Movie People: Interviews & More From the Southampton Playhouse

This week, we're joined by Dr. Shawn Domagal-Goldman, the head of astrophysics at NASA, who advised on Andy Weir's hit book that inspired Project Hail Mary. Dr. Domagal-Goldman explains the hard science behind the spacefaring adventure and how movies inspired his career.

This week's episode features a reunion between Southampton Playhouse artistic director Eric Kohn and his former colleague, IndieWire's Anne Thompson, a veteran entertainment journalist who has been covering the Academy Awards for decades. Plus, on our Playhouse People segment, Think Inc. trivia founder Paul Johnson shares his movie fandom.

The new animated Pixar hit Hoppers follows a teenager who befriends her local beaver population. Like many Pixar favorites, it combines big ideas with imagination and heart. Director Daniel Chong talks to Movie People about how he navigated that formula and the films that inspired his own work. This episode also features South Fork Natural History Museum's Frank Quevodo on the defunct beaver population of Long Island and a new edition of Playhouse People with Rebekah Wise.

With four Oscar nominations and a year's worth of acclaim, the Brazilian period piece The Secret Agent has made waves around the world. Director Kleber Mendonça Filho and producer Emilie Lesclaux traveled to the Southampton Playhouse in the final week of Oscar campaigning before voting closed to discuss the genesis of the project and its global resonance.Also in this week's episode: Filmmaker Nathalie Musteata joins us to discuss her short film Two People Exchanging Saliva, which is currently nominated for Best Live Action Feature Film. And we close out with a new segment, Playhouse People, featuring members of our community and their relationship to our historic movie theater.

Comedian Jimmy Tatro talks about his role in Scream 7 and how comedy prepared him for doing a horror movie.

This week's episode features longtime Baz Luhrmann collaborator Jonathan Redmond, who was nominated for an Oscar for his work on 2022's Elvis. The duo have followed up that achievement with EPiC: Elvis in Concert, a dazzling look at the King of Rock 'n' Roll in action with never-before-seen footage. Redmond shares the history of the project as well as how he came to work with Luhrmann more than 25 years ago on Moulin Rouge!

With Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw poised to make history as the first female cinematographer to win an Oscar in her category, this week's Movie People looks back at another woman who deserved it more than 20 years ago. Just in time for Valentine's Day, veteran cinematographer Ellen Kuras visits the Playhouse to discuss her experiences with the masterful sci-fi romance Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

One year after Sinners first opened on IMAX, in the wake of the movie's historic 16 Oscar nominations, we're kicking off Black History Month by taking a look at the backdrop of the movie that goes beyond the South where it takes place. Southampton African American History Museum founder Brenda Simmons joins Movie People to discuss the legacy of the juke joints seen in the movie — and so much more.

This week's episode featuring Jennifer Venditti, the woman behind the many memorable faces of last year's breakout hit Marty Supreme. Venditti has been a significant player in the casting director universe for years, but it was only in 2026 that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to add a new category recognizing her craft — and now, she's one of five nominees up for the very first Best Casting Oscar in history. In this conversation, she recalls her unique journey into the world of casting and why it stands out from so many others.

This week's episode features Sundance Film Festival director Eugene Hernandez, an East End resident who has spent the past 30-odd years advocating for independent film. As the festival enters its final edition in Park City, Utah, Hernandez shares his insight into the importance of the festival for anyone who cares about film culture -- and what might come next.