Chapman University has welcomed an impressive roster of celebrities and industry icons in 2025, from Hollywood stars and musical superstars to influential public figures. Whether delivering inspiring talks, headlining campus events or making surprise appearances, these moments have left a lasting impression on the Chapman community.
You don’t star in an 11-season show right out of high school without knowing you’ve got chops and being serious about your craft, and that’s exactly what Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Allen White did. Before appearing on the comedy-drama series “Shameless,” White studied theater throughout middle and high school. Acting was his chosen art form after
“If you guys can have a low expectation for excellence and a high tolerance for crap, you’re going to be great.” Those were Don Cheadle’s words during his masterclass at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts on Oct. 27. His expectations for excellence led Cheadle to the Oscar-nominated “Hotel Rwanda,” as he told
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts just held one of their most high-profile masterclasses ever. Students could be seen camping out in front of the school as early as 8 p.m. the night before to hear insight from none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of the world’s highest-grossing actors.
There are few masterclass guests who are jumping from their seats with excitement to speak to students. Spike Lee is one of them. His passion was in your face, an extension of the bold, unapologetic voice that has defined his career and made him one of the most influential directors in American cinema.Lee commanded the
Over the last week, students in Dodge College spent two days doing screenplay workshops and attending the master class of Billy Ray, the screenwriter of the global blockbuster “The Hunger Games.” We all know the industry can be unpredictable and often unforgiving, but according to Billy Ray, one thing always stays in your control: how
James Sweeney ’12, who wrote, directed and starred in the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award-winning film “Twinless,” brought his film back to his alma mater on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Along with cinematographer Greg Cotten ’12, Sweeney sat down with Professor Travis Knox for a freewheeling conversation in the Folino following the film’s screening.
Having achieved critical acclaim and celebrity status from their hit Netflix series “Stranger Things,” Matt and Ross Duffer ’07, now legendary alumni of Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, returned to their alma mater on Aug. 22 as part of the college’s Master Class series and were interviewed by Michael Kowalski, their former professor.
It was no surprise that on Aug. 20, Dodge College’s Folino Theater erupted in laughter throughout the first Master Class of the year, as four-time Emmy-nominated actress Janelle James worked the room like one of her comedy sets. Known for her role as Ava Coleman on “Abbott Elementary.” James spoke with The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott
Dating in Hollywood is hard, but some couples have just got it figured out. Doug Wick, an independent producer, and Lucy Fisher, a seasoned studio executive, had specifically avoided working with each other after they got married in 1986. That is, until Columbia Pictures picked up Wick’s 1999 film “Stuart Little,” and vice chairman Fisher
Mikey Madison is dedicated to everything she does — so much so that in her audition for Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” she wrote a poem, made a painting and sewed a piece of hair into the painting’s canvas to impress him, “Because why the hell not?”
When director Brenda Chapman was first hired at Disney, she thought it was to fill a quota and solve a lack of female voices in their story department. Decades later, she would discover that John Musker and Ron Clements, the directing duo responsible for “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin” and “Moana” had specifically requested her after