THE HOLLYWOOD PODCAST

Terrance Dwyer is an Emmy-winning re-recording mixer who’s helped define how some of the most iconic reality shows actually feel to watch. He’s been with Survivor since day one, mixing over 750 consecutive episodes and shaping the sound of everything from intense challenges to remote, cinematic environments. We’re now currently in the midst of the latest season of Survivor, the milestone 50th, which is releasing episodes weekly on CBS/Paramount+.

Beyond Survivor, his work spans major shows like Fear Factor and Wipeout—all places where sound plays a huge role in building tension, drama, and immersion.

John Magaro is an actor who’s built a really compelling career playing complex, deeply grounded characters across films and shows such as Past Lives, September 5, First Cow, The Umbrella Academy and The Agency.

He stars in the new film Omaha, which is a quietly powerful, incredibly restrained piece that tells the story of a father who takes his two children on a road trip across the US after their home is foreclosed. It is set to open in theaters this Friday, April 24.

Ava Lalezarzadeh is an actor who is part of the Tony-nominated play English. The play, written by Sanaz Toossi, is about four adult students in 2008 Iran studying for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam. The students struggle with the loss of their native language and identity, navigating the tension between their authentic selves and the identities they adopt while speaking English. After a critically applauded run on Broadway, the show is now enjoying a limited run in Los Angeles at The Wallis, sharing this story with West Coast audiences for the first time.

For decades, Amy Goodman has been the one asking the questions—challenging presidents, reporting from conflict zones, and building Democracy Now! into one of the most prominent independent news platforms in the world.

Now, in Steal This Story, Please!, she’s the subject.

The film comes from Oscar-nominated directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin, who go behind the scenes of Goodman’s work and the broader fight over who controls the narrative in American media—at a moment when trust in journalism, and the idea of truth itself, feels increasingly unstable.

I’m joined by filmmaker Marcie Hume, director of the new documentary Corey Feldman vs The World — a film more than a decade in the making.

With unusually intimate access to Corey Feldman, Marcie doesn’t set out to defend or prosecute him. Instead, she drops us inside his world — at home, on tour, in moments that are hilarious, surreal, uncomfortable, and sometimes unexpectedly serious.

Today, I’m joined by director Ricard Cusso and writer Elise Allen to talk about their upcoming animated feature The Pout-Pout Fish, based on the beloved children’s book series. The film follows an unlikely undersea duo — a prickly recluse named Mr. Fish and an exuberant sea dragon called Pip — who set off on an ocean-spanning quest to save their homes by finding a mythical wish-granting fish.

Ricard is one of Australia’s leading animation directors, known for films like Scarygirl and the Tales From Sanctuary City franchise, while Elise is an Emmy-nominated writer and bestselling author whose work spans everything from Princess Power to more than fifteen Barbie films.

Today on the podcast, I’m joined by the electrifying Aura Mayari — drag artist, actor, and breakout star from RuPaul's Drag Race. She’s currently lighting up the stage in Here Lies Love, the high-energy, disco-driven musical about the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, now playing at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles after its' celebrated Broadway run.

For our pre-Oscars episode, former Variety editor Jenelle Riley joins me to discuss our final predictions for Hollywood's biggest night.

Today’s guests took one of the most universal human gestures — a kiss — and made it feel entirely new.

Their Oscar-nominated live action short Two People Exchanging Saliva takes place in a dystopian world where kissing is punishable by death.

I’m joined by the filmmakers behind it, Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata.

Oscar-nominated film editor Olivier Bugge Coutté is a filmmaker whose work has quietly shaped some of the most emotionally resonant European films of the past decade. His previous films include Beginners, Oslo August 31st, The Worst Person in the World, and The Apprentice. His latest project, Sentimental Value, is what has earned him his first Oscar nomination in addition to 8 other nominations including Best Picture.