For the past couple decades, actor Ken Leung has played scene-stealing characters in films like Rush Hour, Keeping the Faith, and A.I. Or, prestige TV shows like Lost and The Sopranos. Today, he joins us to discuss his spectacular turn in HBO’s Industry (7:30), how he created his character in baseball-bat-wielding manager Eric Tao (9:55), and his Brooklyn upbringing to a family of Chinese immigrants (17:35). Then, he shares how he found his footing as an actor (23:30), a memory of his late young...
Sep 22, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast To commemorate his 30th birthday, Abbi Jacobson interviews Sam! They talk about Sam's early days in journalism (8:00), his Almost Famous -like experience as a teenage film critic (10:30), making Talk Easy and how the show evolved post-pandemic (13:15), and the email from the late Roger Ebert that changed his life (22:30). On the back-end, they discuss Abbi’s annual birthday questions (28:00), why Sam’s episode with filmmaker Werner Herzog has stayed with her (31:57), and how he approaches asking...
Sep 15, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast To start, Sam sits with another week in American life, before returning to our timely conversation with Congressman Maxwell Frost (FL-10). At the top, we discuss the five-year aftermath of the horrific shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (10:29), his first two months in office as the first Gen-Z Congressman (12:10), and the legislature he’s fighting for to reduce gun violence (17:14). Then, we walk through his impassioned response to the Sandy Hook shooting (19:40), how...
Sep 08, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast This week, our guest is trailblazing filmmaker Lee Daniels. At the top, we discuss his fifteen-year journey to the new Netflix film The Deliverance (5:00), Daniels’ relationship to spirituality (9:16), and his memories of directing theatre at eight-years-old (14:55). Then, we dive into the therapeutic quality of filmmaking (17:14), his work as a casting director at Warner Brothers in the 80s (19:48), and what it meant for Daniels to manage young performers like Morgan Freeman and Loretta Devine ...
Sep 01, 2024•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since 1989 ( Sex, Lies, and Videotape ), filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has been a pioneering voice in American cinema. Part free-wheeling iconoclast, part exacting technician. Today, we return to our conversation with the legendary artist. First, Soderbergh describes his process making No Sudden Move amid the pandemic (8:38), his ability to push past creative blocks (14:34), the importance of 1998’s Out of Sight (31:00), the seismic impact of his late mentor, Mike Nichols (27:28), and how a format...
Aug 29, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re so back at the movies… with head of content at The Ringer and co-host of The Big Picture , Sean Fennessey! At the top, Sam and Sean discuss Sean Wang’s Dìdi (8:52), the father-daughter story at the heart of M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap (15:52), and why the documentaries Brats (19:39) and Faye (22:35) make the perfect weekend watch. Then, they talk about the real-life story behind A24’s Sing Sing (27:45), what Borderlands reveals about post-strike Hollywood (29:57), the anticipation building a...
Aug 25, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Transcript available on Metacast What’s the difference between an interview and a first date? For the past decade, Amelia Dimoldenberg has been walking that fine line on her hit YouTube series, Chicken Shop Date . The premise is in the title: filmed at various chicken establishments across London, the show features a series of funny (sometimes awkward) ‘dates’ with everyone from Paul Mescal to Billie Eilish. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her beloved series, Amelia and Sam have a cup of tea to discuss her recent sit-down ...
Aug 18, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vinson Cunningham has been a staff writer at The New Yorker for the past eight years, covering theater, television, and politics. He joins us this week to unpack his personal debut novel Great Expectations . At the top, we discuss the state of the US election (5:00), the emergence of the new Democratic ticket in Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (10:00), and the fickleness of internet hype (15:00). Then, Cunningham explains how his new book dovetails with his time working on Barack O...
Aug 11, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Last fall, Zadie Smith published her prescient historical novel The Fraud . We return to our conversation with the beloved author this week, on the heels of our latest sit-down with writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner . At the top, Smith details her most recent book (7:48), her instinctive writing process (13:37), and the role of projection in her work (20:08). Then, Zadie reflects on her upbringing in North West London (23:48), the art that influenced her growing up (26:42), and the media circus that ...
Aug 04, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Taffy Brodesser-Akner (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”) is a staff writer at The New York Times , where she covers everything from The Eras Tour to Tom Hanks. She joins us today to unpack her new book Long Island Compromise (7:30), its central questions about wealth, trauma, and inheritance (11:58), and the real-life crime that inspired the story (12:52). Then, we dive into the process of writing a novel (15:17), a formative passage from the book (24:31), and Brodesser-Akner's memories of growing up i...
Jul 28, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we're revisiting our special conversation with actor Tom Hanks. We begin by discussing his debut novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (5:58), his nomadic upbringing across California (13:28), and the Stanley Kubrick film that made him want to be an artist (19:40). Then, we talk about his early work at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival (24:00) and moving to Los Angeles for his television debut in Bosom Buddies (28:30), before pivoting to dramatic roles in films ...
Jul 24, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, on the heels of our live show with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, we’re presenting a special conversation from her podcast Wiser Than Me. The episode features award-winning author Isabel Allende (The Wind Knows My Name). They discuss motherhood, falling in love again in her seventies, an influential piece of advice by writer Elizabeth Gilbert, and how Allende remains present in her life and work. Find more episodes of Wiser Than Me through Lemonada Media . To hear Julia on Talk Easy, listen her...
Jul 21, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Julia Louis-Dreyfus ( Seinfeld, Veep ) is a national treasure with more primetime Emmys than any performer in the history of television. Then there’s her latest decade in film: two collaborations with Nicole Holofcener ( Enough Said and You Hurt My Feelings ) along with a devastating turn in the heart-rending fairytale from A24, Tuesday . Her range is unparalleled, including in the role of host on her excellent, award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me from Lemonada. We sat with Julia as part of thi...
Jul 14, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the heels of his first Emmy win, actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach joins us on the show to unpack the return of The Bear . At the top, we dive into the making of the hit series (9:22), a powerful scene with co-star Jeremy Allen White (11:20), and how Moss-Bachrach manages to keep adding layers to his portrayal of Cousin Richie (14:26). Then, he describes the mounting pressures around this new season (19:23), the day he knew he wanted to be an actor in Williamstown, Massachusetts (27:35), and the early...
Jul 07, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast “You’re never gonna forget where you were last night at 7:30,” says James Carville. “It has the potential to be that consequential.” Carville is regarded as one the most influential (and animated) operators in the Democratic Party. He came to prominence as the chief architect behind Clinton’s 1992 Presidential campaign, and has remained one of the most incisive political analysts in the country. He joins us this week from the Aspen Ideas Festival , the day after the first presidential debate bet...
Jun 30, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Beloved playwright Annie Baker won the Pulitzer for Drama in 2014 for her play, The Flick. A decade later, she’s releasing her directorial debut, Janet Planet, through A24. We begin by talking about her striking first feature (7:55): the Western Massachusetts origins of the project (11:00), the mother-daughter love story at its center (13:24), how Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain” shaped Baker’s understanding of time (22:55), and why she’s routinely sidestepped the slippery-slope of “confession...
Jun 23, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast This Father's Day, we're revisiting our special talk with actor Ethan Hawke. After a phone call with Dad Fragoso (2:00), we dive into the episode. At the top, Hawke unpacks his docuseries The Last Movie Stars (9:24), describing his introduction to Paul Newman through Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (12:13). Then, he reflects on his personal history: growing up with his mother on the east coast (16:43), his on-screen debut at fifteen in Explorers with River Phoenix (20:04), the enduring legacy...
Jun 16, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Director Richard Linklater has made a career out of telling personal stories with universal appeal. Dazed and Confused, Waking Life , the Before trilogy, Boyhood. No matter the genre or form, Linklater's human touch remains. He joins us this week around the release of his latest film, Hit Man (7:36), an action-packed neo-noir (9:15) that also explores the malleability of identity (12:00). Then, Linklater reflects on his athletic career in college (18:20), the health scare that ushered in a perio...
Jun 09, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the heels of her breakout role in Stranger Things , Maya Hawke has gone her own way as an artist— both as an actor and singer-songwriter. That’s especially true on her striking new record, Chaos Angel . We begin our conversation by diving into this third record of hers (5:37), the ‘emotional pendulum’ that guided her creative process (9:15), and how director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia inspired the first track (16:12). Then, Maya discusses a piece by novelist Flannery O’Connor (21:20) tha...
Jun 02, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re joined by comedian and actor Ilana Glazer. At the top, Glazer reflects on her recent tour across the country (4:55), portraying a new mother in Babes while having her first child (8:30), and the film’s timely politics around reproductive rights (10:28). Then, we dive into the creation of Broad City with collaborator Abbi Jacobson (16:06), how the show ascended to five seasons on Comedy Central with the support of Amy Poehler (22:40), and their maternal approach to creating the se...
May 26, 2024•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Hacks co-creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, who are also husband and wife, have been performing and writing together for over a decade. Today, we discuss the road to season three of their hit HBO series. At the top, they unpack the makings of their creative partnership (8:20), how they chronicled the evolving state of comedy in Hacks (14:38), and Jerry Seinfeld’s recent comments about the medium (20:05). Then, we walk through Paul and Lucia’s origin stories (33:45), their meeting in an im...
May 19, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast This Mother’s Day, our very special episode with actor, writer, and director Pamela Adlon. We discuss her new movie Babes (7:27), directing a comedy about reproductive rights in 2024 (12:38), and her creative upbringing between New York City and Los Angeles (17:55). Then, we dive into her early roles as a child actor, including appearances on The Facts of Life and The Redd Foxx Show (19:06), her foray into voice acting (23:15), and the MTV Madonna music video contest that made her want to become...
May 12, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast In just under a decade, comedian, writer, and actor Jerrod Carmichael has had a remarkably varied career. On the heels of his Emmy-winning HBO special Rothaniel , he embarked on a personal new project: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show . Carmichael joins us today to discuss the origin of the program (6:30), his early days making his NBC sitcom (10:57), and why he decided to broadcast a deeply intimate conversation on the reality show (13:00). Then, he unpacks his view of the camera as a vessel for ...
May 05, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, actor and author Nick Offerman returns to the show! We call him up to unpack his latest role as a fictional president in Alex Garland’s Civil War (2:30), the function of the film’s politics (9:30), and a powerful poem by Wendell Berry (26:15). Then, we turn to Offerman’s personal journey, beginning with his recent book Where the Deer and the Antelope Play (32:48), which was inspired by growing up in rural Minooka, Illinois (33:30) and his experiences with the late Sam Shepard at Steppenwo...
Apr 28, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, in honor of National Poetry Month, we’re returning to our conversation with Rupi Kaur. Her debut collection, milk and honey , turns 10 this year. At the top of our conversation, Kaur reflects on her international tour (4:44), her childhood in Canada (13:05), how she processes trauma through writing (22:13), her college photo series on menstruation that went viral (23:33), and the self-published poetry collection ( milk and honey ) that followed (29:20). In the aftermath of this unexpected...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Actor Jeff Daniels is always writing. Plays, songs, a script or two. Even in interviews you get the sense the Michigan native is trying to relay the stories of his life in a way he’d find compelling as a reader, or listener. Bystander — as a viewer. He joins us this week around the latest chapter of his crime series American Rust (12:30), reprising his role as Police Chief Del Harris. It’s a performance inspired by his midwestern upbringing in Chelsea, Michigan (16:06) and the formative teaching...
Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Actor Dev Patel has pursued interesting, complex roles in Hollywood since his arrival in Slumdog Millionaire fifteen years ago. He joins us today to discuss Monkey Man , his directorial debut and most personal project to date. At the top, we walk through the Hindu mythology that inspired the film (12:30), his decade-long fight to get the project greenlit (16:17), and the conditions of filming on an island during the pandemic (18:08). Then, Dev describes his intense creative process (27:02), how ...
Apr 07, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today we're sharing two special conversations, featuring our friends at Revisionist History. First, Malcolm Gladwell joins Sam to discuss "Development Hell," a new series about the untold stories of Hollywood that never left the page (2:00). Then, we turn to Gladwell's recent sit-down with director M. Night Shyamalan (25:00). Before Shyamalan became a household name for his mind bending thrillers like “The Sixth Sense” and “Signs”, he was just a young screenwriter in love. And during those bliss...
Mar 31, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast This weekend, comedian Ramy Youssef released a powerful and personal new HBO special, More Feelings . To commemorate the one-year anniversary of our first talk, we begin with a phone call with Ramy (5:35). Then, we dive into our talk from 2023, discussing the third season of his Hulu show Ramy (32:59), a timely scene from the show (35:46), and the questions that shaped it (39:37). Then, we walk through his coming of age as a first-generation Egyptian-American in New Jersey (42:28), his early for...
Mar 24, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Happiness Lab’s Dr. Laurie Santos brings together other Pushkin hosts to mark the International Day of Happiness. Revisionist History’s Malcolm Gladwell talks about the benefits of the misery of running in a Canadian winter. Dr. Maya Shankar from A Slight Change of Plans talks about quieting her mental chatter. And Cautionary Tales host Tim Harford surprises everyone with the happiness lessons to be learned from a colonoscopy. Hear more of The Happiness Lab HERE . See omnystudio.com/listener...
Mar 20, 2024•48 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast 
