Chris Cooper and Marianne Leone enact scenes from a marriage in short film 'NUTS'

This photograph is a production still from the short film NUTS, which is about an estranged couple who are forced to live together because of the pandemic. In the foreground a woman sits in a chair. She has a concerned and contemplative expression on her face. In the background a man sits at a table, reading the newspaper. — Marianne Leone and Chris Cooper in "NUTS"

May 12, 2023

Updated May 16, 2023

After a decade on the air, Open Studio is ending.

Our series finale is June 2. For the next few weeks, in our final shows, we’ll have conversations about art with performers, artists, and arts leaders. It’s an EGOT line-up, with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award winners all joining us.

First up, Oscar-winning actor Chris Cooper and his wife, the actor and writer Marianne Leone. They met in a New York acting school in 1979 and didn’t work together again until now, in the short film "NUTS". Marianne Leone wrote the script, Chris Cooper directed and they shot it together in their home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s part of the anthology "With/In" streaming now on STARZ.

The two talked about working together, the characters that Chris Cooper has played that have terrified him, and the local movie theater that needs saving.

From there, Jill Medvedow joins Bowen to talk about leading Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art for 25 years. She discusses what it takes to build a community, what it means to showcase marginalized voices in the art world, and her mission to make the ICA a museum that is welcoming and doesn't adhere to institutional conventions.

Finally, we're replaying some of Bowen's favorite moments on Open Studio; among them is his interview with Steve Martin. The two met in 2016 at the Museum of Fine Arts, where it was clear the visual arts is something the comedian takes very seriously. They were there to talk about the work of Canadian painter, Lawren Harris.