Watch Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast

Director/producer Hiro Murai, whose new show is Apple TV's Widow's Bay, joins host Ben Mankiewicz. They discuss why he and Donald Glover collaborate so well and how their initial approach to making Atlanta was unsustainable. Murai and Ben debate the value of surrealism in art and Murai reveals that he once pitched himself to direct a Beyonce video but completely understands why he didn't get the gig. His answers to the Super 8 span Japanese films like Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro and Takeshi Kitano's Sonatine to the Albert Brooks comedy Modern Romance and Kubrick's The Shining.

Oscar-winning actress Sally Field gets real with Ben Mankiewicz. Drawing on her memoir In Pieces, she discusses her fraught relationship with ex-boyfriend/Smokey and the Bandit co-star Burt Reynolds and his similarity to her abusive step-father.

Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon joins Ben Mankiewicz to share unvarnished stories of a life in films- from making Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bull Durham, Witches of Eastwick, and Pretty Baby to navigating the cynical world of showbiz. She argues that every film is political- either challenging the status quo or enforcing it- and reveals her input into the iconic ending of Thelma & Louise which turns 35 this year.

Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez sits down with host Ben Mankiewicz to discuss the films that shaped her career--Do the Right Thing and Fearless--as well as early favorites like Saturday Night Fever and Double Indemnity. She reflects on building a career in an industry that didn't readily accept her for who she is, and speaks candidly about being raised in a strict Catholic home for girls. In the Super 8 segment, she reveals a boxing story she'd love to see on the big screen.

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt joins host Ben Mankiewicz for a live taping of Talking Pictures recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on the eve of the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival.

Host Ben Mankiewicz sits with Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead and The Running Man) and talks bout living in Quentin Tarantino's guesthouse, action movie montages, and being mesmerized by Sidney Poitier at the TCM Classic Film Festival. To Ben's surprise, Wright christens Ben's home studio with a perfect classic film moniker.

Oscar-nominated writer/director Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) talks with Host Ben Mankiewicz about how being raised in a filmmaking family shaped his worldview and his career. Ben and Joachim bond over E.T., Hitchcock's villains, and the enduring humor of Step Brothers. At the end you get a rare peek at a couple of Ben's prized movie posters.

Oscar-nominated writer/director Chloe Zhao (Hamnet) reveals why she has dance parties on set and what happened when a Los Angeles high school teacher took her under his wing. This two-time Academy Award winner, whose latest film is up for eight Oscars, also reveals where she stores her Oscars.