Variety Confidential

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Latest Episodes:

The Icon Aug 22, 2025

With only 14 film credits, River Phoenix has left an indelible mark in Hollywood and beyond. In “The Icon,” the fourth episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ “Variety Confidential,” host Tatiana Siegel talks to Variety’s Owen Gleiberman and Brent Lang about the phenomenon of a Hollywood life taken too soon while Dr. Drew Pinsky explains how River’s untimely death reshaped the conversation around addiction.

For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gone Too Soon Aug 15, 2025

River Phoenix’s story is one of brilliance and tragedy, and both his life and work illuminated the beauty and the darkness of the human experience. In “Gone Too Soon,” the third episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ “Variety Confidential,” host Tatiana Siegel uncovers the final days of River’s life up until that fateful night in October 1993, when Hollywood lost one of its brightest stars. Actor Samantha Mathis, River’s then-girlfriend who was with him when he died at age 23, details her memories including co-starring in “The Thing Called Love,” his last film that was released.

For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Turning Point Aug 08, 2025

While “My Own Private Idaho” showcased River Phoenix’s brilliance as an actor, his time making the 1991 film also exposed him to the darker side of Hollywood. In “The Turning Point,” the second episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ “Variety Confidential,” host Tatiana Siegel delves into pivotal moments in River’s life with “Dogfight” director Nancy Savoca and his close friend Matt Ebert, who was a production assistant on “My Own Private Idaho.”

For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rising Star Aug 01, 2025

River Phoenix’s upbringing not only shaped his worldview but also ignited his artistic passions early on, laying the groundwork for his future career in Hollywood. The 1986 film "Stand By Me” catapulted him into the spotlight and established him as a household name. In “Rising Star,” the first episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ “Variety Confidential,” host Tatiana Siegel speaks with River's “Stand By Me” co-star Corey Feldman and Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman about River’s early career and rise to fame.

For a full list of sources and citations for this episode, visit https://variety.com/h/variety-confidential/.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Errol Flynn "When You're a Star" Jan 24, 2024

After starring in the 1935 film “Captain Blood,” actor Errol Flynn became the big screen’s foremost swashbuckler. Seven years later, two underage girls accused the golden age movie star of statutory rape. In “When You’re A Star,” the sixth episode of Variety and iHeart Podcasts’ true crime podcast “Variety Confidential,” host Tracy Pattin and co-host Matt Donnelly, Variety’s senior entertainment and media writer, look back at Flynn’s 1943 rape trial.