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 tha...

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...

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 ans...

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...

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 t...

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-consciousnes...

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 ma...

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 o...

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...

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,...

Julie Bowen is a celebrated actress and two-time Emmy winner who brought the iconic character of Claire Dunphy to life for 11 seasons. In this episode, Julie chats with Guy Raz about her childhood love of theater in Baltimore, waiting tables while studying acting in New York, breaking into Hollywood with roles in films like ‘Happy Gilmore’ and on TV Shows such as ‘Ed’, and finding out she got cast...

Kenny G is a Grammy Award-winning saxophonist and the top-selling instrumental artist of all time, with over 75 million record sales, and 1.5 billion streams. Kenny joins Guy to discuss his creative journey, from being the kid who didn’t make the high school band to a global music icon. Listen to how he defied industry norms with ‘Songbird’ to make it to the Billboard chart, his approach to handli...

Finneas is a Grammy and Oscar-winning producer, songwriter, and artist. He is best known for his close collaborations with his younger sister, Billie Eilish, and for being the youngest person to win the Producer of the Year award.  In this episode, Finneas sits with Guy to discuss his unique creative partnership with his sister Billie Eilish, the unexpected virality of their breakout hit “Oce...

Diplo is one of the most successful and influential DJ/producers working today. He shares his journey from working odd jobs while grinding away on music to selling out festivals and generating billions of streams. Interested in a Visual Map tracing Diplo's creative journey? We made one just for you. Check it out here . And you can find his most recent album, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2...

Ray LaMontagne is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter known for his raspy vocals and soulful, introspective lyrics. He also has an incredible life story that you rarely hear about, because he prefers to avoid the spotlight and let his music do the talking. But in this episode, Ray opens up about his challenging childhood, working as a carpenter to support his young family, and how he resisted press...

Three-time Grammy winner Miranda Lambert is a proud Texan who got her start performing during set changes at local bars starting at age 17. It was a “Honky Tonk U” education that would serve her well – igniting a career that would see Miranda become country music’s most award-winning artist of all time… all before the age of 40. In this episode, Miranda talks with Guy Raz about how losing early si...

From a lightning bolt moment watching cellist Yo-Yo Ma on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child to becoming a 5-time Grammy winner, Esperana Spalding’s journey has been driven by an innate love for music. But along the way, she’s often felt misunderstood and misrepresented in the press. Today, Esperanza sits with Guy to talk more about the forces that propelled her rise, her decision to livestrea...

Giovanni Ribisi, the versatile actor known for his roles in “Saving Private Ryan,” “Avatar,” and “Friends,” reflects on his life growing up in the heart of Hollywood and his enduring passion for filmmaking. He also discusses the emotional toll of “living” in intense roles; why he thinks “humiliation” is an important element of every creator’s journey; and going to extreme measures to push his care...

Eric Goode is a filmmaker, conservationist, and a former nightclub owner. His Netflix docuseries Tiger King, about zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic, became a massive cultural phenomenon at the start of the pandemic. In this episode, Eric joins Guy to discuss his eclectic career path - from pinning dead flies to canvas as an eccentric young artist to opening the infamous Area nightclub in 1...

Mark Foster is the frontman for Foster the People , which rocketed to fame in 2011 on the strength of their very first single, ‘Pumped Up Kicks’.  Mark talks about growing up as a pastor’s son in Cleveland; nearly joining the military but choosing instead to move to L.A. to pursue his music dreams; falling into addiction and getting sober; feeling afraid to perform on SNL after becoming famou...

Singer Ellie Goulding has had 35 different songs chart in the UK, the most of any female artist ever. In this conversation from 2023, Ellie shares how she first broke out of her shell performing original songs to her college classmates. She also talks about finding her own sound by using her unique voice in collaboration with some of the biggest producers in the world of EDM. And she explains why...

Kenan Thompson ( Saturday Night Live , Good Burger , Kenan & Kel , All That ) is perhaps the most consistently funny TV performer of his generation. He’s the longest-running SNL cast member, and is beloved for early roles in Good Burger, D2: The Mighty Ducks, and the TV shows All That and Kenan & Kel.  In this conversation from 2023, Kenan joins Guy to talk about his Nickelodeon days,...

Bjork, a singular artist whose work extends beyond music to include acting and conceptual art, discusses her career and artistic vision in this wide-ranging interview from 2022.  She talks with Guy about forming her unique vocal style; recording her first album at 11 years old; her album, Fossora , which features a bass clarinet ensemble; and why she uses symbols from nature to define each of...

Jim Parsons is an actor who’s best known for starring as Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory . While many know him as the on-screen super-nerd, he is also a classically trained stage actor. And in this conversation from 2022, Jim reflects on his entire creative journey: from playing the same character for 12 years to embracing new challenges ( Hollywood , Spoiler Alert , A Man of No Importance ) that h...

Alfred Matthew Yankovic , when he was six years old, was told by his parents to choose between accordion and guitar lessons. “And my parents being the visionaries that they were said, ‘Oh, young Alfred would love to play the accordion.’”  Alfred, better known as the chart-topping musician, satirist, and beloved nerd Weird Al Yankovic, told Guy in 2022 how that decision had changed his life an...