Chris Elliott has made a living out of making us laugh. Whether that be through writing and performing on Late Night with David Letterman, support parts in Groundhog Day and There's Something About Mary, or his cult-classic "sitcom" Get A Life, he's done it all. Most recently, he's in Bridey Elliott's directorial debut Clara's Ghost. Over the next hour Sam and Chris dive into how he juggled fatherhood and the Letterman show, the difficulties of making Get A Life, and why Cabin Boy has shaped the...
Dec 10, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Filmmaker Patrick Wang joined Sam today to discuss how drawing on his experiences growing up in Houston, TX, being an exchange student in Argentina, studying at MIT, and how he perceives other people influence the films he creates. They also talked about why he self-distributes his films, the rejection he has to deal with constantly, and how he overcomes it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudi...
Dec 03, 2018•1 hr
This week’s episode was a first for the show, as Sam has on sex educator and visual artist Zoë Ligon. They dive into what it's like to write about sex on the Internet in 2018, carnal desires in the “Me Too” era, how parents should talk to their children about sex, and more. 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....
Nov 19, 2018•1 hr 12 min
This week, Sam sits down with artist Viggo Mortensen ahead of the release of his new film, Green Book. They talk about his (very supportive) cinephile mother, his on-screen debut (Witness), how he chose love and family over Hollywood throughout the 1990’s, and why he pivoted after the massively successful "Lord of the Rings" franchise. Oh, and a brief monologue about happiness. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...
Nov 12, 2018•55 min
Jonny Sun is a writer known, primarily, for his words on Twitter.com. His quick wit and life-affirming tweets has garnered the attention of many online, including former Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda. Together they have a new book out by Random House called "Gmorning, Gnight!", illustrated by Sun. (Oh, right, he's also an excellent illustrator.) He was also recently brought on as a staff writer of Bojack Horseman. On the show we talk about Sun's ascension through social media, growing up in T...
Nov 05, 2018•54 min
Adam Bhala Lough is a documentarian best known for his films “The Carter” and “The New Radical”. His most recent project, Alt-Right: Age of Rage, is a look inside the first year of Donald Trump’s presidency, tracking the rise of alt-right coalitions and the groups (mainly, ANTIFA) combating them. On that note...please go vote on November 6th. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Oct 29, 2018•1 hr 30 min
The death of Michael Brown changed DeRay Mckesson's life (9:21). It changed all of our lives. But it was the unjust murder of the 18-year-old Brown that propelled Mckesson into protest. With the release of his new book, On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope, the activist and author discusses early memories of the BLM movement (16:08), supporting Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election (20:22), the role of social media in contemporary politics (24:48), how he's navigates work and self-care...
Oct 22, 2018•50 min
For 20 years Paul Dano has been a revelation in front of the camera. He began in L.I.E., evolved in Little Miss Sunshine, emerged in There Will be Blood, and transmuted in 12 Years a Slave. (There are others, but the list is too long for a podcast description.) Most recently, he's moved behind the camera with "Wildlife", a searing portrait of a fractured family set in 1960s' America. He talks to Sam about his stunning directorial debut, growing up in "East Manhattan", what he learned from filmma...
Oct 14, 2018•59 min
Nathaniel Rich is a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine whose latest piece, "Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change", is a landmark investigation into our current climate crisis. We discuss the 18 month process of writing this story, the moral obligation we have to preserve the world around us, what the planet may look like in 30-40 years, and how he believes we can combat the terrifying future ahead. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnet...
Oct 08, 2018•56 min
Multi-talented jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington stopped by this week to discuss growing up as a "closeted nerd" in South Central Los Angeles, playing gigs at bars and clubs as a teenager, touring with Snoop Dogg at 18, his new record, Heaven and Earth, and the pressure he feels once he steps into the studio. 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....
Oct 01, 2018•59 min
Judy Greer! You’ve seen her in...everything? Her directorial debut, “A happening of monumental proportions”, is out in theaters now. 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.
Sep 24, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Amma Asante stopped by this week to discuss her latest film Where Hands Touch, her immersive life as a young actress, writing and selling her first script, how she dealt with "looking different" than everyone else in Hollywood, and what she hopes to be doing (and making) in the years to come. 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....
Sep 17, 2018•53 min
Today is my birthday friends. To celebrate I've put together a collection of excerpts from some of my favorite episodes of the show. Each of these tidbits contain some piece of advice or wisdom that I try to keep near. In order of appearance: Alan Alda (5:13), Lena Waithe (9:43), Dad (15:50), Norman Lear (18:07), Chloe Zhao (24:30), Sherman Alexie (28:08), Mom (35:11), Philip Baker Hall (41:10), John Cho (45:40), and Lois Smith (53:46). We'll go back to our regularly scheduled programming next S...
Sep 09, 2018•1 hr 6 min
This week Sam talks to multi-hyphenate talent Colman Domingo about his family values growing up, his entry point into acting, his experience coming out to his family, his early acting days in San Francisco, pivoting from theater to film, collaborating with Spike Lee, and how he envisions his career unfolding. 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....
Sep 03, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Ione Skye needs no introduction. She's Ione Skye. You've seen her in plenty of film and television. Like many, I first saw her as Valedictorian Diane Court in Cameron Crowe's iconic Say Anything . We talk about her winding career, unorthodox family, falling in and out of love, and how she's managed to stay positive in a city and system that often feels bleak. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystud...
Aug 27, 2018•1 hr 13 min
This week, Jerrika Hinton stopped by to talk about growing up in Texas, actors supporting themselves through "parallel careers", when she felt she had made it as an actor, her experience on Grey's Anatomy, and the next steps in both her career and her life. 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....
Aug 20, 2018•1 hr 21 min
Sheila Vand joined us this week to talk about her California childhood(1:57), how she got her start as a performer(6:46), her continued growth as a person in the world (15:59), her relationship with "acting" in Hollywood (25:27), her experience working with Robin Williams on Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (47:10), and the current state of contemporary film (51:50). For more episodes visit www.talkeasypod.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio...
Aug 06, 2018•1 hr 10 min
For the past 15 years Lauren Miller Rogen has had one dream: to write and direct a movie. With Like Father out this Friday (August 5th) on Netflix, she's done it. We run through her journey from Lakeland, Florida to Los Angeles, and her many creative pitstops along the way. The show is produced by Dylan Peck. Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi. Our show-notes can be found at www.talkeasypod.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
Jul 30, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Alan Alda ladies and gentleman. We talk M*A*S*H, joke thievery, his childhood in Burlesque, his ongoing battle with face blindness (that's not a joke), and how a brush with death gave him a new lease on life. His latest project is a podcast of his own, Clear+Vivid, and you can find out more at www.alanalda.com. For more info about Alan visit our show notes: www.talkeasypod/alan-alda Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...
Jul 22, 2018•56 min
Legendary writer/director/actor Rob Reiner joins us on the show this week. You remember his American staples: This is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men. Then there's his performance as "Meathead" from Norman Lear's landmark show, All in the Family. And then there's...we could do this forever. Reiner has been an integral part of the American consciousness for over half-a-century, which makes him an especially challenging subject to spend *on...
Jul 15, 2018•1 hr 7 min
For our special 100th episode, Sam’s Dad reluctantly comes on the show. 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.
Jul 02, 2018•1 hr 33 min
John Cho's career has undergone several transformations in the past two decades, each of them more interesting and impressive than the last. John appeared in several roles in smaller films before breaking through in the 2004 stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Since then, he's made waves in blockbuster movies like the Star Trek reboot and Harold and Kumar sequels, underrated TV shows including Selfie and The Exorcist, and buzzed-about indies like Columbus, Gemini, and the upcomi...
Jun 24, 2018•1 hr 12 min
Six years out of prison, Chas Allen joins the show to talk about the time him and his three college friends attempted to steal 12 million dollars worth of rare artwork from their campus library.(Yes, this really happened.)Since then, the incident - later dubbed the "Transylvania book heist" - has been transformed into a film called "American Animals", now out in theaters across the country. While it captures much of what unfolded in Lexington, Kentucky, 2004, there's more to the story. To Chas' ...
Jun 17, 2018•1 hr 23 min
Lawyer-turned-documentarian Dawn Porter has a lot on her mind. From the cultural and professional impact of the #MeToo movement, to her late father's habit of handing her cameras starting at the age of three, to her most recent documentary subject--the Kennedy family--she lays it all out for Sam in this episode. A nonfiction storyteller whose work, Sam points out, "describes something that's bigger than movies," Dawn has made serious, in-depth films covering topics that include abortion access (...
Jun 11, 2018•49 min
Two interviewers walk into a podcast recording session, and this unmissable episode is the result. Easily the most meta outing in Talk Easy history, this conversation between Sam and writer and cultural critic Touré is better heard than read about, but we'll try to explain anyway. Touré has authored five books and his work has appeared in publications including Rolling Stone, Time, and The New Yorker. He has also appeared as an onscreen journalist for BET, Fuse, and MSNBC. When the two aren't ve...
Jun 04, 2018•1 hr 19 min
Sam's car was broken into and his laptop was stolen... so here we are, two days late. This week on the show is Nina Lorez Collins, who is most recently the author "What Would Virginia Woolf Do?". She also talks about a memoir she's writing on her late mother, filmmaker/poet Kathleen Collins. Over the course of the hour, she and Sam get into the details of both, while Nina also sheds light on often-undiscussed topics including aging as a women, relating to one's own body and the bodies of others,...
May 23, 2018•1 hr 4 min
Episode 94 - Gillian Jacobs by Sam Fragoso 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.
May 14, 2018•51 min
This week, Sam sits down with Spanish actress Laia Costa, star of several indie films including the tech-based love story Newness and Victoria, which earned her a BAFTA nomination. Laia has four movies coming out this year, and can currently be seen in theaters in the Miguel Arteta-directed romance Duck Butter, which she shot opposite Alia Shawkat over the course of just 24 hours. Listen as Laia and Sam discuss her childhood spent getting in fights while playing basketball, the busy and varied c...
May 07, 2018•51 min
This week iconic filmmaker Julie Dash joins Sam from Ebertfest! The pioneering director entered the public consciousness in 1991, when her debut film - "Daughters of the Dust" - became the first feature by an African-American woman to receive a nation-wide theatrical release. Over the course of a winding conversation, Julie and Sam get into her upbringing in New York City, the difficulties of receiving financing in Hollywood, and why, these days, she simply creates for herself. http://talkeasypo...
Apr 30, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Profound and formally audacious, Kogonada’s feature debut Columbus captured the eyes and hearts of countless indie film fans upon its premiere last year. The former video essayist’s story of life, death, and architecture in Indiana immediately drew comparisons to Ozu and Linklater, solidifying him as a talented director to watch. This week at Ebertfest, Sam sits down with Kogonada, and--when the two aren’t thoroughly deconstructing the concept of interviews as self-expression--they cover the fil...
Apr 22, 2018•1 hr 4 min
