Plus: 10 other honorees who blew our pop culture minds.
She sat down with EW for her owncover storyto discuss finding her purpose in 2019.
Regina King
Regina Kingstarted 2019 bywinning an Oscarfor Best Supporting Actress inIf Beale Street Could Talk.
Taika Waititi
Taika Waititimight be the industry’s ultimate multihyphenate.
Hetalked to EWabout all things Marvel andRabbit.
The cast ofSuccession
Perhaps you’ve heard of a little group of people called the Roy family.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
The 34-year-old Emmy-winning writer-actor behindKilling Eveis honored by herFleabagcostar Brett Gelman.
I knew I wanted to work withPhoebewhen I was sent theFleabagpilot.
It was clear that she was very special and had a lot to say.
Then…I read the scripts for the entire first season.
She can balance razor-sharp, word-perfect writing without losing this spontaneous, chaotic depth.
You’re getting hard jokes, but then you’re also getting deep pain.
I think brutal honesty is the antithesis of desperation.
If the timing’s right, an honest piece of work really hits home.
I’ve readThe Water Dancerthree times.
So I was really happy to see how brilliant it was.
I realized, through looking back at his other pieces, he was always coming to this place.
The third time, it was listening to theaudiobook that Joe Morton did.
It’s a whole different level of experiencing the story.
Each time, I got something more out of the novel.
People are hungry for narratives that help us understand this present moment.
It’s a book about people who are enslaved.
That resistance is the shape we need right now.
And it has magical realism: It’s a way to escape while also being engaged, to understand.
What really blows me away about his work is how absolutely accessible it is.
“Everything that’s happened in the last year or two has been life-changing.
It’s just thing after thing of ‘Wow, what the hell’s going on?!'”
(which debuted at No.
1 on the Billboard 200 in April), Eilish embarked on a world tour.
How has the explosion in popularity changed Eilish as an artist?
“My stage presence has probably been the biggest difference,” she says.
I feel so comfortable performing now and so happy and blissed out."
She might feel at peace on stage, but Eilish is still combating the reality of her success.
“I didn’t think then that people would still give a f about me two years later.”
You’ve won too many things already."
So it’s very nice of them.
I expect I am representing the Old Biddy Cohort, which is shrinking by the minute.
You put your foot in, you take your foot out.
You think, “Am I really gonna do this?”
And then you have to run in screaming.
Unless you’re a much better organized person than I am.
[My process] is skiing down a hill.
You’re not thinking about them because if you do, you will fall over.
It’s the author’s job to make the book in the best way that they can.
If you don’t want people interpreting it, don’t publish it.
Here, he’s honored by costarWesley Snipes.
I auditioned for the firstComing to America, but I didn’t get to audition in front ofEddie.
After three callbacks, I ended up losing the role to Eriq La Salle.
But ever since I saw that movie, I’ve wanted to work with Eddie.
I told Craig, “Any opportunity for me to be down with this, I am in.”
Working with Eddie was surreal, joyful, hilarious, and, at times, a little scary.
You know he lives in the world of funny and you want to at least be in the room.
I don’t know if it was toe-to-toe….
I’d characterize it more like riding along, and, in some cases, hanging on.
He’s so great that you pick up little things, maybe it’s timing or a little look.
Eddie can convey the subtleties and humor in life and materialize our inner thoughts.
Here’s she’s honored by “ME!”
I’d been a fan ofTaylor’s for years.
We met for the first time to record my parts for"ME!
“Taylor greeted me with the warmest hug.
I remember being sick as hell and her being so kind about me coughing everywhere.
I swear my health got better immediately after.
Somehow she could make sense of it.
As a songwriter, I love her choice of melodies against certain chords.
What she writes is so honest, and it shines through the lyrics’ marriage to the melodies.
I’m [also] not sure if people realize what a clever sense of humor she has.
I’m amazed at her command of a room using humor.
I’d say that the most admirable thing about Taylor is her kindness.
It’s [a] one-hit wonder.”
He’s figured out that memes will rule the universe.
So yes, it’s about the song.
The song was great, period.
And I would argue with anybody until I’m blue in the face that it’s a unicorn record.
The dude took two or three genres, mashed them together, and the lyric is great.
They kept introducing new features, new collabs, a new video.
I love how irreverent and honest he is.
This is just a terrific year forBrad.
Most guys watch the movie and they go, Oh, I just want to be that guy.
He’s, like, the fing coolest guy!
Brad truly contributes to the scene aside from the truth of his own performance.
He’s constantly adding little bits of dialogue and little bits of business that are just revelatory.
In the [Once] scene where he and Leo are watching the showFBI?
That’s just Brad, that’s just him watching the scene and commenting on it.
“It was really touching to realize just how invested people were in this marriage,” saysBrown.
“Through that loss, he recognizes that there has to be another way to be with your children….
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel:Brown guest-stars as Reggie, fierce manager of Shy Baldwin (LeRoy McClain).
“There’s something about being the guard dog that I find very satisfying.
Frozen2:The sequel opened up its world with Brown’s loyal Lieutenant Mattias.
“[Screenwriter] Jennifer [Lee] wrote something so incredibly nuanced and thought-provoking.
