Filmmaker Renny Harlin and producer Johanna Harlin have launched a new podcast called Harlin House, giving movie fans an inside look at filmmaking, Hollywood, and the realities of getting movies made. The podcast is hosted by the married filmmaking team, with Renny Harlin bringing more than 40 years of experience as a director and Johanna Harlin offering her perspective as a producer and creative partner. According to the show’s description, the podcast will explore everything from blockbuster productions and Hollywood personalities to projects that collapse before cameras ever roll.
Harlin House is described as a place where the Harlins will discuss “the stories, lessons, challenges, and realities that rarely make it beyond the industry.” The topics are expected to include filmmaking, creativity, leadership, rejection, ambition, family, and the business of making movies.
The first episode, embedded above, lives up to that promise. Renny Harlin discusses everything from his early days in Hollywood to the many movies that have fallen apart during his career. He estimates that he has seen approximately seven projects disappear each year over more than four decades in the business, explaining how movies can move from a green light to a red light because of financing, casting, scheduling, or any number of other problems.
Harlin goes on to describe being in locations around the world, including Thailand, China, Antarctica, New York, London, and Rome, only to receive a phone call telling him that a production has been delayed. Those delays can stretch from days into weeks or months before a filmmaker finally realizes the movie is not going to happen.
The first episode also offers a glimpse into the Harlins’ life away from movie sets. The couple discuss raising their three young children while simultaneously producing and directing movies, with Johanna joking that “work is our fourth baby.”
Renny also discusses rediscovering his passion for screenwriting. He says that he once lost confidence in his own writing after becoming consumed by the Hollywood filmmaking machine, but Johanna encouraged him to return to it. Harlin describes getting up at 4 a.m. to write and compares the experience of opening a new screenplay to discovering presents under a Christmas tree.
The couple also talk about some of their upcoming movies. Harlin’s The Beast, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman, is scheduled for release in October. He also discusses Black Tides, an ocean survival thriller starring John Travolta, Melissa Barrera, and Ella Bleu Travolta, which is in post-production.
One of the most entertaining stories in the first episode involves the late Val Kilmer and the making of Mindhunters. Harlin recalls Kilmer deciding that his character should wear glasses in the middle of filming a sequence, despite the character not having worn glasses in the previous day’s footage. When Kilmer refused to take them off, Harlin says he finally snapped.
The story leads into a larger discussion about leadership on a movie set and the responsibility of a director to make decisions quickly. Harlin explains that filmmaking requires more than having a creative vision. A director also has to be a leader, communicator, organizer, and businessman capable of making decisions while hundreds of people are waiting for an answer.
The Harlins also discuss the often absurd realities of Hollywood, comparing their experiences to the Apple TV+ series The Studio. Renny says that while viewers might see the series as an exaggerated comedy about the film industry, filmmakers can watch it and recognize situations that have actually happened to them.
The podcast’s central purpose becomes clear toward the end of the episode. Having spent more than 40 years working in Hollywood, Harlin wants to share what he has learned with people who dream of becoming filmmakers. He also opens up about just how difficult his early years in the industry were. He recalls losing his money and credit cards and living in a garage for a year, surviving on a weekly budget of just $5. At one point, he says, he did not even have enough money to call his mother and let her know he was alive.
His advice to aspiring filmmakers is simple: don’t give up and believe in yourself.
“You have to do this for the right reasons. You can’t be doing this because ‘I want to be famous. I want to be rich. I want to win an award.’ You have to do it because you love movies.”
That idea is at the heart of Harlin House, which promises to go beyond the glamour associated with Hollywood and explore what actually goes into building a career in the film industry.
The official description for Harlin House reads:
What really happens behind the doors of Hollywood? Welcome to Harlin House, where legendary filmmaker Renny Harlin and producer Johanna Harlin take you inside the world of movies like you’ve never seen it before. From blockbuster sets and Hollywood personalities to projects that fall apart overnight, Renny and Johanna share the stories, lessons, challenges, and realities that rarely make it beyond the industry. With more than 40 years of filmmaking experience, Renny brings a lifetime of stories from behind the camera. Johanna brings a fresh perspective as a producer, creative partner, and fellow filmmaker navigating the business alongside him. Expect candid conversations about filmmaking, creativity, leadership, rejection, ambition, family, and what it really takes to turn impossible ideas into movies. Whether you love movies, dream of making them, or simply want to know what Hollywood is really like, you’re invited inside. Welcome to Harlin House. The doors are open.
Harlin House is available to watch and listen to on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. New episodes are expected to continue exploring the Harlins’ careers, their current projects, their family life, and the strange realities of making movies in Hollywood. Will you be listening? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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