THE HOLLYWOOD PODCAST

In this episode, cinematographer Eric Koretz discusses his work on the final season of the popular Netflix drama series "Ozark" starring Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and Julia Garner. Eric shares how he joined the Ozark team during the final season and how he maintained the look and aesthetic of the series while also tailoring it to his own unique style of filmmaking. Additionally, Eric discusses his working collaboration with Jason, who was a director on one of the episodes he worked on, and what it meant for him personally to work on a show he's been a fan of for years.

Gigi Gaston is the director and writer of the new crime thriller 9 BULLETS. This film is about a former burlesque dancer turned author (Lena Headey) who discovers a second chance at life and redemption when she risks everything to rescue her young neighbor after he witnesses his parents murder. Now on the run from the local crime boss (Sam Worthington), who happens to be her longtime ex, she makes a desperate attempt to get the boy to safety.

Gigi discusses her real-life inspiration behind telling this story, films of the past with adult-child journeys that influenced her in telling this story, and what it was like working with a stellar cast that includes Headey, Worthington, Cam Gigandet, La La Anthony, and Barbara Hershey.

In this episode, Max chats with make-up artist of the new Showtime anthology drama series "The First Lady," Carol Rasheed. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, and Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, "The First Lady" tells the stories of these three First Ladies through personal & political lenses and the obstacles they confronted on their way to the White House. Carol discusses the photographic research she underwent in capturing authentic looks of Roosevelt, Ford and Obama as well as the increased difficult of working on the series during the pandemic. 

Carol also hints at her upcoming work in one of 2023's most anticipated musical films "The Color Purple" starring Fantasia Barrino, Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson, Corey Hawkins, Danielle Brooks, H.E.R., Ciara, Halle Bailey, Louis Gossett Jr., David Alan Grier, Aunjanue Ellis, Elizabeth Marvel, and Jon Batiste.

Carol's previous credits include Monster, 2 Fast 2 Furious, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, The Family That Preys, Footloose (2011), Prisoners, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Dirty Grandpa, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and All Eyez on Me.

In this week's episode, Max chats with Ireland-based actor Ryan McParland who stars in the new sci-fi action series HALO from the Microsoft video game franchise of the same name. HALO premiered on Paramount+ on March 24th.

In this episode, Ryan shares how he got involved in the project, what it was like working with show creators Kyle Killen and Steven Kane, and his process in developing his character which is new to the HALO world.

With the 94th Oscars just two days away, it's time to make final predictions for who will win on Hollywood's biggest night!

To help me out, I'm happy to have Anne Thompson of IndieWire join me. One of the top Oscars prognosticators in film journalism, Anne is the editor-at-large of IndieWire and the founder of the Thompson on Hollywood blog. She's previously written for entertainment publications such as Entertainment Weekly, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and the LA Weekly.

Newly-minted Oscar-nominated production designer Tamara Deverell (NIGHTMARE ALLEY) chats with Max on how she was first approached by acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro to work with him on this neo-noir psychological thriller based on the 1947 film and novel of the same name.

Tamara also shares the unique difficulty she faced in designing the sets in the midst of the COVID pandemic, where she went to research the traveling carnival show culture of the late 1930s/early 1940s and the locations she visited in Buffalo in creating a historically authentic atmosphere to the film. Lastly, Tamara shares her design process behind some of the most celebrated set designs in the film including the office of Lilith (played by Cate Blanchett) and the entire first half of the film set in the traveling carnival show of Clem (played by Willem Dafoe).

Lastly, Tamara also hints at her work in the upcoming Netflix anthology horror series CABINET OF CURIOSITIES where she'll be reuniting with del Toro.

The Tragedy of MacBeth production designer Stefan Dechant shares how he was approached by writer/director Joel Coen to work on this film, the time crunch he had in designing the sets as he was brought on just two months before shooting commenced, and his masterful collaboration with multi-Oscar nominated cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie, Inside Llewyn Davis, Darkest Hour) in creating the breathtaking shots, angles, and lighting that made his sets look epic in scale and scope.

Stefan also shares his reaction to receiving his first Oscar nomination of his career for Best Production Design for his work in this film. Stefan ends the interview by hinting at what we have to look forward to from his work in his next film, the Disney live-action remake, Pinocchio streaming on Disney+ this September. Pinocchio is directed by Robert Zemeckis and stars Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo and Luke Evans.

Stefan's other credits include Lady in the Water, Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, True Grit, The BFG, Kong: Skull Island, and Pacific Rim: Uprising.

Emmy-nominated songwriters Thomas Mizer and Curtis Moore are an accomplished composing and storytelling team whose work has appeared on stages and screens around the world. Most recently, they returned for another season as official songwriters for the Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — composing three new original songs (and a few other surprises) featured in the fourth year of the award-winning hit.

In this interview, Mizer and Moore share how they were approached by creator Amy Sherman-Palladino to work on Maisel, their creative collaboration with her, and the research they undertook to make their work sound like the music of the 1960s era in which the show is set in.

Production designer Michael Perry is starting the new year off with a bang with two big films: Texas Chainsaw Massacre now streaming on Netflix and I Want You Back now streaming on Amazon Prime.

In this interview, Michael discusses how he designed Leatherface’s gruesome return by building the fictitious town of Harlow, Texas in Bulgaria for Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He also shares how much he drew from the original film as inspiration for the look of this film and how his research process in nearby real towns in Texas played a role in his designing of Harlow. For I Want You Back, Michael shares how he drew inspiration from the old school rom-coms from the ‘90s and early 2000s to design a charming and nostalgic contemporary film that uplifts singles and couples alike.

His work can next be seen in The Georgetown Project, starring Russell Crowe, Sam Worthington, and Chloe Bailey. His work in this film is something that he's remarked as his greatest accomplishment yet in his decades-long career in production design.

Michael's previous credits include Promising Young Woman, Hell Fest, It Follows, and Under the Silver Lake. He was nominated for an Arts Directed Guild Award in 2021 for his work on Promising Young Woman and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination in 1994 for his work on The Stand.

In this episode, Max chats with costume designer Luis Sequeira on his visually dazzling work in the recent Guillermo del Toro-directed neo-noir psychological thriller Nightmare Alley, nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Luis is nominated for the Best Costume Design Oscar, his second nomination following his work in The Shape of Water, also directed by del Toro.

Luis shares how he was approached by del Toro to work on the film, what it was like collaborating with a creative visionary like del Toro, the contrasts in fashion sensibilities between the carnival segments and the upper-class Buffalo segments of the film, the research involved in studying the styles of the late 1930s/early 1940s, and his experience designing costumes for Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and Rooney Mara.

Luis's other credits include Love and Monsters, It - Chapter Two, The Christmas Chronicles, The Thing, and Mama.