Inside the Actors Studio
| Inside the Actors Studio | |
 Inside the Actors Studio logo |
|
| Format | Talk show |
|---|---|
| Starring | James Lipton |
| Opening theme | Angelo Badalamenti |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes; 120 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Bravo |
| Original airing | August 14, 1994 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Inside the Actors Studio is a series on the Bravo cable television channel, hosted by James Lipton. It is produced and directed by Jeff Wurtz; the executive producer is James Lipton. The program, which premiered in 1994, is distributed by CABLEready and is broadcast in 125 countries around the world reaching 89,000,000 homes. It is currently taped at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University's New York City campus.
Contents |
About the program
The program began as a televised craft seminar for students of the Actors Studio Drama School, originally a joint venture of the Actors Studio and New School University. It was taped at the New School's Tishman Auditorium in New York City.
In May 2005, the contract between the Actors Studio and New School University was not renewed. Beginning with the twelfth season, in the fall of 2005, the program has been taped at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University's New York City campus. The show now has a new set with a gritty backstage feel, designed by Will Rothfuss for Blair Broadcast Designs, and The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University has re-opened in new facilities.
Since its premiere, Inside the Actors Studio has had over 200 guests. Of those guests, the very first having been Paul Newman, were succeeded by 74 Academy Award winners: 8 directors; four screenwriters; 61 actors and actresses; and two musicians. For its 200th show, James Lipton became the guest subject of the show. He was questioned by Dave Chappelle whom James picked personally. The show ended with Pace University provost announcing that the college is sponsoring a scholarship in Chapelle's name to his high school alma mater.
While most of the show is a one-on-one interview conducted by Lipton, this is followed by the host submitting a questionnaire to the guest. The questionnaire concept was originated by French television personality Bernard Pivot, after the Proust Questionnaire. The ten questions Lipton asks are:
- What is your favorite word?
- What is your least favorite word?
- What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
- What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
- What sound or noise do you love?
- What sound or noise do you hate?
- What is your favorite curse word?
- What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
- What profession would you not like to do?
- If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
The program usually concludes with a question-and-answer session with the students.
In France, the show has been broadcast since 1999 on Paris Première.
Guests
Ensemble guests:
- Cast of Everybody Loves Raymond (Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, and Peter Boyle)
- Cast of Family Guy (Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and Mike Henry)[1]
- Mila Kunis, who plays Meg, had a schedule conflict and was unavailable[2]
- Casts of Law & Order (creator Dick Wolf, Chris Noth (Law & Order; Law & Order: Criminal Intent), S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order))
- Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) had to leave before his interview during the taping because of an illness he had that day, he was edited out of the introduction since he was not able to be interviewed during the show.
- Cast of The Producers musical (director Susan Stroman, Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick)
- Cast of The Simpsons (Nancy Cartwright, Hank Azaria, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Harry Shearer, and Yeardley Smith)
- Kavner left in the middle of the show for an unknown reason, leaving an empty chair for much of the show until it was removed during a commercial break. Although Kavner is known for not approving of doing her Marge Simpson voice in person, she did perform the voice (as well as that of Patty and Selma) while hiding her face behind a cardboard cutout of Marge's face.
- Cast of Will & Grace (Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally)
Declined/Standing Invitations
- Gregory Peck repeatedly turned down Lipton's offer to be interviewed ever since the beginning of the show, but he finally agreed to do so. However, he passed away before his scheduled appearance in 2003.
- Brad Pitt, Jack Nicholson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington and Sean Connery all declined the chance to appear on the show. Any and all prospective guests that elude the opportunity to visit the Actors Studio are given a standing invitation every year.
- When the program was based at New School University, Gary Oldman was selected as the most popular request for which guest should come visit the Actors Studio. As of 2009, he has not appeared on the show.
- Ever since 1994, Lipton tried to persuade Marlon Brando and Katherine Hepburn to come on the show. Although they were both members of the Actors Studio, neither wanted to interrupt their retirement from show business, whether it would be talk-show or otherwise. Hepburn died in 2003, and Brando died not long after in 2004.
References
- ^ a b c BRAVO WRITES A NEW CHAPTER WITH DEVELOPMENT OF SCRIPTED SERIES AND LIVE WEEKLY TOPICAL SHOW
- ^ James Lipton, Lover of “Family Guy”
External links
- Inside the Actors Studio official website
- Inside the Actors Studio at the Internet Movie Database
- Inside the Actors Studio at TV.com
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