Sam Waterston and Tim Blake Nelson on Anesthesia: Reel Pieces with Annette Insdorf

Anesthesia is a dramatic ensemble piece set in Manhattan, tracing the intersecting lives of a Columbia University philosophy professor (Waterston), his wife (Glenn Close), a student (Kristen Stewart) and characters played by Corey Stoll, Gretchen Mol, Michael Kenneth Williams and Mickey Sumner.

It is the fifth feature for Tim Blake Nelson as writer-director, after such films as The Grey Zone (2001) and Leaves of Grass (2009). His work as an actor includes O Brother, Where Art Thou, Minority Report, Meet the Fockers, Syriana, The Incredible Hulk and Lincoln.

Whether on film, stage or television, Sam Waterston's superlative acting has been visible for half a century. In addition to his Oscar-nominated performance in The Killing Fields (Best Actor, 1984), his memorable roles include Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors, Heaven's Gate and The Great Gatsby (1974). His celebrated stage work includes Abe Lincoln in Illinois, and Hamlet as well as Much Ado About Nothing for Joseph Papp's NY Shakespeare Festival. On TV, he is best known for the Netflix series "Grace and Frankie," HBO's "The Newsroom" and "Law and Order" between 1994-2010.