Actors Roundtable 2025: Johnson, Elordi, Jordan, Sandler, White, Moura & Hamill Bare Their Souls

The chemistry crackles immediately when Mark Hamill recounts meeting a film critic who handed him The Life of Chuck role—75 years old, finally escaping Star Wars’ shadow with Stephen King’s tender novella. “Who could have imagined?” Hamill marvels, setting the table for raw vulnerability from seven actors spanning generations and genres.

Dwayne Johnson dominates early, detailing The Smashing Machine’s MMA brutality: “Every punch lands different when you’re 53—your body doesn’t forget.” His intellectual heft surprises—discussing directing choices, physical decay, and Mark Kerr’s psyche with depth that silences action-star skepticism. Jacob Elordi, fresh off Frankenstein, admits imposter syndrome: “You’re playing God and monster simultaneously—every take felt like failure.”

Michael B. Jordan’s duality shines discussing Sinners—vampire western with twin roles: “One brother’s fire, one’s ice. Had to find that split inside myself.” Adam Sandler, unrecognizable as Jay Kelly, gets the loudest laughs recounting his Happy Gilmore sequel anxieties: “Golf pros hated me. Thought I’d ruined their sport forever.” Mark Hamill and Jacob Elordi pile on, praising Sandler’s fearless physicality at 59.

Jeremy Allen White’s Springsteen transformation steals the room—losing 30 pounds, chain-smoking, voice cracking: “Bruuuuuce lives in your throat after three months.” Wagner Moura, Hollywood’s best-kept secret from Narcos and The Secret Agent, drops gems about cultural displacement: “Brazilian intensity reads as villainy here—takes work to play human.” The table marvels at his range, from Pablo Escobar to British spy.

Vulnerability peaks when they tackle failure. Johnson owns Skyscraper and Black Adam flops: “Audiences smell when you’re phoning it in.” Sandler confesses 50 First Dates saved his soul after flops: “Comedy’s my therapy—dramatic roles feel like stealing.” Elordi’s Euphoria-to-film leap gets real: “Jacob from Saltburn died. Frankenstein’s me learning to act.”

Hamill’s late-career renaissance lands hardest: “75, finally interesting roles. Luke Skywalker was a cage—I loved him, but he buried me.” The table falls silent, then erupts in respect. Jordan breaks tension: “We all chase that freedom. Some find it sooner.” White nods: “The Bear taught me failure’s the only path.”

Directing debates spark fire—Johnson defends actor-directors, Sandler admits Happy Gilmore 2 overwhelmed him: “Left that to the pros.” Moura’s subtle Narcos mastery gets dissected: “Less is more with monsters—let silence do the evil.” Elordi’s Frankenstein physicality discussion reveals Guillermo del Toro’s genius: “He shot practical effects first—actor’s dream.”

Age and legacy talk gets profound. Hamill reflects: “Legacy’s bullshit. Just tell good stories.” Sandler counters: “Legacy’s your kids watching Happy Gilmore at Thanksgiving—that’s immortality.” Johnson reveals The Smashing Machine birthed from personal pain: “Dad’s wrestling demons, my steroid past—had to make it.” The mutual respect palpable—no egos, just artists dissecting craft.

Production insights sparkle: White’s Springsteen vocal coach broke him weekly; Jordan’s Sinners night shoots in New Orleans heat birthed real vampire lore; Elordi’s Frankenstein prosthetics took 6 hours daily. Sandler’s Jay Kelly golf training left him with permanent slice. Moura’s accent work for The Secret Agent: “British intelligence hates foreigners—I became ghost.”

THR’s 2025 Roundtable transcends format—raw, funny, profound. No pretension, just seven masters revealing acting’s brutal beauty. Johnson’s gravitas, Elordi’s hunger, Jordan’s fire, Sandler’s heart, White’s intensity, Moura’s wisdom, Hamill’s grace—cinema’s current peak. Watch immediately. This is acting discourse at its finest.