Drew Barrymore, J.J. Abrams to Appear in Upcoming Steven Spielberg Documentary
HBO film also includes interviews with Martin Scorsese, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Dustin Hoffman
July 11, 2017
Iconic filmmaker Steven Spielberg is the subject of a new HBO documentary and at least two recent Stern Show guests are among those interviewed for the film.
On Tuesday the network gave a premiere date to Susan Lacy’s upcoming doc “Spielberg,” an in-depth look at the decades-long career of one of the most prominent directors to ever live. Lacy reportedly interviewed over 80 subjects for the film, including Drew Barrymore, who starred in “E.T.,” and J.J. Abrams, who directed the Spielberg-produced “Super 8” in 2011.
Spielberg, who became a household name after directing “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and “E.T” within a span of just seven years, has been nominated for over 10 Oscars, winning Best Director twice (“Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan”). He’s widely considered to be one of the most influential filmmakers in cinema history.
Other big names tapped for the doc include filmmakers and producers, like Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Zemeckis, Brian de Palma, Martin Scorsese, Kathleen Kennedy, George Lucas, Spielberg’s DreamWorks co-founders David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg, and a bevy of actors who have worked with him in the past, including Daniel Craig, Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Daniel-Day Lewis, and Dustin Hoffman, who memorably surprised Howard with a call into the Stern Show in 2009 and discussed, among other things, crossing paths with Spielberg.
Barrymore, meanwhile, was only seven when “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” shattered box-office records in 1982. She spoke about her early career at length during her 2015 Stern Show visit, revealing Spielberg was “like a father” to her and that the two had remained close over the years. She hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 1982, also, and told Howard how Spielberg showed up in her dressing room that night with Robin Williams to give the young star a pre-show pep-talk. Listen to a clip from her interview with Howard (below).
Abrams has joined the Stern Show on several occasions. Most recently he came in to discuss all things “Star Wars,” but in 2011 he spoke to Howard about his teenage years as an aspiring director, which apparently included restoring an old Spielberg film.
“Spielberg” debuts Saturday, Oct. 7 on HBO.
