growing up, ruminates on how her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia shaped her as an artist, and reflects on the trajectory of her acting career -- which took off in 2020 and has shown no signs of slowing.

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Selena Gomez joins the show to talk about her role in Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez – a bold, genre-defying film that follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness.

Gomez recalls the emotional moment that she found out she’d gotten the role of Jessi (the wife of a fearsome cartel leader), describes the joyful experience of working with Audiard on Emilia Pérez’s multi-lingual set, and discussed why even as a seasoned singer and performer the film’s unique choreography presented a new set of challenges.

Gomez also shares her desire to continue exploring the depths of her capabilities as an actor, talks about her continued work in the youth mental health space, and reflects on how being an only-child for the first twenty-one years of her life helped set her on a path towards acting.

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Zoe Saldaña joins the show to talk about her role in Jacques Audiard’s new film, Emilia Pérez. Saldaña plays Rita – a Mexican lawyer who is offered an unusual job to help a notorious cartel boss retire and transition into living as a woman, fulfilling a life-long desire. 

Saldaña recalls being inspired by Audiard’s work as a teenager, explains that playing Rita allowed her to combine her favorite artistic mediums and fully immerse herself within an acting experience, and reacts to the overwhelming public reception that the film has received so far. 

She also reflects on her childhood, describes how ballet provided her with a much-needed escape from every-day life, discusses how her early acting experiences in films like Center Stage, Crossroads, and Drumline shaped the kinds of roles she wanted to pursue, and speaks candidly about handling roadblocks throughout her career.

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Keri Russell joins the show to talk about the second season of The Diplomat. Russell reprises her role as Ambassador Kate Wyler, who must piece together the truth after her world is shattered by a deadly explosion in the heart of London.

Russell digs into the dynamic between Kate and her husband Hal (Rufus Sewell) by explaining why their relationship is the glue of the show, shares why she was nervous to meet Allison Janney (who joins the cast as Vice President Grace Penn), and recounts the cast's reaction to learning about the season's bombshell ending during a table read.

She also reflects on how being a middle child affected her temperament, jokes about her daughter's reaction to watching Felicity for the first time, and explains why there is nothing better than riding her bike home from set during the early hours of the morning.

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