Have you seen the latest episode of the Apple series The Oprah Conversation? Oprah sits down with former President Barack Obama in the same cozy living room. But did you notice, they weren’t wearing masks, how is that? Turns out, the two weren’t even in the same room, city, state…they weren’t even on the same coast believe it or not! How did they do it? Magic?

“Through the miracle of technology, we get to be face-to-face in the same room, and we don‘t have to wear a mask,” Oprah says to Obama in the episode’s spontaneous opening scene. President Obama even adds: “We have a fire going, apparently!”

Miracles, magic or technology, call it what you wish. On the latest episode of ‘The Oprah Conversation’, which is now available to watch on Apple TV, Former President Barack Obama sits down, on opposite coasts and with a big green screen, with Oprah to talk about his latest memoir, A Promised Land. Obama from a studio in Washington D.C and Oprah from her very own home in Santa Barbara. Due to COVID, the two were unable to have this interview in person. But thanks to technology, it sure looks like they did!

“Certainly, it‘s far better being in person, but this was as close as you can get, because you are looking at the other person’s body language. Rather than looking directly into the lens, you’re looking at the person’s full body, their facial expressions, their movements, everything,” Oprah says. Interviewing President Obama, it was really like he was right in front of me,” she adds.

Making the conversation appear as natural as possible, monitors were placed at each of their eye line, to make it seem like they were making eye contact. This helped each of them be able to rely on nonverbal cues, making it seem as real as possible. So much so they were even able to play virtual footsie.