The Great Creators with Guy Raz

Ten years ago, Nick Sanborn & Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso) exploded onto the indie music scene with their unique electro-pop sound and mysterious aura.

Since then, they’ve played some of the biggest stages in the world and have even created their own record label in their adopted hometown of Durham, NC. 

In this conversation, Nick and Amelia reflect on their chance meeting and the remix that sparked their creative/life partnership; how they blended their musical styles after touring for years with other bands; and why songwriting sometimes feels like fishing. 

Catch Sylvan Esso's latest tour dates here: https://www.sylvanesso.com/tour 

Links from the Show: 

• Hey Mami on YouTube
• Sylvan Esso performing 'Coffee' live at Coachella on April 17, 2015  

For more conversations like this with musicians like Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

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Ron Howard, the Oscar-winning director behind films like 'Apollo 13' and 'A Beautiful Mind,' sits down with Guy to discuss his remarkable journey from child actor to Hollywood heavyweight. 

Ron’s latest documentary – “Jim Henson: Idea Man” – about the creator of the Muppets, is available now on Disney Plus. 

Links from the Show: 

• Ron playing Opie on The Andy Griffith Show
• Grand Theft Auto, the first film Ron directed
• Ron’s recent documentary “Jim Henson: Idea Man”
• Apollo 13
• Cocoon
• Happy Days
• A Beautiful Mind
• Frost Nixon
• Splash on Disney+ 

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from David Duchovny to Diplo – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

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Actor, filmmaker, and playwright Tyler Perry is one of the most prolific and prosperous entertainers of his generation. Despite growing up in New Orleans with little money, no connections, and few entertainment role models, Tyler went on to build a billion-dollar business – totally bypassing Hollywood gatekeepers in the process. How did he do it? And what’s the key to his success? This episode answers that question.

Tyler’s new film The Six Triple Eight, about a battalion of black women who served in WWII, is out December 20th on Netflix.

Links from the Show: 

• The Six Triple Eight on Netflix
• Tyler Perry’s House of Payne
• Tyler Perry Studios

For more conversations like this, go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol in 2002, released her chart-topping single “A Moment Like This” the same year, and almost instantly became a music megastar. 

Kelly talks to Guy about the hardships of her early life, and how they helped motivate her towards success, the personal story of heartbreak while making her album “Chemistry”, hosting her award-winning TV talk show, and how her busy production schedule keeps her creativity flowing. 

This episode was first published in 2023.

Links from the Show: 

• Kelly sings “A Moment Like This” on American Idol Season 1 Finale in 2022
• Kelly's acceptance speech at the 48th GRAMMY Awards in 2006
• Anne Hathaway’s LIVE Remix with Kelly on The Kelly Clarkson Show
•  Kelly sings with Pink on The Kelly Clarkson Show in February 2023 

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

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Josh Brolin (Dune, Avengers, Sicario) knows what it’s like to fall, rise, and live to tell the story.

From his chaotic childhood on a horse ranch in California to teen stardom in 'The Goonies' to two decade without a big acting role, Josh pulls back the curtain on family, creativity, and a life driven by "insatiable curiosity".

Plus: how he found other ways to support himself while waiting for the right role; a career-defining audition where directors praised the lighting but ignored him; and why he calls his 50's his "F It" decade.

You can buy Josh's memoir 'From Under the Truck' here.

Links from the Show: 

• The Goonies (1985)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)
• Sicario (2015)
• Dune (2021)
• American Gangster (2007)
• W. (2008)
• Milk (2008)

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With a career spanning decades, Tom Hanks has embodied more unforgettable characters than most actors have roles.

This episode brings back Tom’s inspiring conversation with Guy Raz from 2023, where he shares his journey through film—from early breakout roles to timeless classics—and his process of breathing life into each character.

You’ll also learn how Tom deals with nerves and self-consciousness on set; what Joe DiMaggio and Paul Newman told him about performance anxiety; and why he believes ‘bringing an idea’ is the secret to success.

Links from the show:

• Tom and Peter Scolari in Bosom Buddies
• Tom and Daryl Hannah in Splash
• The cross-country running scene from Forrest Gump
• The execution scene from The Green Mile
• Tom as Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger in Sullly: plane crash in the Hudson scene
• Tom as Colonel Tom Parker in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis
• The real Colonel Tom Parker in an interview on ABC 
• Trailer for A Man Called Otto

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Jason Sudeikis to Anna Kendrick to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

JR is an internationally acclaimed street artist, photographer and filmmaker known for his massive photo-pasting murals that transform cityscapes into powerful messages of empathy and connection.

In this episode, JR shares his journey from tagging buildings in Paris as a teen to using art to bridge divides in tense and dangerous places – from the Middle East to Brazilian favelas to Tehachapi, a maximum-security prison in California.

Explore JR’s latest documentary “Tehachapi” here: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/tehachapi/chapters/tehachapi 

Links from the Show: 

• Tehachapi documentary on Masterclass
• Face to Face documentary (Israelis and Palestinians)
• Faces Places documentary
• Inside Out project
• JR:murals App on App Store
• JR’s TED Talks

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Norman Reedus is an actor, fashion model, and photographer best known for portraying Daryl Dixon on the wildly popular TV show The Walking Dead. He sits down with Guy Raz to talk about his nomadic upbringing, stumbling into serious acting, motorcycles, fatherhood, the bizarre nature of fame, and how his ‘Walking Dead’ character has made him a better friend and a harder worker.

The second season of Norman’s show ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ is streaming now on AMC+, and you can pre-order Norman’s new book of photographs, ‘In Transit’, here.

Links from the Show: 

• The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon on AMC
• Ride with Norman Reedus on AMC
• Floating film (1997)
• Six Ways to Sunday film (1997)
• The Boondock Saints film (1999)
• The Coney Island shark named Daryl Dixon
• Norman’s Instagram page

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air) is an Oscar-nominated actress, singer, and now, director.

Anna joins Guy Raz to share her journey from Portland, Maine community theater at age six, through her breakout Broadway role at 12, to Hollywood stardom. She reveals her path to directing Woman of the Hour (after swearing she’d never direct), and how George Clooney helped calm her nerves in her breakout role. Listen as she reflects growing from child actor to powerful voice in Hollywood.

Watch Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut ‘Woman of the Hour’ on Netflix here: https://www.netflix.com/title/81728818 

Links from the Show: 

• Woman of the Hour
• Twilight
• Pitch Perfect
• Up in the Air
• Rocket Science

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lin-Manuel Miranda (‘Hamilton’, ‘In The Heights’) and Eisa Davis (‘Angela’s Mixtape’, ‘Bullrusher’) are writers, performers, and collaborators who are revolutionizing hip-hop theater.

In this episode, Lin and Eisa join Guy to discuss their latest creative project, ‘Warriors’, a concept album inspired by the 1979 cult film, “The Warriors”.  The duo reflects on how hip hop, New York’s streets, and unexpected muses like "Gamergate" influenced their work. 

Plus, they reveal how they convinced the elusive Lauryn Hill to play a lead role. Will ‘Warriors’ make its way to Broadway? Tune in to find out more!

Listen to ‘Warriors’ concept album here: https://music.apple.com/ye/album/warriors/1769091603 

Links from the Show: 

• Lin-Manuel Miranda performs ‘Hamilton’ at the White House   
• ‘In The Heights’
• Angela’s Mixtape
• “The Warriors” 1979 movie

For more conversations like this – with guests ranging from Tom Hanks to Bjork to Jason Sudeikis – go to https://www.thegreatcreators.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.