Filmmaker Damien Hauser didn’t shy away from challenging himself in his new movie 'Memory of Princess Mumbi.' The sci-fi mockumentary romance gave him multiple areas to make his mark as director, writer, and one of its stars. Hauser talks to Elvis about trying to capture the randomness and mundane moments of life in 'Mumbi,' why acting in and directing the film was partly a matter of convenience and how Bollywood influenced the film’s musical moments.

Actor Will Poulter is known for disappearing into his roles, whether as an exacting pastry chef in the series 'The Bear' or a recovering opioid addict from Ohio in his most recent film 'Union County.' For his treat, he shares what he learned about addiction and recovery from one of his co-stars and that film’s press tour.

Kent Jones has worn many hats in the film world. He has written film criticism, collaborated with Martin Scorsese on several of his documentaries, and he served as director of the New York Film Festival. As a director, his work includes the documentary 'Hitchcock/Truffault' and his feature film debut 'Diane.'   His latest film is 'Late Fame,' starring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee and adapted from an 1895 Arthur Schnitzler novella. Dafoe plays a poet who is rediscovered and celebrated by a younger generation. Jones tells Elvis how the film diverges from the novella; why he's glad he didn't direct films until later in life, and he shares why he believes the “beat” of a film should not be set in the editing.   

Actress and author Julia Fox hasn’t shied away from addressing the painful parts of her life. Her 2023 memoir Down the Drain is an unflinching look at her struggles with drugs and mental illness. For her treat, she recommends another raw memoir from a friend who also dealt with addiction, which inspired her to be open about her own experience.  

Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins is always doing something new. He has appeared in acclaimed movies, including 'The Shawshank Redemption' and 'Mystic River,' for which he received the Academy Award. He has directed the films 'Cradle Will Rock,' 'Bob Roberts,' and 'Dead Man Walking,' which garnered him an Oscar nod for Best Director. He is the founder of the nonprofit theater troupe The Actors’ Gang. And he’s currently starring in the Apple TV sci-fi series 'Silo' as Bernard Holland, the Head of IT.   Robbins talks to Elvis about his character's dramatic change in the show’s third season; how he is in a “constant state of learning,” and why he is making an archive of his work public.  

This episode of 'The Treatment' is sponsored by Apple TV.  Actress Rhea Seehorn’s dramatic range has been on display for years.   Her breakout role on 'Better Call Saul,' created by Vince Gilligan, earned her two Emmy nominations for her role as attorney Kim Wexler. Seehorn teamed up with Gilligan again for the Apple TV sci-fi series 'Pluribus.' Her performance as Carol Sturka, a bitter novelist who tries to figure out why most of the world is now controlled by a hive mind, landed Seehorn her first Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Seehorn talks to Elvis about the double standard around Carol’s anger; she explains why creator Vince Gilligan said she had a face like a billboard and meant it as a compliment, and she reveals what Kim Wexler and Carol Sturka have in common.  

Jerrod Carmichael’s confessional comedic work stands apart. In the last five years, he has created two ground-breaking works: the intimate and revealing 'Rothaniel' and the HBO documentary series 'Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show,' which was not without controversy. For his treat, he recommends an acclaimed HBO series that he considers to be its own documentary.  

Mary Beth Barone has been carving out her comedic persona for more than a decade. A seasoned stand up, she also co-hosts the comedy podcast Ride with Benito Skinner, and is featured in the Prime Video comedy Overcompensating, which Skinner created and stars in. Her newest comedy triumph is the Netflix special Galaxy Brain. Barone tells The Treatment why she enjoys bringing the audience into her stand up, how her punchlines are often in the middle of the joke, and whether her delivery is actually deadpan.

Writer, director, and actor Mario Van Peebles is perhaps best known for his 1991 breakthrough film 'New Jack City,' which he directed and starred in. Since then he has frequently been on both sides of the camera, which has taken him all over the world. For his treat, he explains why travel has been life changing for him and what it has taught him about humanity.   

For historian and professor Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, wrestling with  language is part of her job. However, she admits she was left speechless the day a student in one of her classes used the N-word. That moment was the impetus for her new book 'Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me.'   Stordeur Pryor is the daughter of the late comedian, who often used the word in his comedy. The book is an examination of her complicated relationship to the word and to her father. Stordeur Pryor talks to Elvis about what her father was like off stage, how the N-word led to a rift between her father and her white mother, and how she feels now about that day in class.