BAFTA Playback: Micro movie commentaries from Hollywood's finest, including Matthew McConaughey

(Image credit: BAFTA)

BAFTA has announced a new series of documentaries looking into the movie careers of some of today’s biggest movie stars, dubbed BAFTA Playback.

The best bit? We can watch them for free on YouTube.

So far, BAFTA has posted its BAFTA Playback interview with Matthew McConaughey.

Over 11 minutes, he talks through the filming of some of his most iconic movie scenes, in a series of anecdotes that’s hard to stop listening to, thanks in no small part to his calming southern drawl. And that sheer McConaughey magnetism.

Have a watch:

From Interstellar to Dallas Buyers Club, Matthew McConaughey Reflects On Iconic Roles | BAFTA - YouTube

Watch On

Unlike so much of the nonsense we watch on YouTube, this is all (well, mostly)killer, no-filler stuff, judging by what we’ve seen so far. It makes us miss the golden age of the director’s DVD commentary.

BAFTA Playback will eventually become a six-part series, with episodes rolling out each Tuesday and Thursday. Upcoming stars include Jennifer Lawrence, Michael B. Jordan, Colin Farrell, Cynthia Erivo and Jeremy Allen White.

They’ll all be online by November 20th. Here’s the schedule:

November 6th - Colin Farrell
November 11th - Jeremy Allen White
November 13th - Cynthia Erivo
November 18th - Jennifer Lawrence
November 20th - Michael B. Jordan

“What a treat to be able to watch them talk through their creative influences and some of their favourite moments throughout their career,” says Emma Baehr, BAFTA executive director of content.

BAFTA Playback is sponsored by Samsung, which also happens to be the Official Screen Partner of BAFTA.

While that may be largely a way to coax more cineastes into thinking a Samsung TV is the best choice for their next tellybox upgrade, at least we as ordinary punters also get something somewhat meaningful out of all the marketing.

We are also now officially in the run-up to the BAFTA Film Awards, set to take place on February 22nd, 2026. Nominations are likely to land in January 2026.

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Andrew Williams has written about all sorts of stuff for more than a decade — from tech and fitness to entertainment and fashion. He has written for a stack of magazines and websites including Wired, TrustedReviews, TechRadar and Stuff, enjoys going to gigs and painting in his spare time. He's also suspiciously good at poker.

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