This week's guest, comedian Lauren Lapkus is known to most people from her roles in 'Orange is the New Black' and 'Jurassic World', but she made her name as an outstanding impressionist and improviser, gaining attention on 'Comedy Bang Bang' and her own podcast, 'With Special Guest, Lauren Lapkus'. She's most recently featured in Netflix's sketch comedy series, 'Characters'. Lauren joins Sam for a discussion of her career, staying sane online, and just how she's able to embody so many hilarious ...
Sep 07, 2016•1 hr 1 min
Think of any great comedy project in the last decade and Ben Schwartz probably had something to do with it. Jean-Ralphio on Parks and Recreation, Clyde on House of Lies, Rutabaga Rabitowitz on BoJack Horseman. He was even a voice consultant for BB-8 in the new Star Wars film. On the show Ben talks to Sam about his roots in the Bronx, the enduring genius of the late Gene Wilder and Harris Wittels, being a hustler in Hollywood, and the best advice his father ever gave him. Music for the by @Vanill...
Aug 30, 2016•1 hr 2 min
On this week's show, Sam is joined by the great and talented actress Melanie Lynskey. Hailing from New Zealand, Lynskey got her start at 15 in Peter Jackson's 'Heavenly Creatures', co-starring a young Kate Winslet. She has since gone on to play roles on everything from 'Two and a Half Men' and 'Shattered Glass' to 'Up in the Air' and 'Happy Christmas'. In the episode, Lynskey shares revealing stories from growing up in New Zealand, getting engaged to a man she only knew for three weeks, working ...
Aug 23, 2016•1 hr
Charlene deGuzman made waves on the internet three years when her short film, "I Forgot My Phone," which she wrote and starred in, went viral. Now she's back with a new, much bigger project, trying to fund her first feature film "Unlovable," on Kickstarter. The film—which was conceived by herself and Mark Duplass, and has the backing of Patton Oswalt—is about a young woman coping with sex and love addiction. It's an affliction deGuzman has been dealing with personally for much of her life, and i...
Aug 17, 2016•49 min
Ira Sachs is the acclaimed director of films like 'Love is Strange' and 'Keep the Lights On'. Now he's back with the beautiful film, 'Little Men', inspired in part by his own youth. Ira sat down with Sam to talk about 'Little Men', his own upbringing in the South, coming out to his parents as a teenager, navigating a career on the indie film scene, and the difficulty of crossing different social streams. Music for the show by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi http://kris...
Aug 09, 2016•48 min
You probably know Kate Micucci from somewhere, whether it was her role in 'Scrubs,' or 'How I Met Your Mother,' or 'The Big Bang Theory,' or 'When in Rome,' or 'Rules of Engagement,' or countless other TV series and indie films she's appeared in. Of course, Micucci is even better known as one half of the comedy music duo "Garfunkel and Oates," which spawned a series of YouTube videos, albums, and even a TV series for IFC. Now Micucci co-stars in a new film from director Mike Birbiglia and produc...
Aug 02, 2016•51 min
Alan Arkin has been acting in movies since the 1960s, delivering decades worth of great and memorable performances, including indelible turns in 'The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming', 'Glengarry Glen Ross', 'The In-Laws', and 'Little Miss Sunshine'. Arkin sat down with Sam for a conversation about his career, being called to the House Un-American Activities Committee, the problems with modern American filmmaking, and his fears of a Trump presidency, and his friendship with J.D. Sali...
Jul 27, 2016•55 min
Nico Segal, aka @DonnieTrumpet, is a musician out of Chicago whose work with Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa has gained him notoriety in the worlds of hip-hop and jazz. His most recent album, 2015's 'Surf'—an album made in collaboration with a collective of artists he calls The Social Experiment, which includes Chance and others, plus contributions from artists like Erykah Badu and more—is a masterful work of musical composition and optimistic sound. Donnie sat down with Sam to chat about growin...
Jul 19, 2016•57 min
Eric André is the host of the bizarre, surreal, insane 'The Eric André Show' on Adult Swim. His style of comedy can be described as erratic, insane, surreal, and, of course, utterly hilarious. André also stars in the series, 'Man Seeking Woman,' and was featured in the now-canceled 'Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.' André stopped by Talk Easy at the end of a long day of press and gave what even he deemed, "the weirdest interview I've ever done in my life." Uncomfortable and totally out the...
Jul 13, 2016•39 min
Alex Gibney is one of the most successful and prolific documentary filmmakers in the business. His films have covered controversial figures like Elliott Spitzer and Lance Armstrong, and topics as intense as corporate malfeasance, the Church of Scientology, and the world of hacking in his latest doc, Zero Day. Gibney sat down with Sam to talk about the common themes in his work, as well as addressing the criticisms he's received for both his possibly manipulative filmmaking techniques, as well as...
Jul 05, 2016•50 min
Alissa Wilkinson, chief film critic at Christianity Today, joins Sam to talk about growing up Evangelical, being homeschooled, moving to "godless" New York and working as a film critic with a distinctly moral bent. She also discusses her new book, co-written with Robert Joustra, "How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World," as well as her work as a professor at The King's College in New York. Special thanks to Amado's at 998 Valencia for allowing ...
Jun 28, 2016•1 hr 2 min
In this special Bonus Episode of Talk Easy, we bring you more of Sam's conversation with Robert Forster, who shares some additional items from his Menu of life stories and lessons. Tales of Marlon Brando, the JFK assassination, the Ringling Brothers Circus, and elephant-watching in Africa. Enjoy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 24, 2016•26 min
Legendary Oscar-nominated actor Robert Forster invited Sam to his favourite breakfast spot for a wide ranging chat about his life and career. Back to his early days growing up in freezing cold Rochester, getting his first role on a John Huston film starring Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor, and all the way to his incredible work with Quentin Tarantino on 'Jackie Brown'. Forster, a consumate storyteller, shares stories of marrying his wife after only five dates, having a life epiphany while run...
Jun 21, 2016•1 hr 10 min
Sam sits down with Amy Nicholson, the new Chief Film Critic for MTV News, to talk about her experiences growing up in San Antonio, her college life, the nightmare August that set her on the path toward film criticism , her book about Tom Cruise, and helping to build the new MTV. 'Tom Cruise: Anatomy of an Actor': https://www.amazon.com/Tom-Cruise-Anatomy-Amy-Nicholson/dp/0714868019/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465915344&sr=8-1&keywords=tom+cruise+anatomy+of+an+actor Music by Vanilla @vani...
Jun 14, 2016•1 hr 21 min
Author, poet, filmmaker Sherman Alexie has been an articulate, outspoken artistic voice in the Native American community for over 20 years. His collections of poetry and novels have received wide acclaim, including a 2007 National Book Award for his young adult novel, 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.' Alexie sits down with Sam for a raw, funny, political, and often emotional conversation about growing up on a reservation, his extraordinary career, his sometimes fraught relations...
Jun 07, 2016•59 min
NBA Hall of Famer Spencer Haywood, featured in the new documentary "Full Court: The Spencer Haywood Story," joins Sam to talk about his amazing career in basketball, fighting against the system and paying the cost, the weight of addiction, and living to be a savior. Music by Vanilla http://soundcloud.com/vanilla. Original illustration by Krishna Shenoi https://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy ...
May 31, 2016•1 hr 2 min
Canadian-born indie musician Mac DeMarco joins Sam to discuss going to school in Montreal, touring with his band, his happy relationship, fans show up at his house in the middle of the night, and even some thoughts on Donald Trump! Music by Vanilla http://soundcloud.com/vanilla. Original illustration by Krishna Shenoi https://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/lis...
May 24, 2016•58 min
The Ross Brothers, Bill and Turner, have made a name for themselves in the film scene, putting together documentaries with the quality of atmosphere, composition, experimentation, and editing usually reserved for fiction films. The brothers joined Sam, fiery hard liquor in hand, at the San Francisco International Film Festival to talk about their concert film, "Contemporary Color," about David Byrne's multi-artist color guard arena show. Music by Vanilla http://soundcloud.com/vanilla. Original i...
May 17, 2016•1 hr 1 min
This week, Lamorne Morris, actor, comedian and star of 'New Girl', sits down to talk about everything from his early start at Second City and hosting a show on BET, to his dating life as a successful actor in Los Angeles. Morris also shares the story of his long journey to landing the role of Winston on 'New Girl', and discusses writing the Black Lives Matter-themed episode, 'Par 5'. Music by http://soundcloud.com/vanilla. Original illustration by Krishna Shenoi. Learn more about your ad-choices...
May 10, 2016•1 hr 5 min
Wesley Morris, fresh from delivering a keynote address at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and only a few months into his new job as Critic-at-Large at The New York Times, sits down with Sam to discuss his work, and the task of making criticism speak to wider social and cultural concerns. Special thanks to the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival for hosting this conversation. More info about the festival here: http://Festival.sffs.org Original illustration by Krishna She...
May 03, 2016•1 hr 7 min
Actor David Oyelowo sits down with Sam to talk about his new film 'Five Nights in Maine', his experience making 'Selma', the controversy surrounding the upcoming Nina Simone biopic, and being an "anomaly" as a black actor in Hollywood. Special thanks to the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival for hosting this conversation. More info about the festival here: http://Festival.sffs.org Music for the show provided by https://soundcloud.com/vanilla. Learn more about your ad-choices at https...
Apr 26, 2016•39 min
Sam talks with writer-director-actress Amy Seimetz about her new Starz series, The Girlfriend Experience, working as a woman in Hollywood, suffering personal loss and professional success at the same time, and getting to be on the set of a Ridley Scott blockbuster. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 19, 2016•1 hr 4 min
Sam sits down with comedian W. Kamau Bell to talk about his new CNN series, "United Shades of America," his upcoming Showtime stand-up special, being a person of color in show business, and having sex to Radiohead. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 12, 2016•1 hr 6 min
Don Cheadle joins Sam to talk about his directorial debut, 'Miles Ahead', the music of Miles Davis, and the allure of becoming a plumber. Music provided by Vanilla. https://soundcloud.com/vanilla Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 07, 2016•26 min
Introducing a new longform interview podcast, hosted by writer Sam Fragoso. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 06, 2016•2 min
