Variety announces “Actors On Actors: Broadway”

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 4/21/25 at 2:09pm

“Just in time for Tonys voting, we are thrilled to expand one of our favorite franchises into Broadway,” said Variety co-editor in chief Ramin Setoodeh. “From a ‘Succession’ reunion to unexpected meetings of legends from the stage and screen, these are some of the most engaging Actors on Actors conversations we have ever shot.”
Launching tomorrow at 8AM PT. 

April 22nd - George Clooney & Patti LuPone

April 23rd - Audra McDonald & Jake Gyllenhaal

April 24th - Sarah Snook & Kieran Culkin 

April 25th - Nicole Sherzinger & Jonathan Groff

April 26th - Cole Escola & Darren Criss

Updated On: 4/21/25 at 02:09 PM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 4/21/25 at 2:45pm

Some random pairings, but looking forward to it!

[barcelona20]

Posted: 4/21/25 at 2:52pm

I think I would have swapped Groff and Gyllenhaal or Cole and Nicole.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 4/21/25 at 3:04pm

I’d like to report a hate crime for not pairing Patti with Nicole. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 4/21/25 at 3:05pm

WiCkEDrOcKS said: "I’d like to report a hate crime for not pairing Patti with Nicole."

I wanted Cole and Patti

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/21/25 at 3:15pm

 

I'm so glad they are doing this for Broadway. I'd love it if they would also do the Roundtable with (as an example) the female contenders in the conversation for the Best Actress in a musical Tony (Menzel, Sherzinger, McDonald, Jasmine Amy Rogers, etc).

This line up for Actors on Broadway is solid but I think if I were doing the pairing I would have teamed it in this way:

Jake Gyllenhaal & Patti LuPone 
Audra McDonald & Nicole Sherzinger
Sarah Snook & Cole Escola
Darren Criss & Jonathan Groff
George Clooney and Kieren Culkin

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/21/25 at 3:56pm

QueenAlice said: "I'm so glad they are doing this for Broadway. I'd love it if they would also do the Roundtable with (as an example) the female contenders in the conversation for the Best Actress in a musical Tony (Menzel, Sherzinger, McDonald, Jasmine Amy Rogers, etc)."

The Tonys roundtable that Hollywood Reporter did last year I thought was really great, would be cool to bring that back again as well, maybe for something like this

[FosseTharp]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 12:19pm

 

[MezzA101]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 3:21pm

George Clooney and Patti LuPone on Surviving Trump and Broadway Pay

 

https://variety.com/2025/legit/news/george-clooney-patti-lupone-surviving-trump-broadway-pay-1236374131/

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 4:04pm

Really weird pairings. Makes me wonder if it’s something to do with whoever shares agents/managers.

[FosseTharp]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 4:44pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Really weird pairings. Makes me wonder if it’s something to do with whoever shares agents/managers."


That’s part of what I love about these Actors on Actors videos. The odd pairings are often where the best conversations come from. Like, one of my favorite episodes ever was Kieran Culkin and Colman Domingo. That sounded like such a strange combo on paper, but it ended up being an incredible, thoughtful chat.

 

I’m actually really glad Variety is doing a Broadway edition. It’s one of my favorite series to binge on YouTube during Film Awards season, so I was excited to see this drop. This particular convo was just okay for me, but I’m hopeful the rest of the series will bring some great matchups.

 

And okay—totally speculating here—but since Patti’s a Tony voter, unless she hasn’t seen Gypsy yet, it kinda seems like she’s already backing Nicole and Sunset Blvd for Revival and Lead Actress… maybe even Smash for Best Musical? 😂 Just a few takeaways I picked up.

 

Edit: but Jorge, Agents, managers, and especially Publicists definitely have a say… Sebastian Stan was supposed to be involved during the most recent Oscars season but no publicist would let their client do one with him for fear of talking about Trump…

 

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 04:44 PM

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 5:15pm

The Sundance Channel had a series called Iconclasts for many years and it featured unexpected pairings on any episode.  I remember one of my favorites was Alice Waters and Mikhail Baryshnikov.  I think the show is still available on one or more streaming services.

 

 

 

[binau]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 5:22pm

I continue to be shocked every day at how much high profile exposure and love Patti is getting across all kinds of media right now including social media, the excellent roles and work she is getting at her age. Is it me or has the peak of Patti's career basically been the last 20 years? She is not washed up or faded at all. 

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 5:27pm

Absolutely agree regarding unexpected pairings having the potential to result in interesting conversations. But as we all know, the trend today is to only talk to or be friends with people who think exactly the same way as oneself. So it doesn’t surprise me that members of this board would rather  the oranges talk to the oranges and the apples talk to the apples. 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 5:28pm

Enjoyed this overall, but they both came off out of touch. Clooney saying that matinees are full of “old people or poor people”?! Not at your show, Buddy. And Patti doubling down on her Hell’s Kitchen complaints without ever addressing that situation? Interesting.

[binau]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 5:42pm

Out of curiosity, what would you have Patti say about the issue beyond what she said? It can only cause more trouble to address it explicitly because the people who created and create this trouble and who react to these issues in my opinion are not rational - they are essentially religious fanatics peddling superstitions under a misguided belief that they are achieving social good (also common with religious fanatics). I only just hope that a day of reckoning will come from some of those people who I think are doing more harm than good for the very causes they are trying to forward (not to mention contribute to getting Trump elected). 

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 05:42 PM

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 5:58pm

And some of us hope for the day when you stop adding in this same comment about people hurting causes with their choices.  You've mentioned it ad nauseum.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 6:07pm

binau said: "Out of curiosity, what would you have Patti say about the issue beyond what she said? It can only cause more trouble to address it explicitly because the people who created and createthis trouble and who react to these issues in my opinion are not rational - they are essentially religious fanatics peddling superstitions under a misguided belief that they are achieving social good (also common with religious fanatics). I only just hope that a day of reckoning will come from some of those people who I think are doing more harm than good for the very causes they are trying to forward (not to mention contribute to getting Trump elected)."

1) I’m confused about how any of this is religious.

2) I didn’t want her to bring it up at all.

[binau]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 6:18pm

SteveSanders said: "And some of us hope for the day when you stop adding in this same comment about people hurting causes with their choices. You've mentioned it ad nauseum."

ive been posting here for nearly 20 years and you joined a month ago. Like an old dog that can’t be taught new tricks I think it’s pretty clear that as Nicole S just sung at Miscast I am what I am - I don’t know why people don’t just ignore me or block me. Unfortunately after having to put up with some crazy events through the years here, including the mentioned the Patti fiasco, the great comet fiasco, the hadestown lawsuit etc. and not one but two trump presidencies both of which I got slaughtered here for even suggesting back in 2016 that Bernie should have been the candidate and polls showed Hillary could lose, or that in 2024 I think Trump might win again in part because US progressive culture has gone mad and won’t be reasonable….well everything I have been afraid of keeps happening so it’s hard just to sit here and watch it unfold. I genuinely know it’s annoying though to some hence I offer you a solution to put you out of your misery is literally just use the block button :).  
 

 

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 06:18 PM

[east side story]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 6:23pm

DramaTeach said: "And Patti doubling down on her Hell’s Kitchen complaints without ever addressing that situation? Interesting."

She does not owe anybody anything, she said what she said. 

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 6:49pm

east side story said: "DramaTeach said: "And Patti doubling down on her Hell’s Kitchen complaints without ever addressing that situation? Interesting."

She does not owe anybody anything, she said what she said."

I don’t believe she owes us anything either. That’s why I wish she said nothing.

[DAME]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 6:52pm

Well I am glad she did.

[schubox]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 6:53pm

If anything Clooney monopolized the conversation a little too much but he seemed thrilled to be talking to her.

Updated On: 4/22/25 at 06:53 PM

[kdogg36]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 9:38pm

binau said: "ive been posting here for nearly 20 years and you joined a month ago"

None of that applies to me and I have been saying for a while that you should back off. If you had any point to make, you've made it dozens of times and it's time for you to move on.

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 4/22/25 at 10:28pm

binau said: "ive been posting here for nearly 20 years and you joined a month ago"

How long you have been posting here is irrelevant to the substance of my comment other than it only reinforces that you've been beating this same drum for a very long time.  You've said your piece.  It;s been heard.  Saying it again and again and again makes no sense.