Recorded live at FanX Salt Lake in April 2019, this Conversation with Craig is a full panel with comedy legend John Cleese, as Craig finally gets his game time call to step onstage with one of his heroes. From John's North American convention debut and Craig's nerves backstage to dry British chaos in front of a packed room, it is equal parts origin story, masterclass in comedy, and gleeful mischief.

• How a would be lawyer with a Cambridge law degree accidentally fell into show business through a student revue that suddenly transferred to London and ran for months.
• Cleese breaks down why you should always write comedy about what you know, how Fawlty Towers grew out of that idea, and how he approached those classic management training videos without ever having lived in a cubicle.
• Candid, rapid fire audience Q and A on Monty Python collaborators, silly walks, roles he regrets turning down, aging, politics, and why he happily pokes fun at everyone, including himself.

"Actually, it's quite nice being old, because you just don't give a fuck, you know?"- John Cleese

Want more exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes stories from the people who bring your favorite characters to life? Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your favorite podcasting platform for more behind-the-scenes stories and exclusive interviews.

A sheltered, scheming Southern belle clashes with a roguish profiteer in a turbulent romance as their world collapses with the end of slavery and is painfully reshaped through the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Tami Anderson discuss romanticizing the South, surviving war, milksops and the movie "Gone with the Wind" on this week's Matinee Heroes!!

Show Notes

• 1:03

  Craig, Elisabeth and guest Tami Anderson talk about producing theater and films.

• 6:03

  Craig, Elisabeth and Tami discuss "Gone with the Wind"

• 1:10:49

  Recasting

• 1:38:40

  Double Feature

• 1:44:27

  Final Thoughts

• 1:50:02

  A preview of next week's episode "Captain Ron"

Michael, Nick and Steven are lifelong friends who work in the mill, hang out at the local bar, and bond on regular deer hunts in the mountains. Before they ship out to Vietnam, they celebrate Steven's wedding and take one last trip together, completely unaware of how the war will destroy their innocence. In Vietnam, they are thrown into brutal combat and captivity that leaves them physically and emotionally scarred, and for the survivors, it becomes almost impossible to ever truly find their way back home.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Blake Casselman talk about post-Vietnam attitudes, trauma bonding, the streaming premiere of "Limbo" and the movie "The Deer hunter" on this week's Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

• 1:22

  Craig, Elisabeth and guest Blake Casselman talk about the streaming debut of his film "Limbo" now playing at Reveel.net

• 13:37

  Craig, Elisabeth and Blake discuss "The Deer Hunter"

• 58:09

  Recasting

• 1:27:01

  Double Feature

• 1:30:44

  Final Thoughts

• 1:40:13

  A preview of next week's episode "Gone with the Wind"

An aristocratic Jew living in Judaea incurs the wrath of a childhood friend, now a Roman tribune. Forced into slavery on a galley and made to witness the brutal persecution of his family, he survives, silently nurturing a relentless dream of vengeance.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Derek McCaw talk about historical fiction, intermissions, inner fat kids and the movie "Ben Hur" on this week's Matinee Heroes!

Show Notes

• 1:04

  Craig, Elisabeth and Derek McCaw talk about their inner and outer fat kids.

• 10:04

  Craig, Elisabeth and Derek discuss "Ben-Hur"

• 47:30

  Recasting

• 1:10:09

  Double Feature

• 1:13:09

  Final Thoughts

• 1:20:09

  A preview of next week's episode "The Deer Hunter"

A young aristocratic woman named Rose, suffocating in a rigid engagement, falls for free-spirited third-class passenger Jack Dawson aboard the unsinkable ocean liner - Titanic. Their secret romance defies class and her possessive fiancé as the ship sails toward disaster. When it hits an iceberg, their struggle to survive reveals love, sacrifice, and the brutal divide between those rescued and those left behind.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Ryley Brown talk about touchstone cinema, historical fiction, PCP chowder and the movie "Titanic" on this week's Matinee Heroes.

Show Notes

• 1:20

  Craig, Elisabeth and Ryley Brown talk about boats.

• 7:37

  Craig, Elisabeth and Ryley discuss "Titanic"

• 1:08:03

  Recasting

• 1:44:36

  Double Feature

• 1:47:42

  Final Thoughts

• 1:56:31

  A preview of next week's episode "Ben-Hur"

Enrico Colantoni brought warmth, candor, and craft to the stage at FanX Salt Lake in September 2025, moving from first-time motion capture on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to lived-in stories from Veronica Mars, Flashpoint, and Person of Interest, blending practical acting insights with dry wit, a steady respect for the work, and genuine connection with the audience.

• Enrico recounts his first stab at motion capture on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, cracking up about the clingy gray suit and the pure imagination it takes to act to a green void.
• The infamous Veronica Mars black eye turns out to be a street-hockey souvenir, and the father–daughter magic with Kristen Bell comes from leading with heart instead of tricks.
• Whether commanding in Flashpoint or charmingly dangerous in Person of Interest, he builds every role by finding the human first, even when the character would rather hide it.

"It's my heart with different language. My heart in a different costume" - Enrico Colantoni

Want more exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes stories from the people who bring your favorite characters to life? Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your favorite podcasting platform for more behind-the-scenes stories and exclusive interviews.

A Civil War soldier on the frontier bonds with a Lakota band and is drawn to the clarity of their way of life. Welcomed into the community and given the name Dances with Wolves, he falls for a white woman raised within the tribe. That fragile peace breaks when Union soldiers arrive to claim the land.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Annie Bulloch talk about reconciling America's bloody past, life on the frontier, confident dogs and the movie "Dances with Wolves" on this week's Matinee Heroes!!

Show Notes

• 0:57

  Craig, Elisabeth and Annie Bulloch talk about Texas and dogs.

• 15:32

  Craig, Elisabeth and Annie discuss "Dances with Wolves"

• 1:24:35

  Recasting

• 1:52:30

  Double Feature

• 2:02:08

  Final Thoughts

• 2:06:40

  A preview of next week's episode "Titanic"

Two estranged twins head back to their Mississippi hometown hoping for a clean slate, but old grudges, buried secrets, and a town that doesn't forget greet them at the county line. Soon they discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

Craig, Elisabeth and guest Derek McCaw talk about uncomfortable truths, the allure of vampires, Halloween candy and the movie "Sinners" on this week's Matinee Villains!

Show Notes

• 1:16

  Craig, Elisabeth and Derek McCaw talk about vampires and zombies.

• 11:38

  Craig, Elisabeth and Derek discuss "Sinners"

• 1:05:01

  Recasting

• 1:34:30

  Double Feature

• 1:42:45

  Final Thoughts

• 1:50:00

  A preview of next week's episode "Dances with Wolves"