Hi everyone and thank you for tuning in to the Podcast Network. The others being It Happened in Hollywood, on which Seth Abravich and Chip

Pope take deep dives into major pop culture moments in Hollywood history, and behind the screen, featuring

Carolyn G. Ardina's conversations with the artists who work behind the scenes on awards

contenders. Be sure you're subscribed to all three today. My guest today is Steve McQueen,

a British artist and filmmaker best known as the director and producer

of the 2013 film 12 Years a Slave, for which he was nominated for the Best Director Oscar

and became the first black winner of the best picture Oscar. He also co-wrote

and directed the 2008 film Hunger and the 2011 film Shame, both of which, like

12 years of slave, starred his close friend and collaborator Michael Fastbender.

Most recently, he co-wrote and directed an elevated heist thriller called Widows,

featuring an all-star ensemble cast led by Oscar winner, Viola Davis. It premiered at the Toronto

International Film Festival back in September and it will open across America on

Friday. Over the course of our conversation at the four seasons in Beverly Hills

the 49-year year old and I discussed

his humble upbringing and discovery of the arts, his early work as a maker of experimental short films,

and his transition into narrative feature-length filmmaking, his close

close relationship with Fast Bender and their three films together

and what since 12 years of slaves big Oscar Knight

has transpired both in the film industry with two seasons of Oscar So White

followed by Moonlight's Big Win and in his own life leading him to Widows a film with a

far bigger budget at 40 million dollars and far more action sequences, all very impressive, than anything

he had ever done before.

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