In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast

Janelle Monáe has a simple explanation for how she became an eight-time Grammy nominated musician, activist, sci-fi writer, and an actor in buzzy awards films and the highly-anticipated “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” “I have clones,” Monáe says. “All of my clones go out, and they are representatives for the many things that I put my heart and my spirit into. Sometimes things don't go as plan...

Aubrey Plaza has played a Marvel mutant, a social media-obsessed cyber stalker, an underground credit card scammer, and Aaron Burr. Understandably, she’s a bit tired of all these characters getting painted with the same brush. “Soon I'm going to get into the world of prosthetics… where I change my nose and my hair so people can just completely forget that it's me,” she says. “I'm always surprised...

Jonathan Majors is a Netflix Western hero; the Big Bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; the most formidable opponent to sit across from Michael B. Jordan in the “Creed” series. He is, in other words, extremely cool. But one of the secrets to his success, he says, is how deeply uncool he can be about his craft. “It’s okay to care. That’s one of the things that really gets me about actors; about us...

Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke have nearly 200 acting credits combined, with four Oscar nominations and an Emmy win thrown in there, and yet neither actor had worked together until this year’s “Raymond & Ray.” For Rodrigo García’s small-scale black comedy, the two veteran actors found an instant on-set spark, the key to a great performance. “If you feel like somebody's not on your side on set, it's...

Ana de Armas is already well on her way to superstardom—but playing Marilyn Monroe in “Blonde” has put her right in the center of the cultural conversation, from awards chatter to the film’s controversial take on the life of an icon. For de Armas, however, the only thing that really matters is the next great role. “To me, all I'm doing is working,” she says. “The expectation of something changing,...

Returning to the “Star Wars” franchise in the Disney+ series “Andor” presented a morbid challenge for Diego Luna—portraying a character whose death he already played in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” But Luna found the process creatively invigorating, like finding new pockets in an old jacket. “It's like approaching a historical piece, when you know an event happened or a character existed,” the...

Xolo Maridueña is right on the edge of superstardom. The fifth season of his massively popular “Karate Kid” sequel series, “Cobra Kai,” crane-kicks its way on to Netflix on September 9th; after that, the young actor sets his sights on the debut of “Blue Beetle,” the DC Comics superhero movie that marks a massive leap forward in his career. All in all, you’d forgive him for being pretty excited—but...

Robin Thede makes it look easy. And as with most great comedians, that sense of effortlessness stems from decades of discipline, setbacks, and perseverance.  “My [training] was just being a student of all the different types [of comedy], and learning and being fascinated by, like: Holy shit, how do they come up with those jokes?” she says. “A lot of people think you’re just funny in your head, and...

You’d have to be fearless to thrive in the fiery ensemble of HBO’s hit drama ‘Succession,” which is probably why Matthew Macfadyen just earned his second Emmy nomination for doing just that. “[Actors] can always find something to blame,” he says. “But it's actually just fear of committing and jumping in and doing the scene; saying the words, and looking the other person in the eyes, and playing th...

Kaitlyn Dever credits the 2013 indie drama “Short Term 12,” in which she plays a troubled teen dealing with self-harm, as the project that completely altered the way she looked at her acting career. “It was really an incredible realization,” she says. “You can not only love acting and doing the job, but also being a part of something that has real impact.” Since then, the actor has made a habit of...

As an actor, learning any new accent seems daunting—but throw in regional dialects, tonality, and the performance itself, and it starts to feel impossible. Luckily, we’re here to help. “I basically say, learn the notes so that you can play the music,” says dialect and acting coach Denise Woods. “And acting is playing the music. But you got to know the notes. It frees you.” On this episode of “In t...

Jenny Slate always believed she’d be an actor. “It really does feel like the same type of belief like, ‘One day I'll fall in love,'” she says. “And you can't imagine the person's face, you can't exactly know how you'll get there but you really know there's a possibility, an option for it.” In this episode of “In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast,” Slate walks us through the highs and lows of her e...

Colman Domingo is that rare artist who moves seamlessly between theater, television, and film. But it only looks easy these days because he’s been a dedicated student of the acting trade for decades. “It all goes back to having respect for this craft,” he says. “And being a craftsman first. It's never been about fame. It's always been about respect.” In this episode of In the Envelope: The Actor’s...

Christina Ricci has been the face of on-screen oddballs and outsiders for the past 30 years—but her fight to keep playing those characters has been an uphill struggle. "I think we're at the point...generally as an audience, where we can find characters interesting that we don't see ourselves in, at all," Ricci says. "You don't have to see yourself in somebody to be fascinated, interested, or root...

Rupert Grint was unsure who he was as an actor and artist after the seven-film “Harry Potter” series came to an end. “I started realizing that somewhere along the line there was a huge sacrifice I'd made. I'd lost something,” he says. Then he remembered a piece of advice from fellow “Potter” alum, the late, great Alan Rickman: Go and do theater. “I think it's really important, when you've been fro...

Adam Scott is one of the funniest screen presences of the past decade. But the road to becoming the sitcom stand-out we know and love was anything but an overnight success. ""I had friends in school who I graduated with who, from the very start, said 'oh, no, I don't want to do this or that.' Kind of turning their nose up at certain things,” Scott says. “And I was always of the mind of, 'I'm going...

Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster are two of the biggest names in Broadway history, currently starring in one of the most beloved musicals ever, “The Music Man.” For the Tony nominated duo, keeping each performance fresh means ignoring their own icon status and focusing on the present. “Sometimes, it's easier to fall back on things you know work,” Jackman says. “It's a fine balance. At times you're l...

John Cena already knows what you’re thinking—he’s heard it in every audition and meeting for the past 25 years. “You can’t deny a first impression,” he says. “That’s why it’s been very difficult for me to try and seek out new levels of performance. You walk into a room, even if you’re in a suit, at 230 pounds everybody’s like: ‘Nope.’ You can only fit so many lanes.” In this episode of ""In the En...

Sebastian Stan still remembers the piece of acting school advice that fueled him through his early career all the way up to where he is today. “Bring the day with you to work, or to the audition, or to the meeting,” he says in this episode of “In the Envelope.” “You're on the subway, you're running late, you're trying to get to the audition, and then someone bumps into you and you spill coffee, an...

Joseph Gordon-Levitt really, really wants you to understand how little you need Hollywood to be an artist. “If you want to pursue a career, that’s great. Do, that too,” he says. “But don’t let that interfere with the real pursuit. The real pursuit is your creative pursuit, and it’s one that happens inside of yourself.” The Emmy-winning actor/creator digs deep into the artistic process in this epis...

"In the Envelope" returns to its awards season roots with a special episode devoted to the 94th Academy Awards. Host Vinnie Mancuso and Backstage Managing Editor Ben Lindsay break down their hopes, wishes, and predictions for this year's biggest categories. Can Jane Campion take home best director and best picture for "Power of the Dog?" Is "The Lost Daughter" the best film of 2021? Why was Nicola...

Troy Kotsur is a study in perseverance. The Arizona native spent years honing his craft on stage at the National Theatre of the Deaf and the Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles—all the while wondering if Hollywood could ever fully embrace a deaf actor. “It's almost like a hair in my beard, just this one hair, and that represents the opportunities that I was given,” he says. But that drive—or “stubbor...

Nicole Kidman has delivered decades of riveting work on stage and screen. The actor and producer takes Backstage behind the thoughts and emotions that have characterized her meteoric career, from losing herself in books as a child to understanding the sacrifices required of hardworking artists as an adult. Her advice to fellow creators is to stay in touch with “that young mind,” as she says. “Don’...

One of Hollywood’s most prolific figures working today, Reese Witherspoon has created unforgettable female characters onscreen—and offscreen, with her award-winning media company Hello Sunshine. From Tracy Flick to Elle Woods to Madeline Martha Mackenzie, few actors have as many household names in their body of work as Reese does. How does she approach such roles? “It’s almost like being an anthro...

How has Melanie Lynskey persevered in the entertainment biz and become one of its most compelling screen actors? Through a combination of hard work, passion for the craft, and learning—often the hard way—that originality trumps imitation. Rather than striving to deliver what the industry might want, she’s guided by a principle other working artists can live by: “There’s one me. As soon as I learne...