The Director’s Cut - A DGA Podcast
Brought to you by the Directors Guild of America, ”The Director’s Cut” will bring you the behind-the-scenes stories of today’s most talked about films. Each episode features a different director interviewed by one of their peers, leading to revealing conversations about the grueling, but rewarding process of bringing their films to life.
Episodes
Director Paul Feig discusses his new film, The Housemaid, with fellow Director Lesli Linka Glatter in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses the intentional casting of Actors Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney opposite one another, finding the house that served as the main location and how its architecture led to the discovery of scenes, and balancing the film’s tone between com...
Director Bradley Cooper discusses his new film, Is This Thing On?, with fellow Director Bennett Miller in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses the true story circumstances that inspired the film, how he envisioned and cast Will Arnett and Laura Dern in the leading roles, and utilizing his cinematography to emphasize the vulnerability of performing stand up comedy.
T...
Director Craig Brewer discusses his new film, Song Sung Blue, with fellow Director Taylor Hackford in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he cast Actors Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson for the lead roles, his care in handling a film that frequently changes tones, and getting the blessing from Neil Diamond to make the film.
Based on a true story, the film follow...
Director Mona Fastvold discusses her new film, The Testament of Ann Lee, with fellow Director Darius Marder in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, she discusses how her background in movement and dance contributed to the choreography, the logistics of shooting the barn burning scene, and how she aimed to show authentic moments of womanhood to sympathize with the journey of Ann Lee.
Director Rian Johnson discusses his new film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, with fellow Director Jon Watts in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses finding and casting Actor Josh O’Connor, the effort behind crafting and lighting the sets, and how his relationship with faith influenced the film.
The film finds Blanc teaming up with an earnest young priest...
Director Josh Safdie discusses his new film, Marty Supreme, with fellow Director Ben Affleck in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses how he uses his casting process to select Actors that make every character feel like a fleshed-out person, his attention to minute details in recreating the time period and texture of 1950s New York, and the process of working with Actor Timothée...
Director James Cameron discusses his new film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, with fellow Director Guillermo del Toro in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses his experiences of shooting in performance capture and how they compare to real-world shoots, coming up with the concept for the fire clan and the complex characters that stray from their expected alignments, and his own thoughts ...
Director James L. Brooks discusses his new film, Ella McCay, with fellow Director Albert Brooks in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses his process of casting and how he found Actor Emma Mackey for the lead role, shares how he works with his Cinematographers and Actors, and takes time to reflect on his storied career and history with Albert Brooks.
The film tells...
Director Hikari discusses her new film, Rental Family, with fellow Director Nicole Holofcener in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses working with Actor Brendan Frasier to capture a character out of their element, working with her Cinematographer to capture the beauty of Japan, and how she wanted to use this film to address the real life loneliness epidemic.
The...
Directors Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard discusses their new film, I Was Born This Way, with fellow Director Jade Jenise Dixon in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, they discuss trying to paint an honest, human portrait of Carl Bean, how they manage the collaborative directorial process in their creative partnership, and working with figures such as Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Maxine Water...
Director Jon M. Chu discusses his new film, Wicked: For Good, with fellow Director Rob Marshall in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses the process of assembling the sequel having filmed both installments at the same time, how he chose to favor great Actor performances over interesting setups when they clashed, and how he strove to make the films relevant to the times.
Director Richard Linklater discusses his new film, Nouvelle Vague, with fellow Director Jason Reitman in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses the challenges of making a French film without being fluent in the language, how he recreated the shooting of the original Breathless by researching the documentation left behind by the original production, and the clever and subtle use ...
Director Chloé Zhao discusses her new film, Hamnet, with fellow Director Barry Jenkins in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses working with Writer Maggie O’Farrell and their different experiences with Shakespeare, collaborating with Cinematographer Lukasz Zal and how they captured images invoking the void, and her process of working with Actors to channel their unconscious se...
Director Edgar Wright discusses his new film, The Running Man, with fellow Director Daniel Scheinert in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses the vast number of locations where the film was shot, how he favored practical effects work and his attitudes on computer generated effects, and his vision for a dystopian future where technology simultaneously regresses as it advances.
<...Director Sean McNamara discusses his new film, Soul on Fire, with fellow Director Dean Alioto in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses finding a balance in humor throughout the story as a reflection of the real John’s personality, how he works with his Actors and puts emphasis his rehearsal process, and incorporating the real John O’Leary with some creative filmmaking tactics.
...Director Ben Stiller discusses his new film, Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost, with fellow Director Ethan Hawke in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses how the project began as a reaction after his father passed, how the title originated from some of his mother’s personal philosophies, and how interviewing his family members and going through archives revealed much about his ...
Director Noah Baumbach discusses his new film, Jay Kelly, with fellow Director Todd Field in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses finding inspiration in Fellini, Bergman and other self-reflective cinema, the technical process behind filming the flashback sequences, and how he tailored the lead roles to Actors George Clooney and Adam Sandler.
The film tells the story...
Director Nia DaCosta discusses her new film, Hedda, with fellow Director Daniel Scheinert in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, she discusses her philosophies on adaptations and how that played into making this film, the importance of party, drug and gun cultures to the making of this story, and how she visually tied the themes of the film into Hedda’s appearance.
This reim...
Director Ira Sachs discusses his new film, Peter Hujar’s Day, with fellow DirectorBette Gordon in a Q&A at the DGA theater in New York. In the conversation, he discusses discovering the story beats from the original 35-page writing, being inventive with blocking for a feature about a sit-down interview, and shooting in a style reminiscent of films of that era.
Based on the book by Linda Rosenkrantz, ...
Director David Michôd discusses his new film, Christy, with fellow Director John Lee Hancock in a Q&A at the DGA theater in Los Angeles. In the conversation, he discusses making a sports movie with the shadowing story of an abusive relationship ever present, the process of helping Actor Sydney Sweeney get into shape for her fighting scenes, and working with Sweeney and Actor Ben Foster to capture the powder keg dy...
Popular Podcasts
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
Listen to the latest news from the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are here and have everyone talking. iHeartPodcasts is buzzing with content in honor of the XXV Winter Olympics We’re bringing you episodes from a variety of iHeartPodcast shows to help you keep up with the action. Follow Milan Cortina Winter Olympics so you don’t miss any coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and if you like what you hear, be sure to follow each Podcast in the feed for more great content from iHeartPodcasts.
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.