Inside the Actors Studio 

Famous actors, directors and writers reminisce about their careers and the philosophy behind their craft.

Creator:

James Lipton

Stars:

James Lipton, Ellen Burstyn, Bradley Cooper

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 4 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
James Lipton	...	Self - Host / ... 262 episodes, 1994-2018

Storyline

James Lipton interviews some of today's most talented actors, directors and writers. In the audience are students and famous alumni of the Actors Studio's master of fine arts program. The interviewees talk about their childhood, how they got started in show business, their early career and behind-the-scenes trivia. The interview concludes with a standardized questionnaire that includes such questions as "What is your favorite word?" and "If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive?" After that, Lipton and the interviewee move to a classroom where the M.F.A. students can question the interviewee directly.

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Plot Keywords:

man wears eyeglasses | actor | writer | director | interview | 

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Genres:

Talk-Show

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lipton states the dominate theme among his guests is parental separation and divorce

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Goofs

For every guest James Lipton is inconsistent on which acting credit is noteworthy to acknowledge.

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Quotes

[his infamous answer to "if heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say to you when you reach the pearly gates?"]
Harrison Ford: You're much better-looking in person.

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Connections

Featured in Magic Time: A Tribute to Jack Lemmon (2002)

User Reviews

Oh, God, Lipton is *such* a suck-up!

I haven't seen an enormous number of these shows, and I think the first few I saw were of genuine acting giants such as De Niro and Streep. Lipton's awed reverence seems a tad over-done but not inappropriate. But as time goes on and one sees a few people more known for being movie stars rather than notably talented actors, one can't help but notice that Lipton's attitude towards his interviewees doesn't change one iota. They all get the same, "Another of my favourite films is..." treatment.

Last week I saw the Simpsons interview (which included a clip from The Simpsons satirising Lipton's sycophancy), and I have to say it left a bad taste in the mouth. Of course, his oleaginous manner didn't change in the slightest, but at least most interviewees are given the respect of talking about their work as *actors*, whereas the poor old Simpsons cast (Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer) had to jump through their vocal hoops like so many performing monkeys, answering questions as their characters and the like. No wonder Julie Kavner left early!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Ovation

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Inside the Actors Studio: The Craft of Theatre and Film

Filming Locations:

John L. Tischman Theater, The New School, New School University - 65 West 12th Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ovation, The Actors Studio, Triage Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1