Clayton Davis: Variety Studio brings you the actors you want to know more about.

Jennifer Aniston: The comedy that I respond to is comedy that is coming out of the truth of a situation.

Naomi Watts: Turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my career.

Clayton: As they dish about their latest roles in this golden age of television.

Leo Woodall: I auditioned for "Mary & George."

Nicholas Galitzine: Did you really?

I auditioned for "White Lotus."

Leo: Did you actually?

Nicholas: Yes.

Clayton: With Jennifer Aniston and Quinta Brunson, Nicholas Galitzine and Leo Woodall, and Jonathan Bailey and Naomi Watts.

Jennifer: Ba da bump.

♪♪♪♪♪ Clayton: Welcome to "Variety Studio: Actors on Actors," I'm Clayton Davis.

Angelique Jackson: And I'm Angelique Jackson.

Today we've got the inside scoop on some of the best TV characters from the past year.

Clayton: And the talented actors who brought them to life.

Angelique: Very few people know what it's like to have the most popular show on network television.

Count Emmy winners Jennifer Aniston and Quinta Brunson among the fortunate few.

Playing Rachel on "Friends" earned Jennifer Aniston a permanent position among America's acting sweethearts.

But, as a news anchor on "The Morning Show," she gets to demonstrate her flair for the dramatic.

Alex Levy: Do you know how much is at stake here?

Of course, every Joe Schmo's gonna come out of the woodwork and try to take him down, talk--about him.

Bradley Jackson: I think it's a little more than that.

Alex: Are--you serious?

Don't be so naive.

And, honestly, do you--do you have anything specific?

Do you have actual evidence on what you're saying here?

Bradley: Okay, Alex, I think-- Alex: No?

Bradley: I think it's hard for you to be objective about this.

Alex: Oh, my God, wow.

People really do suck.

Angelique: In "Abbott Elementary," creator and star Quinta Brunson shines as an un-jaded and perhaps over-eager second grade teacher who is always pursuing ways to improve her school.

Janine Teagues: Okay, enough, Captain Robinson, the test.

Captain Robinson: All right.

But I don't think you'll pass.

You missed almost the entire class.

Janine: Oh, has human biology changed in the past three years?

Start the clock.

Captain Robinson: There's no clock, that's not how it works.

Janine: I said start the clock.

female: Oh, my, my, my.

both: Hi.

Quinta Brunson: Hi, Jennifer Aniston.

Jennifer: Hi, Quinta Brunson, I love you so much.

Quinta: Hi, hi, my comedy queen.

Jennifer: Oh, you have taken the title, my darling.

Quinta: Oh, that's very sweet, but you know how I feel about you.

You know, I've told you time and time again, but we're here to talk about-- Jennifer Aniston: Us.

Quinta: Us, and your dramatic performances.

[Jennifer scoffs] Jennifer: How'd that happen?

Quinta: Because, I think, when you're a comedy legend, I do think that you transfer over to drama very well, which you do as Alex in "The Morning Show."

Jennifer: Thank you, honey.

I appreciate that.

Quinta: And you guys are doing so many cool things as Alex this season.

First of all, you're just, it's a bad--character.

Jennifer: She's pretty fun to play.

Quinta: She's really cool.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Quinta: She suffers no fools, I love that.

And you got to make out with Jon, Jonathan Hamm.

Jennifer: Jon Hamm, yes, that big, tall drink of water.

Quinta: Big, tall fella.

Jennifer: It was exciting to sort of explore that side of Alex, in that more feminine, romantic world.

There was sort of a sense of, like, rebellion.

And here she is, falling for this man who comes into the company, and, of course, everyone's like, what is this guy all about?

And then, all of a sudden, you're like, I'm a journalist, and my journalistic integrity is at play here and have to make that crucial decision.

Quinta: One of my favorite moments with you and Jon Hamm was at the carnival.

I think it was--or, Coney Island, I think you guys were on Coney Island.

And this man berates Alex, and you just take it, and you have to explain to him.

Who's a, you know, a man in a billion--billionaire man 'cause he's, like, "What's up with this guy?

Like, you just take this?"

And you're like, "Yeah, I do."

And, I don't know, something in me, like the Quinta Brunson that I am in my life, really related to that, and-- Jennifer: And what we have to sort of take.

Quinta: Yeah.

And you just have to.

Jennifer: And you just sort of swallow it.

And, yeah, you're right, as the instinct of a man, it's like, chivalry is not dead, to defend the--a woman who's standing next to him.

And it's like, "Don't waste your time."

Quinta: Just don't waste your time.

And it was just a moment that I guess I felt seen.

I don't feel seen that often, but I felt very seen by that.

Jennifer: Ooh, I love that.

Quinta: Yeah, it was, it was nice to see.

Jennifer: Yeah, that's so good.

That makes me very happy.

Coney Island is a hard place to shoot.

Quinta: Yeah, God bless.

Jennifer: You been there in a while?

Quinta: I've never been there in my life, unfortunately.

But I just, I get to film indoors.

We call ourselves house cats 'cause we very rarely leave our lot.

Jennifer: So, Warner Brothers, yeah?

Quinta: Yeah, at Warner Brothers.

Jennifer: Aww, I love where you, where, the story of where you started, that you guys started in actual schools.

And then all of a sudden here you are on the Warner Brothers lot.

Quinta: On the Warner Brothers lot.

And my school facade is right across from the French couch.

So that's just a really nice, like, thing that we get to see and remind us why we love comedy so much.

Jennifer: Right?

I do miss it.

And I say, watching your show, I feel so comforted.

There's something about it that just feels safe and cozy.

Every character is so hilarious, like, equally; there's not one person that's the stand out, that's the beauty of this ensemble.

Quinta: Yeah.

Oh, I just want you to know.

I learned about the beauty of an ensemble through watching "Friends."

Jennifer: Well, you just gave me goosebumps.

Well, watching your show, that's why I think I love watching your show 'cause I feel that joy of watching an ensemble, and I know that fun that is happening with all of you guys.

And you really do all seem to have a really beautiful relationship and chemistry, it's just perfection.

Quinta: So did you all.

Jennifer: When you started the casting process of "Abbott Elementary," was that something that you couldn't wait?

Like, you had all the characters in your head?

They were, you know, you knew them so well.

And what was that process like?

Quinta: That was so cool; I started with Tyler James Williams, who's my co-star.

He's so good.

I had worked with him previously, and I just knew we had a good chemistry and a good rhythm, and I knew that, comedically, we complemented each other, which I think was, like, more important to me than anything.

I know that you pretty much mastered the "will they, won't they," just like you and David Schwimmer.

You two are funny on your own, and I think that's what was so inspiring to me, that you really stood on your own as a comedic character.

And, as I've berated you with compliments in the past, like, you're just so funny.

Then, you know, David Schwimmer is his own funny entity.

And I thought that's what was most important for this ensemble comedy.

Jennifer: So, in season 3, what made you decide for Janine to take the job and leave her students?

Quinta: Yeah, I wanted Janine to have a lot of growth because she wound up being more important to more people than I anticipated.

Jennifer: You mean your audience?

How interesting.

Quinta: Yeah, I mean, I think that's something that happens when you are making a show with a predominantly Black cast.

The cast is still serving as representation for so many people, not even just Black people, but any marginalized group that hasn't seen themselves portrayed.

And, you know, originally I would go in and go, "Oh, well, you know, Rachel was able to do this" or, like, "Leslie Knope was able to do this" or "Liz Lemon was able to do this."

But Janine started to carry a lot of weight in a way-- Those other characters had a freedom that Janine did-- Jennifer: Did not, and she also steps into a position where she can really make a difference.

Quinta: Where she can really make a difference, which-- Jennifer: Like on a, bigger-- Quinta: Right, and I'm excited for how much she's grown in this time.

And now it's been, you know, she's back at Abbott, but she's there with a newfound understanding of who she is, which I think wound up being important for lots of young girls to see.

And I have a hard time trying to figure out what my responsibility is.

Sometimes I don't want any responsibility.

Jennifer: Right, you just want to tell your story.

Quinta: I just want tell my--and sometimes I don't want my characters to have any responsibility.

But, you know-- Jennifer: it just comes with it.

Quinta: it just comes with it.

Jennifer: I can't wait to see what you do next.

Quinta: Thank you, I can't wait to see what you do next.

Jennifer: What shows you create, what films you create, theater, whatever it is, you--your heart desires, I am so excited.

I'm so there for it.

Quinta: Thank you, Jennifer Aniston.

Jennifer: And, while we're here, I'm gonna say, if you find a moment on "Abbott" that you can see a moment for this one, I'm, I'd love to come play with you.

Quinta: Okay.

Jennifer: Okay.

Clayton: Say hello to Hollywood's newest heartthrobs, Nicholas Galitzine and Leo Woodall.

These two British stars crossed the pond and immediately captured our attention, thanks to their charming performances.

Nicholas Galitzine is on royal duty with his enticing portrayal of King James's lover in the period miniseries, "Mary & George."

George Villiers: We were once a conquering nation.

We have bloodied the Spanish in battle before, and we should once again.

A fight, not for its own sake, no, never, but one to establish a true and lasting forever peace.

Now is the moment to stare at the devil and say, "No more."

No more, no more, no more.

Clayton: After checking out of "The White Lotus," Leo Woodall is now riveting in the adaptation of "One Day," a slow-burning, decades-long story that revisits its leading lovebirds on the same day each year.

Dexter Mayhew: I've got, I've got these tickets to a premiere.

It's "Basic Instinct," uh, it's meant to be pretty steamy.

Princess Di will be there apparently.

Well, I mean, probably not, but, maybe, who knows?

Er, okay, I'm waffling now.

Just pick up the phone, Emma.

If you're there, if you're there, just pick up, pick up, pick up, pick up.

Nicholas: Hello, Leo.

Leo: Lovely to meet you.

Nicholas: Lovely to meet you, too.

Leo: How are you today?

Nicholas: I'm great.

Nicholas: We're here to talk about our respective-- Leo: We're here to just talk about us, just ourselves, aren't we?

Nicholas: Yeah, really, and our football teams, we just found out that we support-- Leo: Yeah, we already kind of hate each other.

Nicholas: Rivaling football teams.

So, I watched the show, and, you're just, like, incredibly human in it.

Just a very, very beautiful performance.

It's just so beautiful, and you and Ambika.

Was there a lot of stuff that didn't make it in the show that you filmed?

Leo: No, there was, like, there was a story in--it was Act III.

And he basically is just, like, telling a story about some night that he's just had, and it's so long, and they cut the entire thing.

Nicholas: You probably spent so long memorizing it.

Leo: I did, mate, I was, like, really trying to get my story-telling chops out.

I was actually quite grateful that they cut that whole thing, though.

I don't know; I just, I was fumbling my way through it anyway.

Do you ever feel that way?

Nicholas: Oh, yeah, man, all the time.

I mean, it was, it was kind of different on "Mary & George" because-- Leo: Which, by the way, congratulations.

Nicholas: Well, you have to say that now.

Because I just waxed lyrical-- so it would be funny if you were like, "Yeah, it was rubbish."

They made me watch it for this taping.

I hated everything.

Leo: No, but, genuinely, I mean, I felt for you 'cause I was like, you know, we're the same, we're basically the same age, London boys, and I was like, "He's going toe to toe with Julianne Moore," and I'm like that, but you did it, like, you, and you did it, you completely held your own.

It was--you were so good to watch, mate.

Nicholas: Appreciate that, it was--I mean, I feel like you've had this, you know, in your career as well.

I mean, you know, notably "White Lotus" as well.

But when you're acting with these people who are, you know, have been, like, so visible in the industry or iconic in a way.

And then I think very quickly people kind of become very humanized.

And it's kind of the same, you know, with you as well.

It's like, we work in this industry that that oftentimes pits people against each other.

You and me probably end up going for all the same parts together, and I think I-- Leo: I auditioned for "Mary & George."

Nicholas: Did you really?

I auditioned for "White Lotus," you got me there.

Leo: Did you actually?

No way.

Nicholas: This is the funny thing is, it's like, with her, you know, you do think, "Oh, that, Julianne Moore, icon."

And then you meet her in person, and she was so--she's so grounded, and she's so light in and around the work.

Leo: Was it intimidating, though?

Nicholas: I mean, maybe at first.

I mean, George never feels on solid footing with his mother.

You know, he's like, earlier in his life, he's just desperate for her love and affection.

And then, you know, the more he feels like a pawn in her game, he sort of drifts off and gathers his own autonomy.

And so, actually, I really liked when we got to that point later on in the show because, you know, we're talking about, you know, these monologues and huge lines like that.

George isn't really like that.

He's very--he's much more of a physical performance.

But, I mean, the thing that struck me about your performance is that it's kind of both.

Dexter is so complex.

I mean, seeing his kind of grief unfold over years-- and, actually, I think a sort of a commonality between our--both of our shows, is like having to track something over the course of years.

Leo: He's so good at this.

He's so good at this.

Thanks for pairing me with Nick, guys; steer the ship, mate.

Nicholas: I've been rehearsing this for days, days, days.

But no, I mean, what was it like to essentially, I mean, he's so flawed, but he's such a--there is a purity to him as well.

Leo: Yeah, I mean, the thing about Dex, like, he's got a lot of love in his heart, and, to me, it was quite easy to feel really quite sorry for him.

He really gets like a crap deal in a lot of ways.

Like, we would do these days where, you know, I'd just suffer, like the scene in the--where we-- where he's in the box room.

Emma's things are in there.

You wanna shake them off immediately, so that particular scene was, was like one of the hardest for different reasons.

Like, it was just horrible being in that place doing it again and again and again.

And, I remember, we finally wrapped, and we broke for lunch, and I was like, "Oh, thank God," and I let it all go.

When we came back after lunch, we were like, "Oh, so we actually are gonna pan up to you at the end."

I was like, "No.

Oh, God."

Nicholas: That is the most frustrating thing.

Leo: Yeah, it's hard to, like, I mean, you had moments like that on "Mary & George" as well.

Nicholas: Yeah, I mean, George is-- Leo: Do you get nervous for them?

Do you feel like, I don't know, do you have a-- do you have a system?

Do you, like, play music or something?

Nicholas: Yeah, it's funny because I find that, like, the more I try and sit in a dark energy all day, the more it drains me.

So then, when it actually comes time to, like, do the scene, I don't know if I have as much of it.

So it's, I think it's a balance.

I mean, I did a movie a few years ago which wasn't fantastic.

But I actually feel like I learned a lot in it, where my character had to really, like, break down, cry, and the first few takes just felt really like, I felt like there was something there, but was feeling forced.

And the director came up to me, and she was like, "You don't have to.

Like, just, this next take, just do nothing."

And that was when it just poured out of me.

And now I think my approach to it.

Leo: Take the pressure off.

Nicholas: Yeah, and I think, so often as actors, like, we feel like that's the--that's how we're judged on our acting work is like, can you hit the great emotional beats?

Leo: Yeah, yeah, my mates who aren't actors, when I first got into it, they were like, can you cry on cue?

Nicholas: Can you cry-- Leo: Do it, do your thing, cry.

Nicholas: Exactly, so this is completely unrelated to acting, but who cares.

I read that you were-- Nicholas: What?

Leo: A javelin runner up.

Nicholas: Yes, don't tell me you threw javelin as well?

Leo: What year were you runner up?

'Cause I was number 1 one year.

Nicholas: Dude, really?

Leo: I think, I think I might have just told everyone that one actually, I was, like, third or fourth.

Nicholas: I, from my age group, I must have been about, I think I was about 15 or 16.

But I always point this out.

The guy who was number 1 was, like, a lot better than me.

Yeah, so, I wasn't-- it wasn't like, oh, we were fighting for first.

Leo: Were you throwing real javelins?

Nicholas: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Leo: Oh, no, I was just throwing the foam ones.

Nicholas: Were you really?

That is so childish and so funny.

Leo: Bro, it was amazing, though, 'cause every, like, everyone else threw it, and they'd just go... and they'd, like, or they'd fly behind.

Nicholas: And you'd just get them to soar beautifully.

Kind of like your career in a way, just flying off.

Leo: That was good, nice.

Angelique: Jonathan Bailey and Naomi Watts never fail to deliver powerful performances.

In their latest roles, they transport viewers to bygone eras, offering fresh perspectives.

After steaming up the screen in "Bridgerton," Jonathan Bailey impresses with a touching turn in "Fellow Travelers" as a congressional staffer embroiled in an illicit affair.

Tim Laughlin: Everything's gone, Hawk.

I don't know what to believe.

I just, I knew I needed to see you.

Hawkins "Hawk" Fuller: I should have left you alone.

Tim: And I am so glad you didn't, please just take me upstairs, take me upstairs.

Hawk: Listen to me.

Angelique: In "Feud: Capote vs.

The Swans," Oscar nominee Naomi Watts gives a shattering performance as one of writer Truman Capote's famous Swans, a group of New York socialites in the '60s and '70s.

Babe Paley: Shut up, Paley, for God's sake, won't you shut up?

Were you a model parent, with your barely disguised contempt for your son, whatever he did?

No.

She won't speak to me because, because I chose you instead of her.

Naomi: Hi, Jonathan Bailey.

Jonathan: What a pleasure.

Naomi: Such a pleasure to finally meet you.

I've been hearing so much about you.

Jonathan: Well, I've loved your work for a long, long time.

And, you know, in school, I actually studied "Mulholland Drive."

Yeah, probably about five years after it came out.

And it was extraordinary, blew my mind.

Your performance in it, obviously, but-- Naomi: Oh, thank you.

And, do you know that, at the time, when I was being directed by David Lynch, I thought I was doing the worst acting to ever hit the screen because he kept saying, "More, more happy, more excited.

You're just getting off the plane, you're just arriving in Los Angeles.

This is the dream of all dreams."

And I had to be sort of like going, "This is so great," and he was like, "No, no more," and I was like, "This is so great; isn't this wonderful?"

He was like, "More."

I was like, "Oh, my God, like, what do I have to do?"

Jonathan: That's literally what we just did in the photoshoot.

Naomi: Yes, exactly, it's so wonderful, like Pollyanna times, you know, 10,000.

And, so, yeah, I felt like I was being-- Jonathan Bailey: But it was so truthful, like unwaveringly, truthful all the way through.

And it can, it could hold it, couldn't it-- Naomi: Well, he knows, he's a master of creating a surreal atmosphere and, but with, it's always rooted in truth.

He knows when it's not playing truthfully.

Jonathan: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Naomi: But, yeah, it was a highlight of my career and-- Jonathan: Well, but also your career is amazing because your choices and the people that you work with.

Naomi: I mean, I got very, very lucky because of working with David.

I think all of the great auteurs around saw this film.

So I was definitely on those lists.

And I don't know that I'm on them so much all the time, you know, anymore.

And, I mean, Ryan Murphy has definitely put some speed back into it.

You know, it goes like this, and I think it's very rare that it just goes in one direction.

Jonathan: But it's about perception of that, isn't it?

Because, to me, I would say, I wouldn't be aware of that at all.

Naomi: But, the thing is, is you're always trying, you're always setting out to tell these brilliant stories or play these fantastic characters.

And, you know, sometimes the pairing of, with great directors, and sometimes you take a risk on a first time director.

It's always different, and it's always kind of a gamble.

So, in "Fellow Travelers," it really felt like, I mean, I'm so moved by that, like, the love story, it's so powerful.

But did you know about the Lavender Scare before?

Jonathan: I had, yeah, I had heard about the Lavender Scare.

I just hadn't understood the complete, like, brutality of that time, and McCarthyism and, you know, as a Brit, there's so much about American, you know, experience, the American experience, but also, specifically, you know, politics and the queer experience within it, that I hadn't known.

So it was, for me also, it was catharsis.

And I wondered if that's the same for you women all sat around the table, because, you know, suddenly we're there for gay men, predominantly gay creative team, to be there with those guys and to then have the nuance of conversation.

It was amazing to actually have that space, the opportunity of 8 hours of TV, to tell a quite brutal but bruising and lovely love story for gay men.

I know that, if I wasn't in it, I would have loved it.

I also know, if I was younger, it would have helped me out a lot.

And I also know people who don't understand the queer experience and are threatened by it or find it gross or obnoxious or that they's gonna come and get them, to watch that, and you'll understand.

You will literally understand so many things, and, like, even the sexuality of it is so important because it's part of the gay experience, as it is the human experience.

I do think, also, just to go back to "Mulholland Drive" quickly, like, your eyes are just incredible, the ability to be able to communicate.

I think David Lynch loves that, as well, because they're so, there was just so much.

Naomi: Yes.

Well, and how he holds a shot.

Jonathan: And also with Gus Van Sant-- Naomi: Well, and this, in "Feud," I--one of the most restrictive things because playing a character that looks nothing like me.

So there was this transformation to make.

It's not just the hair and the accent.

Jonathan: No, it was contacts.

Naomi: It was contacts, I had brown contact lenses, and I have very sensitive eyes, and having to produce tears was even more difficult because they dry your eyes out so badly.

Jonathan: But there's, I love--obviously, there's so many magical elements, and I just think there's such an amazing conversation in it about the role of women to gay men.

You know, and it's no surprise that it's Ryan and Gus.

Naomi: The writers all had something to bring to the story, yeah.

Jonathan: You could feel it, and also, when you guys are together, you women, looking unbelievable, are being completely brilliant and sexy.

I wonder, did it feel new to you and empowering being there?

Naomi: I think it felt empowering because so many women in one story is rare.

So many women of a certain age is so rare.

And women that appreciate each other, they--they're women with depth and, you know, darkness and challenges and, I don't know, it's just actually one of the--turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my career.

And I just feel so fortunate to have had it at this point, you know, it's-- Jonathan: And to be one of the people who, like, led the charge, right?

Naomi: Oh, it was, yeah, I just, I feel so lucky, yeah.

I heard that you were shooting three things at the same time.

Is this true?

Jonathan: That's true; that is true.

Did you hear, my voice just broke-- Naomi: Why, 'cause that you had PTSD, like, you actually couldn't speak.

Jonathan: There's some residual trauma there.

Naomi: And "Wicked."

Jonathan: And "Wicked," yeah, I was rehearsing for "Wicked" at the same time, and, but I didn't know that that was gonna-- yeah, I mean, it was wild.

Naomi: The gymnastics of that, like, I cannot actually believe it.

Like, different dialects, different periods, different tones, different-- Jonathan: Yeah, there were moments where it sort of meshed together in kind of a kinky way.

Naomi: I can't, I mean, that's multitasking on another level, like-- Jonathan: What I've learned about my brain, though, is that, that was when I--I was really calm through that.

As in--yeah, and, which maybe-- There's something to be said for just, like, free falling and not having enough time and just going on instinct.

I mean, I knew it was going to be tough.

But I had about, I'd finished a play, and it was just the last week of the play that I found out that I was going to do this.

And I had a moment's thought because I was really, you know, at the end of doing theater, it's like, I know your husband's doing theater at the moment-- I wonder how he's getting on?

Naomi: Yes, a one man show, no less.

Jonathan: Yeah, I mean, wild.

Naomi: But I was saying to him that you were doing three shows, three things at once.

And he was like, "No, well, that's just showing off."

Angelique: We hope you've enjoyed this episode of "Variety Studio: Actors on Actors."

Clayton: Please join us again next time.

Quinta: "Friends" is turning 30, and Jennifer's turning 30.

Jennifer: I'm also turning 30.

That's so weird.

Nicholas: Is my hair flapping around, my toupee flapping around.

Jonathan: I was like, start Googling it, trying to see-- Naomi: Googling it.

What did you find?

Jennifer: Kind of like--it, am I allowed to say that?

Quinta: No.

Jennifer: Oh.

Nicholas: I feel kind of like Jim from "The Office," looking straight ahead.

Naomi: We just don't--we don't.

How do we end this?

Jonathan: I know, it's never gonna end.