In The Envelope: An Awards Podcast

Elle Fanning has been acting her entire life, growing up on screen in both indie darlings and mainstream blockbusters. In fact, it’s her imaginative inner child guiding her through both the biz and our ongoing coronavirus crisis today. Listen in for insights on how she stays in touch with creativity, brings such specificity to her characters, and acts in the moment. We also check in with Briana Rodriguez, Backstage’s editor in chief, for an exciting update on our virtual, community-driven opportunities! Since first appearing alongside her sister Dakota Fanning in “I Am Sam,” Elle has starred in “Super 8,” “Ginger & Rosa,” “20th Century Women,” “The Beguiled,” “Teen Spirit,” and as Princess Aurora in Disney’s “Maleficent” and its sequel. This year she appears in the Netflix film “All the Bright Places” and comes to TV as both executive producer and the leading role in Hulu’s new historical romp from Tony McNamara, “The Great,” as a young Catherine the Great. Backstage has been the #1 resource for actors and

Award-winning actor Jonathan Pryce has built a career of fascinating, varied characters, from his breakout in “Brazil,” the first of many collaborations with Terry Gilliam, to hits like “Evita,” “Tomorrow Never Dies,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and “Game of Thrones.” Born in Wales, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, and winning two Tonys and two Oliviers for his level of craftsmanship onstage, the legendary star is now nominated for his first Academy Award (finally!), recognizing his leading role as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio a.k.a. Pope Francis in Netflix’s “The Two Popes.” -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Listen and subscri

Billy Crudup has long been both a leading man and character actor of stage and screen, appearing on Broadway, with four Tony nominations and a win to his name, and films including “Almost Famous,” “Spotlight,” and “Jackie.” The native New Yorker studied communication at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, eventually developing a philosophy about performance valuing process over results. He’s currently nominated for a slew of accolades, and won a Critics’ Choice Award, for his fascinatingly zany work as a television executive on Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” created by Jay Carson and starring and produced by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. This episode is brought to you by HBO. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Chec

Joey King has been acting, and passionate about acting, since her first acting job: in a Life cereal commercial. At only age 20, she’s already been nominated for Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe Awards—all as the real-life Gypsy Rose Blanchard in Hulu’s limited series “The Act” opposite Patricia Arquette. She had her breakout leading role as Ramona Quimby in “Ramona and Beezus,” and has appeared in “Crazy Stupid Love,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Kissing Booth,” and much more—and given her knowledge of and commitment to her craft, she’s only getting started. This episode is brought to you by HBO. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Listen and subscribe to “In the Envelope” on: - iTunes: https:/

We have an extra special episode today! Kathy Connell has been the executive producer of the Screen Actors Guild Awards since founding it 26 years ago, and heads up national programming for SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood’s biggest guild. A former actor herself with plenty of craft and career advice, Kathy joins the podcast to talk about what went into creating an awards show exclusively for on-camera talent—and to remind working SAG-AFTRA members to vote for their favorite film and television performances in the SAG Awards, held Jan. 19! -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Listen and subscribe to “In the Envelope” on: - iTunes: https://apple.co/2rs0llz - Google Play: https://bit.ly/2DHkPwt - Spotify:

Paul Rudd has charmed and cracked up audiences in everything from his breakout in “Clueless” and “Wet Hot American Summer” to Judd Apatow’s comedy classics, “Friends,” “Role Models,” and much more. The Kansas City-born, theater-trained actor, screenwriter, producer, and philanthropist is probably best known as Scott Lang in Marvel’s “Ant Man” and its sequel, which he co-wrote. This year, in addition to box office champion “Avengers: Endgame,” Paul has landed a well-deserved a Golden Globe nomination for Netflix’s Timothy Greenberg comedy, “Living With Yourself,” in which he takes on the challenge of acting opposite a clone of himself. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Listen and subscribe

Capping off a year of terrific acting and looking ahead to an exciting awards season, we’re back with another discussion episode. Jack Smart and Benjamin Lindsay of Backstage’s editorial team break down this year’s Screen Actors Guild Award nominations and more: which individuals and ensembles made the cut, where we stand with both television and film awards races, and who were our favorite performers of 2019. Happy New Year! -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Listen and subscribe to “In the Envelope” on: - iTunes: https://apple.co/2rs0llz - Google Play: https://bit.ly/2DHkPwt - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QNmu6C - Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2DJv6bD - Overcast: https://bit.ly/2OJvWGk - SoundCl

A mastercraftsman of the stage and screen, Tony Shalhoub is the winner of two SAG Awards, a Golden Globe, four Tony Award nominations with one win for “The Band’s Visit,” and four Primetime Emmy Awards—one this year for his hilarious Abe Weissman in Amazon’s Amy Sherman-Palladino comedy “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Born in Michigan and educated at the Yale School of Drama, the American Repertory Theater, and on and off Broadway, Tony then broke out on screen in the sitcom “Wings,” procedural classic “Monk,” and dozens of hit films. Although he hesitates to give acting or life advice, what he does provide is pure listening gold. This episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime Original “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel." -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers wor

Da’Vine Joy Randolph is having a breakthrough moment playing an actor having a breakthrough moment. The Pennsylvania native and Yale School of Drama graduate portrays the real-life Lady Reed in Netflix’s film “Dolemite Is My Name,” directed by Craig Brewer and starring Eddie Murphy as blaxploitation comedian Rudy Ray Moore. Tony-nominated for “Ghost the Musical” and determined to work in theater, television, and film, Da’Vine objects to the notion that artists need to stay in their respective lanes: “What if I want the whole highway?” This episode is brought to you by Universal Pictures. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Listen and subscribe to “In the Envelope” on: - iTunes: https://apple

What is a character actor? Tim Blake Nelson, the supporting star of everything from “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” to “The Incredible Hulk” to the title role in “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” has specific advice on how to work consistently in Hollywood. The Oklahoma native and Juilliard alum also generates his own work a writer-director-producer, helming “The Grey Zone,” “Leaves of Grass,” “Anesthesia,” and “Socrates.” This year, Tim stars as the shiny-masked Looking Glass on Damon Lindelof’s adaptation of “Watchmen” on HBO, and makes memorable appearances in Amazon Studios’ “The Report” and Warner Brothers’ upcoming “Just Mercy.” -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Listen and subscribe to “I

Lucy Liu has become an award-winning artist and A-lister by nature of her attitude: she loves both the craft and career sides of acting. Born in Queens and schooled at the University of Michigan, Lucy took every theater job available to her—despite a dearth of Asian-American roles—until her breakout on the sitcom “Pearl.” She then earned an Emmy nomination for her work on “Ally McBeal,” and starred on the big screen in everything from “Charlie’s Angels” to “Kill Bill” to the SAG Award-winning “Chicago” to last year’s “Set It Up.” For the past seven years the actor-director has played Joan Watson on CBS’ Sherlock Holmes procedural “Elementary,” and can now be seen as the fabulously domineering Simone Grove in Marc Cherry’s CBS All Access drama “Why Women Kill.” -- 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 interviews with som

Taron Egerton was fresh out of drama school when he went through a rigorous audition process for the lead role in action comedy “Kingsman: The Secret Service”—a task the young actor relished, since he loves auditioning. Raised in Wales and bit by the acting bug as a teenager in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Taron trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before going on to play several real-life figures on the big screen, in “The Testament of Youth,” “Legend,” “Eddie the Eagle,” and this year’s “Rocketman,” the dazzling Paramount Pictures musical with Taron singing in flashy finery as a young Elton John. This episode is brought to you by Universal Pictures. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMry

We’re back for another deep dive into Hollywood’s awards races! Jack Smart and Kasey Howe of Backstage’s awards team highlight this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Emmy results, and performances to keep an eye on during this 2019–20 film and guild awards season. Who will emerge as frontrunners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globes, Academy Awards, and more...? -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ Listen and subscribe to “In the Envelope” on: - iTunes: https://apple.co/2rs0llz - Google Play: https://bit.ly/2DHkPwt - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QNmu6C - Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2DJv6bD - Overcast: https://bit.ly/2OJvWGk - SoundCloud: https://bit.ly/2jUpnnw Follow Backstag

Growing up in rural Illinois with dreams of launching an empire as a hairdresser, Jonathan Van Ness has achieved that goal and then some. He left the midwest for Los Angeles and broke into the online comedy world with the now Emmy-nominated Funny or Die web series “Gay of Thrones,” a recap of “Game of Thrones” filmed in his hair salon. He produces the interview podcast “Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness,” has dabbled in writing, stand-up comedy, ice skating, and gymanstics, all while experiencing the whirlwind rise to reality TV fame as the grooming expert on “Queer Eye,” Netflix’s award-winning reboot of “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” Looking for fabulous inspiration? Jonathan has advice for aspiring entertainers, content creators, and pretty much everyone. Brought to you by HBO. -- 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”

Award-winning triple threat, producer, and activist Laverne Cox has earned three guest actress Emmy nods for Jenji Kohan’s Netflix prison drama “Orange Is the New Black.” As the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy, the first openly trans woman to win a Daytime Emmy for her special “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word,” and broadcast TV’s first trans lead in CBS’ “Doubt,” Laverne has been blazing trails since her early days dancing in Mobile, Alabama and studying acting in New York City. She played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again,” and can be seen on “The Mindy Project,” “Dear White People,” and countless upcoming projects. Special thanks to Oriella St. Louis! -- 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 interviews with some of the most excit

Anna Chlumsky has received six consecutive supporting comedy actress Emmy nominations as Amy Brookheimer on HBO’s award-dominating political satire “Veep,” from Armando Iannucci, David Mandel, and producer-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Breaking into the industry as a child star in “My Girl,” Anna didn’t come around to the idea of pursuing acting passionately until after a much-needed hiatus at the University of Chicago and in the publishing industry. Then she was inspired by Mercedes Ruehl onstage and eventually began training, working off-off-Broadway, and appearing on camera again. Her number one piece of advice, in acting or in life: tell the truth. Brought to you by HBO. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://

Join us for another deep-dive episode of “In the Envelope,” this time with an eye on the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards! Jack Smart is joined by Backstage senior editor and fellow TV fanatic Elyse Roth for a dissection of all things 2019 Emmys: Which TV industry trends might affect the race? Which of our favorite series and performances deserve attention from the Television Academy? And which will 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ SUBSCRIBE and listen to In the Envelope on: - iTunes: https://apple.co/2rs0llz - Google Play: https://bit.ly/2DHkPwt - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QNmu6C - Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2DJv6bD - Overcast: https://bit.ly/2OJvWGk - SoundCloud: https://bit.ly/2jUpnnw

A fixture of late-night TV, specifically at the headquarters of NBC, Seth Meyers is the host of the acclaimed “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” With roots in Illinois, Michigan, and New Hampshire, Seth studied comedy in Chicago and Amsterdam before auditioning for “Saturday Night Live” in 2001, where he worked for 13 years as a performer, head writer, and “Weekend Update” host. Aspiring comedians, writers, hosts, and actors alike should not miss this interview—recorded in Seth’s “Late Night” offices on the eighth floor of 30 Rockefeller Center. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ SUBSCRIBE and listen to In the Envelope on: - iTunes: https://apple.co/2rs0llz - Google Play: https://bit.ly/2DHkPwt

A reigning member of TV royalty, Debra Messing is a leading comedy actress Primetime Emmy Award winner for NBC’s “Will and Grace.” Her performance as Grace Adler, from 1998 to 2006 and now in its revival since 2017, has also earned her Golden Globe, SAG, and other nominations aplenty. Known also for “Ned and Stacey,” “The Starter Wife,” “Smash,” “The Mysteries of Laura,” and her work in feature films and on New York stages, Debra has valuable advice for actors looking to advocate for themselves—as she has done from the very beginning of her fabulous career. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ SUBSCRIBE and listen to In the Envelope on: - iTunes: https://apple.co/2rs0llz - Google Play: https:

Heléne Yorke (pronounced “huh-LAY-nuh york”) is well known to Broadway audiences for “Bullets Over Broadway” and “American Psycho,” and is now cracking up TV audiences in her breakout TV role: as the aimless Brooke Dubek in Comedy Central’s “The Other Two,” from Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. She joins us to talk about her post-audition routines, living in the moment, and her hard-won ability to embrace the rejection and uncertainty in her profession. -- 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 interviews with some of the most exciting actors and storytellers working today. Check out more here: https://bit.ly/2OMryWQ SUBSCRIBE and listen to In the Envelope on: - iTunes: https://apple.co/2rs0llz - Google Play: https://bit.ly/2DHkPwt - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2QNmu6C - Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2DJv6bD - Overcast: https: