The Empire Film Podcast

On another bumper edition of the Empire Podcast, Paddington 2 co-writer and one of BBC's Ghosts, Simon Farnaby, tells Chris Hewitt all about his debut as a children's author, The Wizard In My Shed, while also branching out is David Morrissey, who has launched his very own podcast, Who Am I This Time?, in which he discusses key roles with actors like Alan Cumming, Liz Carr, and David Harewood. Chri...

In this very special edition of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara and Amon Warmann are joined by Sam Clements, host of Picturehouse Cinemas' The Love Of Cinema podcast, for an in-depth discussion of the career of the great Chadwick Boseman, whose untimely death in August left behind an indelible cinematic legacy. In this episode, the podteam pay a heartfelt tribute to a truly great ac...

We hope you like Henrys, because this week's Empire Podcast brings you not one, but two actors of that name. Hooray! First there's Henry Cavill, who tells Chris Hewitt all about becoming Sherlock Holmes for the fun Netflix caper Enola Holmes, and they talk about some other stuff as well (but not, probably, the stuff you'd expect us to ask him about... oops!). And then, just for good measure, anoth...

The first thing you should know about this week's episode of the Empire Podcast is that we talk about Rocks on it. And Rocks rocks. The second thing you should know is that Chris Hewitt talks to Sarah Gavron and Bukky Bakray, the director and star of that movie, which is one of the best British films in yonks. And the third thing you should know is that that interview is a lot of fun. The fourth t...

In what is sure to be The Bee Gees' favourite episode of the Empire Podcast, it's Ewan again as Chris Hewitt has a chat with Ewan McGregor about returning to the small screen with Long Way Up, in which McGregor reteams with Charley Boorman for another epic motorbike odyssey. Ewan also talks about his penchant for reflective roles of late, including the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series, and d...

We're not usually happy to see another podcast enter this increasingly crowded market, but we'll make an exception for Alan Partridge. This week sees the launch of the first Partridgecast, an Audible Original series entitled Alan Partridge: From The Oasthouse, and to mark the occasion, Chris Hewitt has a very special Zoom audience with the man who is Alan, Steve Coogan. Needless to say, you'll hav...

Bona fide Hollywood legend Annette Bening steps into our custom-built virtual podbooth this week, telling Chris Hewitt all about her new film, Hope Gap. The duo also talk about dancing, Dick Van Dyke, and being pulled over by the accent police. Chris also talks to Amy Seimetz, the talented writer/director of the pitch-black comedy-horror, She Dies Tomorrow, about recruiting her cast, Twitter, and...

This week's Empire Podcast sees two genre directors step into our Interviewtrona3000 for a Paxman-like grilling from Chris Hewitt. First, Mortal director André Øvredal (as in, he's the director of Mortal; he's also mortal, we reckon, but that's irrelevant) talks Norse mythology, Stephen King and Draclier with Chris. And then actor/director Jay Baruchel talks about his blood-soaked meta-horror Rand...

This week's regular Empire Podcast featured two interviews that were just too darn long, and just too much darn interview, to fit into the show. So we decided to bring you them both as specials this weekend. First up is an extended interview with Josh Lucas, the star of The Secret: Dare To Dream, which is now available to rent on PVOD. Here, he and Chris Hewitt talk about that movie, and how its p...

The second of our too-long-for-the-regular-Empire-Podcast interviews this week sees Joe and Anthony Russo, the brothers who directed four MCU movies we may have talked about on the podcast from time to time, drop by the virtual podbooth for an extended chat with Chris Hewitt. They begin by talking about their new lockdown venture, the Russo Bros. Pizza Film School, all episodes of which are availa...

This week's episode of the Empire Podcast sees our old chums, and directors of the biggest movie of all time, Joe and Anthony Russo, drop by for a slice of metaphorical pizza as they discuss their impromptu film show, The Russo Brothers Pizza Film School, with Chris Hewitt. Chris also has a lovely chat with Josh Lucas, star of The Secret: Dare To Dream, who talks candidly about his career, and how...

Another bumper, jam-packed edition of the Empire Podcast this week, as Chris Hewitt talks improv and R.E.M. with Endings, Beginnings star, Shailene Woodley, and discusses much with An American Pickle star/producer Seth Rogen, including a simple question: why do things always go south, and never north? Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, James Dyer, and Amon Warmann for...

One of our favourite actors and people, Gemma Arterton, is our guest on the Empire Podcast this week, talking with Chris Hewitt about her new movie, Summerland; how she never fully understands her characters; and her great new working relationship with Summerland writer/director, Jessica Swale, which now has both of them around a virtual keyboard, beavering away on a new script. That's from 31:33....

At the heart of this week's Empire Podcast is an extended interview with the legendary Sir Patrick Stewart, who talks to Chris Hewitt about Shakespeare, sonnets, stage fright, and the worst birthday he's ever had. They also talk about Patrick's new movie, Life With Music, in which he plays a concert pianist, and Patrick delves into his past for a spot of old Yorkshire dialect that has to be heard...

This week's Empire Podcast sees the debut of the very last interview we recorded before we locked down, as Chris Hewitt chats with Radioactive star Sam Riley about playing Pierre Curie, being a cad for Ben Wheatley, some of his notable screen deaths, and how Empire got Sam into trouble at school. It's a fun interview — but be warned, spoilers abound for Radioactive. (See also: the internet) Then,...

While we wouldn't normally do a spoiler special for a video game, The Last Of Us Part II is no ordinary game. Therefore James Dyer, Nick de Semlyen and Amon Warmann all got together to chat about the game's major plot points and indulge in a little group therapy to help get over the trauma of actually playing it. We also invited the game's director, Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, to share his views...

It's finally here — the last part of the epic trilogy of podcasts that wasn't meant to be a trilogy, but we got carried away and now have to pretend that we meant it as a trilogy all along a la Scream and The Matrix. Anyway, in this episode, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis argue the toss over the reader/listener-voted list of the 50 Greatest Movie Heroes Of All Time, as se...

Mr. Sandman, bring us a dream! James McAvoy is the guest on this week's latest lockdown episode of the Empire Podcast, having a good old natter with Chris Hewitt about McAvoy's latest project, the Audible adaptation of Neil Gaiman's legendary comic book series, The Sandman, in which McAvoy plays Morpheus, lord of dreams. They also chat about McAvoy's geekdom, his Stephen King experience on It Chap...

Can we offer you a libation to celebrate the closing of our shared narrative? That, sadly, is not what Dan Jolin nor Chris Hewitt said to the great Werner Herzog when they chatted to him for this episode. Chickens. Yes, the legendary German director, owner of the most distinctive voice in movies, is our third and final guest this week, and in the second part of the pod he is as delightfully Werner...

This week's lockdown episode of the Empire Podcast is once again so jam-packed with chatty goodness that we've split it into two parts. This is not the new normal, folks — we promise. Just something that will happen from time to time. Anyway, this half sees two of our favourite guests return for another bite at the pod-cherry, as Chris Hewitt talks to Simon Pegg about make-up, mental health and Pe...

In the second (and final...?) part of the podteam's countdown of the 50 Greatest Movie Heroes Of All Time, the magazine feature voted for by you, the listeners and readers of Empire, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis argue (and argue, and argue) the toss over the top 25. We won't give too many of the heroes' identities away, but let's just say that if you're a fan of impossi...

This week's Empire Podcast (once again brought to you in lockdown) sees two acting powerhouses have a chat about their craft. First, Chris Hewitt talks to Delroy Lindo about his incredible performance in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, and then Terri White grills Maxine Peake mercilessly about playing the title role in Fanny Lye Deliver'd. Then, in the virtual podbooth, Chris is joined by Helen O'Hara, J...

It is a time for heroes. Or, more accurately, discussion of heroes. And we're happy to oblige. In this special edition of the Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and Ben Travis gather (remotely, of course, because they're heroes) to go through the first half of the brand new, reader/listener-voted list of the 50 Greatest Movie Heroes Of All Time, as seen in the latest issue o...

In this week's bumper-sized (so much so, in fact, we're wondering if we should have split it into two parts like last week) Empire Podcast, Chris Hewitt chats to Armando Iannucci, the co-writer/director of The Personal History Of David Copperfield about discovering optimism, and how hard it is to write comedy in the middle of a pandemic. And John Nugent talks to Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the latter...

On the second part of this week's podcast, you'll find the podteam — Chris Hewitt, Helen O'Hara, Amon Warmann, and James Dyer — discussing the week's movie news, plugging the heck out of the latest issue of Empire magazine, celebrating our cinemas in the, erm, Celebrate Our Cinemas section, and reviewing Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, Judd Apatow's The King Of Staten Island, and Kenneth Branagh's Artemi...