Matthew Shear, Amanda Peet and Alessandro Nivola talk “Fantasy Life” at the L.A. Times studio at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival. Peet touches on how films seem to finally be focusing on what women want, especially older women, while Nivola discusses why being directed by an actor, like Shear, is a joy.
Nicholas Ducassi is an audience editor for Entertainment and Arts at the Los Angeles Times. He has interviewed artists at the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and more, including Eva Longoria, Seth Meyers, America Ferrera, Henry Winkler, Helen Mirren and Jamie Lee Curtis. His videos have garnered more than 100 million views and nominations from the Television Academy and the L.A. Press Club.
Mark E. Potts is the senior editor for video at the Los Angeles Times. A native of Enid, Okla., Potts graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He has created and edited video for DreamWorks, YouTube, Microsoft, Sony and BET.
