The Treatment

Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins wants to be a lifelong student. He has demonstrated that through never repeating a role as actor, his ambitious films as director, and as the founder of the nonprofit theater troupe The Actors’ Gang. His treat is a learning experience as well. Robbins gives an appreciation of what he learned nature can provide with just a few ingredients.

Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali knows how to say a lot through his characters, even those of few words. He has been rewarded for his soulful performances with two Best Supporting Actor Oscars for his roles in 'Moonlight' (2016) and 'The Green Book' (2018) and has been nominated for Emmys for roles in several series including Ramy and House of Cards.

His latest role is as the deeply religious hitman Latif in the crime drama 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.' Following the death of his wife, Latif embarks on a journey to protect his children as forces around him threaten his beliefs. Ali talks to Elvis about Latif's difficulty communicating with his family, Latif’s struggle between the violence he commits and his religious beliefs, and why he thinks the story continues beyond the end credits.

In the film 'Union County,' director Adam Meeks takes an unflinching and empathetic look at the opioid crisis in rural Ohio. Meeks and his star Will Poulter did a grassroots tour of independent theaters in that state around the film’s release. For his treat, Meeks makes an impassioned plea for independent cinema that doesn’t fly over the states between the coasts.

Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black’s work often looks at real people struggling to find their place. He won the Oscar for the 2007 biopic 'Milk' starring Sean Penn as the openly gay activist and politician Harvey Milk. His other projects include the films 'Rustin and J. Edgar,' as well as the limited series 'Under The Banner of Heaven.' His newest project is the four-part docuseries 'Rock Out.' The series looks at the powerful impact the LGBTQ community has had on rock and heavy metal. Black tells Elvis how being an outsider can ultimately be a gift, why he doesn't like his work to feel comfortable, and why this is such a personal project for him.

Writer and professor Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor has grappled with her father Richard Pryor’s legacy through her teaching and her recent book 'Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me.' For her treat, she celebrates an early comedy special that demonstrated her father’s command of language and the stage.