and hedlund's relative was in a war. so all my cast were able to bring personal experience into the story and inject that anses fly -- ancestry into it. >> reporter: this is personal. >> when you're able to bring that authenticity, that kernel of truth. actors can use that to define that crack into a character. and once they find the crack, directors have the wedge and hammer and are trying to help them widen it and widen it and sink deeper and deeper. mary j. blige disappears. >> reporter: how was it mary j. blige? >> the first day, i'm nervous, she's nervous too. >> reporter: that's why we need to see different people in the role they're in, because your experiences, your talent that you bring to it that we might not see from someone who doesn't look like you. >> i think directors should take on material because they have a specific take or because they are uniquely suited to tell a particular story. >> reporter: it wasn't just you but a lot of women involved. >> yeah, we have six women department heads, because they j

with us this morning, are kristen bell, garrett hedlund, alfre woodward and sharon stone.ctress in a television series, drama. katrina balf, out lander. claire foy, the crown. maggie gyllenhaal, the deuce. katherine lankford, 13 reasons why. and elisabeth moss, "the handmaid's tale." sure. best performance by an actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy. steve carell, battle of the sexes. ansel elgort, "baby driver." james franco, the disaster artist. hugh jackman. the greatest showman. daniel calua, "get out." yep. best performance by an actor in a supporting role in any motion picture. willem dafoe, the florida project. army hammer, call me by name. christopher plummer, all the money in the world. and sam rockwell, three billboards outside ebbing, missouri. >> best television series, drama. "the crown," netflix. "game of thrones," hbo. "the handmaid's tale," hulu. "stranger things" netflix. "this is us," nbc. best performance by an actress in a supporting role in any motion picture. mary j. blige, "mud down." hung cho, down sizing. allison janney. lori metcalf, lady b