Episode notes
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. An obsessive movie fan, Patton sees hundreds of films a year; he hates talkers in theaters but loves when going to a movie turns into a bonding experience with strangers. From his acting career, he tells stories of being suspended in a tree on the set of “Magnolia” and doing a sex scene with Charlize Theron in “Young Adult.” In the Super 8, Oswalt shares films you’ll want to remember and see the first…
Podcast
Talking Pictures
TCM and HBO Max · Film & TV · English
From Turner Classic Movies and HBO Max, Talking Pictures is a podcast about movies, memories, and all the life that happens in between. Join host Ben Mankiewicz as he sits down with some of Hollywood’s most influential actors and filmmakers to discuss the movies that inspired them, touched them, and
More from Talking Pictures All episodes →
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25 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
Tony Goldwyn
Actor-Director Tony Goldwyn talks with host Ben Mankiewicz about breaking into Hollywood where his family roots run deep and the Goldwyn name looms large. Tony looks back on the ups and downs of his acting career from Ghost to One Battle After Another and explains that directing became a way to get some control in a largely unpredictable business. He also admits that he nearly passed on Scandal– a role that revitalized his career. In the Super 8, he shares his most memorable movie watching experience: being absolutely terrified by The Exorcist. Films Mentioned: Ghost Ezra One Battle After…
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18 Jun 2026 · 58 min
Hiro Murai
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.”…
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11 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
Sally Field
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. During The Flying Nun she was introduced to the Actors Studio where she transformed from a sitcom actress Hollywood had written off into someone who could fight for Norma Rae, fight Spielberg twice for Lincoln, and win both battles. In the Super 8 she praises the work of Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and reveals she rarely cries…
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4 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 4 min
Susan Sarandon
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. Films Mentioned: The Nutty Professor The Accompanist Dead Man Walking Joe Atlantic City Pretty Baby Rocky Horror Picture Show Witches of Eastwick Bull Durham Sirat Afterlife…
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28 May 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
Rosie Perez
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 tells Ben about an amazing boxing story she’d love to see on the big screen. Films Mentioned The Way We Were Do The Right Thing Fearless Criminal Justice The Bells of St.…
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14 May 2026 · 1 hr
Edgar Wright
Talking Pictures is back with ardent movie fan and beloved filmmaker Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead and The Running Man). He talks with host Ben Mankiewicz about 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. Films mentioned: Raiders of the Lost Ark Shaun of the Dead Baby Driver The Running Man Hot Fuzz The World’s End Star Wars: Episode IV: Close Encounters of the Third Kind Star Trek: The Motion Picture…
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7 May 2026 · 1 min
Coming Soon: Talking Pictures
Season three of Talking Pictures is back, with a brand new lineup of guests celebrating the movies they love, this time on video. Host Ben Mankiewicz invites some of the most iconic figures in Hollywood for an intimate conversation at his home studio. Guests like Sally Field, Edgar Wright, and Susan Sarandon open up about the moments that made them, the movies that informed them, and share behind-the-scenes stories that haven’t been told. Of course, every episode ends with the Super 8, where they reveal the movies that make them laugh, cry, and that they can’t forget. From TCM and HBO Max,…
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26 Feb 2026 · 55 min
Joachim Trier
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. Films Mentioned: Sentimental Value The Passion of Joan of Arc (aka La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) The Worst Person in the World Oslo, August 31st Tarzan the Ape Man Mon Oncle E.T. The Hunt (aka The Chasers) The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix The Champ, 1979…
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23 Feb 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
Chloé Zhao
Oscar-nominated writer/director Chloé 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. Films Mentioned: Hamnet Nomadland Terminator 2 True Lies Ghost Sister Act Basic Instinct Happy Together The Matrix The Mummy Ghost In The Shell The Rider Red River Jeremiah Johnson My Darling Clementine Unforgiven Avatar Titanic Aliens Alien Star Wars Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Land of…
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7 May 2025 · 1 hr 5 min
Bonus Episode: Eli Roth
In this bonus episode of Talking Pictures recorded live at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, host Ben Mankiewicz chats with director and actor Eli Roth. They discuss Roth’s close relationship with David Lynch and his role as The Bear Jew in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.” Known for his horror films, we discover that scary movies made a young Eli Roth projectile vomit! The Super 8 reveals Roth’s broad film knowledge and his family admiration for Mel Brooks movies. Films Mentioned: Cabin Fever Hostel Hostel 2 The Green Inferno Thanksgiving Inglourious Basterds Death Proof…
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