The travails of an aging insult comic are explored in Director Taylor Hackford’s new drama, The Comedian.

Hackford’s film tells the story of Jackie Burke (Robert De Niro), a comedian on the downside of his career whose efforts at reinvention are stymied because his fans only want to see him as the former television character he once played. After an incident with an audience member gets him sentenced to community service, he finds inspiration in the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul.

Following the DGA membership screening in New York on December 4, Hackford sat down with Director Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Legacy) to discuss the making of The Comedian. Hackford also discussed the film in a conversation with Director David O. Russell (Joy) following the DGA screening in Los Angeles on December 10.

In addition to The Comedian, Hackford’s credits include the feature films Parker, Love Ranch, Proof of Life, The Devil’s Advocate, Dolores Claiborne, Blood In, Blood Out, Everybody’s All-American, White Nights, Against All Odds and The Idolmaker; the documentaries Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll and Bukowski; the movies for television Dangerous Liaisons, Company Town and Economic Love-In; and the pilot for the series E-Ring. Hackford was nominated for both the DGA Award and the Academy Award for his 2004 feature Ray, and again for the DGA Award for his 1982 feature An Officer and a Gentleman. He won the Oscar for Best Short Film, Live Action for his 1978 film Teenage Father. A DGA member since 1974, Hackford served as President of the Guild from 2009 to 2013 and was honored with the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award in 2007 for his service to the DGA.

You can listen to Hackford's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find all DGA podcast episodes here.