Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

Today we're sharing two special conversations, featuring our friends at Revisionist History. First, Malcolm Gladwell joins Sam to discuss "Development Hell," a new series about the untold stories of Hollywood that never left the page (2:00). Then, we turn to Gladwell's recent sit-down with director M. Night Shyamalan (25:00). Before Shyamalan became a household name for his mind bending thrillers...

This weekend, comedian Ramy Youssef released a powerful and personal new HBO special, More Feelings . To commemorate the one-year anniversary of our first talk, we begin with a phone call with Ramy (5:35). Then, we dive into our talk from 2023, discussing the third season of his Hulu show Ramy (32:59), a timely scene from the show (35:46), and the questions that shaped it (39:37). Then, we walk th...

The Happiness Lab’s Dr. Laurie Santos brings together other Pushkin hosts to mark the International Day of Happiness. Revisionist History’s Malcolm Gladwell talks about the benefits of the misery of running in a Canadian winter. Dr. Maya Shankar from A Slight Change of Plans talks about quieting her mental chatter. And Cautionary Tales host Tim Harford surprises everyone with the happiness lessons...

Writer Evan Osnos (The New Yorker, CNN) has been interviewing Joe Biden on and off for the past decade. He recently profiled the 46th President ahead of his State of the Union, offering a rare (and revealing) portrait of the elder statesman from Pennsylvania.  In act one, we outline the state and stakes of the 2024 election (7:20), Biden’s demeanor “behind closed doors” (12:07), the accomplishment...

To celebrate Oscar Sunday, we're returning to our talk with Oppenheimer composer Ludwig Göransson! To begin, Göransson describes the collaborative process with director Christopher Nolan (6:48), the instrument at the heart of the film (9:30) and its hauntingly beautiful theme (11:06). Then, we walk through Ludwig’s instinctive approach to making music (13:07), his coming of age in Sweden (15:20),...

For over twenty-five years, Cate Blanchett has been as vital as any performer we have. In the lead-up to this Sunday's 96th annual Academy Awards, we're returning to our special talk with Cate. To begin, we unpack her femme fatale turn in Nightmare Alley (6:06), the way director Guillermo del Toro wrestles with truth and deception in the neo-noir (9:34), the first time Blanchett understood her gif...

As we enter month six of the Israel-Hamas war, a dispatch from Dr. Seema Jilani. She’s provided critical aid in the West Bank for nearly two decades, and recently returned from Gaza working with the IRC (the International Rescue Committee) to offer humanitarian support and medical assistance. At the top, we discuss her latest trip to the region (10:40), the devastating conditions she witnessed (14...

In celebration of Dune’s 40th anniversary, we have a damn fine cup of coffee with actor (and now podcaster) Kyle MacLachlan. We discuss his new true crime podcast  Varnamtown  (7:08), MacLachlan’s small-town upbringing (15:36), and what inspired him to pursue acting after college (18:15) before landing his debut role in  Dune  (21:16). Then, he describes the film’s momentous premiere (27:42), his...

Actor Lily Gladstone made history last month when she netted a Best Actress nomination for her work in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon . At the top, we discuss this landmark moment for the film (7:00), her personal approach to the role of Mollie Kyle (9:58), and a revealing scene between Lily and Leonardo DiCaprio (15:40). Then, we walk through Gladstone’s connection to the “trickster...

Today, we return to our conversation with “Abbott Elementary” creator and star, Quinta Brunson! On the heels of her historic Emmy wins, we discuss the guiding principles behind the series (6:02), its incomparable cast (9:41), and the show’s personal connection to Quinta’s upbringing in West Philadelphia (14:49). Then, we unpack her earliest comedic influences (19:21), performing in improv in colle...

Following the success of her autobiographical 2019 film, The Farewell , Lulu Wang has emerged as one of the most exciting voices in Hollywood. With the arrival of her new series Expats , she joins us to discuss the responsibility she felt creating the Hong Kong-based show (6:55), collaborating with actor Nicole Kidman (12:30), and Wang’s personal connection to the project (13:12). Then, we unpack...

Wesley Morris has served as critic at large at The New York Times since 2015, covering film, politics, and pop culture. He joins this week to discuss this year’s Academy Award nominations.  At the top, we discuss the omission of Greta Gerwig from the Best Director category (6:07), former Secretary Clinton on Barbie -gate (10:12), the ‘perversely effective’ nature of Killers of the Flower Moon (16:...

Over the past decade, writer and actor Dan Levy rose to prominence for his work on Schitt’s Creek . After co-creating the series with his father, Eugene Levy, he turned to a more personal project. Said project is his heartfelt directorial debut, a film entitled Good Grief (4:40). At the top of our conversation, Dan shares the origin of this story (13:22) and we discuss the importance of friendship...

Over the past 15 years, filmmaker Ava DuVernay ( Selma, Queen Sugar) has become something of an institution in Hollywood. As a writer, director, and producer she’s worked to make our industry more just and diverse—creating opportunities for voices that have historically been underrepresented both in front and behind the camera. In many ways her latest film, Origin , examines a hierarchy she’s work...

As we begin the new year, we're returning to our conversation with brilliant actor Michelle Williams. We walk through the making of Showing Up (6:05), Williams’ fifteen-year partnership with director Kelly Reichardt (8:10), and her upbringing in Montana and San Diego (10:42). Then, she describes coming of age on the set of Dawson’s Creek (14:50), her pivotal turn in Tracy Letts’ Killer Joe (20:00)...

As we say goodbye to 2023, a collection of passages from some of our favorite episodes of the year. Featuring journalist and podcast host Sam Sanders on the stories of the summer (4:10), director and actor Natasha Lyonne on being a child actor in New York City (18:42), the Stanley Kubrick film that propelled Tom Hanks into performing (28:55), critic Hilton Als on the late Joan Didion (41:45), nove...

This holiday weekend, we're presenting a special conversation between actor and director Bradley Cooper and David Remnick of The New Yorker Radio Hour . In this episode, they discuss Cooper's ‘fearless’ new film Maestro , his lifelong fascination with music, and how he constructed his intimate portrayal of legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. To hear David Remnick on Talk Easy , lis...

David Remnick has been the editor of The New Yorker since 1998 and a staff writer since 1992. He joins us this week to discuss his latest dispatch from the Middle East (9:50), reporting on the aftermath of October 7th (18:09) in what has become the Israel-Hamas war. He also shares the personal story of Avichai Brodutch, how he imagines this conflict may resolve (25:10), and our ‘failure to communi...

Willem Dafoe has built a career out of shapeshifting. His latest role in Yorgos Lanthimos’  Poor Things   demonstrates exactly that. Today, he joins us to discuss his compelling performance in the imaginative tale (7:00), the elaborate details he discovered on set (9:20), and the three-hour physical transformation he underwent each day of filming (12:38). Then, Dafoe describes his upbringing in Wi...

Nobel Peace Prize-winner Maria Ressa has spent the past decade advocating for the protection of journalists. Today, we return to our urgent conversation with the trailblazing author and activist. We begin by unpacking the fragmenting effects of social media (6:08), how the internet gave power to authoritarian regimes around the globe (8:49), and Ressa’s five years uncovering those operations (9:20...

Throughout his fifteen-year moviemaking career, director and actor Benny Safdie has been drawn to naturalism and first-time performers. Fittingly, his recent collaboration with comedian Nathan Fielder (“Nathan for You”) was a perfect match. Benny joins us today to discuss their satirical black comedy series The Curse (9:10), the timely premise that inspired the show (13:35), and Safdie’s history o...

For more than a decade, actor and writer Brit Marling has made futuristic work that reveals truths about our disquieting present. Her latest endeavor, A Murder At the End of the World , is no exception. We recently sat with Marling in front of a live audience as part of this year’s On Air Fest LA Annex , where we discussed her excellent new show on FX (8:34), the role artificial intelligence may p...

Writer and comedian Ziwe has made a career out of conducting charged and satirical interviews. She joins us this week to discuss her debut essay collection, Black Friend (5:45), the backstory behind her essay WikiFeet (10:19), her early affinity for broadcast news (13:06), the influence of satirists Jonathan Swift and Stephen Colbert (15:10), and her early, formative experiences working in comedy...

Marina Abramović is a pioneer in the field of performance art, using her body as both the subject and the medium. Today, we return to our special conversation with the legendary performer from her New York City apartment. To follow along with the works discussed, visit our guided, virtual exhibit at talkeasypod.com/marina-abramovic. We start with her healing installation in Ukraine (7:45), creatin...

Upon taking a walk with crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, writer Michael Lewis had a sense that there might be a story here. In the intervening two years, that story has taken a series of twists and turns, resulting in Lewis’ new book Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon . At the top, we walk through the latest events in Bankman-Fried’s Manhattan trial (7:27), the subject at the c...