Gillian Anderson joins the show to discuss the second season of the heartfelt and hilariously awkward “Sex Education,” in which Anderson plays Jean Milburn, sex therapist and mom to the show’s young lead Otis, played by Asa Butterfield.

Anderson of course occupies an iconic place in the pop culture galaxy, thanks to her portrayal of Agent Dana Scully in “The X-Files,” a role that would pave the way for a new kind of female character on television.

Now, Anderson is based in London, and her career choices have taken her from the stage, to film, and television.

In this episode, Anderson talks about challenging gender disparity, how motherhood helped her keep her “X-Files” success in perspective, her thoughts on the impact of social media, and how she prepared to step into the shoes of Margaret Thatcher for the fourth season of “The Crown.”

RuPaul and Michael Patrick King join the show to discuss their new show “AJ & The Queen,” a heartfelt, gritty comedy in which Ru stars as Robert Lee, better known as the drag queen Ruby Red, who — when faced with a broken heart and a stolen dream — meets a streetwise 10-year-old and assumes the role of de facto parent.

RuPaul’s career achievements are, of course, both legion and legend, and include “The RuPaul Show,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and RuPaul’s DragCon. Michael Patrick King's vast body of work includes the juggernaut that was “Sex and the City,” as well as “The Comeback,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Will & Grace,” “Cybill,” and “Murphy Brown.”

Between them, they have made an indelible mark on modern popular culture, influencing everything from how we talk to how we dress, how we think about our identities, our careers, and our relationships.

In this episode, the duo discuss the power in their creative partnership, their early struggles, their secret obsessions, and how social media has influenced how we watch and engage with shows.

Adam Driver joins the show to discuss his new film “Marriage Story,” from Academy Award nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach, in which Driver plays Charlie, a husband and father navigating his marriage breaking up while trying to keep his family together. Starring opposite Scarlett Johansson, and alongside Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta, Driver delivers a stunning performance in a film that’s both incisive and compassionate.

In the past decade, Driver has become that rare movie star that can shift between leading man and character actor roles, as well as command a Broadway stage. He came to our attention with HBO’s “Girls,” and since then has worked in quick succession with directors including Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, and, in the middle of all that, he stepped into the global phenomenon that is “Star Wars.” 

In this conversation, Driver talks about shooting “Marriage Story,” the benefit of working with friends, how problem-solving on set is his favorite part of the filmmaking process, and why he views acting as a service industry. He also talks about Arts in the Armed Forces, his foundation which brings the theater to a military audience. And, yes, he discusses Kylo Ren and working on “Star Wars.”

America fell in love with Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce in the legendary show M*A*S*H, for which he received a staggering 25 Emmy nominations, winning 5 times. He’s also a three-time Tony award nominee, a best supporting Oscar nominee for Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” and he has six Golden Globes to his name.

But beyond his work in entertainment, Alda has devoted himself to innumerable avenues, including the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, writing his memoirs, and creating his own podcast “Clear + Vivid."

In this episode, he talks about his new film “Marriage Story,” from Academy Award nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach; his boundless curiosity; his experience living and working with Parkinson’s disease; and the advice he has to give this generation.

Jenny Slate joins the show to discuss her Netflix special “Stage Fright” -- which combines her stand-up with personal clips of her childhood and interviews with her family in an intimate look at her life -- and her New York Times bestseller, “Little Weirds." It’s been a significant year for the writer, actress, and comedian, who recently became engaged and is now enjoying a bi-coastal existence, splitting her time between Los Angeles and her bucolic home on the South Coast of Massachusetts. 

Slate first came up in the alternative comedy world, before landing on SNL, and in the decade that followed, she co-created the beloved “Marcel the Shell” series, appeared in numerous films, including “Obvious Child” and “Gifted,” as well as TV shows like “Parks and Recreation” and Nick Kroll’s “The Kroll Show.” With her frank and fearless style, instantly recognizable voice, and infectious humor, Slate has forged her own unique path in Hollywood as a true original.

In this conversation, we talk about her fiancé and family, her writing process, why she’s grateful that her time on SNL was short-lived, how her relationship to the business has evolved, as well as everything from psychics to PMS.

Academy Award nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach joins the show to discuss his new film, the critically acclaimed “Marriage Story.” Starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, and co-starring Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta, Baumbach’s film about a marriage breaking up and a family staying together is filled with honesty, humor, and compassion.

Baumbach, now 50, began his writing and directing career in his twenties with the comedy “Kicking and Screaming,” and his films since then have included “The Squid & The Whale,” “Margot at the Wedding,” “Greenberg” and “Frances Ha.” With unflinching honesty, his films explore our best and worst instincts, our fears, flaws, and triumphs.

In this conversation, Baumbach discusses the journey of the film, how personal stories have shaped his body of work; the group of creative peers he trusts and relies upon; and the fact that he doesn’t appreciate lunch.

With his flawless comedic timing and instinct for capturing the frustrations of the everyman, Paul Rudd has carved a singular path in Hollywood, making audiences love him, root for him, and cringe for him in hits like “Clueless,” “Anchorman,” “Knocked Up,” and “I Love You, Man.” In addition to his comedy stardom, Rudd is now a bona fide action hero, having stepped into the Marvel universe in his forties as Ant-Man.

In this episode, Rudd discusses the arc of his career, and he talks about his new show “Living with Yourself,” created by Timothy Greenberg and directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Rudd does double-duty on the show, playing both the character of Miles, a burned-out and dejected figure, and the new and improved clone of Miles, who appears following a strange procedure at a strip mall spa.

Rudd also discusses his love of sports, his secret Irish bar, his go-to karaoke songs, and he shares how his son attempted his own “Hot Ones” challenge after Rudd’s triumphant appearance on the hit YouTube show.

In this special episode, Oscar-winner Sir Anthony Hopkins joins the show (he prefers to be addressed as Tony), to discuss his new film “The Two Popes,” from Academy Award-nominated director Fernando Meirelles. Inspired by true events, the film is a fascinating tale of an unprecedented transfer of power in the Catholic Church. It follows the imagined conversations between two very different men about the role of the Church in a changing world — one a traditionalist (Hopkins as Pope Benedict), and the other a progressive (Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, later Pope Francis). With unexpected humor, sweeping vision, and extraordinary performances, the film is a revealing look at two of the most well-known men in the world.

Hopkins, of course, is a legend, but at 81 years-old he wears the mantle of success lightly, eschewing the trappings of fame and retaining a great humility about all that he has achieved. In this interview, Hopkins goes back to the beginning of the story, from his life as a young man in Wales, to his work on the stage, and “The Silence of the Lambs” phenomenon. He also talks about the moment he won that Oscar, his feelings about faith, his rigorous approach to his work, and his experience with actors like Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. And he discusses his impressive Instagram game, his art, his music, and his sense that his life’s success is “all a dream.”

During the course of her career, Laura Dern, the daughter of actors Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern, has carved her own unique path, moving effortlessly between the worlds of independent film and blockbuster franchises like “Jurassic Park” and, most recently, “Star Wars.” She is a two-time Oscar nominee, a four-time Golden Globe winner, and the recipient of an Emmy award for her critically acclaimed work in “Big Little Lies.” Dern is also an activist and philanthropist, and a beacon in the Hollywood community.

In this episode, Dern talks about her new film “Marriage Story,” from Academy Award nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach. It’s an incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together, and it stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, as well as Alan Alda and Ray Liotta. She also talks about growing up on film sets watching the masters Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese at work, the arc of her career through the eighties and nineties, and how she’s seen the experience of women working in the industry evolve. 

“Mad Men” fans watched Kiernan Shipka grow up on the small screen in her role as Sally Draper, the daughter of Betty and Don. Her nuanced and captivating performance earned her critical acclaim and an older sophisticated fan base for such a young talent. Since then, Shipka, who was born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, has taken on a host of different projects, including Ryan Murphy’s “Feud” and the psychological horror film “The Blackcoat’s Daughter.” At the beginning of 2018, she stepped into the magical, mischievous world of half-human, half-witch Sabrina Spellman in Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” based on the Archie comic book series.

In this conversation, Shipka, who is about to turn 20, talks about her new film, “Let it Snow,” a teen drama about the friendships, love lives, and futures of a group of high school seniors, co-starring Shameik Moore and Isabel Moner. She also talks lessons learned growing up in the “Mad Men” world, what it’s like now to have a fan base closer to her own age, as well as her style philosophy, her go-to karaoke songs, and her love of a good power nap.