Anne Hathaway, David Threlfall, Believe, Lorna Simpson - a podcast by BBC Radio 4

from 2014-03-26T19:55

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With Kirsty Lang.

Anne Hathaway is back in cinemas this week in Rio 2, an animated film about a rare blue macaw, set in Brazil. She reprises her role as the voice of Jewel, a free-spirited bird, who discovers that the family she thought had been killed are still alive and living in the Amazon jungle. Anne Hathaway discusses the challenges of playing an animated character and what she looks for when choosing a role.

Believe is a new American fantasy and adventure TV drama series from Oscar-winning director Alfonso CuarĂ³n (Gravity) and Star Wars writer J.J. Abrams. A young girl with mysterious powers is placed under the protection of an escaped Death Row inmate, who must shield her from the mysterious forces out to hunt her down. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh gives her verdict.

The African-American photographer Lorna Simpson discusses the work on show in her new retrospective at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead. Large-scale photographs printed on felt are on display alongside her video works, watercolours and drawings, which often deal with themes of identity, desire and race.

To mark Radio 4's forthcoming Character Invasion - when fictional characters will be taking over the network - Front Row asked five of Britain's leading actors to talk about their experience of playing an iconic character. Tonight, David Threlfall describes his experience of playing Frank Gallagher for a decade in the Channel 4 drama series Shameless.

Producer Jerome Weatherald.

Further episodes of Front Row: Archive 2014

Further podcasts by BBC Radio 4

Website of BBC Radio 4