Countdown to the Oscars! 12 podcasts and episodes interviewing nominees like Lin Manuel Miranda, Kristen Stewart, and more

The 2022 Oscar nominations were announced today, and we’ve rounded up several podcasts and episodes about this year’s nods and featured interviews with nominees. The ceremony is scheduled on March 27 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre with a televised broadcast on ABC.

To celebrate this year’s outstanding list of Oscar nominations, tune into podcast episodes unpacking some of the year’s Best Picture titles including Licorice Pizza and Drive My Car. For a deep-dive into one of the year’s best disaster comedies, check out “The Last Movie Ever Made: The Don’t Look Up Podcast” with cast and crew interviews while the film was shot during the pandemic.

Listen to interviews with Dune stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, King Richard‘s Will Smith, Lin Manuel Miranda (Encanto, Tick, Tick… Boom!), Steven Spielberg (West Side Story), and Spencer’s Kristen Stewart, just to name a few.

The Last Movie Ever Made: The Don’t Look Podcast

Netflix’s Don’t Look Up is nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing. In this six-part podcast, producer Adam McKay shares his initial idea for the satirical, disaster-comedy film, shooting during the pandemic, co-producing with Kevin Messick, and his thoughts on climate change. Cast and crew members join Adam in episodes including footage and interviews from the film’s COVID-safe production bubble. Hear from stars like Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Tyler Perry, Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet, Rob Morgan, Himesh Patel, and more. This series is presented by Netflix, Hyperobject Industries, and Pineapple Street Studios.

On Air with Ryan Seacrest

Lin Manuel Miranda received several Oscar nominations this year for his films Encanto (Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Original Song) and Tick, Tick … Boom! (Andrew Garfield for Best Lead Actor, Best Film Editing). Tune in at the 18-minute mark to hear Lin Manuel Miranda’s interview with Ryan Seacrest in January 2022. They talked about Hamilton, In the Heights, and more in this iHeartRadio On-Demand production.

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

Dune stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya joined The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert in December 2021, and they had a blast traveling to Arrakis. Host Stephen Colbert, Timothée, and Zendaya tested their knowledge in a fun game called “Duner or Later.” The stars shared how they prepared for the roles Paul and Chani and more. Dune‘s nominations include Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects.

The Director’s Cut – A DGA Podcast

In this 31-minute episode of “The Director’s Cut – A DGA Podcast,” Steven Spielberg and director Damien Chazelle discussed West Side Story and spilled some spoilers. The film’s Oscar nominations include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Production Design. This podcast is presented by the Directors Guild of America.

Variety Awards Circuit

Kristen Stewart is nominated for Best Lead Actress in Spencer, portraying Princess Diana over Christmas celebrations and the rumors surrounding her marriage to Prince Charles. In this 36-minute “Variety Awards Circuit” interview, Kristen shares parallels in her life to Princess Diana’s in the spotlight, why she was not anticipating any nominations (this episode was recorded in November 2021), and adapting the memoir The Chronology of Water. Kristen also discussed why she would love to co-star with Kirsten Dunst in a future movie.

Questlove Supreme

Will Smith is nominated for Best Lead Actor in King Richard and chatted with Questlove for almost 90 minutes this February. King Richard is also in the running for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song, and Best Film Editing. Questlove’s Summer of Soul is nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar. “Questlove Supreme” is brought to you by iHeartPodcasts.

The Big Picture

Licorice Pizza is nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Paul Thomas Anderson is nominated for Best Director. The film follows Alana Kane and Gary Valentine’s lives and first loves in 1973’s San Fernando Valley. “The Big Picture” hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins were joined by guests to analyze Licorice Pizza in this 96-minute episode. They explored the plot, shared favorite scenes, critiqued the cinematography, and more. “The Big Picture” is presented by The Ringer.

Awards Chatter

In Parallel Mothers, two single women, Janis and Ana, meet at a hospital as they are both about to give birth. The middle-aged woman and teenager bond over the shared experience and motherhood while this chance meeting changes their lives. Penélope Cruz is nominated for Best Lead Actress. In this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter,” Penélope compares and contrasts acting opportunities in Europe and Hollywood, becoming director and writer Pedro Almodóvar’s muse seven times, and why this recent collab challenged her.

WTF with Marc Maron

Benedict Cumberbatch is nominated for Best Lead Actor in The Power of the Dog and stopped by “WTF with Marc Maron” in December 2021. They chatted about his latest film, why spoilers are problematic, and cats’ superpowers. Benedict shared about being raised by two actors, playing Doctor Strange, and more in this 87-minute episode.

Fresh Air

Nicole Kidman is nominated for Best Lead Actress in Being the Ricardos. On this 45-minute episode of NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Nicole shared her love of reading and how imagining herself as book characters led to acting. She talked about joining a cover band as a teen, ageism in Hollywood, and becoming Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos.

Awards Chatter

Billie Eilish and Finneas’ “No Time to Die” earned a Golden Globe and a GRAMMY. Now, their song is up for an Oscar. Billie and Finneas stopped by The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” to share about songwriting, why working on a Bond film was a major goal, and what it was like to grow up together. This episode is 1 hour and 16 minutes long.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

This 16-minute episode of NPR’s “Pop Culture Happy Hour” unpacks Drive My Car, receiving nominations for Best Picture and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi for Best Director. Adapted from one of Haruki Murakami’s short stories, this film follows a widowed theater actor’s developing friendship with his hired female driver. The thought-provoking film received many glowing reviews last year. Its additional nominations include Best Adapted Screenplay and Best International Feature Film.