Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, also referred to as Actors on Actors, is an American entertainment talk show television series co-produced by PBS SoCal and Variety Media. It premiered on PBS SoCal on December 21, 2014.
Plot
Each episode brings together multiple pairs of actors engaging in intimate one-on-one discussions about their acting craft and work.Episodes
Season 1 (2014–15)
Episode 1:- Benedict Cumberbatch with Edward Norton
- Patricia Arquette with Jake Gyllenhaal
- Hilary Swank with Tilda Swinton
- Oscar Isaac with Gugu Mbatha-Raw
- Jessica Chastain with Mark Ruffalo
- Laura Dern with Eddie Redmayne
- Josh Brolin with J. K. Simmons
- James Corden with Kevin Costner
- Michael Keaton with Reese Witherspoon
- Ethan Hawke with Keira Knightley
- Jack O'Connell with David Oyelowo
- Felicity Jones with Jenny Slate
- Jennifer Aniston with Emily Blunt
- Ralph Fiennes with Christoph Waltz
- Marion Cotillard with Timothy Spall
- Chadwick Boseman with Logan Lerman
Season 2 (2015)
Episode 1:- Julia Louis-Dreyfus with Jeffrey Tambor
- Taraji P. Henson with Queen Latifah
- Jessica Lange with Taylor Schilling
- Maggie Gyllenhaal with Liev Schreiber
- Bob Odenkirk with Michael Sheen
- Don Cheadle with Claire Danes
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson with Matt LeBlanc
- Julianna Margulies with Clive Owen
- Viola Davis with Jane Fonda
- Uzo Aduba with Gina Rodriguez
Season 3 (2015–16)
Episode 1:- Cate Blanchett with Ian McKellen ''
- Benicio Del Toro with Will Smith
- Joel Edgerton with Brie Larson
- Amy Schumer with Lily Tomlin
- Saoirse Ronan with Kate Winslet
- Elizabeth Banks with Carey Mulligan
- Steve Carell with Rooney Mara
- Bryan Cranston with Jason Segel
- Jennifer Jason Leigh with Seth Rogen
- Samuel L. Jackson with Michael Keaton
- Paul Dano with Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- Charlotte Rampling with Isabella Rossellini
Season 4 (2016)
Episode 1:- Jamie Lee Curtis with Lady Gaga
- Tracee Ellis Ross with Courtney B. Vance
- Felicity Huffman with Jennifer Lopez
- Tom Hiddleston with Aaron Paul
- Emilia Clarke with Jay Duplass
- Bobby Cannavale with Sarah Paulson
- Rob Lowe with John Travolta
- Aziz Ansari with Kerry Washington
- Kirsten Dunst with Rami Malek
- Thomas Middleditch with Patrick Stewart
Season 5 (2017)
Episode 1:- Viola Davis with Tom Hanks
- Molly Shannon with Emma Stone
- Casey Affleck with Nicole Kidman
- Jeff Bridges with Matthew McConaughey
- Natalie Portman with Michelle Williams
- Amy Adams with Andrew Garfield
- Taraji P. Henson with Ryan Reynolds
- Annette Bening with Naomie Harris
- Colin Farrell with Hugh Grant
- Adam Driver with Michael Shannon
- Dev Patel with Octavia Spencer
- Sally Field with Hailee Steinfeld
- Mahershala Ali with Greta Gerwig
Season 6 (2017)
Episode 1:- Sarah Jessica Parker with Michelle Pfeiffer
- Kevin Bacon with John Lithgow
- Thandie Newton with Oprah Winfrey
- Freida Pinto with Milo Ventimiglia
- Lauren Graham with Constance Zimmer
- Nicole Kidman with Ewan McGregor
- Pamela Adlon with Sterling K. Brown
- Anthony Anderson with Kaley Cuoco
- Millie Bobby Brown with Evan Rachel Wood
- Riz Ahmed with Elisabeth Moss
- Brit Marling with Issa Rae
Season 7 (2018)
Episode 1:- Jennifer Lawrence with Adam Sandler
- Gary Oldman with Kate Winslet
- Jake Gyllenhaal with Margot Robbie
- Saoirse Ronan with Kristen Wiig
- Timothée Chalamet with Daniel Kaluuya
- Gal Gadot with Kumail Nanjiani
- Willem Dafoe with Hugh Jackman
- Mary J. Blige with Salma Hayek
- Allison Janney with Sam Rockwell
- Jessica Chastain with Holly Hunter
- James Franco with Dustin Hoffman
- Hong Chau with Diane Kruger
- Richard Jenkins with Laurie Metcalf
- Jamie Bell with Robert Pattinson
Season 8 (2018)
Episode 1:- Benedict Cumberbatch with Claire Foy
- Angela Bassett with Laura Dern
- Darren Criss with Mandy Moore
- Jason Bateman with Bill Hader
- Jessica Biel with Alison Brie
- Debra Messing with Sharon Stone
- Michael B. Jordan with Issa Rae
- Jeff Daniels with Laura Linney
- Tiffany Haddish with John Legend
- Edie Falco with J. K. Simmons
Season 9 (2019)
Episode 1:- Amy Adams with Nicole Kidman
- Mahershala Ali with John David Washington
- Felicity Jones with Constance Wu
- Melissa McCarthy with Lupita Nyong'o
- Timothée Chalamet with Emma Stone
- Emily Blunt with Hugh Jackman
- John Krasinski with Rosamund Pike
- Michael B. Jordan with Charlize Theron
- Maggie Gyllenhaal with Regina King
- Glenn Close with Sam Elliott
- Armie Hammer with Dakota Johnson
- Chadwick Boseman with Viggo Mortensen
Season 10 (2019)
Episode 1:- Patricia Arquette with Julia Roberts
- Amy Adams with Richard Madden
- Taraji P. Henson with Ellen Pompeo
- Benicio del Toro with Michael Douglas
- Emilia Clarke with Regina Hall
- Sam Rockwell with Renée Zellweger
- Chris Pine with Robin Wright
- Patricia Clarkson with Michelle Williams
- Sacha Baron Cohen with Don Cheadle
- Rachel Brosnahan with Billy Porter
- Tracee Ellis Ross with Sarah Paulson
- Natasha Lyonne with Maya Rudolph
Season 11 (2020)
Episode 1:- Tom Hanks with Renée Zellweger
- Brad Pitt with Adam Sandler
- Awkwafina with Taron Egerton
- Antonio Banderas with Eddie Murphy
- Chris Evans with Scarlett Johansson
- Mindy Kaling with Constance Wu
- Adam Driver with Charlize Theron
- Cynthia Erivo with Alfre Woodard
- Shia LaBeouf with Kristen Stewart
- Jennifer Lopez with Robert Pattinson
- Sterling K. Brown with Laura Dern
- Beanie Feldstein with Florence Pugh
Season 12 (2020)
Episode 1:- Regina King with Reese Witherspoon
- Anne Hathaway with Hugh Jackman
- Kieran Culkin with Dan Levy
- Sandra Oh with Kerry Washington
- Tessa Thompson with Ramy Youssef
- Russell Crowe with Nicole Kidman
- Jennifer Aniston with Lisa Kudrow
- Daveed Diggs with Anthony Mackie
- Henry Cavill with Patrick Stewart
- Claire Danes with Damian Lewis
- Zendaya with Mj Rodriguez
- Chris Evans with Paul Rudd
Season 13 (2021)
Episode 1:- Jodie Foster with Anthony Hopkins
- Riz Ahmed with Steven Yeun
- George Clooney with Michelle Pfeiffer
- Zendaya with Carey Mulligan
- Glenn Close with Pete Davidson
- Ben Affleck with Sacha Baron Cohen
- Andra Day with Leslie Odom Jr.
- Jared Leto with John David Washington
- Jamie Dornan with Eddie Redmayne
- Vanessa Kirby with Amanda Seyfried
- Tom Holland with Daniel Kaluuya
Season 14 (2021)
Episode 1:- Nicole Kidman with Chris Rock
- Josh O'Connor with Anya Taylor-Joy
- Ewan McGregor with Pedro Pascal
- Kathryn Hahn with Jason Sudeikis
- Kaley Cuoco with Elizabeth Olsen
- Emma Corrin with Regé-Jean Page
- Gillian Anderson with Elisabeth Moss
- Uzo Aduba with Billy Porter
Season 15 (2022)
Episode 1:- Lady Gaga with Jake Gyllenhaal
- Jessica Chastain with Rita Moreno
- Javier Bardem with Daniel Craig
- Penélope Cruz with Benedict Cumberbatch
- Ariana DeBose with Simu Liu
- Oscar Isaac with Jared Leto
- Andrew Garfield with Rachel Zegler
- Aunjanue Ellis with Regina King
- Jamie Dornan with Kirsten Dunst
- Nicole Kidman with Kristen Stewart
- Marlee Matlin with Bradley Whitford
- Mahershala Ali with Bradley Cooper
Season 16 (2022)
Episode 1:- Viola Davis with Samuel L. Jackson
- Jennifer Aniston with Sebastian Stan
- Jared Leto with Amanda Seyfried
- Zendaya with Andrew Garfield
- Cynthia Nixon with Bowen Yang
- Courteney Cox with Faith Hill
- Martin Short with Jean Smart
- Jung Ho-yeon with Sandra Oh
- Tom Hiddleston with Lily James
- Anne Hathaway with Jeremy Strong
- Christina Ricci with Sydney Sweeney
- Quinta Brunson with Adam Scott ''
- Josh Brolin with Josh Brolin
Season 17 (2023)
Episode 1:- Cate Blanchett with Michelle Yeoh
- Kate Hudson with Glen Powell
- Laura Dern with Michelle Williams
- Carey Mulligan with Margot Robbie
- Austin Butler with Janelle Monáe
- John Boyega with Letitia Wright
- Viola Davis with Jennifer Lawrence
- Jamie Lee Curtis with Colin Farrell
- Brendan Fraser with Adam Sandler
- Ana de Armas with Eddie Redmayne
- Paul Dano with Brian Tyree Henry
- Joe Alwyn with Paul Mescal
Season 18 (2023)
Episode 1:- Emily Blunt with Brian Cox
- Taron Egerton with Rachel Weisz
- Elle Fanning with Jenna Ortega
- Pedro Pascal with Steven Yeun
- Melanie Lynskey with Natasha Lyonne
- Kieran Culkin with Claire Danes
- Jennifer Garner with Sheryl Lee Ralph
- Brett Goldstein with Theo James
- Katherine Heigl with Ellen Pompeo
- Jennifer Coolidge with Jeremy Allen White
- Jason Segel with Ali Wong
- Hayden Christensen with Diego Luna
Season 19 (2024)
Episode 1:- Cillian Murphy with Margot Robbie
- Bradley Cooper with Emma Stone
Episode 3:
- Michael Fassbender with Carey Mulligan
- Greta Lee with Andrew Scott
- Halle Bailey with Rachel Zegler
- Emily Blunt with Anne Hathaway
- Taraji P. Henson with Jeffrey Wright
- Paul Mescal with Natalie Portman
Season 20 (2024)
Episode 1:- Robert Downey Jr. with Jodie Foster
- Anthony Mackie with Tyler James Williams
- Emma Corrin with Elizabeth Debicki
- Jon Hamm with Kristen Wiig
- Kim Kardashian with Chloë Sevigny
- Joey King with Taylor Zakhar Perez
- Jennifer Aniston with Quinta Brunson
- Nicholas Galitzine with Leo Woodall
- Jonathan Bailey with Naomi Watts
- Brie Larson with Andrew Scott
- Hannah Einbinder with Chloe Fineman
- Tom Hiddleston with Anna Sawai
Season 21 (2025)
Episode 1:- Andrew Garfield with Ryan Reynolds
- Amy Adams with Demi Moore
- Zendaya with Nicole Kidman
Episode 3:
- Daniel Craig with Josh O'Connor
- Zoe Saldaña with Kate Winslet
- Cynthia Erivo with Angelina Jolie
- Pamela Anderson with Mikey Madison
- Harris Dickinson with Drew Starkey
- Adrien Brody with Tilda Swinton
Season 22 (2025)
Episode 1:- Arnold Schwarzenegger with Patrick Schwarzenegger ''
- Seth Rogen with Jason Segel
- Sterling K. Brown with Natasha Rothwell
- Kathryn Hahn with Kate Hudson
- Kathy Bates with Billy Bob Thornton
- Javier Bardem with Diego Luna
- Kristen Bell with Adam Scott
- Lisa Kudrow with Parker Posey
- Danny DeVito with Colin Farrell
- Keri Russell with Scott Speedman
- Charlie Cox with Joe Locke
Season 23 (2025)
- Adam Sandler and Ariana Grande
- Dwayne Johnson and Brendan Fraser
- David Corenswet and Jonathan Bailey
- Michael B. Jordan and Jesse Plemons
- Julia Roberts and Sean Penn
- Cynthia Erivo and Hugh Jackman
- Kate Hudson and Jeremy Allen White
- Gwyneth Paltrow and Jacob Elordi
- Stellan Skarsgård and Alexander Skarsgård ''
- Sydney Sweeney and Ethan Hawke
- Oscar Isaac and Teyana Taylor
- Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio
- Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley
Cast
The series is hosted byVariety Chief Awards Editor Clayton Davis and Variety Senior Entertainment Writer Angelique Jackson. Previously hosted by Variety Deputy Awards and Features editor Jenelle Riley, Variety co-editor-in-chief Andrew Wallenstein, Variety New York bureau chief Ramin Setoodeh, and Variety Chief Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister.Production
New episodes are produced twice yearly, once to align with the Academy Awards and once to align with the Emmy Awards.Reception
The series has been honored with a number of awards, including the 2019 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Series, and a for Arts and Popular Culture Program.Spin-off
Since 2021, Variety has released Directors on Directors, a companion series to Actors on Actors that airs annually during awards season. It mirrors the original's peer-to-peer conversation format but centers on filmmakers discussing their craft, influences, and storytelling techniques.In 2025, a Broadway edition of Actors on Actors was introduced ahead of the Tony Awards.