Ron Howard is letting aspiring filmmakers in on his secrets – and into his hotel room – in a video released by New York’s Tribeca Film Festival.

The 60-year-old Oscar winner stars in “Leading by Example,” a digital short released in conjunction with the festival’s call for submissions Wednesday.

Howard first appears in pajamas in the four-minute video, inviting the camera into his hotel suite. His first tip? “Salt baths keep your skin baby-soft for decades.”

While wearing a robe, Howard sketches out a mathematical formula for directing that he developed during “A Beautiful Mind.” Finally dressed, he prepares for the challenge of filmmaking by intentionally putting rocks in his shoes to “maintain a steady baseline of discomfort.”

The Tribeca Film Festival is set for April 15-26, 2015.

Helen Mirren returning to Broadway as queen

Broadway, prepare for the arrival of a queen – Helen Mirren is bringing “The Audience” to New York City.

Producers of Peter Morgan’s play said Wednesday that Mirren will return to Broadway this spring as Elizabeth II in the work that wowed London audiences and earned the actress an Olivier Award.

“The Audience” imagines the private weekly meetings between the monarch and Britain’s prime ministers – 12 in all – over her six-decade reign.

In the play, the queen grows from a tentative 20-something to wise octogenarian while retaining a core of solitude.

Previews in New York start Feb. 17 and it will run through June at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, directed by two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry.

Celia Keenan-Bolger will portray a mother

Celia Keenan-Bolger, who has portrayed shy girls and fearless young ladies, is about to try something new – playing a mother.

The 36-year-old Tony Award-nominated actress said Wednesday she has signed on to star in Sarah Ruhl’s new play “The Oldest Boy.” It begins previews Oct. 9 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center in New York.

“I’ve never gotten to play a mother onstage,” Keenan-Bolger said. “I’ve barely gotten to play a grown-up. So I’m really excited.”

In “The Oldest Boy,” she will play the mother of a toddler who is believed to be the reincarnation of a high Buddhist teacher. His parents must decide whether he should begin spiritual training far away or stay home.