Pop Culture Confidential
Pop culture conversations with today's innovators, entertainers and newsmakers - podcast hosted by Christina Jeurling Birro.
Recent Episodes
July 10, 2025
472: Summer Encore — Taylor Dearden on ‘The Pitt,’ Medical Boot Camp & Crafting Dr. Mel King
As Emmy nominations approach, we’re revisiting one of our standout conversations of the year! Actor Taylor Dearden delivers a powerful performance as Dr. Mel King in The Pitt , the gripping medical drama now streaming on HBO ...
July 3, 2025
471: The Odyssey Teaser, Summer Movie Reviews & More (Guest: Ryan McQuade)
From film news to fresh reviews — it’s a packed week on the show. We’re diving into some of the biggest releases of the summer, including 28 Years Later , Jurassic World: Rebirth , F1 , The Materialists , and Eddington . Plus...
June 22, 2025
470: Actor Alexej Manvelov — On His Standout Performance as Akram in 'Dept. Q' and His Remarkable Journey
We’re thrilled to welcome actor Alexej Manvelov to the show. His standout portrayal of Akram in Netflix’s hit Dept. Q has made the character one of this season’s most acclaimed and beloved. In Scott Frank’s adaptation of the ...
June 19, 2025
469: Summer Screams —Horror Thrives in the Heat (with Guest Eoin Daly)
Summer may not be the official spooky season, but it’s long been a surprisingly perfect time for horro r. From the 1975 release of Jaws —which turns 50 this year!—to Poltergeist , Friday the 13th , and A24’s Hereditary and Mi...
June 13, 2025
468: Best Films of the Decade (So Far!) with Guest Ryan McQuade
On this episode, Christina is joined by writer and critic Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch) for the fun (and difficult!) exercise of ranking their favorite films of the decade so far, from 2020 through 2024. Tune in for passionate p...
June 5, 2025
467: A Conversation with Tony Gilroy — Andor Season 2, Revolution, and the Forces & Choices That Drive Us
Creator of Andor and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tony Gilroy ( Michael Clayton , The Bourne films) joins Christina for a wide-ranging conversation about the groundbreaking Star Wars prequel series — a show that’s as politically...
May 28, 2025
Episode 466: And That’s a Wrap: Cannes 2025 with guest Ryan McQuade, AwardsWatch
Joining Christina is film critic and writer Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch as they wrap up the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. From what it was like covering this year’s festival, to the Palme d’Or winners, major Neon and MUBI acquis...
May 21, 2025
465: Dispatch 5 from Cannes 2025. Interview: Stellan Skarsgård (‘Sentimental Value’)
In this special dispatch from the Croisette, Christina is joined by the brilliant and effortlessly cool Stellan Skarsgård, starring in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value —a strong Palme d’Or contender at this year’s festival. ...
Recent Blog Posts
May 24, 2024
Exclusive interview with Cannes breakout star Karla Sofía Gascón! ('E…
TRANSCRIPT: Exclusive interview with Cannes breakout star Karla Sofía Gascón! ('Emilia Perez') Here is the translation of the Spanish audio interview into English (Automated translation) Welcome to Pop Culture Confidential, …