Award-Winning Series ‘VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS’ Returns With Conversations Between Hollywood’s Emmy® Contenders Preceded by Debut of 8th ANNUAL NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL UK & IRELAND HONOURS
Press Contact
Chelsea Grosbeck
cgrosbeck@pbssocal.org
747.201.5202
For downloadable artwork, please visit pbssocal.org/press
pbssocal.org/varietystudio
pbssocal.org/newportbeach
Select programming will also be available to stream on PBS.org and the free PBS App. Members of PBS SoCal get extended access through PBS Passport.
Los Angeles, Calif. – June 5, 2025 – PBS SoCal, Southern California’s flagship PBS station, announced today the lineup for the 22nd season of the National Daytime Emmy® Award-winning series VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS. Co-produced by Variety and PBS SoCal, the new season of half-hour specials will offer audiences four episodes of exclusive, one-on-one conversations with television stars who are expected to be contenders this Emmy® season. This season’s pairings include two actors who have portrayed the famous Batman villain the Penguin: Colin Farrell with Danny DeVito, as well as Parker Posey with Lisa Kudrow, Javier Bardem with Diego Luna, Sterling K. Brown with Natasha Rothwell and more. Hosted by Chief Awards Editor Clayton Davis and Senior Entertainment Writer Angelique Jackson, the new episodes will premiere back-to-back starting on Thurs., June 12 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal with encore airings of the new episodes premiering back-to-back starting on Wed., June 18 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus. All episodes will stream on pbssocal.org following their premieres and will also be available to watch on the free PBS Video app.
Also included as highlights in the latest lineup of VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS is a conversation between father and son Arnold and Patrick Schwarzenegger, while Seth Rogen reunites with Jason Segel, his co-star from “Freaks and Geeks” and Kate Hudson pairs up with Kathryn Hahn who starred together in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” to discuss their respective leading roles in “Running Point” and “Agatha All Along.” Viewers can also expect a “Felicity” reunion with Keri Russell and Scott Speedman. A full listing of pairings to be broadcast on PBS SoCal below.
In partnership with the largest film festival in coastal Southern California, the prestigious Newport Beach Film Festival, PBS SoCal will also broadcast the 8th ANNUAL NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL UK & IRELAND HONOURS to complement the newest season of celebrity conversations in VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS. Recorded earlier this year in London, this special event recognizes and celebrates remarkable UK and Irish talent highlighting outstanding achievements across the entertainment industry and offers in-depth interviews with renowned artists across the pond. The 30-minute special will air locally in Southern California and precede VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS on Thurs., June 12 at 7:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal with the world broadcast premiere on Wed., June 11 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus.
Receiving the highest accolade of the event, the prestigious Icon Award was presented to British broadcaster and actor Sir Stephen Fry (“QI,” “Wilde”), celebrating his remarkable contributions across a varied career spanning more than 25 years. In addition to Fry, the 8th ANNUAL NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL UK & IRELAND HONOURS recipients included Emma Corrin (“Nosferatu,” “Deadpool & Wolverine”), Felicity Jones (“The Brutalist,” “The Theory of Everything”) and Sharon Horgan (“Catastrophe,” “Bad Sisters”), each honored as an Artist of Distinction, in recognition of their extensive caliber of work. Breakout Artist Awards went to Adam Pearson (“A Different Man”), David Jonsson (“Alien: Romulus”), Joe Locke (“Heartstopper,” “Agatha All Along”), Marisa Abela (“Back to Back”) and Mia Threapleton (“The Buccaneers”). The Spotlight category recognizing outstanding performances went to honorees Ambika Mod (“One Day”), Harris Dickinson (“Babygirl”), Will Sharpe (“A Real Pain”), Joe Alwyn (“The Brutalist”) and Jessica Gunning (“Baby Reindeer”).
Also highlighted in the program are Variety’s 10 Brits to Watch, spotlighting up-and-coming actors who have shown immense promise in the industry. This year’s rising talents include Abigail Thorn (“House of the Dragon”), Ava Wong-Davies (“Graceland”), Erin Kellyman (“Solo: A Star Wars Story”), Mia Tharia (“Phoenix Rise”), Michelle De Swarte (“The Baby”), Nabhaan Rizwan (“Informer”), Rich Peppiatt (“One Rogue Reporter”), Saura Lightfoot-Leon (“The Baby”), Varada Sethu (“Andor”) and Marriinsky Ballet dancer Xander Parish.
Following the premiere of 8th ANNUAL NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL UK & IRELAND HONOURS, the 22nd season of VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS will feature the following pairings and will air as listed below:
Thurs., June 12 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., June 18 at 8 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
This episode features Arnold Schwarzenegger (“Secret Level”) with Patrick Schwarzenegger (“The White Lotus”) and Seth Rogen (“The Studio”) with Jason Segel (“Shrinking”).
Thurs., June 12 at 8:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., June 18 at 8:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
This episode features Sterling K. Brown (“Paradise”) with Natasha Rothwell (“How to Die Alone,” “The White Lotus”), Kathryn Hahn (“Agatha All Along,” “The Studio”) with Kate Hudson (“Running Point”) and Kathy Bates (“Matlock”) with Billy Bob Thornton (“Landman”).
Thurs., June 12 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., June 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
This episode features Javier Bardem (“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”) and Diego Luna (“La Máquina,” “Andor”), Kristen Bell (“Nobody Wants This”) with Adam Scott (“Severance”) and Lisa Kudrow (“No Good Deed”) with Parker Posey (“The White Lotus”).
Thurs., June 12 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal and Wed., June 18 at 9:30 p.m. on PBS SoCal Plus
This episode features Danny DeVito (“It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) with Colin Farrell (“The Penguin”), Keri Russell (“The Diplomat”) with Scott Speedman (“Grey's Anatomy”) and Charlie Cox (“Daredevil: Born Again”) with Joe Locke (“Agatha All Along,” “Heartstopper”).
Join the conversation on social media by tagging @pbssocal as well as #ActorsOnActors
About VARIETY
Now celebrating its 119th year anniversary, Variety is the leading and most trusted voice of the entertainment industry. Featuring award-winning breaking news reporting, insightful award-season coverage, must-read feature spotlights and intelligent analysis of the industry’s most prominent players, Variety is the trusted source for the business of global entertainment. Read by a highly engaged audience of industry insiders, Variety’s multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print and branded content, events and summits.
About PBS SoCal
PBS SoCal uses the power of public media for good, strengthening the civic fabric of Southern California and providing our community with an essential connection to a wider world. As a local, donor/member-supported non-profit organization, PBS SoCal is available to stream on the PBS app and the PBS Kids App and reaches nearly 19M viewers across 7 Broadcast channels — including 2 primary channels, PBS SoCal and PBS SoCal Plus and 5 digital subchannels. With a commitment to make content available anytime and anywhere for free, PBS SoCal offers programming that reflects the diversity of Southern California and showcases the full schedule of beloved and trusted PBS content spanning Education, News, Environment and Arts & Culture. PBS SoCal also sparks the sharing of ideas at in-person cultural events and community conversations as well as prepares children for kindergarten and beyond by bringing bilingual, hands-on learning experiences to the community for free.