WILLEM DAFOE RETURNS TO "INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO" FOR OVATION TV WITH PEDRO PASCAL AS HOST

Arts Network Sets First Four Airdates of the New Season

Los Angeles, CA - September 17, 2019 Ovation TV, America's only arts network, has announced the latest host and guest of the new season of Inside the Actors Studio. The upcoming episode will feature Pedro Pascal (Wonder Woman 1984, The Mandalorian) interviewing four-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, At Eternity's Gate) and will air on Sunday, October 27 at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.

Pascal and Dafoe costarred in Yimou Zhang's 2016 film The Great Wall together. Dafoe returns to the Inside The Actors Studio stage for the first time since 1996.

"As a fellow actor who has admired Willem Dafoe's storied acting career, I am honored to interview him on Ovation's Inside the Actors Studio," said Pascal. "Willem is one of the most versatile actors I know, and I cannot wait to share his passion for the art of acting with a deserving audience."

"I am honored to share my experiences with fellow actors," added Dafoe. "It's great to be back on Inside the Actors Studio."

Inside the Actors Studio will premiere on Sunday, October 13 at 10pm ET / 7pm PT, with Alec Baldwin interviewing Henry Winkler. The second episode, airing on Sunday, October 20 at 10pm ET / 7pm PT, will feature Jane Lynch interviewing David Oyelowo. The fourth episode, with Ellen Burstyn interviewing Al Pacino, will air on Sunday, November 3 at 10pm ET / 7pm PT.

The series is currently filming in NYC at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University. Additional episodes will be announced.

New episodes of Inside the Actors Studio are being produced by Triage Entertainment.

About OVATION TV America's Only Arts Network

Art has the power to inspire us, elevate our thinking, and awaken our senses. As an independent television, production and digital media company, OVATION has an unparalleled commitment to the arts, culture and captivating entertainment. Showcasing a lineup of critically-acclaimed premium dramas, arts-related specials and documentaries, and iconic films, OVATION salutes innovative storytelling and applauds art in unexpected places. OVATION is available to nearly 50M subscribers via cable, satellite and telco systems including Comcast Cable/Xfinity, DIRECTV/AT&T U-verse, SPECTRUM, Verizon FiOS, as well as on VOD. Through THE OVATION FOUNDATION, the company is committed to advocating for the arts, nationally and locally, and has provided more than $15M in contributions and in kind support to arts institutions and arts education. You can follow OVATION on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, OvationTV.com, and through our App, OVATION NOW.

About The Actors Studio

Founded in 1947 by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford and Robert Lewis, The Actors Studio thrives today as a unique theatre workshop where professional actors, playwrights and directors gather together to work on their craft in private. Through moderated sessions, workshops and readings, The Actors Studio offers its members a dynamic, creative atmosphere, as well as a safe haven away from commercial pressures. In 1994, then president Paul Newman led the creation of a new, separate 3-year MFA Program that teaches the work done at The Actors Studio based upon exercises and techniques developed earlier by Lee Strasberg. James Lipton became the academic Dean of this program. Lipton then created the seminar for the MFA students and called it INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO. For more information please go to our website: www.theactorsstudio.org