Close Up with the Hollywood Reporter - Season 1

Season 1

Episodes

Drama Actresses
Six of the year's most buzzed about TV drama actresses, Jessica Lange, Lizzy Caplan, Viola Davis, Ruth Wilson, Taraji P. Henson and Maggie Gyllenhaal, debate the perils of typecasting and why nude scenes never get easier.

Drama Actors
Six of the television season's most eclectic actors - including Bob Odenkirk, Timothy Hutton, Justin Theroux, David Oyelowo, Clive Owen and Jon Voight - sound off on their script pet peeves and the power of career reinvention.

Comedy Actresses
Watch six of the most influential comedic actresses on TV - Lena Dunham, Amy Schumer, Gina Rodriguez, Kate McKinnon, Tracee Ellis Ross and Ellie Kemper - as they discuss the triumphs and tribulations of being a lead woman in the world of comedy.

Comedy Actors
Fred Armisen, Don Cheadle, Will Forte, Ricky Gervais, Thomas Middleditch and Jordan Peele explore the merits of comedy critics (consensus: no merit), where the funny really comes from, the mastery of Louis C.K. and their dream collaborators.

Drama Showrunners
Six of the executive producers behind the year's acclaimed TV dramas - Lee Daniels, Beau Willimon, Damon Lindelof, Alex Gansa, Michelle King and Sarah Treem - discuss issues with diversity on and off screen and the challenges of collaboration.

Comedy Showrunners
Six TV comedy showrunners - Alec Berg, Jill Soloway, Steve Levitan, Kenya Barris, Robert Carlock and Jay Duplass - discuss the balancing act between drama and funny and share their techniques for managing a writers' room.

Reality
Unscripted superstars Julie Chen, Mark Burnett, Nigel Lythgoe, Craig Piligian, Bertram Van Munster and Cat Deeley recount their most stressful show moments, dissect the state of reality TV and reveal their dream docuseries personalities.

Producers
The producers of this year's most provocative films - Scott Cooper, Ice Cube, Steve Golin, Simon Kinberg, Stacey Sher, and Christine Vachon - talk about what it takes to get a movie made.

Writers
Screenwriters Emma Donoghue, Nick Hornby, Meg LeFauve, Tom McCarthy, Amy Schumer, and Aaron Sorkin let us know what they would rewrite if they could, what their biggest mistake was, and if they use Twitter.

Directors
Six innovative directors - David O. Russell, Alejandro G. Inarritu, Quentin Tarantino, Danny Boyle, Tom Hooper, Ridley Scott - discuss filming in inclement weather, working with talent, and their regrets.

Actresses
Cate Blanchett, Jane Fonda, Brie Larson, Jennifer Lawrence, Helen Mirren, Carey Mulligan, Charlotte Rampling, and Kate Winslet let us know why they act, if they watch themselves on screen, and who they want to work with.

Actors
Michael Caine, Will Smith, Benicio Del Toro, Joel Edgerton, Samuel L. Jackson, and Mark Ruffalo dish on racism versus prejudice, the pain of realizing you're too old to play the love interest, and who has taught them the most.

Documentary Filmmakers
Documentary filmmakers Amy Berg, Kirby Dick, Liz Garbus, Alex Gibney, Michael Moore, and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi talk about avalanches, prickly trustees, and death threats.

Cinematographers
Robert Richardson, Mandy Walker, Danny Cohen, Alwin Kuchler, Masanobu Takayanagi, and Linus Sandgren elaborate on who taught them the most, their biggest mistakes, and how they really feel about their movies being watched on phones.
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