Episode 536 - Tim and Eric

Tim Allen has embodied enough different personas - Tim Taylor, Mike Baxter, Buzz Lightyear, Santa Claus - that he often doesn't know which guy he actually is. But at least he's no longer the directionless young man who made bad choices and ran afoul of the law. Tim tells Marc how he cleaned up his act and made it as a club comic before breaking out with one of the most popular sitcoms in network history. They also talk about how Tim's emotions are running high as Last Man Standing comes to an end and why his new competition show, Assembly Required, is surprisingly out of his comfort zone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Mars 20211h 13min

Michael K. Williams knows that a lot of people consider his character, Omar Little, to be the best character on The Wire. But he has a different opinion about the show's best character. Michael tells Marc about how he brought his struggles as an addict to his performance, how he relapsed while making the show, and how the cast gave him the support he needed to get clean. They also talk about Michael's scar and how it helped him land his first acting job, why he loves Rachael Ray so much, and why his role in the movie Body Brokers was so personal to him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Feb 20211h 7min

Melissa Leo's acting style is a combination of gut instincts and a compulsive need to ask questions. It's a style that already earned her an Oscar and continual employment, but also keeps her from falling into the trap of business-as-usual. Melissa and Marc talk about her performances in movies like Frozen River The Fighter and the new film Body Brokers, how she played a character not unlike Mitzi Shore for the series I'm Dying Up Here, and what is the one type of part she refuses to play, even though she gets offers to play it over and over again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Feb 20211h 11min

Sam Neill never had any ambitions as an actor, which is not true about his ambitions as a wine maker. Speaking to Marc from one of his vineyards in New Zealand, Sam talks about how he's still striving to make the greatest bottle of wine as he lives a sort of double-life as a very familiar face on screens big and small. They also discuss Sam's ideal music festival, their shared love of Randy Newman, the therapeutic reason Sam started acting in the first place, his new movie Rams, and his own ram named Jeff Goldblum. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Feb 20211h 5min

Jodie Foster came out on the other side of being a child actor as a two-time Oscar winner, a celebrated director, a producer and someone who is content with her life. She tells Marc how she did it, which has a lot to do with her mother and establishing boundaries. They also talk about how Taxi Driver changed her conception of acting, the great lesson she learned playing Nell, why she loves David Fincher, and why she maintains strong relationships with a lot of her co-workers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Feb 20211h 21min

Mark Harris is a writer, journalist, critic and lover of film, which is why Marc wanted to talk with him. After months of at-home movie watching, Marc is convinced that artistic appreciation and critical thinking around film is more important than ever. Mark Harris has devoted a large chunk of his life to doing that kind of work, including his books on Hollywood after World War II, filmmaking in the late 1960s, and his new biography about Mike Nichols. They also talk about censorship fights, pandemic award shows and being married to Tony Kushner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Feb 20211h 16min

Salma Hayek says she survived in Hollywood because she didn't let anger get the better of her. And she'd have good reasons to be angry, facing a barrage of sexism, discrimination, typecasting, and a general dismissiveness of her talent. Salma and Marc talk about how she stood up for herself, particularly when making the film Frida, and why Salma believes the gender imbalance in the industry is changing. They also talk about her new movie Bliss which depicts a false reality that feels uncomfortably relevant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Feb 20211h 2min

Stanley Tucci is fortunate that he broke into the mainstream with his movie Big Night because it combined two of the things he loves the most: acting and food. Stanley talks with Marc about the comfort he gets from cooking and the satisfaction he gets from a good performance. They discuss his extensive career, including The Devil Wears Prada, Spotlight, Murder One, and his new film Supernova, in which his longtime friendship with Colin Firth paid off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4 Feb 20211h 7min