5 NYC Chats with Hollywood Stars this Fall

From the red carpet to the stage, celebrities take a moment to sit down at some of New York’s greatest institutions and community centers, including the 92nd Street Y, the Paley Center for Media and Carnegie Hall to answer audience questions and share insights and anecdotes. This fall, turn off the TV screen and catch these stars in person.

1. Kerry Washington, who plays a strong-minded crisis manager Olivia Pope in the ABC hit series Scandal, is the first African-American woman to headline a major network series since 1974. Her work in the series has been recognized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Sit down with Quentin Tarantino’s latest lading lady (Django Unchained) for an in-depth discussion of her career in films. When & Where: 1 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the Paley Center for Media in Manhattan. $30

2. The Academy Award-nominated Ethan Hawke, who has been in more than 40 films, returns to the stage in October as the title character of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at Lincoln Center Theater, directed by Jack O’Brien. Spend 90 minutes with the actor as part of The New Yorker Festival as he sits for a Q-and-A session with Hilton Als, “The New Yorker” magazine’s theatre critic. When & Where: 7 p.m., Monday, Oct. 5 at the MasterCard Stage at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. $40

3. Meet the mastermind behind Emmy Award-winning drama series Boardwalk Empire, an HBO series that snagged 12 Emmy awards since its debut in 2010, and preview a new episode with creator and executive producer Terence Winter and members of the cast to learn how historical figures and fictional characters are woven into the show’s complex storyline set in 1920s America. When & Where: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6 at the Paley Center for Media in Manhattan. $30

4. Director James Toback and actor Alec Baldwin dashed around the Cannes Film Festival May 2012 in attempts to secure financing for a film of a political-erotic Middle Eastern adventure inspired by the classic Last Tango in Paris. The trying 10-day experience is made into a sly, inspired documentary film, Seduced and Abandoned, which debuts exclusively on HBO Monday, Oct. 28. Join a conversation with Baldwin and Toback as they look at both the dream of creating pure art and the bracing reality of getting down in the muck of modern commerce. When & Where: 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 25 at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. $29

5. For the first time ever, Lena Dunham, the creator and star of the HBO series Girls, and best-selling author and satirist David Sedaris come together for a one-night only special: “Alone Together at Last.” Get ready for what is sure to be a hilarious conversation. When & Where: 8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 19 at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan. $45-65

Look for more events on the Thought Gallery calendar.