‘Andor' star Diego Luna jokes about Trump's tariffs at the Academy's 2025 Scientific and Technical Awards

The 2025 Scientific and Technical Awards were held Tuesday night at the Academy's David Geffen Theater in Los Angeles. These sci-tech kudos honored 14 artistic achievements in film, represented by 37 individuals. Andor and La Maquina star Diego Luna hosted the ceremony, and he got political at the start of the show when he joked about President Donald Trump's controversial tariffs.
"First, I need to apologize," Luna told the crowd, which included Oscar winner Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God), Academy CEO Bill Kramer, and Academy President Janet Yang. "I know my fee is higher than normal this year. I'm very expensive, I know. It's not my fault. Everything coming in from Mexico is more expensive because of the new tariffs. But anyway, my kids and I thank you very much," Luna said at the audience laughed.
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In addition to the 14 Scientific and Technical Awards, an Academy Award of Merit was presented to collectively recognize everyone in the film industry who has developed and supported open or closed captioning technology. This special Oscar statuette for captioning wizards will remain at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in perpetuity.The honor "is a means to raise awareness of captioning," Matlin told Gold Derby on the red carpet. "Everyone could benefit from using captions. It's been around for a long time, and people thought at the beginning it was only for deaf and hard of hearing people, but as we know now, more and more people are using captioning technology to watch films. I'm grateful that the Academy is recognizing that as part of the effort toward greater accessibility and equity in entertainment."
Luna told us he was "very excited" to receive his Gotham TV nomination for La Maquina on Tuesday morning. He hoped that "more people get to watch" the Hulu miniseries now because of the extra awards attentions. As for Andor, Luna said the Star Wars drama directly reflects today's culture and politics. "Sadly, it is relevant today, but it was relevant 10 years ago. It might be relevant in 20, you know?" He added, "We don't seem to get it. And the show wasn't even trying to do that."
The red carpet opened at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday, as attendees enjoyed a champagne reception. The formal-attire ceremony began at 7 p.m. in the David Geffen Theater, followed by an honorees' celebration at 9 p.m. in the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby.
Here are this year's Academy Scientific and Technical Awards honorees:
To Essex Edwards, James Jacobs, Jernej Barbic, Crawford Doran, and Andrew van Straten for the design and development of Ziva VFX. Ziva VFX is a system for constructing and simulating muscles, fat, fascia, and skin for digital characters. An artist-friendly interface that emphasizes easily understood physical metaphors, coupled with a robust, physically accurate solver, has enabled a broad range of studios to bring visually rich creatures to life.
To Javor Kalojanov and Kimball Thurston for the creation of Wētā FX's ML Denoiser. This denoiser prioritizes temporal filtering using innovative optical flow techniques to preserve crucial details. Novel training strategies allow its machine learning algorithms to denoise computer-generated imagery to the most exacting standards.
To Neeme Vaino for the development of Fireskin360 Naked Burn Gel. This widely available gel allows longer targeted burns directly on the skin, broadening the range of fire stunts performed across the industry.
To Dustin Brooks and Colin Decker for the development of naked burn gel. Fire for Hire's gel first publicly demonstrated a 'naked burn,' where fire appears directly on the skin, enabling a new form of safe fire stunts in motion pictures.
To Attila T. Áfra for the creation of Intel Open Image Denoise, and to Timo Aila for his pioneering work at NVIDIA applying U-Nets to denoising. Open Image Denoise is an open-source library that provides an elegant API and runs on diverse hardware, leading to broad industry adoption. Its core technology is provided by the widely adopted U-Net architecture that improves efficiency and preserves detail, raising the quality of CG imagery across the industry.
To Mark Noel for adapting and enhancing the safety and reliability of transportable six-degrees-of-freedom motion base technology for motion picture use. The NACMO series of modular motion bases enables filmmakers to dynamically control simulated actions, providing precise movements, enhancing special effects, and enriching the visual experience for audiences worldwide.
To Su Tie for the development of the sensor analysis and stabilization software, to Bei Shimen for the electrical engineering, and to Zhao Yanchong for the mechanical design and engineering of the Ronin 2 gimbal system. Utilizing three-axis stabilization through multiple sensors, the DJI Ronin 2 has achieved broad adoption. It is controllable from a diverse set of input devices, enabling filmmakers to create complex, dynamic camera moves.
To Tabb Firchau for the conception and development, to John Ellison and Steve Webb for the attitude control system, to David Bloomfield for the motor design, and to Shane Colton for the motor driver system design of the Mōvi gimbals. Freefly Systems' introduction of handheld stabilized gimbals provides single-person or collaborative remote camera operation with various controllers, enabling previously difficult shots without dolly or crane-supported stabilized heads.
To Jayson Dumenigo for the development of the Action Factory Hydrogels. Action Factory Hydrogels are engineered to allow longer burns at higher temperatures with quick turnaround times, increasing the safety and efficiency of fire stunt performances.
To Thijs Vogels, Fabrice Rousselle, David Adler, Gerhard Röthlin, and Mark Meyer for the creation of Disney's ML Denoiser. This sophisticated machine learning denoiser features a ground-breaking kernel-predicting convolutional network and temporal stability. It has been adopted far beyond its original domain of animation and is an essential tool for creating computer-generated imagery in feature films.
To Nir Averbuch, Yair Chuchem, and Dan Raviv for the concept, design and development of the Auto Align Post 2. Sound Radix's Auto Align Post 2 allows the seamless blending of multiple moving microphones during film post-production, eliminating phase distortion, saving significant time over manual alignment methods and raising the reproduction quality of dialogue recorded on set.
To Curt Schaller for the concept, design and development of the Trinity 2 system, and to Roman Foltyn for the software and hardware design of its motorized stabilized head. The ARRI Trinity 2 is a body-worn system that combines a traditional inertial camera stabilization system with electronic gimbal technology, allowing unprecedented freedom of camera movement for acquiring shots with multiple transitions that are otherwise unobtainable.
To Steve Wagner for the initial concept and software, to Garrett Brown for the design, and to Jerry Holway and Robert Orf for the engineering of the Steadicam Volt stabilization system. The Tiffen Steadicam Volt revolutionizes inertial stabilization with its advanced two-axis motorized design, creating artificial inertia and simulated friction while providing adjustable tactile feedback. Different modes allow the operator to alter the physical feel of the rig. The Volt empowers filmmakers to achieve dynamic shots with more complex camera movement while maintaining a stable roll axis.
To Dave Freeth for the design, engineering and development of the hand-held Stabileye three-axis motorized camera stabilization system. The compact size and live adjustment of operating parameters of these devices facilitate subtle and dynamic camera moves closer to actors, and in tighter quarters than previously possible. Its low latency allows for instinctive operation whether controlled by a single operator or remotely.
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'Who Gives a F*** What Other People Think': Walton Goggins, Adam Scott and the Drama Actor Roundtable

'To be rich in friends is to be poor in nothing,' proclaims Walton Goggins, as the glasses placed before the six actors assembled on a Sunday in early May clink in celebration. The toast comes at the tail end of THR's annual Drama Actor Emmy Roundtable, a bonding ritual of sorts featuring a sextet of TV's buzziest stars at Soho House's West Hollywood outpost. In this case, the White Lotus and Righteous Gemstones scene-stealer was joined by Diego Luna (Andor, La Máquina), Eddie Redmayne (The Day of the Jackal), Adam Scott (Severance), Jeffrey Wright (The Agency, The Last of Us) and newcomer Cooper Koch (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story). More from The Hollywood Reporter Jason Isaacs on Receiving Equal Pay as 'White Lotus' Co-Stars: "I Never Work for Money" Sam Nivola Would Never Turn Down an Opportunity to Work With Mike White 'Awards Chatter' Live Pod: Sam Rockwell on That 'White Lotus' Monologue, 'Three Billboards' Award Season and Upcoming Martin McDonagh Reunion 'Wild Horse Nine' But before the cacophony of cheers, the men, most who'd never met before, swapped war stories about the appalling things they were told earlier in their careers — among them: 'You're not getting cast because you have a gay voice,' and, 'You don't have the looks, so you'd better work harder than everyone' — and the restless nights before a new project. Mixed in were moments of levity, even hilarity, as the actors, all at different stages of their careers, weighed in on everything from onscreen nudity to 'electrifying' fan exchanges to, yes, the emojis they most frequently use on their phones. If you were to see 'a Diego Luna type' or 'a Walton Goggins type' or an insert-your-name type in a script, do you have a sense for what it means? WALTON GOGGINS Uh, lonely and sad. (Laughter.) ADAM SCOTT It's hard to beat that. JEFFREY WRIGHT I think Walton speaks for all of us. And yet, I'm guessing that's not what 'an Adam Scott type' or 'a Jeffrey Wright type' is? WRIGHT Oh, I don't think that there's a lot written for a Jeffrey Wright type. I have to kind of slot myself into various rooms. So, if there is a type, it would probably be someone akin to having a multiple personality disorder or something. It takes a certain flexibility. EDDIE REDMAYNE It can definitely oscillate depending on what you've done. There was a period when I started out when it was all slightly quirky American characters, and then it went fully into English period dramas. Anything to do with Queen Elizabeth seemed to be my type. And then after The Theory of Everything, it was the sort of scientific, slightly nervous characters. And now? REDMAYNE Now, I'm being sent lots of sociopath assassins. Walton, you said recently, 'I don't think people truly knew what to do with me. I'm not Brad Pitt. I'm never going to be Brad Pitt, but I am Walton Goggins, and very few people fit in my lane.' So, how would you define that lane? GOGGINS So much of it, starting out, has to do with comparing ourselves to other people and looking in other lanes, right? That just brings so much pain, and after doing that for the first couple of years — 'I want to be like him,' or, 'I want to be that person' — I realized I was never going to be any of those people. The first acting teacher that I had here in Los Angeles said to me, 'You don't have the looks, so you'd better work harder than everyone in the room. You'd better love this.' What did hearing that do to you at that moment? GOGGINS Maybe I'm weird, but it inspired me. I hope he's seeing all the headlines now. GOGGINS Oh, well, yeah. But that's what it is to be your authentic self and to contribute whatever it is that you have to express or say in this medium — it's the only lane that you have. It's really the only thing you can control. SCOTT But sometimes it takes a long time to figure that out. COOPER KOCH I was going to say, like, did it click for you in one specific moment or did it happen over time? Because I feel like I'm just constantly comparing myself to what other people are doing and I'm curious how you got past that. Or maybe it just never ends. WRIGHT I'm trying to get over what that teacher said. That's a rough thing to hear. Has anyone else gotten harsh feedback, and maybe it even propelled you as it did Walton? KOCH I had an acting teacher tell me that I wasn't getting cast because I have a gay voice. DIEGO LUNA No way! SCOTT Jesus. Does that propel or motivate you? KOCH Not in that moment. I hated that. And then it starts to make you question yourself. And speaking of self-doubt, I don't know if that will ever end. I'm terrified. GOGGINS I think it will. REDMAYNE I disagree. (Laughter.) LUNA I disagree, too. But to answer your first question, before Star Wars, the only projects I'd get offered would be drug dealers. And then I could be the nice drug dealer and not the vicious one but still a drug dealer. Because the system wasn't even sending messages of, like, 'Yes, you could find a way to be yourself and still work in those projects that you're looking at and hoping to see yourself reflected in.' But I do think that's changed, and the middleman between the audience and us is not there anymore. There's no guy with a cigar saying, 'You! You're gonna be a star, boy.' People just click now, and suddenly it's like, 'Shit, they're watching a Mexican show.' You can be as far away as you can from the system, and the system will go and search for you if there's a need to hear your story. Before , you said you got drug dealer roles. How about now? LUNA Oh, I still get a lot of drug dealers. (Laughter.) It's just I'm not looking for what they want me to play. I can look for the stuff I want to do. It's that freedom that comes with understanding that people today care about specificity. I remember being asked, 'Are you going to clean up your accent?' That's not part of the conversation anymore. But when I was 20, it was like, 'Man, you're great, and if you work with your accent, you'll be doing what this person or that person is doing.' And you go, 'Why would I like to do that? This is what makes me unique.' SCOTT If you saw me in, like, 1994, when I was starting out, I was looking at pictures of Ethan Hawke and just being like, 'OK, this is what I need to do. My hair, my jacket …' I mean, Ethan Hawke was and is so cool. KOCH Hot! SCOTT And hot. (Laughter.) So of course that's what I wanted to be, but I was chasing and trying to be this thing, and it took me years to realize that the only thing you have is you, and you're the only one that can bring that to it. And coming to a place of being comfortable with that and thinking that is of any value [takes a long time]. GOGGINS I'm just so curious, like Jeffrey, being this far into your career, or really anybody here, what is it like for you the weeks or the night before you begin? Is that anxiety still there? WRIGHT There's always uncertainty about whether I'm going to be able to pull it off. We just started back up again with The Agency, and even having done it for a full season, I still felt uncertain. But I think what we do, or what I do, is put obstacles in our way if we feel too relaxed or too content because that's not a really a sufficient place to work from. There has to be some degree of energy, of concern, and it comes from a desire to do it well. REDMAYNE I'll never forget, years ago, on Theory of Everything, the first day we were shooting different moments in Stephen Hawking's life, and the night before, I was so nervous that it got to, like, 3 in the morning, then 4 in the morning, and the pickup was at 5, and I'm like, 'No, no, no, this is day one!' And I literally haven't slept, so I got in the bath at 4:30 a.m., and the whole day was a blur. The last scene I had to do was this moment of a sort of breakdown, and I was so fucking exhausted that the director just had to poke me and I was (melts down). But it's interesting because even now, I often can't sleep the night before, but I've learned that you can survive 48 hours without sleep and function, even if it's not ideal, and also I've accepted that that's who I am. Like, I can't not. GOGGINS I think that is a part of the process. Diego, you've said it was your performance in your 2001 film that led directly to . Presumably that surprised you? LUNA Yeah. That was a moment where I said, 'Oh, I got this wrong.' It was my prejudice talking because I sat down and Gareth Edwards, the [Rogue One] director, said, 'I want the tone of Y Tu Mamá También in the Star Wars film,' and I just never thought one thing would get me close to the other. And I want to do both. I grew up watching these films. I love the Star Wars universe. And so I went, 'Damn, that's the way to do it, right?' Like, you have to be doing something that matters to you, and someone out there will be like, 'Yeah, I connect with that.' And it happened that way. But I remember all the people telling me what to do in order to be eligible for something like Star Wars. You know, 'Go to the gym, change your accent, move to California …' And it was like, no. In fact, something I did in Mexico City in Spanish in eight weeks was the key. Cooper auditioned for two other Menendez projects before landing at Netflix. Did anyone else fight that hard for a role because you knew it was something that you were meant to play? GOGGINS I have a different relationship with that as I've gotten older. The things that you lose out on affected me much differently in my 20s than they do now that I'm 53. Now, I really believe that, in life, if it was meant for me, it's going to be for me. You've also been in multiple projects where you were supposed to appear in only one episode and then stayed for multiple seasons … GOGGINS It's a serialized kind of experience. (Laughter.) On The Shield, I didn't find out until the DVD commentary at the end of the first season that they wanted to fire me. And I was like, 'I only had four lines, how could I piss you off that bad?' But, yeah, it was The Shield, Justified and a few others, but it worked out. For many of you, your phones are likely ringing in ways they weren't prior to these projects. What do the calls look like now, and how are you processing this moment? GOGGINS Oh, I'm just leaning in to it with a childlike abandon. I suppose some people would take the opportunity to redefine how people see them and maybe become a little more aloof or a little more cool. I'm just leaning more in to who I am as a person, and I'm not walking into it, I'm fucking running straight at it. (Laughter.) And, yeah, I'm getting to read some really cool things now, but the work doesn't change. The attitude doesn't change. You don't change. I've been doing what I've been doing for 30 years. And I'm still filled with anxiety and I can't sleep the night before a job, but at this stage in my life, I know that once I'm there, I'll figure it out. And that's a place that all of us can get to, that we will get to. KOCH I hope I get there. It is so crazy that I'm talking and all of you guys are looking at me. This is just insane to me right now. I've been watching you all for so long, and I feel so grateful to be here. This is so surreal. I also used to watch these [Roundtables] all the time when I was in school, and now I'm sitting here. SCOTT Well, you're incredible, you're here for a reason. KOCH Thank you. Cooper, do you feel a pressure to strike while the iron is hot and line up or say yes to other projects? KOCH Yeah. And it's tough because if I don't have that passion or that immense empathy for the person or the story where I really connect, then I'm awful. I've been trying to figure out if there's a way to work your way into finding that? Or does it depend on what the thing is? And so then how do you say no? How do you say yes? No can be as hard as yes. KOCH Yeah. Even with auditioning, I feel like I'm better off going to an audition, not necessarily just to prove it to them, but I need to prove to myself that I can do it, and then I can be confident in it. SCOTT Cooper and I were talking about choices and the path forward just before this, and I was saying that the thing that I came to eventually was that the things that ended up making any difference in my career were the choices I made for reasons other than career. It was the choices I made because it was something that I wanted to do because I thought it would be fun or it was with my friends or I just loved the material, and I was never even thinking about career and how it could help me along. Whenever I make a decision for any reason other than that, it goes sideways. When Cooper got this part, he was still working at Salt & Straw. For the rest of you, what's something that you wish someone, , would've told you when you were at that point in your career? SCOTT At the Salt & Straw point? GOGGINS Did we all work there? REDMAYNE Wait, what is Salt & Straw? LUNA It sounds delicious. It's an ice cream shop. LUNA Ah, cool. SCOTT I think it goes back to what we were talking about, which is just don't worry about what you feel you need to push yourself to be, what you have is already there. At the same time, I feel like, to a certain extent, that's something that is lived and you have to come to in your own way. Part of it is, I'm 52 and, like Walton, I've been here for 30 years. When I was starting out, I wanted to be Ethan Hawke and Stephen Dorff and whatever was happening at the time, and with age and experience, you come to a place of accepting yourself and what you have to offer. And I'm just so grateful that I didn't end up getting Scream 2 or I Know What You Did Last Summer or any of the stuff that I auditioned for. And I auditioned for it all. I would've squandered it. I wasn't ready. LUNA I agree with you, Adam. Probably I needed to go through that, and not be told. I was doing theater with people who shared the passion I had and I was part of a community, a family, in Mexico, and then Y Tu Mamá También happened, and suddenly we started traveling and we didn't know that was even possible, and I felt like, 'Oh, I can work in other communities, in other places, and find new audiences and in other languages.' And I did the worst jobs ever. Like, in terms of how proud are you of those films? If I could, I'd kick them under the table happily. (Laughter.) Is there anything the rest of you know now that you wish you knew earlier in your career? GOGGINS The thing you constantly have to check is your ego. Just because this moment happens and then all of a sudden, it's, 'Well, you have to do things of a certain caliber or you're going to be seen this way or that way,' who gives a fuck what other people think? At the end of the day, go to work. And, more importantly, don't manage or try to dictate what that experience will be. REDMAYNE Maybe it's my weird relationship with this city because Los Angeles for British actors was like the place, the dream world, and we used to come over and it was normally in January during pilot season. We'd tell our families we were going to go and try to get work, and none of us would get any work, but we'd escape the pouring rain. It was you, Andrew Garfield, Jamie Dornan, Robert Pattinson … REDMAYNE There were a load of us, and we all sort of lived together or not. So, whenever I come back here, I feel a profound romance, and it's a nostalgia. And I get, at the time, we were hustling and I've never, ever got a job from a meeting in Los Angeles. Literally has never happened. It would always be when I went home that I'd get some work. But the thing that I'd say is that — and maybe I have over-romanticized it and it's very easy for me to say having been lucky enough to work — but there is great joy that comes through the camaraderie of that period of helping each other out, of all auditioning for the same stuff. If someone was doing a play or had an audition, we used to get a group and run it all together. Because part of the point when you're starting out is you're not acting. You're working — you're working at the pub or you're working wherever, but you're not actually getting the opportunity to practice. So, I look back at that period as a joyful one. WRIGHT One thing I tell young people all the time is, 'If you want to do this, study anything but acting. Study biology, study anything that gives you a sense of reference and context.' SCOTT Get out in the world. WRIGHT Yeah, because at the end of the day, the thing that we're asked to do is communicate something so that it can be understood. And in order for us to do that, we have to understand it ourselves. And also to Eddie's point, the nostalgia for that time when you're just scrambling, trying to figure it out, those are the best days. Enjoy those days. REDMAYNE But I'm also conscious that it was hideous at the time! SCOTT Oh, it was such a bummer back then. (Laughter.) WRIGHT I mean, it's the cliché, but it is the journey. I did Angels in America, the miniseries, with Al Pacino. And I'd done the play on Broadway for like a year and a half, so I knew it very well, but obviously everyone coming in hadn't done it before. So I'd get these calls: 'Al wants to rehearse. He's got a room over on 57th Street. He wants you to come.' This happened like a dozen times. Al just wanted to work through the script and dig down into it. Ultimately we did the piece, we performed it, but it seemed to me that he was much more interested in the process of getting there. SCOTT Oh, interesting. WRIGHT For him, that was everything. The journey was far more critical than the ultimate destination, and I think there's something to be said for that. We've talked a lot about how the industry sees you; I'm curious how fans see you. If a fan is approaching, what does he or she tend to recognize you from and what does he or she typically say? KOCH It's always just, 'Can I have a picture?' And I've developed a rule: Give me a compliment first. (Laughter.) Just say you liked the show before you ask for the photo. Because then it's just like, 'That's all you want? You don't want to talk to me? Like, I would talk to you.' I had someone the other day follow me to the car at the grocery store just for, 'Can I have a photo?' And I'm super nice. I'd never be rude to somebody. But I'd rather connect. SCOTT Help me load my groceries at least! KOCH And then when you do have those connections with people who stop you and say, 'I'm so sorry, I don't want to bother you, but I loved the show,' or, 'You're amazing,' or, 'I was really moved by your thing,' whatever it is, it just feels so good. What do the rest of you get? GOGGINS 'You have any cocaine?' 'You packing, man?' (Laughter.) With me, I think people feel like, 'Oh, man, I know this guy. I want to have a drink with this guy. I want to hang out with this guy.' And I don't know if it's because of where I come from or just the way I move through the world, but people just feel like they have a right [to approach me] — and I feel like they do, too. It's like, 'I've asked you to come spend, like, 84 hours of your life with me [on various television shows], and I can't [make time for you?]' Are you joking? So, it's, 'OK, what did you think [of that episode]? Really? What did you think was going to happen?' And I've gotten into some disagreements. You have? GOGGINS Like, 'I think you missed the point, man.' You feel compelled to explain it to these fans? GOGGINS Well, yeah. I mean, if they're sharing an idea, like, 'This is what I think.' I'll say, 'Well, it's interesting that it hit you that way. I think you're wrong.' (Laughter.) But I quite like having those conversations. And this is going to sound weird, but I'm a father, and I just feel like every time I'm stopped on the street, I can provide for my family. Like, it's a blessing, not a curse. LUNA You also can't talk about the audience as if it's one thing. For example, the guys who belong to the Star Wars community, they care profoundly. They're experts in what you are working on, and that feels amazing. It's like suddenly someone cares as much as you do; normally, it's the other way around. You go out hoping to get people's attention, and it's, 'Please watch my show.' Here, it's like, 'We're waiting for your show. When are you going to be done? ' WRIGHT With things like The Batman, I appreciate how invested people are. They feel a personal connection to these stories and characters, and I've grown to really respect that. Particularly now, when things are so uncertain in the world and so odd and precarious, people find genuine hope and a real sense of personal connection and comfort in story, and it's not a superficial thing, it's a critical thing. So, for example, I love going to Comic-Con. You do? WRIGHT Oh, I love it. Because you get an opportunity to experience this genuine appreciation that otherwise becomes completely abstracted because you don't have that connection between the stage and the audience that you do in the theater. SCOTT I feel the same way with Severance. People who come up and want to talk about Severance are really interested. What do they typically say? SCOTT Mostly it's how much they love it, and who they watch it with is really important. And it's great because when we first made the show, we figured it was so weird, it would just be ignored. We never thought it would connect the way it's connected, so when people come up and want to talk about it, I love it. And people are so smart and invested, and it being on TV, it's really ingrained into their lives in a different way, and there's a comfortability that's really lovely. REDMAYNE Do they give you plot suggestions? SCOTT Oh, yeah! REDMAYNE 'Season two, I'm thinking …' (Laughter.) I haven't done TV that comes out weekly like this in a while, and in a time in which the world is becoming somehow less communicative, the fact that people are waiting that week, and (to Goggins) I really felt it with your show, that sort of anticipation, the watercooler discussions and the way that people want to stop you to really … KOCH Have a connection! REDMAYNE Yeah, and I've found that so thrilling. I'm like, 'My God, you really care.' SCOTT When you're out in the world, in the midst of a season where there are cliffhangers and there's anticipation for the next one, it really is … GOGGINS It's electrifying! SCOTT It's so fun. People coming up and wanting to know, but they don't want to know. It's really fun. GOGGINS I was in New York City, maybe episode seven of The White Lotus, and I was just walking down the street, and it was surreal. It was like a dude on a fifth-floor walk-up balcony, 'Goggins, come on, Rick.' Then a guy comes out of a shop, 'Goggins!' And then somebody going by in a car, 'Rick Hatchett, you found peace, man.' And I'd be like, 'Hey, what's up man? I hope so!' And it was like block after block … KOCH Must feel so good. GOGGINS Yeah, and there's no ego, right? This is just something culture is participating in in this moment and you just happen to be a part of it. And it's the same with Baby Billy [from The Righteous Gemstones]. People love Baby. We saw a of Baby Billy this past season. Cooper's shower scene got a lot of attention, too. So, this is a somewhat awkward pivot, but my question is about nudity, which most of you have done at some point in your career … GOGGINS Where's this going? (Laughter.) Sometimes you choose to use a prosthetic, sometimes you use a body double, sometimes you do it naturally. I'm curious what is the conversation around when to show what and how to show it? SCOTT We're talking penises. KOCH Oh God. REDMAYNE You made that a flawless pivot. LUNA I think TV has made the conversation more complicated. I did it in film, but I don't think it mattered that much. Now with the devices and how we are communicating and how images can be taken out of context immediately and be shared, things have changed. But I don't think in cinema you would ask the question that way. It's like, 'What story are we telling? How do we tell it? And where is the camera going to be?' It would never be, like, 'Should we do it or not do it or do it this way' — as if it was a math problem. I don't think I could even think that way. It's like, 'Let's do the same, but with no frontal, but half nudity.' There's even terms now. I go, 'I don't understand. I don't speak that language.' Cooper, you said, 'Oh God,' as soon as I brought it up. Why? KOCH Oh, I don't know. I just always want to live in the reality and truth of something, and if you have a sex scene and immediately they're pulling up the blankets right after, it's like, 'That's not real.' I didn't want to have to deal with trying to hide or be a certain way; I wanted [the scene, which he did without a prosthetic] to just be real and show how it would actually be in that situation. We're going to end on a significantly lighter but hopefully revealing note: What is the most used emoji on your phone? KOCH I do the hug. SCOTT Oh, that's nice. GOGGINS I have the grin one, you know the super cool one with shades? KOCH That makes so much sense. REDMAYNE I have the one with the massive amount of teeth. SCOTT I'm a dad, so it's the thumbs-up. My kids are just like, 'Jesus Christ. Use something else.' GOGGINS That is so funny. KOCH The dad thumbs-up! SCOTT (To Goggins.) You use the thumbs-up, too? GOGGINS No, [my son] shut that down pretty quick. SCOTT I need to stop. WRIGHT Face-palm is mine. It's fitting. LUNA I'm boring. I have one that I use, which is a little boy dancing. How is that boring? LUNA Well, because it's been happening for eight or nine years. SCOTT Is that like an affirmation? Like, right on? LUNA Yeah, it's like, 'It's going to get better.' But it works for everything. 'Don't worry, life is fun.' Or, 'Oh my God, you just said something great.' Or, 'Oh shit, I'm having a shitty day, I wish I was this boy.' I don't know, I just use that one. REDMAYNE I really worry that these emojis are indicative of our personalities, and I should have thought harder about that one. This story appeared in the June 18 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise

Business Insider

2 hours ago

• Business Insider

Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle on why he would never make 'Slumdog Millionaire' today

British director Danny Boyle has said he wouldn't even think of making a film like " Slumdog Millionaire" today, citing concerns over "cultural appropriation." "I'm proud of the film, but you wouldn't even contemplate doing something like that today. It wouldn't even get financed," he told The Guardian about the hit 2008 movie. The filmmaker won an Oscar for best director for the movie, which follows a young Indian man (played by Dev Patel) as he is given the life-changing opportunity to appear on a local version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" The film, which won eight Academy Awards, received critical acclaim and was a hit at the box office, but some critics took issue with its portrayal of Indian society. "We wouldn't be able to make that now," Boyle said. "And that's how it should be. It's time to reflect on all that. We have to look at the cultural baggage we carry and the mark that we've left on the world." Boyle said that while he had made efforts "to make a film within the culture," including working with a large local crew, it was still a "flawed method." "You're still an outsider," he said. "That kind of cultural appropriation might be sanctioned at certain times. But at other times it cannot be." "Slumdog Millionaire" was adapted by screenwriter Simon Beaufoy and based on the novel "Q & A" by Vikas Swarup. The film grossed more than $378 million worldwide. Boyle's latest movie, a zombie horror titled "28 Years Later" — part of the "28 Days Later" series — was released in theaters on June 20. In a recent interview with Business Insider, the director discussed his return to the zombie genre and why they shot the film using modern tech like iPhones and drones. "I felt an obligation to take the spirit of the first movie, but be aware that the technology has moved on so much," Boyle said. "Phones now shoot at 4K, which is what a lot of cameras shoot at anyway. And the advantage of using the phones is we were able to be very lightweight," he added.

USA Today

5 hours ago

• USA Today

Bryan Cranston champions Ford's new philanthropy push at revived Detroit landmark

It's midmorning June 17 and actor Bryan Cranston is in a private room deep inside Michigan Central Station seated in an overstuffed lounge chair. He leans back, smiling and welcoming the respite from the grueling 82-degree heat he'd just endured for more than an hour outside, speaking in front of hundreds of Ford Motor Co. employees, dealers and some media. Cranston, 69, isn't complaining. Heck, he isn't even sweating. The Oscar-nominated star volunteered to be in Detroit to emcee the event to kick off Ford's new philanthropy program: Ford Building Together. The program aims to better unite Ford's nationwide dealership network and employees so that they can provide more efficient relief during disasters. Ford is partnering with four charities in the new program. 'I'm here to build that community, that's what it's all about," Cranston told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, of why he supports Ford's philanthropy work. "I'm tired of the vitriol and the rancor and the finger-pointing. We're better than that. We have a variety of different opinions on religion and politics and life. But let's find the commonality. This is one of those events that finds that commonality. This is a celebration of the American spirit.' The American spirit is fitting for Ford as the company touts itself as the most American of all the automakers, often citing the statistic that 80% of the vehicles it sells in the United States, it also assembles here. That is a timely message amid President Donald Trump's trade war, which seeks to encourage more U.S.-based manufacturing. A quiet philanthropist Cranston is most famous for playing the dad in the early 2000s sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle" and more recently as playing Walter White, a chemistry teacher turned drug dealer, in the hit 2008-13 drama "Breaking Bad." In 2016, he was nominated for Best Actor for the movie "Trumbo." Despite his movie star credentials, Cranston is a dedicated philanthropist, though he said this is the first time he has talked so openly about it. "I've been involved in philanthropy for quite a while. My wife and I have a fund set up for a variety of charities," Cranston said. "It was Jane Kaczmarek, who played my wife in 'Malcom in the Middle,' who said, 'Paying back, donating time, energy and money to charities is reciprocal to our good fortune and it kind of comes with the territory.' " He has used social media to promote his involvement with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children over the years. And, even with his business endeavors, Cranston makes an effort to give back. "I'm so blessed; I'm so lucky. Why not share it?" Cranston said. "I don't know how good I'd be as a mogul, wanting to make more and more. I want to make and share, make and share. That's what we discovered when Aaron Paul (costar in 'Breaking Bad') and I started our mezcal company Dos Hombres — we have to give back to the people of Mexico. It's the right thing to do." 'You want me to show up?' Cranston's ties to Ford started years ago. The relationship has taken him from rescue work with the automaker's philanthropy arm after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, to more recently his visit to Dearborn, Michigan Truck Plant to donning a hard hat to trapse through the very building he sat in on June 17: Michigan Central Station, well before it was renovated. Cranston's famous voice — a deep, gutteral baritone — won him a contract as the voice of Ford commercials starting in October 2018 with the launch of the "Built Ford Proud" campaign, according to Ad Age. He has also voiced Ford Philanthropy promotional videos. Before that, he said he has personally bought several F-150 crew cab pickups over the years, donating them to charities to use after hurricanes to rescue people in flooded areas. As for his personal car, Cranston has been driving an all-electric Mustang Mach-E for the past few years. So when Ford told him about this new philanthropy program that partners with the American Red Cross (Cranston said he donates blood regularly), Habitat for Humanity, Feeding America and Team Rubicon, he didn't hesitate to help. "Ford said, 'Do you wanna …?' I said, 'You want me to show up?' They said, 'Will you? Really?' I said, 'Yeah, yeah.' So here I am," Cranston said. Cranston's visits to Michigan To get to Detroit on June 17, Cranston took a day and a half off from the set of his latest project, a dark comedy movie being filmed in Champaign, Illinois, called "Chili Finger." It also stars Judy Greer, Sean Astin and John Goodman. The timing is interesting, too. Cranston said it was nearly four years ago to the date when he entered "this building wearing a hard hat and a vest, stepping over puddles and fallen cables and graffiti and broken marble … it was a mess." That was in 2021 or so and Cranston said he'd come to Michigan to do research for the 2022 movie "Jerry and Marge Go Large" costarring Annette Bening based on the true story of Jerry and Marge Selbee, of Evart, Michigan, who figured out how to win the lottery. Cranston took a detour from his research to come to Detroit during that visit where he met up with friends. While in the city, he took a tour of Dearborn Truck Plant to see the F-150 pickup being made and then he made his way to Michigan Central Station. "I came here to see what Ford was doing to this and why," Cranston said. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh this is a huge undertaking.' I knew it was Bill Ford's baby and people thought he was a little crazy to do this and look at it now. It's gorgeous.' Executive Chair Bill Ford was on FOX News Channel's "FOX & Friends" the morning of June 17 talking to co-host Steve Doocy about the long-standing desire to repair the train station. "It had become a mecca for drug dealers and everything else. I drove by it almost every day and often, what happened was, there were stories, national stories about the decay of Detroit ... and this was often the visual," Ford said of the train station. Ford spent close to $1 billion to renovate the old train depot, which now holds shops, offices and soon, a luxury hotel. Since it opened to the public in June 2024, Ford said it has had about 300,000 visitors. On June 2, NoMad Hotels, an upscale boutique brand affiliated with Hilton and featuring a bourgeois-bohemian flair, said it plans to open an approximately 180-room hotel on the top floors of Michigan Central Station in the first half of 2027. Cranston's take on Detroit sports Cranston glances around at the marble walls. The sunlight pierces through the skylights illuminating the once downtrodden train depot. He is aware the building reflects the Motor City, a place he calls a "great town" that he visits often. "I'm really, really happy to see it come back," Cranston said. "There were times when I was here, where it was almost like a ghost town and to see that urban renewal is really rewarding.' Cranston has a couple of hours before he has to catch a flight back to Champaign, Illinois, and return to his real job. He doesn't mind going back to work, saying he is grateful that he gets to do what he loves for a living and it has given him a platform to help others. There is one regret though, being a Tigers fan, Cranston wishes he could have caught a game while here. "But the last time I was here, it was about a year and a half ago, and I'm from Los Angeles originally so I'm a Rams fan," Cranston said. "We came to play the Lions and the Lions beat us. They played a better game and they won. They've got a great team and it was a lot of fun." Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@ Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.