Episode 275: How George Clooney, Jeff Goldblum & Meryl Streep Ended Up in a PBS Documentary

Video Description

Even with Ken Burns and Don Henley attached, funding a PBS documentary is brutal. So what hope do the rest of us have? PBS documentary funding, AI in filmmaking, and the casting stories behind George Clooney, Jeff Goldblum, and Meryl Streep. Erik and Christopher Ewers, directors of the PBS series Henry David Thoreau, hold nothing back in Part 2. The Ewers Brothers co-direct for @PBS under the @kenburnspbs banner. In this conversation, they open up about the financial realities of making documentaries for public television, even with Ken Burns and Don Henley as executive producers. Chris makes the case that AI is the digital camera revolution all over again. And they share the full stories behind how George Clooney, Jeff Goldblum, Ted Danson, Meryl Streep, and Tate Donovan ended up voicing characters in the Thoreau documentary. In Part 2, you’ll learn: How do you get a documentary on PBS? Is AI going to kill filmmaking? Chris Ewers makes the case for why it won’t. Why having Ken Burns and Don Henley attached doesn’t make documentary funding easy? How Chris kept his mouth shut on set with Jeff Goldblum, and how that led to Goldblum voicing Thoreau. How Don Henley quietly recruited George Clooney as narrator. Ken Burns’s advice on directing Meryl Streep: “You don’t.” This is Part 2 of 2. Watch Part 1 (Ep. 274) for the full origin story. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Cold open: How Don Henley got George Clooney to narrate 0:15 Show intro 2:26 Thoreau’s message and why it matters today 3:57 Thoreau on consumerism and its relevance in 2026 5:04 Thoreau’s “cost of life” quote and the iPhone 5:55 Thoreau and the birth of the Industrial Revolution 7:24 Think from the end back as a filmmaker 8:12 The state of the industry: Industrial Revolution to AI 11:55 As a voice actor, AI is a challenge 12:25 The best professional advice Chris ever received 13:10 The struggle to fund the next documentary film 14:31 Money is always the biggest hurdle in documentary 14:56 How the Ewers Brothers fund PBS docs without federal money 16:39 Ken Burns’s two binders of rejection letters 18:18 How do you get a documentary on PBS? 19:47 Ken Burns’s legacy projects and the PBS brand 22:42 Ken Burns’s tough love mentorship 24:25 Broadcast vs. streaming: why episode length is changing 26:00 Erik’s editing strategy for PBS time slots 28:15 How they landed Jeff Goldblum 30:09 Don Henley’s connections: Ted Danson and Meryl Streep 31:39 The George Clooney reveal 33:34 Jeff Goldblum in the booth 34:07 Ken Burns on directing Meryl Streep 34:34 George Clooney: “Tell me if I suck” 35:28 DocuVue Deja Vu: documentary picks DOCUVUE DEJA VU - Documentary Recommendations Erik: Crumb, Hearts of Darkness, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The Thin Blue Line. Chris: Man on Wire. Christian: Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy (Netflix). GUESTS: Erik Ewers, Ken Burns’s senior editor for 33+ years. Emmy winner. Christopher Loren Ewers, DP, 20+ years. Commercial clients include Apple, Coca-Cola, Tiffany & Co. Co-directors of the PBS documentary Henry David Thoreau. ABOUT THE FILM: Henry David Thoreau (PBS, 2026). Three-part, three-hour documentary. Executive produced by Ken Burns and Don Henley. Narrated by George Clooney. Voices by Jeff Goldblum (Thoreau), Ted Danson (Ralph Waldo Emerson), Meryl Streep (Lidian Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Mary Merrick Brooks, Maria Thoreau), and Tate Donovan (William Ellery Channing). Streaming on PBS and PBS Documentaries on Amazon. CONNECT: Ewers Brothers Productions: ewersbrothers.com Erik Ewers on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erik-ewers-38122729 Christopher Loren Ewers on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christopherewers Connect with Christian on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/meetchristiantaylor #thoreau #HenryDavidThoreauPBS #kenburns #PBS #documentary #documentaryfilmmaking #documentaryfunding #jeffgoldblum #georgeclooney #merylstreep #teddanson #filmmaking #podcastinterview #indiefilm #pbsdocumentary #AIfilmmaking #filmfunding #waldenpond #voiceacting #filmmakingtips This episode is supported by Virgil Films Entertainment: virgilfilms.com ------- *This content is produced by Documentary First. All rights reserved. 🎙️ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: Apple Podcasts: tinyurl.com/DocFirstApple Spotify: tinyurl.com/DocFirstSpotify Amazon Music: tinyurl.com/DocFirstAmazon YouTube: tinyurl.com/DocFirstYouTube 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW: Join our community on Patreon: tinyurl.com/DocFirstPatreon 🎬 WATCH OUR AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY in French or English: The Girl Who Wore Freedom — stream or buy the DVD: Private Stream: tinyurl.com/GWFDigitalDownload DVD: tinyurl.com/GWFDVD Traditional Streaming: tinyurl.com/StreamGWF 🙏 DONATE: Help us tell more stories: givebutter.com/TGWWF2026 📱 FOLLOW US: All platforms: linktr.ee/doc1st