Ron Cephas Jones won a Emmy for his work on the hit series This Is Us. His latest series, Truth Be Told, just got picked up for a second season on Apple TV. In this episode, he takes us back to his early days at LAByrinth Theater in New York City, starring in Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Jesus Hopped The A Train, and explains how Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was directing, forever changed his approach to work. He also talks about the importance of collaboration for the actor, why the script never leaves him in the days leading up to production, […]

As previously announced, Filmmaker‘s Summer 2020 issue is being published as a PDF, and it’s now online and available for single-issue purchase. It’s our largest page-count ever (244 pages!), and our designers, Caspar Newbolt and Charlotte Gosch, tweaked the whole design to make it a beautiful and comfortable experience on both a tablet and a laptop in either portrait or landscape view. For the first time, we’ve also enabled the issue to be purchased individually as a PDF for $5.95, and you can do that by clicking here or on the button below using PayPal or your credit card. On […]

Eve Lindley enjoys puzzles, so you can imagine her delight at finding out that she was recently a crossword puzzle clue. The breakout star of AMC’s Dispatches From Elsewhere sat down with me (outside, with physical distancing, and following strict safety protocols) to talk about why she loves auditioning, her belief that “it’s all in the text,” how picking the brain of Jason Segel (creator and star of Dispatches) helped her find her character, and much more! Plus we get deep about hopes and hurts as we gaze at the New York City skyline. Back To One can be found […]

In the middle of the global pandemic and one of the worst economic downturns in a century, Maven Pictures’ Celine Rattray, a producer of Driveways, The Kindergarten Teacher and American Honey, had several projects interrupted. But in early April, a timely new project—in which the crew and cast could work remotely from their own homes—was suddenly greenlit. She spoke to a private equity investor who she believed would be a good fit for the film, budgeted at six figures, and the financier agreed to fully fund it during their phone call. “The deal closed in a couple days,” says Rattray. […]

Evil was one of the best new television series of the 2019-2020 season, a thoughtful consideration of a vast array of moral, spiritual and sociopolitical issues in the guise of a supernatural procedural. The show follows Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), a clinical psychologist with a complicated family life who teams up with David Acosta (Mike Colter), a haunted ex-journalist who works for the Catholic Church as an assessor; he investigates – then confirms or debunks – incidents involving miracles, demonic possessions, and the like. Series creators Robert and Michelle King (the husband and wife team responsible for The Good Wife […]

She’s barely in her twenties, yet Daisy Edgar-Jones has given us a 12-part acting technique masterclass in the form of her portrayal of Marianne in Hulu’s hit series Normal People.  Every state of emotion, every point of transformation is reached with striking authenticity, stemming from this complex character. It’s a timeless performance for the ages. In this episode, she breaks down some of that work, talks about her love of acting with accents, the importance of creative chemistry, how she manages her acting insecurities, and much more. Back To One can be found wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google […]

Filmmaker is an advertiser-supported publication, and we are grateful to our Summer issue advertisers for advertising in our current issue. Thanks to all the companies below, and please consider clicking on their links below and learning about their current products, projects and initiatives. FX Networks, AKA Jane Doe HBO, For Your Consideration SAGindie Newsletter Metropolitan Post Virginia Film Office Cherokee Nation (OSIYO TV) Fairleigh Dickenson University Vermont College of Fine Arts Columbia University School of the Arts Emerson College  LA Film School Johns Hopkins University Temple University Seven Seas (Rights Workshop) Warner Archive City of San Antonio

Few actors in recent memory have made a bigger impact with their very first performance in a television series. Paul Mescal’s assured and quietly masterful portrayal of Connell in Normal People feels like the work of a veteran. He talks extensively about the “chemistry reads” portion of his audition process, before and after connecting so brilliantly with his equally gifted co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones. He also goes into detail about the struggle filming one of the most talked-about and emotionally affecting scenes in the series. Plus he tells us why the “light and fun side” of all the attention on his […]