In 1978, Kevin Bacon got cast in Animal House. And in the ensuing decades, he starred in iconic films including A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Mystic River and, of course, Footloose. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist gets together with the actor to talk about why he chose to stay in New York, how he incorporates the Six Degrees of himself in to his family life and why he decided to take on his latest role in the horror film They/Them.

The 1998 film Shakespeare in Love won Gwyneth Paltrow an Academy Award for Best Actress and made her one of Hollywood's most sought-after stars. But fame began to take its toll. In 2008, she sent out the first Goop newsletter, a collection of recommendations for food, clothes and places to visit. Since then Goop has grown in to a successful, wide-ranging lifestyle brand. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist gets together with the actress turned entrepreneur on New York's Long Island.

If it feels like you haven't seen as much of Jessica Alba on screen in the last decade or so, that's because she's been busy growing a business. For 10 years now, "The Honest Company" she founded has been a pioneer for clean products for babies, beauty and the home. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist gets together with the actor and entrepreneur to discuss how she found her confidence in Hollywood and the business world.

In the 29 years since Jurassic Park debuted, Jeff Goldblum has taken on many roles, leaving his mark as a beloved character actor. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist gets together with the multi-talented star to talk about returning the role of Dr. Ian Malcolm in this summer's blockbuster Jurassic World: Dominion, as well the jazz ensemble he leads on the side. 

The 1996 movie Swingers set Jon Favreau on a path to becoming one of the most successful and sought-after filmmakers in Hollywood. His directing resume now includes massive hits like Elf, Iron Man, The Jungle Book and the 2019 version of The Lion King, which made more than $1.6 billion at the box office while introducing groundbreaking visual effects. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the actor and director to talk about putting all of that experience behind his latest project, the docuseries Prehistoric Planet. 

In 1995, Emma Thompson took on the challenge of adapting Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility into a successful movie. She was rewarded with an Academy Award for her writing as well as a Best Actress nomination for her performance in that film, capping a run of five Oscar nominations and two wins in just four years. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the British star to talk about cementing her place as one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors and her latest, most revealing role yet in the buzzed about film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.

In the three decades since leaving the law for writing, John Grisham has become one of the most widely read authors in human history. He has sold an astounding 350 million books, including 47 consecutive #1 bestsellers printed in 50 different languages. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with Grisham to talk about his leap from small town Southern lawyer to star novelist and his latest work, the novella Sparring Partners. 

In 2008, Lin-Manuel Miranda read Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton while on vacation and began envisioning something no one else could have seen – a hip-hop musical about America’s Founding Fathers. In this week’s Sunday Sitdown, Willie Geist gets together with the Tony, Emmy and Pulitzer-winning star to talk about creating the Broadway phenomenon Hamilton and his latest act as a film director. (Original broadcast date: November 21, 2021)