MUBI, the global film distributor, streaming service and production company, will release Die My Love, the sensational new film from writer/director Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here, Morvern Callar, We Need to Talk About Kevin) in Canadian theatres on November 7, 2025, following its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Praised as “astonishing” (Vanity Fair) and “brutal, beautiful” (Time), Die My Love stars Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle), Robert Pattinson (Mickey 17, The Batman), LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah, The Book of Clarence), Nick Nolte (Cape Fear, 48 Hours, The Prince of Tides), and Sissy Spacek (Carrie, Coal Miner’s Daughter, In the Bedroom).

Die My Love was produced by Andrea Calderwood, Justine Ciarrocchi, Jennifer Lawrence, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, Martin Scorsese, and Molly Smith. Production companies include Excellent Cadaver, Black Label Media, and Sikelia Productions, with Black Label also financing.

SYNOPSIS
Set in rural America, Die My Love is a portrait of a woman engulfed by love and madness.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT
At the heart of this story is the complexity of love and how it can change and transform over time. I aimed to keep it grounded, human, spontaneous and funny at times, capturing the moments that feel small but carry a lot of weight. This film is for anyone who’s ever been in a relationship – there’s heartbreak and beauty in vulnerability.

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
Lynne Ramsay’s latest film is DIE MY LOVE (2025) based on the novel by Ariana Harwicz, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, Nick Notle, and Sissy Spacek; her previous work consists of RATCATCHER (1999), Cannes 1999 Un Certain Regard, BAFTA winner Most Promising Newcomer; MORVERN CALLAR (2002), starring Samantha Morton, Cannes 2002 multiple award winner, BIFA nominee for Best Director and Best Screenplay; WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (2011) starring Tilda Swinton, nominated for Cannes 2011 Palme d’Or, BIFA winner for Best Director, BAFTA nominated for Best Director; SWIMMER (2012), BAFTA winner for Best Short Film; YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (2017) starring Joaquin Phoenix, Cannes 2017 winner for Best Screenplay and Best Actor, BAFTA nominated for Best British Film; BRIGITTE (2019), part of Miu Miu’s Women’s Tales Series, Venice Film Festival 2019.

Netflix’s epic fantasy series The Sandman returns for its second and final season in two Volumes this July:

Volume 1 premieres July 3, 2025 (6 episodes)
Volume 2 premieres July 24, 2025 (5 episodes)

Today we get a new Trailer:

Season 2 will adapt fan-favorite storylines from many of the most beloved comics, including the Season of Mists, Brief Lives, The Kindly Ones, and The Sandman: Overture, collections, along with beloved single-issue stories such as “Tales in the Sand,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The Song of Orpheus,” “Thermidor,” and “The Tempest,” among others.

ABOUT THE SANDMAN SEASON 2
After a fateful reunion with his family, Dream of the Endless (Tom Sturridge) must face one impossible decision after another as he attempts to save himself, his kingdom, and the waking world from the epic fallout of his past misdeeds. To make amends, Dream must confront longtime friends and foes, gods, monsters, and mortals. But the path to forgiveness is full of unexpected twists and turns, and true absolution may cost Dream everything. Based on the beloved award-winning DC comic series, the second season of THE SANDMAN will tell Dream’s story arc in full to its thrilling conclusion.

KEY INFORMATION
Release Date: Volume 1 on July 3rd (6 episodes) & Volume 2 on July 24th (5 episodes)
Executive Producer / Showrunner / Writer: Allan Heinberg
Executive Producers: David S. Goyer, Neil Gaiman
Director: Jamie Childs (all episodes)
Writers: Ameni Rozsa, Alex Newman-Wise, Austin Guzman, Shadi Petosky, Jim Campolongo, Vanessa Benton, Jay Franklin, Greg Goetz and Marina Marlens
Based on the DC Comic THE SANDMAN by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith, and Mike Dringenberg
Studio: Warner Bros. Television
Starring: Tom Sturridge, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Esmé Creed-Miles, Adrian Lester, Barry Sloane, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Jenna Coleman, Ferdinand Kingsley, Stephen Fry, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Razane Jammal, Ruairi O’Connor, Freddie Fox, Clive Russell, Laurence O’Fuarain, Ann Skelly, Douglas Booth, Jack Gleeson, Indya Moore, and Steve Coogan.

The critically acclaimed Boxcutter will extend its theatrical cinema run in Toronto until June 26, 2025. Following its Toronto success, the film will open in additional markets noted below.

Cineplex Scotiabank, Toronto – Now Playing! Extended Run

Cineplex Morningside, Toronto – Now Playing! Extended Run

The Westdale, Hamilton – June 30 & July 1

VIFF Cinema, Vancouver – July 1 & July 4, 5, 6, 7

Winnipeg Cinematheque, Winnipeg – July 4 to July 6

The Revue, Toronto – July 5 & July 9*
*(Special Q & A screening with Ashton James & Producer Soko Negash)

The Tivoli, Charlottetown – July 11 to July 13

SYNOPSIS | Aspiring rapper, Rome, has all the talent and vision, but his crippling insecurity prevents him from sharing his music without a celebrity co-sign. When he learns that megastar producer Richie Hill will be making an appearance in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood, Rome devises a plan to get his album into Richie’s hands.

However, disaster strikes when Rome’s apartment is burgled, and his only copy of the album is stolen.

With the help of his activist-artist friend Jenaya, Rome sets out on a frantic mission to track down his four producers and reassemble his album. As they scour the gentrifying city, Rome struggles with self-doubt, while Jenaya challenges his need for industry approval, advocating for art that is as accessible as it is expressive.

Hijinks ensue and their relationship is tested, but when Rome finally comes face to face with Richie Hill, he has a tough choice to make: finally pitch for that industry co-sign or take a leap of faith and bet on himself?

Directed & Produced by: Reza Dahya
Produced by: Soko Negash
Screenwriter: Chris Cromie
Director of Photography: James Klopko
Executive Producers: Rodrigo Bascunan, Anupa Mistry, Darby Wheller & Tania Sarra
Associate Producers: Kirthiga Rajanayagam & Alison Almeida
Composer: Harrison Robinson
Cast: Ashton James, Zoe Lewis & Viphusan Vani
Special guest Cameos: Rich Kidd, RUSSELL!, Clairmont the Second, Junia-T, Neema Naz and Marlon Palmer.

Paramount+ revealed today the premiere date and official key art for the highly anticipated original series NCIS: TONY & ZIVA. The 10-episode series is the newest installment of the global NCIS franchise and will premiere on Thursday, September 4, 2025 with three episodes, exclusively on Paramount+ in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Japan. Following the premiere, new episodes will drop weekly on Thursdays, with the season finale on October 23.

“We’re beyond excited to finally share Tony and Ziva’s next chapter with the incredible fans around the world who never stopped believing this day would come,” said stars and executive producers Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly. “Returning to these roles together on screen after more than a decade has been an unforgettable journey packed with lies, spies, danger, desire…..and self-driving murder cars. (Don’t worry, that last one will make sense soon). This is one wild ride you won’t want to miss, and as they say in Paris: Accrochez-vous bien!“

NCIS: TONY & ZIVA picks up after Ziva’s supposed death when Tony left the NCIS team to go raise their daughter. Years later, Ziva was discovered alive, leading her to complete one final mission with NCIS before she was reunited with Tony and their daughter in Paris. Since then – and where we find them in NCIS: TONY & ZIVA – Tony and Ziva have been raising their daughter, Tali, together. When Tony’s security company is attacked, they must go on the run across Europe, try to figure out who is after them and maybe even learn to trust each other again so they can finally have their unconventional happily ever after.

NCIS: TONY & ZIVA stars Cote de Pablo, Michael Weatherly, Amita Suman, Maximilian Osinski, Lara Rossi, Isla Gie, Nassima Benchicou, Terence Maynard, Julian Ovenden, and James D’Arcy.

John McNamara serves as showrunner. The series is executive produced by John McNamara, Cote de Pablo, Michael Weatherly, Laurie Lieser, Christina Strain, Shelley Meals, and Canadian Mairzee Almas. The series is produced by CBS Studios and distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Paramount+ is a global digital subscription video streaming service from Paramount that features a mountain of premium entertainment for audiences of all ages. Internationally, the streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME®, BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel™, in addition to a robust offering of premier local content. The service is currently live in Australia, Austria, Canada, the Caribbean, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latin America, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlusCA on social media.

About CBS Studios

CBS Studios is one of the world’s leading producers of entertainment programming, with dozens of globally popular series for broadcast and streaming. The Studio’s expansive portfolio includes a diverse slate of commercially successful and critically acclaimed programming which includes genre-defining franchises such as NCIS and the STAR TREK universe, fan-favorite comedies such as The Neighborhood and Ghosts, the newly reimagined Matlock, and buzzy international co-productions such as COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS and upcoming KING & CONQUEROR.

Sean O’Neill, Producer at Visitor Media, announced today that Caring Cabin, a heartfelt new project from beloved musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland (“Glenn”) and his wife and creative partner Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland, will premiere exclusively on the Criterion Channel this July. The magical 11-minute pilot episode will also be featured at a special in-person, free screening at TIFF Lightbox on July 5, 2025 followed by a live performance by Glenn and Elizabeth and a Q&A with members of the show’s creative team. Blending Glenn’s signature warmth and legendary music with handmade puppets and a lush forest setting, Caring Cabin welcomes viewers of all ages into a cozy and colourful world in which Glenn and his animal friends learn valuable lessons about nature, coping with change, and the power of community.

Harkening back to the gently-paced, heartfelt era of 1960s and 70s children’s programming, the pilot was co-directed by acclaimed filmmaker Chelsea McMullan and their husband and creative partner Douglas Nayler Jr., who also wrote the script. The project was conceived by Elizabeth, who co-created the project with Glenn, Ali J. Eisner, and O’Neill, who produced the pilot.

Originally envisioned as a joyful, ongoing children’s series, Caring Cabin is a deeply personal project inspired by Glenn and Elizabeth’s lifelong dedication to creating music and stories for young audiences. Following a health diagnosis shortly after the pilot was completed, plans to move the series into production were put on hold indefinitely. Despite this, the pilot has found new life through the Criterion Channel.

“Caring Cabin began as a serendipitous phone call in the early weeks of the pandemic,” said Sean O’Neill. “Elizabeth had a vision for a series that would bring together Glenn’s warmth and playfulness, inspiring music, and amazing puppets. Glenn described hosting a children’s show as a dream he’s held since he was a cast-member on Mr. Dressup. After years of collaboration, and some curveballs along the way, we’re all so thrilled that the pilot episode will find an audience on the Criterion Channel, and in-person at the TIFF premiere. The project is a tribute to Glenn’s spirit—a celebration of his music, his joy, and the path he has spent a lifetime laying for others.”

“We’re thrilled that Caring Cabin has found a home on the Criterion Channel, and we’re so looking forward to sharing it with audiences in person at TIFF,” say Elizabeth and Beverly Glenn-Copeland. “This project emerged from our years collaborating to bring theatre, music and the arts to young people across Canada and around the world, offering ‘the ones ahead’ tools for resilience, calming their nervous systems, and facing difficulty. The core to that work, for us, has been community — and we’re so grateful to the community who came together to make this beautiful pilot.”

After decades of quiet creativity, Glenn’s music reached a global audience in his mid-70s following the rediscovery of his 1986 masterpiece Keyboard Fantasies. Since then, he has released a series of albums, including 2023’s The One’s Ahead, toured internationally, and was the subject of the BAFTA-nominated documentary feature Keyboard Fantasies. In the 1980s and 90s, Glenn was a recurring castmember on the iconic Canadian children’s series on Mr. Dressup and composed music for Sesame Street and Shining Time Station. Together with Elizabeth, a theater artist, writer, producer and arts educator, Glenn spent years leading music and theatre workshops for young people in community settings in New Brunswick and Ontario.

About Visitor Media

Visitor Media makes film, television and digital media in collaboration with visionary filmmakers spanning documentary and scripted formats. The Toronto-based production company was founded by producer, writer and director Sean O’Neill in 2020 and has since produced a series of award-winning projects, including the feature documentary Crystal Pite: Angels’ Atlas (VIFF 2022, Showcase Audience Award); the CBC Gem variety series Lido TV (TIFF 2022) and Swan Song (TIFF 2023), a feature film and four-part CBC documentary series following the creation of ballet legend Karen Kain’s farewell production of Swan Lake. Swan Song screened at TIFF, BFI London Film Festival, Lincoln Center and CPH: DOX, and won the $50,000 Toronto Film Critics Association Rogers Prize for Best Canadian Documentary in 2024. Fortcoming projects include the documentary series Snow King (CBC/Dogwoof), and the Beverly Glenn-Copeland children’s show pilot Caring Cabin (Criterion Channel).

About Criterion

Since 1984, the Criterion Collection has been dedicated to publishing important classic and contemporary films from around the world in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements. No matter the medium-from laserdisc to DVD and Blu-ray to streaming on the Criterion Channel-Criterion has maintained its pioneering commitment to presenting each film as its maker would want it seen, in state-of-the-art restorations with special features designed to encourage repeated watching and deepen the viewer’s appreciation of the art of film. For more information and to join the Criterion Channel visit here.

RAPSEASON Present:
THE ROOTS – Live in Concert

One of the most iconic hip-hop bands of all time, THE ROOTS bring their legendary live performance to Toronto for one night only. This promises to be a must-see event for music fans this summer.

Saturday, June 21, 2025
REBEL (Toronto) | 19+
Doors at 5PM – Early Show
Tickets: $85–$150 via Ticketmaster

There are very limited tickets still available here.

Patio season is finally here and INK Entertainment has some standout patios that are now officially open! It was a wait and we thought the day would never come!

Sofia Yorkville | 99 Yorkville Ave
A refined escape in one of Toronto’s most prestigious neighbourhoods. Guests can dine al fresco to live music, surrounded by courtyard murals curated by Taglialatella Galleries.

Amal | 131 Bloor St W
Perched on the second floor with views of Bloor’s luxury strip, Amal offers modern Lebanese cuisine in a bright, airy space—perfect for a stylish lunch or sunset dinner.

Kōst | 80 Blue Jays Way
Soaring 44 floors above King West, Kōst delivers California-inspired fare with unbeatable skyline and lake views from its iconic infinity pool terrace.

Ultra | 12 St. Clair Ave E
Our spacious octagonal patio pairs elevated American-Asian cuisine and late-night DJ sets with sweeping city views. Now with a refreshed experience for the season!

Daphne | 67 Richmond St W
Set in the heart of the financial district, Daphne brings modern American dining to a stylish patio setting. Ideal for power lunches or vibrant after-work evenings.

The Season 30 edition of Toronto Kids Fashion Week takes place in Toronto this weekend!

TKFW has proudly built a global platform for rising kid models, standout kids’ fashion brands, and visionary designers. This milestone season is not only a celebration of fashion but also a chance to uplift and support incredible local designers making waves in the industry.

Details:

Toronto Kids Fashion Show 2025

Date: Saturday, June 21, 2025 beginning at 12:00 PM, last show begins 8:00 PM

Location: Arcadian Court

401 Bay Street, Simpson, tower 8th floor, Toronto, ON M5H 2Y4

More details on designers being featured and tickets here!

We just got the new Trailer for EDDINGTON, and today we get a new Poster for this July 18, 2025 release from VVS Films!

Ari Aster’s Eddington, stars Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone.

Synopsis:

In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.

(Photo/video credit: VVS Films)

Actor-director Ben Stiller sits down with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe to discuss Severance Season 3, Meet the Parents 4, and other upcoming projects. In the interview, Stiller also talks about his transition from acting to directing, developing new film projects, and collaborating with co-stars like Robert De Niro, Ariana Grande, and Jim Carrey.

Video, key quotes and photos below. Please credit The Zane Lowe Show on Apple Music 1.

Listen to the full episode anytime on demand with an Apple Music subscription HERE.

Transcription:

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about discovering his passion for directing
Ben Stiller: Honestly, it was just out of wanting to work and to do my thing when I was starting out. I think I’m a late bloomer, really, in terms of just getting to the place where I feel like even now in my life, I have a really much more clear sense of creatively what makes me happy. And I think I’ve been trying to figure it out a lot of my life and going down different roads, which have all been really interesting. But when I started out, I knew I wanted to be making movies, and I knew I wanted to be doing funny things, and I also loved drama. I was sort of trying to figure out, what do I do? Am I an actor? Am I a director? Am I a writer?

Zane Lowe: You’re driving all over the road at that point, one may say.

Ben Stiller: Yeah. And also not having a self-awareness when I was younger, I think, of really understanding, having a clear sense. I really admire artists at a young age who have a really clear sense of the choices that they make, understanding how important the choices you make are. I didn’t have that sense when I was younger. I was just sort of trying to figure it out and going off of instinct. I started wanting to act and I wanted to make films, but I didn’t know how to do either, other than I grew up in the business. So I knew that you go on audition. Or if you want to make a movie, you figure out what the movie is and you try to put it together.

But I personally, inside, didn’t know what my real calling or direction was, so I just sort of went in different directions and saw what was sticking. Making my own stuff came out of really as an actor in my late teens or early twenties, trying to get work and not really getting hired, so I started to just create my own stuff with my friends. Now, this was, again, it was before phones and all of that, so it was a different process to make your own stuff. It was a little bit harder. You had to-

Zane Lowe: Quite an investment, yeah. Somebody had to back it.

Ben Stiller: Yeah. So I went down some funny roads of trying to get somebody to pay for a short film I wanted to make, or coming up with an idea and getting friends who I was working with, as an actor, to be in it. It was all sort of just … Then there was Saturday Night Live, and that was something that I’d always dreamed of. But then I was there for a little bit and I didn’t quite feel like that was the right fit for me.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about directing and starring in features like ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ and ‘The Cable Guy’
Ben Stiller: That movie, I think, was me trying to express my kind of filmmaking aspirations or ambitions, things that I loved, but also it was a studio movie that was also seen as a comedy too. I think that’s what … When I think about it, just in retrospect, for me, it was trying to make something that I felt really connected to that was maybe also in a box that the studio saw as maybe wanting it to be something else. Even with Cable Guy, going back to Cable Guy, it’s the same thing. It’s like Cable Guy. Let’s make a weird dark kind of … We watched Roman Polanski’s The Tenant and thought, “Oh, let’s do that in a comedy.”

Zane Lowe: Which blows my mind, Ben, because you’re dealing with a star at the time, and you’re paying him the most amount of money any male actor has had on screen for a weird dark film you’re trying to make. That in itself is such a paradox.

Ben Stiller: Yeah. Well, it was the fact that he was in that position that we could make that movie, and that Jim Carrey wanted to make that movie. But it’s interesting because I never thought about it in relation to Walter Mitty, but it’s the same thing, trying to fit my desires not to necessarily do what maybe people were expecting in that genre. So the studio would be a little bit like, “Oh, well, wait. What are you making here?”

Zane Lowe: What are we marketing here?

Ben Stiller: What are we marketing? Exactly. And so that is part of, I think for me, the evolution of realizing, “Oh, okay, this is actually what I really want to do,” that led to me directing other stuff.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about moving from comedy and acting into drama and directing
Ben Stiller: When you start to make movies and people go to them, and you start to be seen as a comedy person or whatever, it’s amazing to have that connection with an audience, and it’s fun to do. But if you do have other stuff going on, sometimes it’s harder to go in a direction where people don’t necessarily see you.

Zane Lowe: Yeah. Because your identity. You’ve just done a whole lot of identity work that you can’t control, because we like you as that guy.

Ben Stiller: Right. Right. Exactly. Which is great. I appreciate that. But it becomes down to the personal choices that you have to make as you go forward of, like, “Okay, well, but how do I feel about that?” And that can be tough for a relationship with an audience if you want to go in a different direction. But you have to listen to yourself and you have to have the courage to do that. And I think for a long time, I didn’t necessarily, until I got to a place where I was like, “Oh, no, no. I actually just want to do something that … because I really want to see this movie.” Personally, I want to see this thing. And that, for me, helped clarify my choices.

Zane Lowe: Which film was that? What choice was that?

Ben Stiller: I think for me, honestly, it probably came down to Escape at Dannemora, the limited series I did for Showtime that was a prison break. That wasn’t true story, that wasn’t a comedy, and I wasn’t in it. And I was … the first thing I’d directed, except for Cable Guy. I was in Cable Guy a little bit. That, I wasn’t in. And it was so … It was such a personal breakthrough for me because I was so happy. I remember the first day on the set. I mean, honestly, it’s going a little deep here, but, it’s that thing of, as an actor, I was so happy not to be acting and just directing, and not having to direct myself or have to see myself on the screen or any of that stuff. It was like, “Oh, this is what I wanted to do since I was 10 years old, is make movies.” Just make movies. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the other stuff. But same thing with Severance too. I love directing. I’m happy, very happy to just be doing that job, and actually having directed a lot of movies I was in, I found it much more enjoyable and fulfilling to just do one thing, and really concentrate on that and be there fully as the audience, the first audience for the movie that you’re making.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about casting Adam Scott in ‘Step Brothers’
Ben Stiller: Well, I was a fan of his from Step Brothers. I saw him in Step Brothers, which is… That’s just a ridiculous character, who’s this really awful guy.

Zane Lowe: He’s so awful.

Ben Stiller: But so funny. And Mitty kind of needed this guy who was sort of the antagonist, and knew he would… It sort of like, it made sense from that movie, that I could see that. But really, I just credit that Dan Erickson, who wrote Severance, the pilot, when he wrote this part, it was so specifically tailored, I thought, to what Adam could do, because it was something that was deeper underneath than what you might think on the surface.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about the essence of ‘Severance’ and creating the unique story-world
Ben Stiller: This is what I like about the show, is that it brings up a lot of issues that we have in real life. That the metaphors in the show are kind of very… And that’s because Dan is such a smart, interesting writer, that he came up with this idea that’s like, “Oh yeah, this could be about just life in general. What are we all doing here? What are you and I doing here? We’re here in this room doing this thing and it’s amazing, but what is it really about? And where do we go after in life, once we’re not here anymore?” All those things to me, which are really interesting, are kind of encapsulated in the show. And so, for an actor, it’s a really interesting, I think, exciting, fun challenge, to have to explore that

Zane Lowe: It’s got to be a challenge for all of you. I can imagine that there’s been times, when you’ve all got together and gone, “Okay, where are we right now? How is this making sense? Are we honoring the vision, because…? “As an actor, am I presenting innie versus outie correctly?” And you’re like, “Am I seeing this through the lens, the way that it needs to be seen?” Because it is not your linear viewing experience. It is very multi-dimensional.

Ben Stiller: The first season of the show was fun, because Adam [Scott] really got to play these two different characters, really, even though they’re the same person. One was in such a depressed, grieving state, and just heavy and dark. And then his innie was just not that. Not questioning his world, and kind of a company man, but not really invested the way that Irving, John Turturro’s character, was, in terms of the theology of the place and all that.

So, it was a great sort of fun balance to go back and forth between, and I think that really helped us in the first season sort of establish… Having those two aspects of him, they were so clearly different, really helped us sort of find our way through, because it was very clear. And then, I think as the show has progressed, it’s gotten much more nuanced, and kind of layered, because there are so many different things going on in terms of his innie character and his outie character.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about the challenges of editing scenes in ‘Severance’
We’ve been working on the show for a few years now, and we’ve done a bunch of episodes. Not that many episodes, but there’ve been so many different challenging, interesting scenes. I mean, the thing that’s sort of freshest in my mind right now, is the scene that Adam [Scott] does in the end of the second season, where he has this conversation with himself where he videotapes himself.

And that was challenging on the writing, because we kept on rewriting it, and trying to figure out, what would this conversation be? And then, for Adam, just to be able to actually figure out how to play both sides of that, and having to do both sides of it. And then, the technical aspect of just having to, “All right, we’re going to shoot all of your innie side now, and then we’re going to shoot your outie side.” And then, wanting it to build. And on the page it’s sort of feeling like, “Oh, this could just be a kind of a boring 15 minute..” It’s like 17 minutes I think, in the show. And in the back of my head all the time, I was like, “Ah, I hope this is interesting. I hope this is interesting.”

But when we got our first cut of it together with Jeff Richmond, who edits the show, we watched it, and it was long and it wasn’t quite, didn’t get the rhythm of it totally right. But it was just fascinating to watch, for me as an audience, because of where we were in the story. So, I felt like… It’s kind of the same way the end of the first season, I think, paid off a lot of what was set up during the season. This scene was sort of, we were building to this scene. So, really, as long as it was done in the right way, it was going to be interesting-

…because as an audience, he’s talking about these things that you really want to understand.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about the future of his acting career
Ben Stiller: I think it goes back to that choice of saying, “I only want to do things that I want to see.” And I think as an actor being in that world over the years and doing those movies and having fun, as I started to get closer to the ideas of what I really makes me happy or what makes me excited when I watch it or what creatively fulfills me, I think I’ve just decided that as an actor, I’m going to wait until that comes along. And sometimes those opportunities are few and far between, especially when you go away from acting for a while. The train moves on, and I personally am not dying to see myself in anything else ever again. I’m not going to go, I can enjoy a movie that I’ve made as a director because of all those elements, but then when I’m looking at myself, it’s much more complicated and harder.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about working with Robert De Niro on ‘Meet the Parents’
Ben Stiller: He [Robert De Niro] knows what he’s doing. And at first it was a little bit embarrassing. It’s been a while, but the first scene we did ever together, I cracked up.

Zane Lowe: Which one was that? Do you remember which one it was?

Ben Stiller: Yeah. I was at the front door in Meet the Parents when I meet him for the first time, and it’s literally the first thing I say to him. I look and I think I said, “Hey,” I forget what the line was. And then I looked at the house and I was like, “Oh, this is nice.” I looked up at the house and then he looked at me and went, and it cracked me up. I was like, “Oh my God, Robert De Niro is reacting to something I’m doing.” And it’s funny. It was so funny. It still makes me laugh because he’s, he’s really funny. But man, he’s so good. And he’s any great actor, that’s what they listen and they react and they’re in the moment. Same thing as ‘Spinal Tap.’ It’s all listening. And when you’re in the moment and you’re reacting to the reality of what’s going on, that’s the best.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about casting Ariana Grande on ‘Meet the Parents 4’
She’s [Ariana Grande] amazing. Amazing in Wicked. I went to see Wicked with my daughter in the theatre and had the best time. And I can’t really say too much about it, but she’s going to be so great in this movie, and it’s going to be really fun to play with her because it’s a very specific character that she’s playing. And I think these movies are all about the family interactions and the subtlety of the things where we’re trying to, everybody wants to get along with everybody, but we all have our baggage. And that’s what I like about Meet the Parents, it’s really about these dynamics that we all can connect with.

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about his next film project
Just movies to direct. I think it’s been a long time working on Severance, wanting to go out and make a movie that’s not a 10 hour story, because that is challenging to have a beginning, a middle, an end in two hours. There’s a movie of the Rachel Maddow podcast, Bagman, that I’m trying to get made.

That we’re kind of close on, which was about a political story from 1973 that the Vice President of the United States was a crook, after Richard Nixon, was a crook and was about to be impeached. And these young assistant U.S. attorneys in Baltimore stumbled onto this case where they realized the Vice President was taking kickbacks and was a crook also and was about to become President.

It’s a great podcast and it’s kind of an underdog story about these young guys who were in their 20s, who had to go to the Attorney General of the United States and say, “We got to prosecute the Vice President,” so that’s one.

And gosh, there’s a World War II movie I want to make about a turret gunner in a B-24 that gets shot down over occupied France and a survival story, how he has to get home.

I love movies and I’m really excited about making something for the big screen, because there’s nothing like going to the movies. And I’m really happy that the filmmakers who are Chris Nolan and Chris McQuarrie and people who are making these big movies-

Ben Stiller tells Apple Music about Season 3 of ‘Severance’
It’s also like a gift, too. Because you’re like, “How lucky are we that we have a show that when season three does come out, that there will be people who are waiting to see it?” I mean, honestly, that’s probably the most challenging thing making stuff these days, is there’s so much out there, video games, phones, movies, TV, everything. To have something that there’s going to be an audience waiting for it and they’re going to be critical and they’re going to be really ready for it and asking questions and you need to make sure it’s good, but they’re there.

And for me, that’s the gift. So it’s just, again, going back to that instinct inside, for all of us who are making the show, what do we want to see, what interests us? What do we think will be surprising? What do we think will be true to the show? It is a question on a show like this, what is the heart of the show? Is it the relationships, is it the mystery? Is it what is Lumon up to? All those things, there’s so many different aspects to it.

And ultimately, the show is, look, we’re human beings. So I feel like ultimately, the human connection is what it’s all about, the human experience. And to me, anything that I ever watch, it’s always on an emotional level, when something hits me on an emotional level, moves me, makes me feel connected to the world or to other people in some way, the stuff we were talking about earlier, that’s what it’s all about. And I think that’s always been sort of, for me, what the point of the show is. That’s not giving anything away, is it?