Episode 1211 - Christopher Lloyd

Christopher Lloyd has a career spanning more than 60 years on stage, TV and film. But Marc was enamored with stories about the first movie Christopher ever made, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Christopher tells Marc about the unique audition process, how they slept overnight in the institution, what it was like working with his idol at the time, Jack Nicholson, and more. They also talk about the first movie Christopher almost made, shooting lots of guns in the new movie Nobody, and what he considers to be the true legacy of Back to the Future. 

Episode 1210 - Serj Tankian

Serj Tankian from System of a Down says he is dedicated to the truth in a very naive way. That basic need to tell the truth and be honest with himself comes through in his art, his activism and his personal life, all of which are depicted in the new documentary Truth to Power. Serj and Marc talk about how so much of Serj’s life has been dedicated to telling the story of the Armenian genocide and how that mission informs his activism around the struggles in present day Armenia, as well as other human rights efforts around the world. 

Episode 1209 - Laraine Newman

Laraine Newman titled her memoir May You Live in Interesting Times, a phrase many people believe to be a curse. Laraine thinks it’s an appropriate framework for her life and career. She tells Marc what it was like to be a part of culture-changing comedy institutions as a founding member of both The Groundlings and Saturday Night Live. They also talk about her prolific career as a voiceover artist for animation which also began on serendipitous terms.

Episode 1208 - Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant thinks he’s only getting better as an actor now. The work he’s done for the past few years feels real to him, as opposed to felling like he was faking it when he made all those romantic comedies. Hugh and Marc talk about that realization and what happened in his life to make him finally feel less insecure as an actor. They also discuss his early comedy troupe, his recent habit of playing scoundrels and villains, and his mission to push back against the violating behavior of the British tabloids.

Episode 1207 - Eddie Murphy

In order for Eddie Murphy to become “Eddie Murphy” he had to become a comedian. Eddie tells Marc, comic-to-comic, what it was like being a Black teenager on Long Island building a standup act fueled by impressions and inspired by Richard Pryor. And now, with fatherhood at the center of his life, Eddie explains why he wants to bookend his career by going back on stage. Eddie also talks about the real reason he exploded on the movie scene, why he stopped doing standup before he turned 30, and why it was finally the right time to make Coming 2 America.

Episode 1206 - Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal knows he has a great job as a celebrated film actor. But the thing that brings him true joy is bursting into song as part of a stage musical. Jake talks with Marc about his love of theater, which ended up landing him three Tony Award nominations this year, one for acting and two for producing. They also get into why Broadway needs to evolve when it returns, why Jake was in awe of Heath Ledger, and why he was completely surprised by Marc after this episode started.

Episode 1205 - Tim Allen

Tim Allen has embodied enough different personas - Tim Taylor, Mike Baxter, Buzz Lightyear, Santa Claus - that he often doesn’t know which guy he actually is. But at least he’s no longer the directionless young man who made bad choices and ran afoul of the law. Tim tells Marc how he cleaned up his act and made it as a club comic before breaking out with one of the most popular sitcoms in network history. They also talk about how Tim’s emotions are running high as Last Man Standing comes to an end and why his new competition show, Assembly Required, is surprisingly out of his comfort zone.

Episode 1204 - Michael K. Williams

Michael K. Williams knows that a lot of people consider his character, Omar Little, to be the best character on The Wire. But he has a different opinion about the show’s best character. Michael tells Marc about how he brought his struggles as an addict to his performance, how he relapsed while making the show, and how the cast gave him the support he needed to get clean. They also talk about Michael’s scar and how it helped him land his first acting job, why he loves Rachael Ray so much, and why his role in the movie Body Brokers was so personal to him.

Episode 1203 - Melissa Leo

Melissa Leo’s acting style is a combination of gut instincts and a compulsive need to ask questions. It’s a style that already earned her an Oscar and continual employment, but also keeps her from falling into the trap of business-as-usual. Melissa and Marc talk about her performances in movies like Frozen River The Fighter and the new film Body Brokers, how she played a character not unlike Mitzi Shore for the series I’m Dying Up Here, and what is the one type of part she refuses to play, even though she gets offers to play it over and over again.

Episode 1202 - Sam Neill

Sam Neill never had any ambitions as an actor, which is not true about his ambitions as a wine maker. Speaking to Marc from one of his vineyards in New Zealand, Sam talks about how he’s still striving to make the greatest bottle of wine as he lives a sort of double-life as a very familiar face on screens big and small. They also discuss Sam’s ideal music festival, their shared love of Randy Newman, the therapeutic reason Sam started acting in the first place, his new movie Rams, and his own ram named Jeff Goldblum.

Episode 1201 - Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster came out on the other side of being a child actor as a two-time Oscar winner, a celebrated director, a producer and someone who is content with her life. She tells Marc how she did it, which has a lot to do with her mother and establishing boundaries. They also talk about how Taxi Driver changed her conception of acting, the great lesson she learned playing Nell, why she loves David Fincher, and why she maintains strong relationships with a lot of her co-workers.

Episode 1200 - Mark Harris

Mark Harris is a writer, journalist, critic and lover of film, which is why Marc wanted to talk with him. After months of at-home movie watching, Marc is convinced that artistic appreciation and critical thinking around film is more important than ever. Mark Harris has devoted a large chunk of his life to doing that kind of work, including his books on Hollywood after World War II, filmmaking in the late 1960s, and his new biography about Mike Nichols. They also talk about censorship fights, pandemic award shows and being married to Tony Kushner.

Episode 1199 - Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek says she survived in Hollywood because she didn't let anger get the better of her. And she'd have good reasons to be angry, facing a barrage of sexism, discrimination, typecasting, and a general dismissiveness of her talent. Salma and Marc talk about how she stood up for herself, particularly when making the film Frida, and why Salma believes the gender imbalance in the industry is changing. They also talk about her new movie Bliss which depicts a false reality that feels uncomfortably relevant.

Episode 1198 - Stanley Tucci

Stanley Tucci is fortunate that he broke into the mainstream with his movie Big Night because it combined two of the things he loves the most: acting and food. Stanley talks with Marc about the comfort he gets from cooking and the satisfaction he gets from a good performance. They discuss his extensive career, including The Devil Wears Prada, Spotlight, Murder One, and his new film Supernova, in which his longtime friendship with Colin Firth paid off.

Episode 1197 - David Duchovny

David Duchovny knows you know him from The X-Files. He knows you know him from Californication. But that’s not going to stop him from wanting to be taken seriously as a novelist and a recording artist. David and Marc talk about his multifaceted career, his early academic pursuits, and The X-Files episode that gave him the foundation for his latest book, Truly Like Lightning. David also explains how he became friends with Garry Shandling and why they maintained such a strong connection. 

Episode 1196 - Rick Glassman

Not unlike a lot of comedians, Marc’s relationship with Rick Glassman started out with an apology. But that apology led to both of them liking each other more than they expected. Rick explains how a recent diagnosis has given him more self-awareness and prompted him to reassess the boundaries in his life. And Marc is able to relate to Rick’s desire to start doing comedy as a way to control the laughter coming at you. They also talk about Rick’s time on the show Undateable and his own podcast, Take Your Shoes Off, which is more than a name, it’s a way of life.

Episode 1195 - George Wallace

For a guy who’s been working at the top of the comedy scene since the 1970s, George Wallace has held a lot of other identities too. He was a computer engineer, a rag salesmen, an ad executive, and a real estate investor. Even within the comedy world, George kept an eclectic profile, working with musical acts like Tom Jones, operating a Vegas showcase for himself, and finding newfound popularity with his Twitter feed. George also tells Marc about his enduring friendship with Jerry Seinfeld.

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