To close out the holidays, our conversation with actor Harris Dickinson. We discuss his latest role in Halina Reijn’s Babygirl (6:50), Nicole Kidman’s “disarming and generous” quality on set (9:27), and the exploration of masculinity in Harris’ roles— from Beach Rats (12:48) to Triangle of Sadness (13:03) to Babygirl (13:24). Then, we dive into the online discourse about his new performance (15:52), his upbringing in Walthamstow, England (17:10), and the early short films he made with his high school mates (20:20). On the back-half, Harris unpacks his formative university years (24:45), his post-grad search for purpose, first in the military (30:20) then working at a hotel in east London (33:26), and the inspiration behind his forthcoming directorial debut (34:25). To close, we talk about the parallels between filming fight scenes (43:50) and intimate scenes (44:48) and the Charles Bukowski poem that keeps him creating (52:25). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

A ‘Babygirl’ Holiday with Harris Dickinson

For the holiday week, we’re revisiting one of our favorite conversations with Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and critic Hilton Als. At the top, we unpack his approach to writing profiles (5:50), inspired by the words of photographer Diane Arbus (6:10), and how he captured Prince in a new, two-part memoir entitled My Pinup (7:55). Then, Als reflects on his upbringing in Brownsville, Brooklyn (10:25), a timely passage from his 2020 essay "Homecoming" (14:40), and formative works by writers Adrienne Kennedy (20:58) and the late Joan Didion (27:05). On the back-half, we discuss the interplay of memory and writing (36:38), Hilton’s writing routine (40:55), his sources of hope today (44:30), and to close, a dialogue from Jean Rhys’ unfinished autobiography Smile Please (48:25). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Writer Hilton Als on Prince and ‘What Joan Didion Means’

Actor Sebastian Stan has built a career out of shapeshifting. This week, he joins us to discuss the process of transforming into Donald J. Trump in The Apprentice (8:27), his personal relationship to the American dream (15:35), and the extensive research that went into recreating 1970s-1980s New York City in the film (17:27). Then, we unpack Sebastian’s Romanian upbringing (29:00), the gift of his unconventional, nomadic childhood (34:40), and what the film represents in this post-Election moment (38:30). On the back-half, we talk about the impact of the late director Jonathan Demme (50:45), Stan’s radical and stunning work in A Different Man (55:08), what both of his new films reveal about reality (59:14), and what the silencing of The Apprentice—and his Actors on Actors shutout—reveals about the entertainment industry (1:00:00). To close, a reflection about control and how Sebastian embraces everyday life (1:17:55). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Year of Actor Sebastian Stan (‘The Apprentice’)

For the past 50 years, Nikki Giovanni has been one of our preeminent poets. Rest in Power to the legendary writer and activist, who passed this week at the age of 81. Today we return to our conversation from 2021, reflecting on how her childhood led to a life of writing (6:21), the enduring impact of a televised conversation with James Baldwin (13:40), the story behind her famous poem, “I Married My Mother” (18:30), and why she doesn't believe in role models (28:15). On the back-half, we work our way to the present, as Nikki shares her experience of visiting the African American Museum (30:14), the evolution of her poetry (36:40), and how she grappled with two cancer diagnoses (40:20). To close, Nikki reads from her inventive about the author page (45:49).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remembering Poet Nikki Giovanni

It’s been a year. And while we’re not quite done with it (3:15), we wanted to take a moment to celebrate some of our favorite episodes and guests from 2024.  On the front half, we revisit passages from actor-turned-director Dev Patel (5:45), the legendary Francis Ford Coppola on Jacques Tati and failure (11:45), filmmaker Ava DuVernay on the state of Hollywood (17:47), and Dr. Seema Jilani on her work in Gaza (26:36).  On the back end, Abbi Jacobson’s interview with Sam (35:05), NYT reporter Astead Herndon on why the 2024 election was not inevitable (42:47), and national treasure Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Wiser than Me”) on perseverance and posterity (49:55). Plus, a Joker ending (1:08:00). What was your favorite from the past twelve months? Write us below or say hello at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talk Easy in 2024: A Mixtape

To close out the holiday weekend, we're revisiting our conversation with writer, food expert, and television host Padma Lakshmi. At the top, we discuss her Hulu docuseries Taste the Nation (4:40), a formative episode in El Paso, Texas (8:14), and how the show connects to Padma’s personal history (11:59). Then, she reflects on her childhood in New York City (14:07), a heartbreaking event at seven (17:30*), and her unexpected entry to the modeling industry (25:14). On the back-half, we walk through the early years of her trailblazing career (33:52), the patriarchal systems she fought back against (38:58), and her painful essay in The Times in response to the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh (44:00*). To close, Padma talks about her powerful work through EndoFound (45:30), the activist underpinnings of Taste the Nation (49:21), and the stories she hopes to tell in years to come (52:44). *At this time-code, there is a discussion about sexual assault.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Padma Lakshmi (‘Taste the Nation’) is Just Getting Started

Today, for your holiday week, we’re returning to one of our favorite 2024 conversations with actor Jeff Daniels. 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.  We sat in April around the latest chapter of his crime series American Rust (12:30), reprising his role as Police Chief Del Harris. It’s a performance inspired by his midwestern upbringing in Chelsea, Michigan (16:06) and the formative teachings of theater director Marshall W. Mason (21:20). Then, Daniels reflects on his arrival to New York City in 1976 (24:06), performing in Lanford Wilson’s play Fifth of July (27:20), and his early on-screen roles in Jonathan Demme’s Something Wild (31:10), Woody Allen’s The Purple Rose of Cairo (34:20), and Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale (44:20). On the back-half, we walk through his years making The Newsroom (51:48), working with screenwriter (and then playwright) Aaron Sorkin (53:20), and how the two of them reimagined Atticus Finch and To Kill a Mockingbird for both Broadway (59:49) and what he calls “a country at a crossroads” (1:05:33). To close, we sit with the utility of good writing in this fraught era (1:10:30), and a musical tribute to his late father, Robert (1:15:32). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Play It Again: Jeff Daniels

Actor, writer, and director Jesse Eisenberg’s latest project, A Real Pain, is perhaps his most personal to date. He joins us today to unpack the journey that shaped the film (9:18), memories from his travels to Poland (15:40), and what he observed about his family growing up in East Brunswick (22:23). Then, Eisenberg reflects on his first jokes written on post-it notes (29:20), his breakthrough acting roles in Roger Dodger (31:35) and The Squid and the Whale (34:37), and formative visits to his aunt Doris in New York City (35:32). On the back-half, we talk about his transformation in The Social Network (41:15), the erotic dream that inspired his play The Spoils (42:48), the real anxiety he explored while writing A Real Pain (46:39), lessons on directing from Richard Ayoade and Greg Mottola (51:14), and why he cares so deeply about his art (1:00:10). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesse Eisenberg Steps Into His Past

Since the turn of the century, actor Josh Brolin has had quite a run. From No Country for Old Men and Hail, Caesar! from the Coen Brothers, to Inherent Vice from Paul Thomas Anderson, to Sicario and the Dune films from Denis Villeneuve. His new memoir, From Under the Truck, contains stories about the life in between. We discuss his upbringing bouncing from Paso Robles to Santa Barbara (8:49), the influence of his mother (10:05), and his entry to writing (19:40). Then, Brolin reflects on his vivid early adulthood in the 80s (26:14), the power of a story (32:30), and what actor Anthony Hopkins illuminated about sobriety (34:35). On the back-half, we get into his collaborations with the Coen Brothers (38:48), his challenging relationship to drinking (50:50), and why finally, after three decades of playing characters on screen, it was time to fill in some of the backstory (1:07:13). This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor Josh Brolin: A Life in Vivid Color

It’s been a week. To help us through it, we’ve enlisted The New York Times political reporter Astead Herndon. We start with election night 2024 versus election night 2016 (6:35), what Astead discovered about the electorate reporting across the U.S. on his podcast The Run-Up (9:25), and how insider Democrats arrived at a second Biden run in 2023 (13:30). Then, we discuss politicians’ “lowercase racist” assumptions about Black and Latino voters (16:02), Herndon’s telling one on one interview with Vice President Harris (22:52), and the pervasive, nationwide sentiments that led to Donald Trump’s re-election (32:24). On the back-half: where the Harris campaign fell short in its messaging to voters (38:48), the rise of the “podcast election” (44:48), a revealing window into the Biden administration (47:35), how quickly “good intentions” can turn power corrupted (53:01), and why the Democratic party must remake itself (1:00:55) as we begin to move forward from this election (1:06:00). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What Can Be, Burdened By What Has Been (with Astead Herndon of NYT)

On the heels of his latest book The Message, author Ta-Nehisi Coates joins Sam for a conversation in Los Angeles. At the top, we discuss how his Atlantic piece The Case for Reparations guided these three new essays (6:10), Coates’ early education growing up in West Baltimore (14:57), and his powerful dispatches from South Carolina (22:00) and the Middle East (29:30). On the back-half, Coates unpacks why he believes the mainstream media prioritizes “factual complexity over self-evident morality” (37:47), his advocacy for Palestinian journalists (39:20), and his reflections about the U.S. election (47:28). To close, a formative passage from James Baldwin's The Lost Generation (52:38) and a story about love and writing (57:45). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ta-Nehisi Coates (‘The Message’) is Live in Los Angeles

Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air) has been a fixture in Hollywood for the past fifteen years. She joins us this week to discuss Woman of the Hour, her directorial debut and most revealing project to date. At the top, we dive into the film’s true crime story (7:00), its examination of gender politics in the 1970s (19:29), and the personal Hollywood experiences Anna embedded into this project (22:00). Then, Kendrick reflects on her early years as a child actor: commuting from Portland, Maine into New York City for work (25:40), receiving a Tony nomination at twelve (29:50), and moving to Los Angeles at seventeen (35:10). On the back-half, Anna unpacks the “dissociative” process of directing a film (38:25), the mentorship she received from actor and collaborator Jake Johnson (45:00), and the dangers of workaholism (47:19). To close, she shares a passage from her memoir Scrappy Little Nobody (57:20) and describes the work she hopes to make in years to come (1:00:00). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actor and Director Anna Kendrick: Life Imitates Art

For the past decade, Jason Reynolds has become an inspiring voice in the literary world. He’s a New York Times bestselling author and as of this month, a 2024 MacArthur fellow. Reynolds sits with us today to share his latest YA novel Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… (7:45), why he was interested in writing a story about boyhood and masculinity (12:05), and an early passage from the book (15:52) that captures the distinct rhythm of his writing (17:59). Then, we talk about the story structure of this new novel (19:00), how Queen Latifah’s Black Reign introduced him to poetry (21:45), and how his early memories of writing (27:45) and a singular high school teacher (35:17) saved his life. On the back-half, Reynolds describes a meaningful post-college job at rag & bone (46:02), what he’s seen in the education system post-pandemic (59:30), his hope for the next generation (1:02:30), and his lifelong mission to embolden students to see the value in their own narratives (1:14:23). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Conversation with Author Jason Reynolds is a Gift

Today, culture critic Wesley Morris (The New York Times) returns to Talk Easy for a conversation about The Wonder of Stevie, his new podcast with the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions. At the top, Wesley unpacks Stevie Wonder’s legendary five-album run from 1972-1976, his recent “battleground states” tour in the run up to the election, and how his relationship to Stevie’s music has evolved in the process of making this limited series. To listen to The Wonder of Stevie, stream here or wherever you get your podcasts.  Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wesley Morris Returns with ‘The Wonder of Stevie’

Since his directorial debut in 2006, Jason Reitman has made the kind of films they say Hollywood doesn’t make anymore. Today, we sit to discuss his latest project Saturday Night (9:09), the influence of 1970s movies like Michael Ritchie’s The Candidate (12:46), and the details Reitman and his co-writer Gil Kenan collected from dozens of interviews leading up to production (17:45). Then, Jason describes the dynamic between Lorne Michaels and his father, the late director Ivan Reitman (21:55), his formative years at the movie theater (25:50), and the filmmakers that shaped his early work: Alexander Payne, Kevin Smith, Spike Jonze, and Richard Linklater (31:03). On the back-half, we talk about Reitman’s debut film Thank You For Smoking (39:06), the collaborators that shaped Juno (42:50), his personal connection to Up in the Air (43:10), and lessons from making Young Adult (49:43) and Labor Day (51:08). To close, a story about fatherhood (53:00) and the joy of directing (58:58). Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director Jason Reitman’s Love Letter to ‘Saturday Night’

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a weekly series of intimate conversations with artists, activists, and politicians. Where people sound like people. Hosted by Sam Fragoso. New episodes every Sunday.

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Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

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