Frances Fisher joins Steve Kmetko for a candid, funny, and deeply thoughtful conversation about acting, ambition, heartbreak, Titanic, Clint Eastwood, Lucille Ball, and what it really means to build a life in Hollywood.

Frances talks about growing up around the world, finding acting through community theater in Texas, bartending in New York while chasing work, and the unusual creative choice that transformed her performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She also shares a remarkable story about the phone call that may have led to Titanic, what made James Cameron such an effective director, and why Rose’s mother was one of the easiest characters she ever played.

The conversation goes deeper as Frances reflects on grief, aging, motherhood, social media, ambition, and the one thing she wishes she had told her younger self: aim higher.

This is Still Here Hollywood with Steve Kmetko.

Episode Hashtags:

00:00 Introduction

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

Transcription:  Mushtaq Hussain

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: [email protected]

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adrienne Barbeau joins Steve Kmetko for a candid and entertaining conversation about a career that has spanned Broadway, television, cult films, and animation.

Long before becoming a horror icon, Adrienne Barbeau first gained national attention playing Carol Traynor on the groundbreaking sitcom Maude opposite the legendary Bea Arthur. From there she built a career that moved effortlessly between stage, television, and film, appearing in classics like The Fog, Escape From New York, Creepshow, and Swamp Thing. She also became the unforgettable voice of Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series, a role that continues to resonate with fans decades later.

In this episode, Adrienne looks back at her early days performing for U.S. troops overseas for just seven dollars a day, her Broadway run in Fiddler on the Roof alongside Bette Midler, and what she learned working with Bea Arthur on one of television’s most influential sitcoms. She shares behind the scenes stories about working with directors like John Carpenter and George Romero, explains how she accidentally became a horror movie legend, and reveals why she never saw herself as the “bombshell” many fans remember from films like Cannonball Run.

Adrienne also talks about aging in Hollywood, why she has avoided cosmetic procedures, the surprising fan encounters that still happen at conventions, and how her children keep her grounded after decades in the spotlight.

It’s a funny, insightful look at a remarkable career that continues to evolve more than sixty years after her first professional job.

This is Still Here Hollywood. I’m Steve Kmetko. Join me with today’s guest, actor Adrienne Barbeau.

00:00 Introduction – Adrienne Barbeau joins Still Here Hollywood

00:48 A Career That Spans Broadway, Television, and Film

02:07 Entertaining U.S. Troops for $7 a Day

03:10 Broadway Years and Fiddler on the Roof with Bette Midler

04:22 Learning the Difference Between Stage and Film Acting

06:07 Adrienne Barbeau on Fame and Success

09:19 A Wild Story About Burt Reynolds and Celebrity Life

10:35 How Maude Impacted Fans in Real Life

13:12 What Adrienne Learned from Bea Arthur

14:53 Life on the Set of Maude

17:30 When Adrienne Realized Maude Was Groundbreaking

19:03 The Behind the Scenes Rhythm of Filming Maude

22:22 Finding Confidence as Carol on Maude

24:04 The Controversial Maude Abortion Episode

27:27 How Adrienne Became a Horror Movie Icon

29:30 Almost Turning Down George Romero’s Creepshow

31:08 When Horror Fans Started Recognizing Her Work

33:04 Adrienne’s New Film Oddities

35:37 Voicing Catwoman in Batman: The Animated Series

37:23 The Acting Advice That Changed Her Career

40:05 The “Bombshell” Label in Hollywood

41:15 The Famous Cannonball Run Costume Story

43:00 Do Actors Have More Freedom Today?

44:47 What Keeps Adrienne Barbeau Grounded

45:11 Adrienne Barbeau on Turning 80

49:30 Her Early Days Working in a New York Nightclub

51:23 Advice Adrienne Would Give Her Younger Self

53:35 Playing Catwoman and Voice Acting Work

54:40 HBO’s Carnivàle and Her Favorite Role

56:30 Closing Thoughts

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

Transcription:  Mushtaq Hussain

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: [email protected]

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Laura Leighton takes us back inside the Melrose Place phenomenon and what it was really like to ride that wave before social media and smartphones changed everything. In this episode of Still Here Hollywood, Laura talks about launching the Melrose Place rewatch podcast Still the Place with Daphne Zuniga and Courtney Thorne Smith, why it feels so freeing to show up without a script, and the surprising emotional impact of revisiting a time that happened more than 30 years ago.

Laura opens up about the cast bond that never went away, the real conversations happening around a potential Melrose Place reboot, and why creating your own opportunities matters more as Hollywood changes and roles for women narrow with age. She also shares the best thing that came out of Melrose Place, her 26 year marriage to co star Doug Savant, and what it means to raise a big family and now become a grandmother.

You will also hear Laura on the shift from water cooler television to reality TV and TikTok culture, the strange new normal of being photographed everywhere, and why self tape auditions can feel harder than walking into a room. Plus, Laura tells two unforgettable stories from her career, a fan encounter so intense a nurse thought her villain character was real, and the heartbreak moment she had to drop out of a musical film role that later went to Renee Zellweger. She also reveals a major career decision she still regrets, turning down the chance to play Rizzo on Broadway.

If you love Melrose Place, Aaron Spelling era television, 90s nostalgia, Hollywood behind the scenes stories, and honest conversations about career, fame, aging, and reinvention, this one is for you.

00:00 Reboot Buzz and Grandma Life Tease

Laura Leighton's Melrose Place rewatch Podcast is:

STILL THE PLACE

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/still-the-place/id1754955354

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

Transcription:  Mushtaq Hussain

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: [email protected]

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gabrielle Carteris helped define a generation as Andrea Zuckerman on Beverly Hills 90210. But the story behind the show is bigger, deeper, and more surprising than you think. In this candid and wide-ranging conversation, Gabrielle opens up about the truth behind landing 90210, including the age secret she kept when she was cast as a 16-year-old. She reflects on overnight fame, Beatles-level chaos, and how the show shaped her adult life in ways she is still unpacking. But this episode goes far beyond nostalgia. Gabrielle reveals the devastating on-set injury that temporarily left her partially paralyzed and unable to speak, the lawsuit that followed, and why she refused to sign an NDA after winning her case. That experience ultimately led her into leadership, where she became President of SAG-AFTRA and helped guide the union through historic negotiations. She also discusses: • The real impact of the Hollywood strikes • Why AI and voice replication are changing the entertainment industry • The merger of SAG and AFTRA • Losing Luke Perry and Shannen Doherty • The isolation of extreme fame • Aging in Hollywood and rejecting shame • Why family matters more than celebrity From 90s television icon to labor leader and activist, Gabrielle Carteris shares what she has learned about power, resilience, identity, and what no longer scares her. This is one of the most revealing Beverly Hills 90210 interviews you’ll see. Subscribe for more conversations with the stars you grew up with. 

Chapters

00:00 Opening Introduction

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

Transcription:  Mushtaq Hussain

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: [email protected]

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Joanna Cassidy has never fit neatly into one lane, and that is exactly why she is unforgettable. In this episode of Still Here Hollywood, Joanna takes us from Syracuse University as an art student to a cross-country leap that landed her in Los Angeles and changed everything. She talks about her first film set experience with Walter Matthau and Bruce Dern, the shock of realizing she could actually act, and how her creative life has always lived in two worlds, performance and painting. We also dive into the legacy roles that keep getting rediscovered. Joanna shares what it was like stepping into Blade Runner as Zhora, working with Ridley Scott’s meticulous vision, and why that film’s impact only grew with time. She opens up about Six Feet Under and her love of dark humor, the craft difference between comedy and drama, the realities of aging in Hollywood, and what she believes keeps a creative person alive. Plus: animals, modernism, bungee fitness in Burbank, and the mindset that keeps her curious and working. Still Here Hollywood with Steve Kmetko. New episodes weekly. Support the show and get early access and extras at patreon.com/stillherehollywood

00:00 Intro: The unforgettable Joanna Cassidy
00:56 From Syracuse to San Francisco to Los Angeles
02:35 First steps into acting and a surprising first role
03:35 The Laughing Policeman: Walter Matthau, Bruce Dern, and set nerves
05:19 Joanna the artist: painting, portraits, modernism
06:42 Almost quitting, and the many lives she has lived
07:51 Misconceptions: beauty, comedy, and being underestimated
10:29 Age, image, and America’s obsession with youth
12:29 Early work she is proud of, and Blade Runner’s slow-burn legacy
13:43 Acting vs art: the frustration of not being able to fine-tune
16:52 Roles she wanted but did not get
17:40 Blade Runner: first reaction to the script
18:32 Philip K. Dick, sci-fi love, and “the only actor with the snake”
19:18 Animals, cats, and the deep bond with them
21:22 Ridley Scott’s imprint and artistic vision
22:22 Six Feet Under and the joy of dark humor
23:36 Blade Runner stunts, revisiting Zhora, and the snake dance
25:10 New generations discovering Zhora
26:17 Cult status and Comic Con moments
28:54 Comedy vs drama: timing, speed, and stillness
30:57 Who she watches now: Emma Stone, Jessica Lange
32:07 TV’s best lesson: be on time, know your lines, hit your marks
33:17 Actors who made an impact: Gene Hackman, Nick Nolte, Bob Hoskins
35:42 Taking risks and going all-in
37:40 Dabney Coleman memories
39:58 Staying creatively alive: health, grounding, flow
41:05 Mentors, independence, and asking for a hand
44:01 Confidence, her father, and being an observer of Hollywood
45:45 Film talk and character-study movies
47:13 What brings her joy now
49:43 Directing notes and the on-set process
50:42 Roles she wants now, plus recent and upcoming projects
52:40 Worries that shifted with time
53:27 Dating, privacy, and a new chapter
56:16 Bungee fitness in Burbank and loving the feeling of flight
57:28 Closing

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

Transcription:  Mushtaq Hussain

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: [email protected]

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Book: My Four Hollywood Husbands

https://a.co/d/bTbuNAj

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

Transcription:  Mushtaq Hussain

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: [email protected]

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Amy's Foundation in memory of her husband John Ritter is https://johnritterfoundation.org/

Another favorite charity of Amy's is https://angelfood.org/

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

Transcription:  Mushtaq Hussain

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: [email protected]

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.