Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

This Father's Day, we're revisiting our special talk with actor Ethan Hawke. After a phone call with Dad Fragoso (2:00), we dive into the episode. At the top, Hawke unpacks his docuseries The Last Movie Stars (9:24), describing his introduction to Paul Newman through Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (12:13). Then, he reflects on his personal history: growing up with his mother on the east coast...

Director Richard Linklater has made a career out of telling personal stories with universal appeal. Dazed and Confused, Waking Life , the Before trilogy, Boyhood. No matter the genre or form, Linklater's human touch remains.  He joins us this week around the release of his latest film,  Hit Man   (7:36), an action-packed neo-noir (9:15) that also explores the malleability of identity (12:00). Then...

On the heels of her breakout role in Stranger Things , Maya Hawke has gone her own way as an artist— both as an actor and singer-songwriter. That’s especially true on her striking new record, Chaos Angel . We begin our conversation by diving into this third record of hers (5:37), the ‘emotional pendulum’ that guided her creative process (9:15), and how director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia insp...

This week we’re joined by comedian and actor Ilana Glazer.  At the top, Glazer reflects on her recent tour across the country (4:55), portraying a new mother in Babes while having her first child (8:30), and the film’s timely politics around reproductive rights (10:28). Then, we dive into the creation of Broad City with collaborator Abbi Jacobson (16:06), how the show ascended to five seasons on C...

Hacks co-creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, who are also husband and wife, have been performing and writing together for over a decade. Today, we discuss the road to season three of their hit HBO series. At the top, they unpack the makings of their creative partnership (8:20), how they chronicled the evolving state of comedy in Hacks (14:38), and Jerry Seinfeld’s recent comments about the m...

This Mother’s Day, our very special episode with actor, writer, and director Pamela Adlon. We discuss her new movie Babes (7:27), directing a comedy about reproductive rights in 2024 (12:38), and her creative upbringing between New York City and Los Angeles (17:55). Then, we dive into her early roles as a child actor, including appearances on The Facts of Life and The Redd Foxx Show (19:06), her f...

In just under a decade, comedian, writer, and actor Jerrod Carmichael has had a remarkably varied career. On the heels of his Emmy-winning HBO special Rothaniel , he embarked on a personal new project: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show . Carmichael joins us today to discuss the origin of the program (6:30), his early days making his NBC sitcom (10:57), and why he decided to broadcast a deeply intimat...

Today, actor and author Nick Offerman returns to the show! We call him up to unpack his latest role as a fictional president in Alex Garland’s Civil War (2:30), the function of the film’s politics (9:30), and a powerful poem by Wendell Berry (26:15). Then, we turn to Offerman’s personal journey, beginning with his recent book Where the Deer and the Antelope Play (32:48), which was inspired by grow...

Today, in honor of National Poetry Month, we’re returning to our conversation with Rupi Kaur. Her debut collection, milk and honey , turns 10 this year. At the top of our conversation, Kaur reflects on her international tour (4:44), her childhood in Canada (13:05), how she processes trauma through writing (22:13), her college photo series on menstruation that went viral (23:33), and the self-publi...

Actor Jeff Daniels is always writing. Plays, songs, a script or two. Even in interviews you get the sense the Michigan native is trying to relay the stories of his life in a way he’d find compelling as a reader, or listener. Bystander — as a viewer.  He joins us this week around the latest chapter of his crime series American Rust (12:30), reprising his role as Police Chief Del Harris. It’s a perf...

Actor Dev Patel has pursued interesting, complex roles in Hollywood since his arrival in Slumdog Millionaire fifteen years ago. He joins us today to discuss Monkey Man , his directorial debut and most personal project to date. At the top, we walk through the Hindu mythology that inspired the film (12:30), his decade-long fight to get the project greenlit (16:17), and the conditions of filming on a...

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...