“Chaz is a strong woman, sure of herself. I'd never met anyone like her,” wrote her late husband, Roger Ebert. Truth be told: neither have I. Chaz Ebert is a singular soul. Wise, kind, and extremely busy. She's the CEO of Ebert companies, including RogerEbert.com. She's a publisher of books, a philanthropist, and a TV and film producer. I've known Chaz for seven years, and this week we finally sat down to talk– about her upbringing on the West Side of Chicago, her marriage with Roger, the time s...
Apr 29, 2019•1 hr 10 min
A very special episode for you live from Ebertfest 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. Rita Coburn Whack talks of her film "Maya Angelou, Still I Rise" and lets us in on the words of wisdom she learned from Angelou herself. Then, Sam brings out two of the festival's biggest stars. Lastly– Sam calls up the great writer and critic Richard Roeper to talk all things Ebert. Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi. Music by Dylan Peck. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omny...
Apr 21, 2019•56 min
Tayarisha Poe is an emerging filmmaker from West Philly. Her debut feature, Selah and the Spades, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Our conversation took place at the Park City festival (and side-note: the background noise is a result of taping this inside a restaurant). We talk raising money for her first film, writing characters of color that are, by design, unkind, and much more. You can donate to Talk Easy here: talkeasypod.com/donate/ Learn more about your ad-choices at htt...
Apr 15, 2019•57 min
It's Sean Kingston! He's a Jamaican-American singer-songwriter with a handful of billboard hits you've probably danced to: Beautiful Girls, Take You There, Fire Burning, Colors. We talk growing up in Kingston, Jamaica and Miami, Florida, being discovered through MySpace, the toll of being a pop-star in 2019, and why he's ready for a comeback. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Apr 08, 2019•57 min
Alex Ross Perry is a New York born and bred filmmaker. In shows in his movies, too: The Color Wheel, Listen Up Philip, Queen of Earth, Golden Exits. A staple in contemporary independent cinema his latest, Her Smell, stars Elizabeth Moss as a ’90s punk rock star whose at the end of her rope. We talk his hypnotic new film (out April 12th), discarding unhealthy relationships, the toll of making indie films in 2019, and why he puts film before anything (or anyone) else. You can donate to Talk Easy h...
Apr 01, 2019•1 hr 17 min
Spaceballs! Independence Day! Lost Highway! Bill Pullman is an actor you've seen on screen for the past four decades of film and television. Now he's here, at my house, working through the memories of his life. *Light (sporadic) snoring on this episode provided by our dog, Delizia.* For more about our show (and Bill) go here: http://talkeasypod.com/artist/bill-pullman/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Se...
Mar 25, 2019•1 hr 3 min
Brit Marling has spent the past five years co-creating The OA, a mystical, spellbinding show that defies one sentence log-lines. (So best not to try.) After mysteriously premiering on Netflix in 2016, season 2 is set to be released March 22nd. But to be honest...we don't dive into the intricacies of the show's labyrinthian plot. Instead we talk about everything else, from the physical demands of birthing a piece of long-form storytelling into existence to why B.J. Armstrong was, potentially, jus...
Mar 18, 2019•1 hr 13 min
Three days tardy but we got Vincent D'onofrio. After some explaining in the intro, we get into it. Working with Kubrick and Altman. His tenure on Law & Order. The worst performance he ever delivered on screen. Then, finally, his unofficial official directorial debut, The Kid. For more, our website: www.talkeasypod.com Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...
Mar 14, 2019•59 min
Multi-talented comedian and actress Mary Holland stopped by today to talk about performing in UCB Improv shows, her performance tendencies and where they come from, and reflecting on past periods of her life, including her childhood, college, and acting career. 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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...
Mar 03, 2019•56 min
Friends. Keith David has been in, wait for it, over 300 films and television programs. Somehow that is not a fictitious number. With his booming, commanding voice you've seen him in The Thing! They Live! Platoon! Armageddon! He's worked with Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, John Carpenter, the list goes on for days. And yet, to be honest, Keith and I talk about life outside of the frame. Family, love, alcoholism, ambition. We try to cover 62 years in 60 minutes. Write in to us at: talkeasypod@gmail.com....
Feb 24, 2019•58 min
Matt Walsh is a staple in contemporary comedy. We talk UCB, being a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, his recurring role on Veep, and making people laugh for the past thirty years. For more, our website: www.talkeasypod.com 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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at ...
Feb 19, 2019•49 min
Dulé Hill has done it all. The West Wing! Psych! Ballers! She’s All That! His most recent acting challenge is playing Nat King Cole in “Lights Out”, a play co-written by Talk Easy alum Colman Domingo. (The wonderful production can be seen at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, from now through March 17th.) In conversation, we talk tap-dancing for Jerry Lewis’ MDA Telethon as a child, making a career in acclaimed television, and how God has shaped the man he is today. Learn more about your ad-ch...
Feb 11, 2019•54 min
Welcome back! We're excited to return with the multi-hyphenate talent Minhal Baig. She’s a story editor on “BoJack Horseman”, a writer on the forthcoming A24 show “Ramy”, and, above all, a director. Her sophomore film, called “Hala”, premiered this past week at the Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews. (Apple promptly acquired the project.) For our season 3(ish) premiere, we sat down in Park City to discuss the autobiographical nature of “Hala”, growing up in Chicago as a Muslim teenager, and ...
Feb 04, 2019•56 min
Jeremy O. Harris has managed to be a playwright, actor, and screenwriter all while still being a student at the Yale School of Drama. His latest piece, “Slave Play”, is currently at the New York Theater Workshop. On our final episode of the year, Jeremy and Sam sort through how Jeremy arrived at this rare moment, the kind of conversations on race he hopes to have in his work, and why he’s feeling limitless these days. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See o...
Dec 24, 2018•1 hr 22 min
Jacqueline Bisset ladies and gentleman. Bullitt, Casino Royale, Murder on the Orient Express, Day for Night. The list is endless. And then there are her collaborators: John Huston, Sidney Lumet, François Truffaut, Roman Polanski. The legendary actress has done it all and this, somehow, is her first podcast. 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. See Privacy ...
Dec 17, 2018•51 min
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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privac...
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. See Priva...
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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
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. See Privacy Policy at https...
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. See Privac...
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
