There's a lot going on right now.

Mounting economic inequality, threats to democracy, environmental disaster, the sour stench of chaos in the air.

I'm Brooke Gladstone, host of WNYC's On the Media.

Want to understand the reasons and the meanings of the narratives that led us here and maybe how to head them off at the

pass? That's on the media's specialty. Take a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Jane Pauley.

Jeffrey Rush and John Lithgow together?

Yes.

And they're talking with Tracy Smith.

Jeffrey's just one of the great actors.

And I read the script and said this is a hell of a double act.

Actually, a triple act with this wonderful New Zealand actor.

I thought I was reading for the doll.

I wasn't going to be carried around like that.

But Jeffrey and I, you know, we're very much theater actors who turned into screen actors, and now we do both.

And these are great long, dramatic scenes.

And it was just marvelous to play them with him.

Same with James Ashcroft, the director.

He started in theater school in Auckland as an actor and spent, I think, a long time there.

And then about eight or ten years ago, he decided to become a film director.

He was so passionate about film as a form.

And in that period, he made about eight short films

...