Show Notes
In this inaugural episode of “The Trial of the Chicago 7” podcast, Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin joins host Krista Smith to discuss the journey of the film. He reflects back on his first meeting with Steven Spielberg about the project, and he shares some of the challenges the film faced on its path to getting made. He discusses the powerful parallels between this chapter in history and events in America today, and what he was most focused on getting right as the writer and director. He also talks about working with his incredible cast, and how his discussions with Tom Hayden informed the way he wrote about the relationship between Hayden and Abbie Hoffman, played by Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen respectively. And Sorkin shares what he hopes the audience might be thinking about after watching the film.
More from The Official Trial of the Chicago 7 Podcast
In this special episode, host and narrator Krista Smith presents conversations with three individuals intimately acquainted with the events surrounding “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and its aftermath. They include actor Troy Garity, the son of Tom Hayden (played in the film by Eddie Redmayne) who was a leader of the Students for a Democratic Society and later became an effective and highly respected California Senator and prolific author. And two of the actual defendants in the trial: Rennie Davis and Lee Weiner. Davis, also a leader in the SDS, and considered by many to be the greatest organizer of his generation, was a prominent figure in the antiwar movement. Sadly, Davis passed away earlier this year. Weiner, a community activist who served as a marshal with the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam (Hayden and Davis were also co-directors of MOBE alongside David Dellinger), published his political memoir “Conspiracy to Riot” last year. Each of these individuals shared their feelings about the film, their reflections on the time, and what life looked like following the trial.
Writer-director Aaron Sorkin returns to the series to reflect on the journey of his career. He discusses his singular talent for dialogue, what draws him to a story, his affinity for a courtroom scene, and why he still feels vulnerable despite all of his success. He also talks about the influence of legendary screenwriter William Goldman, as well as the debates around his family’s dinner table, and his passion for teaching. And he explains why he thinks of “A Few Good Men” the same way he thinks about his high school yearbook picture.
In this episode, four members of the film’s creative team share their experience working on the film. They include Phedon Papamichael (Nebraska, Ford vs. Ferrari), the Director of Photography; Shane Valentino (Nocturnal Animals, Straight Outta Compton), the Production Designer; Susan Lyall (Molly’s Game, Money Monster), the Costume Designer; and Alan Baumgarten (America Hustle, Molly’s Game), the film’s editor.
Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Eddie Redmayne, and John Carroll Lynch join the series to discuss their experience working on “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” The actors share their preparation for their roles, what it was like working with each other and with writer-director Aaron Sorkin, what they wanted to ensure they captured about the individuals they play, and the striking parallels with events happening in America today.
MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, the author of “Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics,” joins the series to provide his insights on the mood of the nation in 1968, the stakes at the Democratic National Convention, and how Americans viewed the violence that erupted in Chicago as well as the trial that followed. He also addresses the many parallels with the political landscape in America today and the year’s protests.