Despite popular film credits including the Harry Potter series and an Oscar-nominated turn in 2004’s ‘Vera Drake’, Imelda Staunton has never strayed far from the stage. She’s won four Olivier awards, most recently for her much acclaimed portrayal of Madame Rose in Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical ‘Gypsy’. Monocle 24’s Ben Rylan asks Staunton about her career highlights and the secrets of good stage acting.

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Known as the demon dog of American literature, Ellroy has won numerous awards for his Los Angeles Quartet novels, ‘The Black Dahlia’, ‘The Big Nowhere’, ‘LA Confidential’ and ‘White Jazz’. Now he has returned to LA with a new quartet; ‘This Storm’, the second novel in his latest series, was released earlier this year. He sits down with Augustin Macellari to talk corruption and collusion, the LA of his past, and why he writes.

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Sozzani, a luminary of the fashion industry, founded Milan’s 10 Corso Como in 1991. This union of culture and commerce – with photography, fashion, design, music and cuisine under one roof – marked the beginning of a new concept experience: slow shopping. Sozzani talks to Monocle’s Sophie Grove about growing up with art, beauty and design and why getting fired from *Elle* was a good thing.

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Jared Diamond’s 1997 book ‘Guns, Germs And Steel’ is one of the most influential non-fiction books of our time. It won a Pulitzer prize and influenced presidents and prime ministers. His latest book, ‘Upheaval: How Nations Cope With Crisis and Change’, takes a similarly sweeping view of history. The bestselling historian talks to Andrew Mueller about how nations recover from crisis and why the UK might currently find itself in a bigger crisis than the US.

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The Chilean writer-director has made critically acclaimed films such as ‘Disobedience’ and ‘A Fantastic Woman’ (the latter won best foreign language film at the Academy awards in 2018). His latest film is ‘Gloria Bell’, a remake of his 2013 breakthrough film ‘Gloria’. He tells us about the power of cinema, working with Julianne Moore and the importance of a good soundtrack.

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The legendary sitcom ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ became one of the UK’s most successful international productions. While Hyacinth Bucket is certainly Routledge’s most famous role, it’s just one of the 90-year-old actor’s many achievements in a career that’s spanned nearly 70 years. In conversation with Ben Rylan, she talks about her love for the stage and being grateful to Hyacinth.

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Architect Sir Terry Farrell’s postmodern pastiche of styles include the MI6 building and the Breakfast Television Centre in London. His six-decade career has veered from masterplanning city blocks to building train stations in China. He talks to Josh Fehnert about his life before architecture, the buildings he remembers most fondly and living in a former Spitfire factory.

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The acclaimed American writer’s short stories first appeared in ‘The Paris Review’, ‘The New Yorker’, ‘Granta’ and others. She went on to publish her first novella ‘McGlue’ in 2014 and won the PEN/Hemingway Award for her second novel, ‘Eileen’. Her writing is whip-smart and bleakly funny. In conversation with Monocle’s Chloë Ashby she talks about her third novel 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation', New York in the early 2000s, and why she writes.

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The author is the niece of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and part of the Pakistani political dynasty. In her memoir ‘Songs of Blood and Sword’, she tells the story of a turbulent and tragic family history. Her latest book, ‘The Runaways’, is a story about radicalism, belonging and muslim identity. She talks to Georgina Godwin about growing up in exile, Islamophobia and K-pop.

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As the principal dancer of the Royal Ballet in London, Tamara Rojo has played all the main parts in the ballet canon. Yet it is as artistic director of the English National Ballet that she has made the most impact on the world of dance. Monocle’s Chiara Rimella sat down with her to discuss everything from Brexit and its effect on the arts to the need for different voices in front – and behind – the curtain and why staging ‘The Nutcracker’ still matters.