The Treatment

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The Treat: Thierry Frémaux May 25, 2026

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The Cannes Film Festival recently wrapped up its 79th year celebrating films from around the world. Prior to the festival, its director Thierry Frémaux premiered his own film, 'Lumière le Cinéma!,' a look at the birth of cinema through the Lumière Brothers and their invention of the cinematograph. It’s now streaming on the Criterion Channel. For his treat, Frémaux celebrates an American singer-songwriter whose music doesn’t shy away from protesting the country he calls home.

How ‘Project Hail Mary’ captured the spectacle of space May 22, 2026

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Directing duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller got their start in animated TV as co-creators of the series 'Clone High.' Their partnership continued on the big screen with 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,' 'The Lego Movie,' and '21 Jump Street.' Their latest is the adaptation of the Andy Weir sci-fi novel 'Project Hail Mary,' starring Ryan Gosling. Lord and Miller talk about why this movie was the hardest project they've taken on, what the film has in common with 'The Lego Movie,' and why sometimes the most subversive thing they do in a project is have people get along.

Note: this interview originally aired on March 20, 2026

The Treat: Cynthia Erivo May 18, 2026

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Grammy, Emmy, and Tony-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo continues to conquer stage and screen. She stepped back into Elphaba’s shoes (and cape and hat) in the blockbuster musical 'Wicked: For Good' last year. Now, she’s finishing up a run in a one-woman adaptation of 'Dracula' in London’s West End. For her treat, she celebrates Nina Simone’s iconic take of the song “I’m Feeling Good.” Erivo cites the “color” and imperfections of Simone’s singing as inspiration for her own version of the song, which, she says, teaches her something new every time she sings it.

Jeremy O. Harris and Pete Ohs on casting Charli XCX in 'Erupcja' May 15, 2026

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Tony nominated playwright Jeremy O. Harris and director Pete Ohs are frequent collaborators. Ohs worked on a documentary about Harris’ acclaimed and controversial 'Slave Play' and Harris starred in Ohs’ film 'The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick.'

Their latest collaboration is the film 'Erupcja,' starring pop star Charli XCX in a role far removed from her on stage persona. 'Erupcja' was filmed in Poland without a traditional script, and the actors all brought their own ideas to the film. Ohs and Harris tell Elvis how they got Charli XCX to be in the film, why Ohs likes to work without a script, and the origin of the film's Polish title.

The Treat: India Donaldson May 11, 2026

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Director India Donaldson’s 2024 feature film debut 'Good One' is deceptively simple: a teenager, her father, and her father’s friend go camping in upstate New York. But the film goes into an unexpected direction, telling its story with tension and subtlety. For her treat, she cites a 2003 sculpture by the visual artist Shimabuku, whose simplicity evokes unabashed joy.

Simon Helberg on the absurdity of ‘The Audacity’ May 08, 2026

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Actor Simon Helberg is no stranger to playing highly intelligent characters with a few social shortcomings. He’s best known for his comedic turn as the brilliant, but awkward engineer Howard Wolowitz on the CBS sitcom 'The Big Bang Theory,' which ran for 12 seasons. He’s also appeared in films including 'OldSchool,' 'A Serious Man,' and 'Florence Foster Jenkins,' for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.

His latest role is as Martin Phister in the AMC series 'TheAudacity.' Phister is a tech genius who can’t connect with his own family. Helberg talks about getting into the psyche of someone highly intelligent and neurodivergent, why some tech titans believe they are actually saving the world, and he reveals what he thinks when he catches himself on 'The Big Bang Theory.'

The Treat: BenDavid Grabinski May 04, 2026

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Writer-director BenDavid Grabinski’s newest film, the crime caper 'Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice,' is in part an homage to the independent films of the ‘70s. For his treat, he pays tribute to a recent Broadway revival starring two performers known for going back in time and having a most excellent adventure.

Cannes Chief Thierry Frémaux on the origins of filmmaking in ‘Lumière, le Cinema!’ May 01, 2026

Show notes

More than 125 years ago, brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière invented the cinematograph, a precursor to the movie camera. Their contributions to modern filmmaking are enshrined at the Institute Lumière in France.

As a scholar of film, Thierry Frémaux, director of the Institute Lumière and Cannes Film Festival, was drawn to telling the Lumière brothers’ story. His first film as director is 'Lumière, le Cinema!,' in which he narrates a series of shorts created by the Lumière brothers and explains the significance of their invention. Frémaux talks to Elvis about why he wanted to tell this story, why the Lumière brothers' invention of the cinematograph was so consequential, and how the films they created are still relevant today.

The Treat: Jeff Daniels Apr 27, 2026

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Actor Jeff Daniels has had a storied career in TV, film, and Broadway. He’s the winner of two Emmys for his roles in 'The Newsroom' and 'Godless,' has appeared in films as varied as 'Terms of Endearment,' 'Dumb and Dumber,' and 'The Martian,' and earned three Tony Award nominations for his work in the plays 'God of Carnage,' 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and 'Blackbird.' To top it all off, he’s also an accomplished musician, with several folk and blues albums of original music. For his treat, he pays tribute to a live album recorded in 1970 by a musician on the precipice of mega-stardom.

Rob Reiner on the legacy of ‘Spinal Tap’ Apr 24, 2026

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The late and acclaimed director Rob Reiner created some of the most beloved films of the past four decades including 'Stand By Me,' 'When Harry Met Sally' and, of course, 'This is Spinal Tap.'

In the fall of 2025, Reiner joined The Treatment for an extensive conversation ahead of the release of what would be his final film: 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.'

'This is Spinal Tap' ushered in an era of mockumentaries starring Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. They were masters of improv and accomplished musicians. Reiner spoke about the actors’ authentic musical talents, he revealed his character Marty DiBergi’s hilarious backstory, and he recounted the real life rockers who saw themselves in the fictional band.

This episode originally ran on September 13, 2025.

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