In The Envelope: An Awards Podcast

Evan Rachel Wood began working in theater before becoming a child star on screen, with a Golden Globe-nominated breakout in “Thirteen.” Starring in films ranging from “Across the Universe” to “The Wrestler,” and TV series including “Mildred Pierce,” Evan has now taken the lead in Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s hit sci-fi-western-thriller “Westworld” on HBO. Her multilayered performance as the awakened android Dolores Abernathy, which in Season 1 earned her recognition from the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Emmy Awards, comes from embracing the unknown amid the show’s signature twists and turns. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/

At only age 13, Noah Schnapp has already voiced Charlie Brown in “The Peanuts Movie,” worked with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg on “Bridge of Spies,” and, of course, starred in one of today’s biggest pop culture phenomenons: Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” Season 2 of the Duffer brothers’ supernatural ’80s thriller featured Noah’s haunted Will Byers front and center, launching the SAG Award-winning actor into the spotlight—all while juggling self-taped auditions and homework. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/backstage Facebook: facebook.com/backstage Instagram: instagram.com/backstagec

Although well-known in the Broadway community for years of stage work—recently as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” and for his Tony-nominated performances in “The Color Purple” and “Shuffle Along”—Brandon Victor Dixon became a breakout star in front of a much larger audience this Easter as Judas in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” on NBC. Brandon also created WalkRunFly Productions, making him a Tony-winning producer, as well as an ideal interviewee on this podcast. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/backstage Facebook: facebook.com/backstage Instagra

Pamela Adlon is an actor, producer, director, and screenwriter, and on her autobiographically inspired FX series “Better Things,” she does all that things and more, last year picking up the Emmy nomination for leading actress in a comedy. Known also for her work in “Californication,” Pamela is a six-time Emmy nominee and one-time winner for voiceover performance on the animated hit “King of the Hill.” And whether it’s on camera or in the recording studio, she’s as brilliant as she is hilarious. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/backstage Facebook: facebook.com/backstage Instagram: ins

One of the most beloved presences on and off the small screen for almost 50 years, Henry Winkler is a director, producer, and bestselling author as much as he is a performer. After achieving ubiquity thanks to “Happy Days,” where he for years he played “The Fonz,” the coolest guy on TV, Winkler had to reinvent himself, working hard to identify exactly what he wanted in Hollywood. He’s collaborated with the likes of Adam Sandler, Mitch Horowitz, and now, on HBO’s dark comedy “Barry,” with co-creators Alec Berg and Bill Hader. He stars opposite Hader as Gene Cousineau, a revered and borderline-fraudulent acting teacher—the perfect role for a comedic genius with decades of insight into this industry. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards con

Gina Rodriguez is an actor, producer, and director, best known for her astonishing work as the titular role in The CW’s “Jane the Virgin.” Jennie Snyder Urman’s telenovela-inspired romantic roller coaster, one of today’s only series featuring a Latina lead, won Rodriguez a Golden Globe Award for best actress in a TV comedy. She’s also known for her film work in “Filly Brown” and “Annihilation,” her activism and philanthropy, and her aptly named company, I Can and I Will Productions. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/backstage Facebook: facebook.com/backstage Instagram: instagram.com/b

DeWanda Wise plays the singular Nola Darling in the Netflix hit “She’s Gotta Have It,” adapted for episodic TV by the one and only Spike Lee, whose 1986 film about this sexually woke Brooklynite artist put him on the map as a filmmaker. But Wise, whose approach to art combines studiousness with something more spiritual, wasn’t intimidated during her audition for the part; as she proved to Lee, she can more than roll with the punches. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/backstage Facebook: facebook.com/backstage Instagram: instagram.com/backstagecast YouTube: youtube.com/user/backstageca

Kicking off our season of Emmy Award contenders are the leads of network TV’s biggest drama: Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia! When they first auditioned for Dan Fogelman’s “This Is Us,” neither could have predicted that the series would have millions reaching for their tissue boxes weekly. Two heart-tugging seasons in as Rebecca and Jack Pearson, Moore and Ventimiglia have worked to establish a real family—both onscreen and off. The SAG Award-winning actors each joined Backstage to chat about how to create a respectful environment on set, ground emotions fully in the moment, and navigate the biz. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.c

Denise Gough is one of the most exciting up-and-comers working on London and New York stages today. After a sensational breakout performance in Duncan MacMillan’s “People, Places & Things,” the Irish actress booked the role of Harper in the National Theatre’s timely revival of Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America” directed by Marianne Elliott. She earned Laurence Olivier Awards for both shows—now with a Tony nomination for the record-breaking Broadway transfer of “Angels,” will she follow that up with another big win...? For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/backstage Facebook: facebook.com/

Star of the Tony-nominated Broadway revival of “Once on This Island” and emerging LGBTQ pop icon Alex Newell joins Backstage to discuss music and acting, longevity and survival, and gratitude and humility. Newell got his start with a video audition for “The Glee Project,” winding up with both a recording contract and a recurring role on Ryan Murphy’s “Glee” as one of the first trans characters on network TV. Despite being ridiculously young for such success and such talent, Newell is also, as this fabulous interview suggests, wise beyond his years. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/ba

Tony Awards season is upon us! Theater’s highest honors will be handed out June 10, so Backstage has invited onto the podcast some of this Broadway season’s most exciting performers. Up first is Lindsay Mendez, Tony-nominated for her irresistible Carrie Pipperidge in the current revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” directed by Jack O’Brien. Along with her versatility as an actor and sensational singing voice, Mendez co-owns and runs Actor Therapy, a musical theater master-class series in New York—making her a fountain of actorly wisdom.

Few actors’ résumés offer as much variety as Willem Dafoe, an on-screen presence who seems unclassifiable—it’s simply not enough to dub him “chameleonic” or “versatile.” Just look at his three Academy Award nominations, a triptych of deeply felt acting: 1986’s “Platoon,” 2000’s “Shadow of a Vampire,” and now this year’s “The Florida Project” from A24. Written and directed by Sean Baker, the critical darling stars Dafoe as the manager of a rundown motel in Florida, just out of reach of Walt Disney World. On this final leg of the 2018 Oscars race, we are thrilled to welcome a true cinematic legend to the podcast. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twit

Betty Gabriel is the brilliant star of Universal Pictures’ “Get Out,” the comedy-horror-satire hit from the now Academy Award-nominee Jordan Peele. As the mysterious maid Georgina, she blew audiences away with one particularly disturbing scene involving her repeating the word “no”—and established for the former delivery worker her big break as an actor. The game-changing “Get Out” has won its fair share of accolades throughout this film awards season, and is up for four Oscars, including Best Picture. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/backstage Facebook: facebook.com/backstage Instagr

Although you are likely aware of Gary Oldman, you may not appreciate his astonishing range. His habit of disappearing completely into onscreen roles is evident in everything from the “Harry Potter” and “Dark Knight” film franchises, to his Oscar-nominated performance in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” to villainous turns in “Léon: The Professional,” “The Fifth Element,” and “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Now he’s winning awards for bringing to life Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Focus Features’ “Darkest Hour,” Joe Wright’s WWII thriller. Listen in for his advice on process, accent work, and recovering from rejection. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Tw

Before last summer, Kumail Nanjiani was best known as the hilarious Dinesh on HBO’s “Silicon Valley.” But then his autobiographical comedy feature, Amazon’s “The Big Sick,” became a commercial and critical smash. Co-written alongside his wife Emily Gordon and retelling the story of her medically induced coma amid their early courtship, “The Big Sick” stars Kumail as an earlier version of himself—a struggling comedian from an overbearing Pakistani family—and somehow blends elements of cultural and generational conflict, hospital drama, and romantic comedy. Kumail joins Backstage to discuss his writing process and the role entertainment plays in today’s political climate. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check

In addition to being one of the industry’s most powerful and prolific actors, Patrick Stewart has a voice of pure gold. Listen to the Olivier-, Emmy-, Golden Globe-, and SAG Award-nominated knight, best known for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the “X-Men” film franchise—including last year’s 20th Century Fox awards contender “Logan”—chat about audition advice, giving characters life, and the similarities between the Royal Shakespeare Company and science fiction. We are honored to welcome the one and only Sir Patrick Stewart. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitter.com/backstage Facebook:

All of Tatiana Maslany’s creativity comes from leaning into the unlikeliest or most challenging of circumstances and simply responding, “Yes.” The 2016 Emmy winner for BBC America’s sci-fi thriller “Orphan Black,” in which she portrays around a dozen different clones, often acting and reacting opposite herself, rises to every challenge by turning fear and uncertainty into inspiration. After this summer’s series finale, Tatiana is in high demand; she stars opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions feature “Stronger,” David Gordon Green’s Boston Marathon bombing biopic. Listen to the actor’s thoughts on nerdiness, taking classes, and roller skating to auditions. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders worki

Whether you know James Franco from his comedic collaborations with Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow, his Oscar-nominated work in “127 Hours,” or even his poems and paintings, chances are your impression is only a piece of the overall puzzle of his artistry. The multi-hyphenate has zipped from Broadway to the director’s chair to the classroom, and it wasn’t until recently he slowed down to focus on a select few current projects: HBO’s 1970s New York drama “The Deuce,” and A24’s “The Disaster Artist,” directed by and starring James as eccentric auteur Tommy Wiseau of “The Room,” one of the most notoriously bad films in Hollywood history. In the midst a promising awards season, James gives us a glimpse at his artistic process and his mind-blowing work ethic. Brought to you by A24’s “The Disaster Artist,” in theaters December 8. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the E

For some, the acting profession is a calling that can’t be avoided. Keala Settle, beloved Broadway star of “Waitress,” “Les Misérables,” and her Tony Award-nominated “Hands on a Hardbody,” is one such performer; ever since a fortuitous road trip to a “Hairspray” tour’s open call, her stunning voice and magnetic presence have illuminated a series of intricately soulful stage roles. Now with a big-screen breakthrough as the Bearded Lady in 20th Century Fox’s upcoming “The Greatest Showman,” a movie musical starring Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum, Keala is about to win over film audiences as well. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/In

There’s a reason Allison Janney has more acting statuettes than she knows what to do with. The seven-time Emmy winner—for “The West Wing,” “Masters of Sex,” and CBS’ current hit comedy “Mom”—possesses a natural intelligence, curiosity, and wicked sense of humor that have lent themselves to a staggering variety of stage and screen roles. Her astonishing career now includes an Oscar-contending performance in Neon’s “I, Tonya,” the Craig Gillespie- and Steven Rogers-helmed biopic in which she plays Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding’s eccentric mother LaVona. For over 50 years, Backstage has been the most trusted place for actors to find jobs and career advice, and for casting professionals to find the right performers for their projects. “In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast” features intimate, inspirational interviews with some of the most exciting actors and awards contenders working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ In the Envelope Twitter: twitter.com/InTheEnvelope Backstage Twitter: twitt