THE HOLLYWOOD PODCAST

Filmmaker Chris Marrs Piliero and actor/comedian Jermaine Fowler discuss their new film, Appofeniacs.Chris is an award-winning director whose work includes music videos for artists like The Black Keys, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande and Kesha, and Appofeniacs marks his feature directorial debut.Jermaine is an actor, comedian and writer you’ll know from projects like Sorry to Bother You, Coming 2 America, Judas and the Black Messiah and The Blackening. In Appofeniacs, he plays Cedrick, one of the characters caught up in the fallout from a series of deepfake videos that send things spiraling into chaos.

Gayle Rankin and Grant O’Rourke star in the wonderful new comedy The Incomer. The film follows siblings Isla and Sandy, who have spent decades living in isolation on a remote Scottish island — hunting seabirds, sharing stories of their ancestors, and defending their home from dreaded “incomers.” Gayle, who you may know from House of the Dragon and Glow, plays Isla, while Grant, best known for Outlander and Shetland, plays her brother Sandy. The Incomer premiered at Sundance earlier this year, where it won the NEXT Innovator Award, and is coming to theaters September 25th.

Writer and director Lena Khan is out with her latest film, Netflix’s Best of the Best, a new comedy-drama set in the world of competitive Indian dance, starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and produced by Hasan Minhaj. Lena has gone from directing her first feature, The Tiger Hunter, to Disney’s Flora & Ulysses, and has also directed episodes of shows including Never Have I Ever. Joya Kazi is a co-choreographer and culture consultant on the film, and even makes a cameo in the film. Joya started her own dance company at just 16 and has since performed and taught around the world, judged dance competitions and choreographed for projects including Netflix’s  Never Have I Ever.

Mena Massoud and Elijah Alexander join us to discuss their new film, Daniel and the Fiery Furnace. Mena is best known for starring as Aladdin in Disney’s live-action Aladdin, and here he plays Daniel — while also serving as a producer on the film. Elijah is best known for his work on The Chosen, and here he takes on the very different role of King Nebuchadnezzar. The film brings the story of Daniel and the fiery furnace to life on a large, epic scale, and it’s coming to theaters September 18.

Actor, producer and director Sadie Frost is out with her latest film Twiggy, a feature documentary about the life and career of Dame Lesley Lawson, better known to the world as Twiggy. The film explores her journey from a working-class childhood in north-west London to becoming one of the defining faces of the 1960s, while also looking at the many chapters of her career beyond modeling. Sadie previously directed the documentary Quant.