Sydney Pollack was a true actor's director—a filmmaker who came up through the ranks, starting as a bit-part TV performer before turning to directing. From his debut feature The Slender Thread (1965) to his final film, The Interpreter (2005), Pollack built a reputation for intelligent, emotionally resonant storytelling. He forged creative partnerships with stars like Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Barbra Streisand, and Tom Cruise, guiding iconic performances in American films for four decades. An Academy Award winner for Out of Africa (1985) and a nominee for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) and Tootsie (1982), Pollack left behind a legacy of popular and personal films marked by their superior craftsmanship.
Sydney Pollack: Collected Interviews brings together more than twenty in-depth conversations with the acclaimed director, spanning from 1970 to 2007. Sourced from a range of international publications, these interviews offer candid tales and intimate glimpses of Pollack's big-name collaborations. More than just a portrait of one man's career, the book is a wide-angle view of post-1960s Tinseltown itself: the wheeling and dealing, the creative clashes, and the evolution of American cinema. This collection revisits an immense talent who epitomized the best of Hollywood and sheds light on the nuts and bolts of moviemaking in Pollack's own words.