Interview

Production Designer

Oscar-Worthy Plastic Fantastic! “Barbie” Designers Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer Share Their Dreamhouse Secrets

*Ahead of the 96th Academy Awards, we’re re-posting our interview with Barbie production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer, both of whom are nominated for Oscars. Barbie has eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Performance by an Actress and Actor in a Supporting Role, America Ferrera and Ryan Gosling, respectively.

“It was trying to find a solution to what makes a toy,” says production designer Sarah Greenwood about creating the charmed sets of Barbie alongside set decorator Katie Spencer.

By Daron James  |  March 8, 2024

Interview

Hair/Makeup

Andes to Oscars: How Makeup Masters Turned “Society of the Snow” Actors Into Survivors

Director J.A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow, which recounts the experience of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes in 1972, is Spain’s Oscar entry for best international feature. But the film, which depicts the crash and subsequent survival of 16 out of 45 passengers in exquisitely painful detail, is also nominated in another category. The passengers break bones. They sustain face injuries. They starve. For their incredible work creating the visual reality of this suffering,

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  March 8, 2024

Interview

Director, Screenwriter

Christopher Nolan on Detonating Myths & Baring Humanity in “Oppenheimer”

*Ahead of the 96th Academy Awards, we’re re-posting our interview with Christopher Nolan. He’s nominated for three Oscars—Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. 

Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) stares wide-eyed into the pond spread out in front of him; his last conversation with Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) on the potential catalytic effects of the atomic bomb has rendered him speechless. The music swells as the screen fades to black — this is the final scene of Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-laden Oppenheimer,

By Andria Moore  |  March 8, 2024

Interview

Editor

Oscar-Nominated Editor Laurent Sénéchal’s High Wire Act in “Anatomy of a Fall”

After sweeping this awards season with trophies at the BAFTAs, France’s César Awards, Critics Choice, and the recent Spirit Awards, writer-director Justine Triet and co-writer Arthur Harari’s cerebral courtroom drama is headed for the home stretch, with five Academy Award nominations on the line. Anatomy of a Fall is a masterclass of filmmaking across the board, and that surely includes the surgical work done by editor Laurent Sénéchal (C’est ça l’amour,

By Su Fang Tham  |  March 7, 2024
Nicholas Hoult on Becoming the New Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s “Superman”

Nicholas Hoult has revealed a bit about what it was like to audition for James Gunn’s upcoming Superman, the first movie to be released by Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Studios.

Hoult initially auditioned for the role of Superman himself, becoming one of the last three actors on Gunn’s list, alongside Tom Brittney and David Corenswet. The role ultimately went to Corenswet, who will star alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.

By The Credits  |  March 6, 2024

Interview

Sound Designer

Double Oscar Nominee Richard King Unveils the Aural Secrets of “Oppenheimer” and “Maestro”

Richard King, one of Hollywood’s most successful sound designers, is known for creating increasingly complex aural environments that help achieve a director’s vision, giving the movie its own rhythm and texture. Over the past two decades, he’s won four Academy Awards. And at this year’s Oscars, he’s nominated for two more for his contributions to Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, an R-rated historical drama about the first atomic bomb,

By Craigh Barboza  |  March 6, 2024

Interview

Costume Designer

“Henry Sugar” Costume Designer Kasia Walicka Maimone on Weaving an Oscar-Worthy Story for Wes Anderson

When she was five years old, Kasia Walicka Maimone started making her own clothes. “Growing up in Poland, a lot of people had that skill,” she says. “My grandmother made clothes. My mother, a doctor, made clothes. And I did clothes for my musician friends without giving it a thought. I was like, ‘What’s the big deal?'”

As it turned out, Maimone’s talent for costuming became quite a big deal. After studying English in Warsaw,

By Hugh Hart  |  March 5, 2024

Interview

Editor

Architect of Arrakis: “Dune: Part Two” Editor Joe Walker on Forging a Ferocious Masterpiece

There’s a scene in Dune: Part Two where Chani (Zendaya) tells Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), “You’ll never lose me as long as you stay who you are.” Editor Joe Walker, who won an Academy Award for his work on Dune: Part One, allowed the foretelling moment to breathe. “There’s quite a pause after that line,” he shares with The Credits about the tragedy to come.  The chemistry between Paul and Chani was just one of several storylines in the second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune saga Walker navigated with ambition and care.

By Daron James  |  March 5, 2024

Interview

Director

“Spaceman” Director Johan Renck on Guiding Adam Sandler Through the Cosmos

The vast expanse and harsh conditions of space can impose solitude or offer a fresh perspective. As astronaut Jakub Prochazka (Adam Sandler) is nearing the climax of a six-month interplanetary investigation, he sails farther from the problems he left behind on Earth in director Johan Renck’s Spaceman. With four young children, Renck understands the forces that pull at a working parent – especially a career that requires long stretches of separation.

By Kelle Long  |  March 4, 2024
The Daily Planet Gets a New Boss: Wendell Pierce Joins James Gunn’s “Superman”

The beloved Wendell Pierce—the kind of actor who elevates every scene he’s in—will now be making a trip to Metropolis in James Gunn’s Superman, The Hollywood Reporter scoops. Pierce will be playing Perry White, the Editor-in-chief of “The Daily Planet,” the paper where Clark Kent (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) work.

Clark and Lois’s new boss will have all the gravitas necessary in Pierce,

By The Credits  |  March 4, 2024

Interview

Composer

Hans Zimmer on Unearthing New Sounds for “Dune: Part Two”

If you’ve seen any notable film in the past 40-something years, chances are you’ve heard Hans Zimmer’s work. 

From his two Academy awards (The Lion King in 1994 and Dune: Part One in 2021) to his three Golden Globes, four Grammys, a BAFTA, and various other accolades — his resume extends beyond any category, label or genre and becomes almost a style all on its own. 

By Andria Moore  |  March 4, 2024
Lights, Camera, Action (Plan): A Focus on the Filmmakers of Tomorrow at Berlinale

The 74th annual Berlin International Film Festival just drew to a close. Per tradition, the entertainment law firm Morrison & Foerster and the Motion Picture Association gathered some of the festival’s notable attendees for a topical annual panel discussion. This year, co-hosts Christiane Stuetzle, a partner at Morrison & Foerster, and Sabine Henssler, Vice President of Communications for the Motion Picture Association Europe, spoke to a diverse group of young actors and filmmakers for a discussion entitled Next Gen Rising Stars &

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  March 1, 2024
The Game Has Changed: Jared Leto Enters the Grid in First “Tron: Ares” Image

Jared Leto wants to know, are you ready? 

This is how the star of the upcoming Tron: Ares shared the first image from the film on Instagram, revealing Leto’s Ares, a computer program that makes the leap from the digital realm to the real world in order to make a groundbreaking, game-changing introduction—humanity, meet artificial intelligence.

Tron: Ares comes from director Joachim Rønning and includes stars Greta Lee,

By The Credits  |  March 1, 2024
James Gunn Reveals New Title For “Superman: Legacy” on First Day of Filming

Superman: Legacy has a leaner, meaner title.

James Gunn revealed on day one of filming that his new movie about the Man of Steel will now simply be called Superman. “When I finished the first draft of the script, I called the film Superman: Legacy. By the time I locked the final draft, it was clear the title was SUPERMAN. Making our way to you July 2025,” Gunn wrote in the caption.

By The Credits  |  March 1, 2024
“I Have a Very Particular Set of Jokes”: Liam Neeson Set to Star in New “Naked Gun” for Paramount

Naked Gun is ready for a reboot at Paramount, and a venerable action star known for playing ruthlessly efficient types is ready to become a bumbling detective prone to hilarious catastrophes.

The studio confirmed that the goofball police comedy that starred Leslie Nielsen as the absurdly incompetent detective Frank Drebin is getting rebooted, with none other than Liam Neeson set to play Frank Drebin Jr., is headed to theaters in 2025.

By The Credits  |  February 29, 2024
Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” one of Five Live Performances Set for Oscars

All five of the Oscar-nominated songs will be performed live at this year’s Academy Awards.

The Dolby Stage will not only be home to the 96th Oscars ceremony but will also serve as a major concert venue this Sunday, with Jon Batiste, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, Becky G, Scott George and the Osage Singers, and Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson will all perform their Oscar-nominated numbers.

By The Credits  |  February 29, 2024
First Trailer for “I Saw The TV Glow” Reveals Sundance’s Most Arresting Movie

The first trailer for Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow reveals the Sundance hit that defied easy categorization and yet mesmerized critics.

Schoenbrunn’s film follows two teenagers caught in that nightmarish unreality known colloquially as the suburbs. It’s the 1990s, and Owen (Justice Smith) is the type of kid who feels world-weary already, alienated by his shyness and sense that he’s not entirely himself. 

Yet Owen’s life changes when he meets a cool older girl named Maddy (Bridgett Lundy-Paine),

By The Credits  |  February 28, 2024
“Dune: Part Two” Set for a Sandworm-Sized Opening Weekend

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two is rumbling towards theaters this weekend with the thunderous power of a sandworm. The second part of Villeneuve’s possibly three-part epic (he’s currently working on the script for Part Three, which has yet to be confirmed, and would be based on “Dune Messiah,” Frank Herbert’s sequel to his original book) was delayed from releasing this past fall due to the actor’s strike. This has meant that with this weekend’s release,

By The Credits  |  February 28, 2024

Interview

Production Designer

“Drive-Away Dolls” Production Designer Yong Ok Lee on Transforming Pittsburgh Into the Whole East Coast

Ethan Coen’s solo directorial debut, Drive-Away Dolls, stars Margaret Qualley as Jamie, an unhindered Texan attached at the hip to her best friend and human hand-brake, Marian, played by Geraldine Viswanathan. The only trait these two twenty-somethings seemingly share is that they are both lesbians, but when an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee turns into a game of cat and mouse involving a couple of hired goons, Arliss (Joey Slotnick) and Flint (C.J.

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  February 28, 2024

Interview

“The Creator” Oscar-Nominated Sound Team on Blending Retro-Futurism, Robot Monks, & the Didgeridoo

The Creator‘s Oscar-nominated supervising sound editors, Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn, had a dream experience creating the soundscape for director Gareth Edwards‘ vision of a nightmarish future. The timing of the film couldn’t have been better—The Creator is set at a point in human history where there’s an outright war between humanity and artificial intelligence, a classic sci-fi set-up that felt alarmingly less fictive given the rapid expansion of AI in our real world.

By Bryan Abrams  |  February 27, 2024