In this powerful episode of AW Confidential, AW sits down with iconic Hollywood director Renny Harlin, whose legendary career spans genre-defining classics including Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.

As Harlin closes the final chapter of The Strangers trilogy, this conversation goes beyond the screen to explore the responsibility of directing stories rooted in psychological and physical terror.

Together, they unpack the balance between expectation and surprise, the evolution of leadership across decades in Hollywood, and what it truly means to finish a chapter with intention.

This is a thoughtful, reflective dialogue about fear, storytelling, and legacy, and what remains when the cameras stop rolling and the credits fade.

🎬 The final chapter of The Strangers hits theaters February 6.

Learn more about Renny, visit Instagram @rennyharlin

What does power look like when it’s rooted in self-awareness… not ego?
What does leadership feel like when you’re still finding your footing?
And how does a man step into the Oval Office — on screen — while staying grounded in his truth?

This week on AW Confidential, AW sits down with Russell Thomas, the thoughtful, soft-spoken force behind Eli, the Vice President (and newly rising acting President) on Tyler Perry’s hit BET drama The Oval.

But this isn’t the conversation you’ve heard anywhere else. Russell opens up about the real man behind the mantle:
The son grieving a father who shaped his discipline, the athlete who learned resilience on the field, the stuntman-turned-actor who started at the bottom, and the artist who has faced rejection without letting it rewrite his self-worth.

Together, we go deep into:

• How leadership and authenticity collide — on set and in life

• The quiet strength Eli carries, and how Russell channels his humanity into the role

• The difference between performing power… and becoming it

• Why self-awareness matters more than confidence when the pressure hits

• What it really means to stay human first, even when the world sees you as larger than life

This episode is intimate, grounded, and layered with emotional intelligence — the kind of conversation that stays with you long after the credits roll.

If you’ve ever struggled with finding your footing, owning your voice, or stepping into a space that feels bigger than you, this is your reminder:
Even leaders tremble… and still show up.

AW Truth Bomb of the Week:“Power isn’t a performance. It’s who you are when no one is clapping.”

To learn more about Russell, follow him on Instagram: @russellthomasofficial

In this episode of AW Confidential, AW sits down with acclaimed Colombian-American playwright, actor, singer, and producer Sandra Delgado — a woman New City Chicago hails as “her own brand of triple threat.”

Sandra is the creative force behind the nationally praised play Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars. This story refuses to let us look away from the human cost of America’s broken immigration system. Through her writing and performance, she exposes a powerful truth: immigration doesn’t stop at the border — it reaches into identity, family, and who we’re forced to believe we can be.

Her impact on American theatre is undeniable. Sandra’s hit play La Havana Madrid enjoyed sold-out runs at Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, and in a celebrated co-production with Teatro Vista/Collaboraction. It earned multiple awards, including the Time Out Audience Award for Best New Work, and was featured in The New York Times and CNN.

With a career spanning more than two decades, she has commanded stages across Chicago’s most iconic theaters — Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Victory Gardens, and more, and shone off-Broadway as Jocasta in the Public Theatre’s Oedipus el Rey. Her accolades include: United States Artists Fellow, Illinois Arts Council Fellow, Joyce Award recipient, 3Arts Award, TCG Fox Foundation Fellow, and a place on Kerry James Marshall’s monumental mural RUSH MORE, which honors 20 trailblazing women of Chicago arts and culture alongside legends like Oprah Winfrey and Sandra Cisneros.

And she’s not slowing down.
This fall, you can catch her in a recurring role on Starz’s Power Book IV: Force, and her next chapter — The Sandra Delgado Experience, a fusion of music, storytelling, and spiritual cabaret — is already generating buzz.

In this conversation, we explore the emotional truth behind her work: how she writes immigration stories through a mother’s eyes, what she hopes immigrant and non-immigrant audiences feel when they watch Clara’s journey, why storytelling remains one of our most powerful tools for human connection, and the creative fire that’s shaped her extraordinary career.

This episode is for anyone who believes in art, identity, and the stories that refuse to be silenced.

To learn more about Sandra Delgado’s work, visit https://www.sandradelgado.net or on Instagram @yosoysandradelgado.