The Director of ‘Hamnet’ on the Oscars and Her Midlife Crisis | The Interview

Chloé Zhao’s latest film, “Hamnet,” has received eight nominations for the 2026 Oscars, including for best picture, best director and best actress (for Jessie Buckley’s lead role).

This is the second time Zhao has been in the running for an Academy Award for her directing (She won in 2021 for “Nomadland.”) Now 43, with five feature films under her belt, has established herself as one of cinema’s most distinguished and distinctive directors.

But that success doesn’t make awards season easy. Zhao talks here about how she is working to overcome her deepest fears and open her heart. And she explains why a midlife crisis can be “the best thing that can happen to you.”

[00:00:07] Chloé Zhao’s career and Oscar nominations for ‘Hamnet’

[00:02:01] How awards shows make artists feel

[00:04:55] How she works as a director, embracing the chaos

[00:05:01] How she filmed a pivotal scene with Jessie Buckley

[00:07:20] Directors’ leadership styles - generals and priestesses

[00:10:59] Training to be a death doula

[00:13:00] A midlife crisis is the best thing

[00:17:33] Fears of abandonment and rejection

[00:24:27] Did Shakespeare take mushrooms?

[00:31:07] Director Terrence Malick’s great films

[00:34:44] Art and storytelling help us remember who we are

[00:40:42] Why does Zhao say she has a problem with connection?

[00:45:47] Why she trained as a death doula

[00:51:42] Learning to handle the “compost,” or difficulties of life

“The Interview” features conversations with the world’s most fascinating people. Each week, co-hosts David Marchese and Lulu Garcia-Navarro talk to compelling, influential figures in culture, politics, business, sports and beyond — illuminating who they are, why they do what they do and how they impact the rest of us.

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