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 younger brother, Kevin (29:27), and why he views each film and TV set as a ‘spiritual space’ (30:56).

On the back-half, we walk through Leung’s work on The Sopranos (32:30), his present-day collaboration with actor Myha’la (37:45), the arc of this latest season of Industry (44:15), the state of representation in Hollywood (48:06), and why he feels at peace in this moment (53:00).

Clips courtesy of HBO. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 hard questions on Talk Easy (36:43). To close, a passage from Sam's debut episode with Don Cheadle (45:28) and a philosophy captured in his short film Sebastian (53:20).

Listen to our first conversation with Abbi Jacobson from 2022.

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 it cemented his early commitment to politics (26:17), and embracing his Afro-Cuban identity as an adopted child (30:15).

On the back half, Frost reflects on his road to Congress (37:58), the connection he shares with his biological mother (41:00), the blend of grassroots organizing and policy-making he leads with today (49:22), and the progress he hopes to see in the years to come (57:40).

Original air date: February 26, 2023.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 (23:38).

On the back-half, he unpacks the tumultuous process of making his award-winning film Precious (32:00), the projects that followed in The Paperboy and The Butler (39:30), the rise of Empire and his paradigm-shifting work in Hollywood (41:10), the peace that guided him to make his new film (46:10), and what motivates him to keep working (50:31).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 formative moviegoing memory (28:48) informed his ideas on the role of storytelling (32:43). Before we go– Steven speaks candidly on the future of movies (39:20) and his role in them (41:13).

This episode originally aired June 27th, 2021. To hear our latest talk with Sean Fennessey, listen here. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 around Sean Baker’s triumphant upcoming feature Anora (32:13), Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night (33:17), Joshua Oppenheimer’s apocalyptic musical film The End (35:49), and James Mangold’s A Complete Unknown (37:17).

On the back-half, we dive into Sean’s childhood in Long Island (43:37), his early writing at Ithaca College (44:15), working at Complex Magazine in the mid-aughts (53:00), his pivot to Grantland (1:02:10), launching The Ringer (1:15:50), his on-mic personality on The Big Picture (1:11:50), the future of his podcast(s) (1:18:31), and why he remains optimistic about the film industry (1:27:09).

This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 with Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds (5:00), her upbringing in London (7:20), and how Mary-Kate and Ashley inspired the young creative ambitions (11:10) that lead to Chicken Shop Date (17:17). We also highlight a few pivotal episodes of the show with rapper Ghetts (24:50), actor Daniel Kaluuya (32:10), and documentarian Louis Theroux (32:52).

On the back-half, we unpack Dimoldenberg’s comedy influences—from Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation to Zach Galifianakis’ Between Two Ferns (36:34), how she continues to expand her reach as an independent creator (43:00), why the ‘anti-interview’ genre has come into vogue (49:12), and what she hopes for in the decade to come (1:02:12).

For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, drop us a line at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign (19:00), his process writing fiction (30:00), and his early memories of getting involved in politics (35:30).

On the back-half, we talk about Vinson’s upbringing in the church (38:00), the role of faith in his life (47:00), and his personal feelings about divine intervention (57:00), both in politics and on the heels of a tragic personal loss (1:01:40). To close, he shares a moving piece of his review of Hamlet (1:07:00), reflects on his growth over the past year (1:15:00), and reveals why this moment for Kamala Harris gives him hope for his daughters (1:22:00).

This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios and Condé Nast. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 followed the publication of her debut novel, White Teeth (31:28).

On the back-half, we discuss her desire to frequently reinvent herself as an artist as a writer (41:53), why she prioritized pleasure after her book On Beauty (45:24), her evolving relationship to humanism (48:06), the nuanced politics of her work (54:13), a striking passage from Intimations (1:01:56), and what she sees in this next generation of novelists (1:04:55).

This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 in between Brooklyn and Long Island (29:54).

On the back-half, she describes her work as a journalist (40:14), profiling Nicki Minaj (45:38) and Bradley Cooper (45:54), how those experiences propelled her to write Fleishman Is in Trouble (46:20), her reflections while writing about Taylor Swift (54:05), and the transformational power of storytelling (1:04:07).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.