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Variety’s popular video franchise “Actors on Actors” has now formally set a new record for the series with its Season 21 release, beating more than 197 million social video views across platforms. That represents a sharp 36 percent rise compared with Season 19-the former benchmark.
The series, in which actors pair up in conversation with one another, comes out twice a year, during Oscars and Emmys season. Success this season just further proves the point: It’s a wildly engaging way to hear some of Hollywood’s greatest talents discuss their craft.
Actors on Actors has emerged to become one of the most ambitious video franchises in magazine journalism, said Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh, an executive producer of the series. It is a remarkable achievement, adding that beyond its pages Variety’s storytelling was genuinely multi-platform, reaching tens of millions of viewers globally.
Some of the most viral conversations this season included sit-downs between Ariana Grande (Wicked) and Paul Mescal (Gladiator II); Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool & Wolverine) and Andrew Garfield (We Live in Time); Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) and Zendaya (Challengers); Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) and Angelina Jolie (Maria); and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain).
The social media team at Variety, led by editor Rachel Seo with coordinator Julia MacCary, distributed over 650 static images and videos to X, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. All told, TikTok alone generated over 120 million video views, Instagram another 57 million, while the videos that were published on X generated over 12.3 million video views.
Season 21 was executive produced by Setoodeh Donna Pennestri Michelle Merker and Andrew Russell, with Michelle Sobrino-Stearns serving as executive-in-charge of production and Nicholas Stango leading Variety’s video team. Conversations were moderated by Setoodeh, editor-at-large Kate Aurthur, reporter Selome Hailu, and chief correspondent Daniel D'Addario.
Producers were Maris Berzins, Georg Kallert, Diana Nguyen, and Rob Schroeder, with Mark Hayes as post-producer and Katie Adler as associate producer. Also producing for Variety was senior executive producer Sydney Kramer, content strategist Lauren Ames, junior producer Tania Merlos, and editor Karen Mizoguchi.
This win also underlines the increased impact of digital media within entertainment journalism and how Variety can lead, adapt, and prosper within the ever-changing landscape that is social media.
