Over Zoom, Lawrence Zarian interviews Ellen Burstyn ahead of their in-person meeting on The Kelly Clarkson Show, reflecting on divine timing and how his pandemic-born podcast explores how entertainers see the world differently. 

Burstyn discusses promoting her poetry book and her discomfort with “commercializing” something sacred, emphasizing her goal of introducing poetry to people who don’t know it; Zarian shares how the book gave him language for grief, citing Maya Angelou and Rumi, and Burstyn recites Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Love is not all.” Burstyn recalls a childhood split between being popular at school and hiding at home due to an abusive stepfather, and how poetry helped her envision a future. 

They discuss forgiveness, therapy, sobriety, and generational trauma, then touch on colleagues and projects including Cloris Leachman, Jack Nicholson, Alan Alda, Linda Blair, and roles like Lois in The Last Picture Show, ending with Burstyn completing “I, Ellen Burstyn, am beautiful because…” with a memory of her mother.

Timestamp Menu:

• 01:51 Universe and Timing
• 03:04 Mirror Question
• 03:54 Poetry Book Doubts
• 09:01 Poetry Awakening
• 09:53 Two Lives Growing Up
• 15:42 Forgiving Mom
• 17:40 Trauma and Sobriety
• 24:47 Poems for Grief
• 29:33 Favorite Poem Recital
• 32:07 Poetry as Healing
• 33:21 Central Park Cherry Blossoms
• 35:32 Fashion and Self Love
• 37:39 Rapid Fire Film Memories
• 42:43 Internet Myths and Truth
• 44:24 Alan Alda and Friendship
• 48:07 Women and Equal Partnership
• 52:13 Revisiting Past Characters
• 54:03 Longing Poem and Farewell
• 55:55 I Am Beautiful Because