The Envelope

In this week's episode of The Envelope video podcast, "Lessons in Chemistry" star Aja Naomi King opens up about overcoming her fears about launching a career as an actor and Michelle King and Jonathan Tolins take us inside their popular new procedural, "Elsbeth." 

In the Emmy-season premiere of The Envelope video podcast, we sit down with Maya Erskine, star of Amazon Prime Video's acclaimed reimagination of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," and Viet Thanh Nguyen and Don McKellar, who brought Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Sympathizer" to life on HBO. 

Oscar-nominated songwriters Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell sat with Mark Olsen to talk about 'What Was I Made For?' from 'Barbie' and how they approach writing songs.

The Oscar-nominated America Ferrara talks to Yvonne Villarreal about how "Barbie" has changed her life and what it's like experiencing all the accolades at this stage of her career. And Mark Olsen sits down with Nadia Stacey, Oscar-nominated for hair and makeup for "Poor Things," to talk about working with Emma Stone for a third time.

Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto talks about working with Martin Scorsese on "Killers of the Flower Moon" and  going from that project right to "Barbie." Songwriter Diane Warren chats about her Oscar-nominated song "The Fire Inside" and what it means to her to receive a 15th nomination. Finally, writer-director Justine Triet discusses her film "Anatomy of a Fall."

The writer/director talks to Shawn Finnie about the making of her epic film. Also, Yvonne Villarreal gets intimate with 'The Holdovers' Da'Vine Joy Randolph.

The actress discusses her leap to a leading role with Mark Olsen: Also, costume designer Francine Jamison-Tanchuck talks to Shawn Finnie about her long "Color Purple" journey.

Director Kemp Powers and actor Jeffrey Wright talk superheroes and satire with our Envelope hosts Shawn Finnie and Yvonne Villarreal.

A new season of the Envelope kicks off at the cusp of awards season, as hosts Mark Olson, Yvonne Villarreal and Shawn Finnie reveal their favorite 2023 actors, writers, directors and films.

‘Succession,’ which earned a whopping 27 Emmy nominations for its final season, has captivated audiences with its complex, uber-wealthy characters. For director Mark Mylod, telling stories about family and social class is a reccuring theme — His credits include ‘Shameless’ and ‘The Menu’ — with surprisingly personal roots.In this episode of The Envelope podcast, Mylod opens up about his fascination with this topic, takes us behind the scenes of the pivotal ‘Connor’s Wedding’ episode, and shares how he pushed through his comfort zone to take on more creative risks.

Bravo producer Alex Baskin and star-turned-producer Lisa Vanderpump. They candidly delve into the juicy details behind the show’s scandals, a forthcoming spinoff featuring familiar personas and their perspective on the burgeoning calls for reality show residuals. Plus, their response to awards recognition — and whether any “Housewives” counterparts had anything to say. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

As today’s screenwriters and actors grapple with financial challenges in a rapidly changing showbiz landscape, combined strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA have brought Hollywood to a standstill. Productions are stalled, press tours canceled, and the 2023 Emmys postponed. The economic impact is expected to far surpass that of the last writers’ strike, which cost the L.A. economy more than 2 billion dollars. On this episode of “The Envelope,” hosts Yvonne Villarreal and Mark Olsen discuss the issues underlying this historic strike, pay disparities in streaming, and concerns over the rise of AI with L.A. Times film reporter Josh Rottenberg and actor Sarah Ramos — a member of the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

On the occasion of scoring double Emmy nominations this year for her performances in "Yellowjackets" and "The Last of Us," Mark and Yvonne revisit a favorite conversation with Melanie Lynskey. Since her 1994 debut in “Heavenly Creatures,” Melanie Lynskey has been acting steadily while “flying comfortably right under the radar.” Now, for her electric role on “Yellowjackets,” Lynskey has earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding lead actress in a drama series — and a whole new level of fame. In this episode of “The Envelope” podcast, she dishes on feeling more empowered and less underestimated as of late, arriving at a place of self-love after struggling with an eating disorder, and why roles of women who take up a lot of space appeal to her. Oh, and there’s also a delightful story about a Nick Cave concert, a charming Drew Barrymore impression, and a brief visit from a very special guest. To read a full transcript of this interview, please visit the episode page at latimes.com.

Jessica Williams is no stranger to tackling complicated issues with humor. From being the youngest and first Black woman correspondent on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” to now starring opposite Jason Segel and Harrison Ford on the AppleTV+ show “Shrinking,” Williams uses her improv skills and authenticity not only to entertain but also to hit on deep truths. “Grief settles in and it just changes you,” she says. “It doesn’t leave. It just makes a home in your body.”In this episode of “The Envelope,” Williams reflects on how personal experiences, including her years of therapy and the death of her partner, have shaped her performance. She also gets into her view of the “Black lady therapist” trope, the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling and transgender rights, and what she learned while making the “Fantastic Beasts” films. Plus, Williams offers tips on “decolonizing” your garden. To read a full transcript of this interview, please visit the episode page at latimes.com.

It’s rare to find a televised female friendship that can deal with dead husbands, car crashes and other wild plot twists the way Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini’s “Dead to Me” characters do. Through years of filming the tragicomedy, the two actors learned to deeply trust each other. When Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while filming the last season, their bond only intensified.In this episode of “The Envelope,” Applegate and Cardellini laugh, sob, describe why they love each other and ponder the possibility of working together again. They also discuss the importance of flawed-mom characters and recall how they were allowed to improvise lines until things got way too weird.To read a full transcript of this interview, please visit the episode page at latimes.com.