Adrien Brody readily admits that the New York City he grew up in was rough around the edges. A native of Jackson Heights, Queens, he says the years he spent there in the '70s and '80s toughened him, but also made him empathetic—in other words, it gave him the ammunition he needed to become an actor. It wasn’t long into Brody's career that minor successes became major ones. Early roles in Restaurant and Summer of Sam in the late 1990s led to Roman Polanski’s The Pianist in 2002, a part that made the 29-year old the youngest to ever win the Academy Award for Best Actor. And while Brody’s career hasn’t slowed in the intervening decades, his latest performance, in The Brutalist, has drawn the same type of rare, unanimous acclaim that his breakthrough in The Pianist did. On this episode of Table for Two, Brody joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss what drew him to the performing arts, the mental toll of method acting, and his perspective on this year’s Oscars, which take place March 2nd.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Damian Woetzel’s rise to the top of the ballet world seems straightforward. From his childhood in Boston he demonstrated an aptitude for ballet; by his late teens, he was touring nationally as part of the Los Angeles Ballet; and in the mid-1980s, at 18, he eschewed college to pursue a career as a dancer in New York City. Over the following two decades, Woetzel climbed the New York City Ballet’s ranks, first becoming a principal dancer, then a household name. In his mid-30s, with the prospect of retirement looming, Woetzel decided to head up to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 2007 with an M.P.A., a distinction that, a decade later, led to him becoming The Juilliard School’s seventh president. On this episode of Table for Two, Woetzel joins host Bruce Bozzi for lunch at IRIS in New York City, where they discuss his early years in New York, former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Gifford’s role in motivating him to return to school, and his plan for leading an arts conservatory into the modern age.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a standout New York City Ballet dancer from the 1980s through the early 2000s, Damian Woetzel featured in acclaimed productions ranging from Jerome Robbins’s "West Side Story Suite" to George Balanchine’s "Swan Lake." But which ballet was his favorite? Find out on this week’s bonus episode of Table for Two, in which the current Juilliard School president joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss his biggest pet peeve, the best advice he’s ever received, and his favorite New York City activity.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Considering his ownership of some of the world’s most renowned hotels—Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, Chiltern Firehouse in London, and The Standard in New York, among others—it’s somewhat surprising that André Balazs wasn’t always in the hotel business. The Boston-born Cornell and Columbia graduate actually began his career in biotech, co-founding a company called Biomatrix with his father in the late 1980s. It was a huge financial success, but Balazs felt as though his work life was infringing on his personal life, and wanted to find a way to reconcile the two. What better way to do that than running a hotel? After establishing The Mercer Hotel in SoHo, Balazs built out a fleet of idiosyncratic, abundantly stylish, and much beloved hotels. On this week’s episode of "Table for Two," the hotelier joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss his design philosophy, the most challenging aspect of his job, and his close relationship with Andy Warhol.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When asked to name his favorite movie, André Balazs likens the question to trying to pick his favorite hotel—a problem that the owner of the Chateau Marmont and Chiltern Firehouse (among other properties) might know a thing or two about. On this week’s bonus episode of "Table for Two," the businessman and hotelier joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss the first thing he notices in a woman, whether he prefers New York or Los Angeles, and the best piece of advice he’s received.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long before Ted Sarandos’s company turned “binge watching” into a national pastime, the co-C.E.O. of Netflix stayed up long past his bedtime in order to catch The Jack Benny Program and I Love Lucy, developing a passion for film and television that has guided him ever since. After spending his early career rising through the ranks of the video distribution industry, Sarandos’s acumen caught the attention of Netflix founder Reed Hastings, who pitched Sarandos on his company: what if renting movies and television shows could be done from the couch? Over the following decades, Netflix evolved into the streaming service we know today. And all the while, Sarandos’s keen eye for potential smash-hits such as House of Cards continues to help deliver unforgettable plotlines to homes around the world. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Sarandos joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss his early life in Arizona, meeting his wife, Nicole Avant, and the process of writing the prologue to a new edition of her book, Think You’ll Be Happy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martha Stewart has been a household name for over four decades and she still isn’t done building her empire. During her rise, the world’s first female self-made billionaire ignored conventional wisdom to become an Emmy Award-winning TV host, best-selling author, and creator of a groundbreaking magazine. Beyond those accolades, her wildly successful merchandising business and multi-channel lifestyle company has established her as an innovative mind in business.

On this episode of Math & Magic Bob Pittman sat down with Martha for an intimate live recording at iHeartMedia HQ in front of 100 marketing, advertising, and branding executives. Celebrating her 100th book, Martha: The Cookbook: 100 Favorite Recipes, with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen, this conversation between friends covers the pivotal decisions in Martha’s career and unpacks the guiding philosophy that built an icon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ted Sarandos may be the co-C.E.O. of Netflix, but that doesn’t mean he skimps on reading—especially not when Robert Caro or Walter Isaacson’s names are on the cover. On this week’s bonus episode of Table for Two, the streaming tycoon joins host Bruce Bozzi and discusses the movie that most influenced him, his pet peeve, and the best advice he’s ever received.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although her father was director Roberto Rossellini and her mother was actress Ingrid Bergman, Isabella Rossellini had little desire to work in the film industry when she arrived in New York City at 19 years old. She was sure that fashion was her calling—and by her late 20s, a few years after studying costume design at Manhattan’s Finch College, she was appearing as a model in magazines such as Vogue and Interview. Not long after, Rossellini decided to join the family business: she was cast in her first American film in the early 1980s, before starring in David Lynch’s haunting 1986 thriller, "Blue Velvet." Over the last few decades, Rossellini has only further demonstrated the breadth of her talent, working as a producer and director while still modeling and acting, most recently in the papal drama "Conclave," in which she co-stars alongside Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, and John Lithgow. On this week’s episode of "Table for Two," the actress joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss her relationship to her parents’ work, how her style has changed with age, and why she went back to school in her mid-50s.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From "Blue Velvet" and "Death Becomes Her" to this year’s "Conclave," choosing a favorite Isabella Rossellini film is no easy task. But which film does she love most? Find out on this week’s bonus episode of "Table for Two," in which the actress joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss her go-to wine, her preferred Italian curse word, and the best advice she’s ever received.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.