Celebrity Interviews

Country music comes naturally to Ringo Starr. The former Beatle has dabbled in the music ever since singing the country hit “Act Naturally” with the Beatles in 1965, and he’s now about to release a whole country album. Starr says in an interview with The Associated Press’ Andrew Dalton that he’s put a bit of country in most everything he’s done, so the album wasn’t too big a stretch. Starr says the project began when he bumped into his friend, classic country aficionado T-Bone Burnett, and asked him to write a song. Burnett came back with nine. The resulting album, “Look Up,” comes out in January.

Erykah Badu has been a music disruptor, culture shifter and style maven ever since she stepping into the limelight with her 1997 debut album, “Baduizm.” The four-time Grammy winner, who was recently honored with the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) Icon award, sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about her fashion influence, working on new music, her appearance in “The Piano Lesson” —and finally learning to stop and smell the flowers.

Paul Mescal plays the titular gladiator Lucius and Denzel Washington is aspiring emperor Macrinus in Ridley Scott’s Roman epic “Gladiator II.” The two stars sat down with AP entertainment journalist Sian Watson in London to talk about robes, bulking up, their 86-year-old director — and working with friends and family.

Thirty years after the Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump,” Tom Hanks and Robin Wright have joined once again with director Robert Zemeckis for the family drama “Here.” It’s Hanks’ fifth film with Zemeckis and Wright’s fourth. They sat down with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to discuss their previous collaborations: “Gump” (both, 1994), “Cast Away” (Hanks, 2000), “The Polar Express” (Hanks, 2004), “Beowulf” (Wright, 2007), “A Christmas Carol” (Wright, 2009) and “Pinocchio” (Hanks, 2022).

Tim Heidecker is working through his existential dread, in the form of song. Best known for his absurdist comedy, he’s leaned more into songwriting in recent years. He sat down with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria to talk about his latest album “Slipping Away,” which moves between semi-fictional apocalyptic storytelling and poignant, vulnerable reflections on fatherhood, aging and success.

Mikey Madison stars in “Anora” as a Brooklyn exotic dancer who spontaneously marries the son of a Russian oligarch. She sat down with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria to talk about how she landed the role with writer-director Sean Baker, preparing her little brother for a screening, improv — and the challenge of pole dancing.

Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh star in John Crowley’s “We Live In Time,” which tells the story of a relationship over the course of a decade. The two actors sat down with AP film writer Jake Coyle to talk about on-screen chemistry, processing the heavier moments of the film — and that infamous carousel horse meme.

N.T. Rama Rao Jr. is following up the international success of “RRR” with the action-drama “Devara: Part 1,” in which he plays both a mythical hero and a son struggling with his dad’s legacy. Rama Rao says Los Angeles has become his “lucky charm” after last year’s trip to the Oscars — where “Naatu Naatu” won best song — and a subsequent invitation to join the U.S. film academy. The 41-year-old, whose father and grandfather were both prominent actors and political leaders, sat down with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to talk about his own perspective on fatherhood, filming crowd-pleasing underwater scenes, staying “innocent” as an actor — and his love for the Will Smith film “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

RZA’s hoarding habit led to his newest adventure in music: a ballet and surprisingly traditional classical music album he calls “A Ballet Through Mud.” He sat down with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to talk about the nostalgic genesis of the project, the growing bridge between the worlds of classical and hip-hop, and his hopes for what happens next with his composition and ballet.

After releasing 18 albums over more than two decades, Xiu Xiu is still making music for outsiders. With the release of “13'’ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips,” band leader Jamie Stewart spoke with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria about balancing harmony and dissonance, moving to Berlin — and why the band “wouldn’t exist” without David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” universe.

Usher’s new concert film ‘Usher: Rendezvous in Paris’ is playing in theaters through Sunday. The R&B star sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about the significance of his Paris concert and the resulting film, recent online discussion about successors to Michael Jackson, and chasing the success of his “Confessions” album.

Brandy stars alongside Kathryn Hunter in A24’s horror film “The Front Room.” The two actors spoke with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz about decompressing after dark scenes, Brandy’s past forays into the horror genre — and filming in a haunted house.

Kathy Bates had “one foot out the door” and was ready to retire after recovering from cancer and an emotionally draining film project. Then she joined “Matlock.” The 76-year-old star says she’s been rejuvenated by the legal procedural series’ creator and her co-stars. She sat down with AP entertainment journalist Kaitlyn Huamani to talk about learning to trust again in Hollywood, working with Ryan Murphy and Dustin Hoffman — and the value of storytelling.

Six years after “A Star is Born,” Lady Gaga returns to the Venice Film Festival with “Joker: Folie à Deux” alongside Joaquin Phoenix and director Todd Phillips. She sat down with AP film writer Lindsey Bahr to talk about creating a new voice for her Lee/Harley Quinn character, writing a “waltz that falls apart” for the film — and why it’s an “exciting time” in pop music. Phillips shares why he chose her for the role, singing on set — and using the film to pose the question: “What is entertainment?”

Angelina Jolie portrays renowned opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” focusing on her life in Paris in the 70s before her death at age 53. They sat down with AP entertainment editor Louise Dixon at the Venice Film Festival to discuss how Jolie connected with Callas, the difficulty of performing opera — and why the film, to be released on Netflix, is the most personal of Larraín’s biopic trilogy that includes “Spencer” and “Jackie.”

Nearly a decade after his last full-length release, Zedd is releasing “Telos.” The Grammy-winning producer/DJ says he needed to push himself to make an album that would move the needle — one that told a story beyond the success of his debut LP, “Clarity,” or “True Colors.” The German dance-pop maverick says the album — which features collaborators ranging from Muse and John Mayer to Remi Wolf and Bea Miller — is “an album that for many years I doubted I could create.” He spoke with AP entertainment journalist Rick Taber about the long process of creating “Telos,” being inspired by Jeff Buckley and the state of EDM.

“Only Murders in the Building” has become a “safe place” for Selena Gomez as the hit Hulu comedy enters its fourth season. She sat down alongside co-stars and longtime friends Steve Martin and Martin Short to speak with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz about on-set confidence, finding your ‘number one’ in the industry and more.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” stars Jenna Ortega, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about the significance and pressure of releasing a sequel 36 years after the original 1988 horror comedy hit, their bonds with director Tim Burton — and O’Hara’s thoughts on working again with “Home Alone” co-star Macaulay Culkin.

Tinashe thought she might have hit on her hands with “Nasty” — but never expected it become such a viral success. The R&B and pop star spoke with the AP’s Gary Gerard Hamilton about her new album “Quantum Baby,” how she now defines success, and maintaining career momentum over the years through changes in the the music industry.

MTV’s “The Challenge” is looking back as it celebrates 26 years of big personalities and big drama. The reality competition series’ stars Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, Aneea Ferreira and Nurys Mateo — along with host TJ Lavin — sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about the 40th season, which features 40 returning competitors in a “Battle of the Eras.”

Michael Keaton says it would have been a “huge mistake” for his titular trickster ghost character to get significantly more screen time in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” than he did in the first film. The 72-year-old star sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about why he was nervous to return for the sequel featuring Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder, the impact of Tim Burton’s original 1988 horror comedy — and why he never thought of himself as playing Batman.

Justin Baldoni’s “It Ends With Us” journey began well before Colleen Hoover’s novel became a sensation on TikTok. The 40-year-old actor and filmmaker optioned the book in 2019 while he was shooting “Jane The Virgin” and preparing to release his feature film directorial debut, “Five Feet Apart.” Five years later, he spoke with AP entertainment journalist Alicia Rancilio about directing and co-starring alongside Blake Lively in the drama that revolves around domestic violence.

It is not easy to be an outsider in country music, but Orville Peck has made a career out of it. On his third album, “Stampede,” his nonconformist spirit has led to collaborations with everyone from Willie Nelson and Elton John to Mickey Guyton and Kylie Minogue. The 36-year-old South African musician has been steadily stripping back his mask since his 2019 debut album “Pony.” Peck spoke with AP music journalist Maria Sherman about his growing confidence, his high-profile collaborations and country radio.

Josh Hartnett is looking back at shedding his Hollywood heartthrob image in the 2000s as he stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller “Trap.” Hartnett is now 46 and lives in England with his wife and four children. While he’s been working steadily since breaking out in 1998 with a “Halloween” sequel and “The Faculty,” he intentionally moved away from studio movies and leading man roles after being typecast as his fame grew with movies like “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor.” In “Trap,” Hartnett plays a father with a secret who takes his daughter to a pop concert — which is surrounded by police searching for a serial killer.

M. Night Shyamalan has been at least partly self-financing his films since 2015’s “The Visit,” risking his own money on box office success. His latest is “Trap,” starring Josh Hartnett as a father with a secret and Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka as a pop star whose concert is surrounded by police looking to capture a serial killer. Shyamalan spoke with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson about his high-risk, high-reward, lower-budget filmmaking approach, guiding his daughters’ artistic pursuits — and his philosophy that “talent is process.”

Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement co-created and play recurring characters in the new Apple TV+ “Time Bandits” series starring Lisa Kudrow. While it’s inspired by Terry Gilliam’s beloved 1981 fantasy film, the two say they mostly went their own way when approaching the story. They spoke with AP entertainment journalist Kaitlyn Huamani about reports of Gilliam visiting the set, casting little people and the pressures of remakes.

310babii rose to global fame after his single “Soak City (Do It)” went viral last year. The 18-year-old rapper sat down with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz shortly after graduating from high school to reflect on finding music industry success as a teenager, his dream collaborators and what it means to represent the West Coast.

Common and Pete Rock first linked up in 1996 for Common’s Ice Cube diss track. Twenty-eight years later, the hip-hop veterans are releasing an album-length collaboration, “The Auditorium, Vol. 1.” The Chicago rapper-actor and New York producer-rapper sat down with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to look back at “The ***** In Yoo” and prioritizing art over commerce as they entered the music business — and to celebrate their reunion: “iron sharpens iron.”

Hip-hop icons Common and Pete Rock have united for their first album-length collaboration, “The Auditorium Vol. 1.” The Chicago-raised rapper-actor and the New York-bred producer-rapper sat down with Associated Press entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to break down each of the album’s 14 tracks— and those famed Pete Rock instrumental interludes.

Nicolas Cage says he channeled his mother to play the part of the titular occultist serial killer in “Longlegs.” The 60-year-old actor and producer spoke with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria about getting more personal with his performances, working with director Osgood Perkins and why he’s always loved acting in horror films.