Episode 129 — Hugh Grant: Charming Cad, Reluctant Star, Expert Rogue
pplpod Episode 129 follows Hugh Grant from Oxbridge ensembles and Merchant Ivory beginnings (Maurice, The Remains of the Day) to a 1990s rom-com crown—Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridge...
22 Sep 202537min
Episode 128 — Kevin Bacon: Footloose to Forever — Range, Rhythm, Reinvention
pplpod Episode 128 digs into Kevin Bacon’s four-decade glide—from Diner breakout and Footloose icon to a character-actor assassin who slips between hero, heel, and “wait, that’s him?” with ease. We tr...
22 Sep 202543min
Episode 127 — K. Christopher Garcia: Structures, Signals & Rewriting the Immune Playbook
pplpod Episode 127 dives into the work of K. Christopher Garcia—the Stanford/HHMI structural biologist whose pictures of proteins changed how we think about immunity and therapy. We trace his path fro...
22 Sep 202527min
Episode 126 — Ricky Velez: Queens Edge, Big Heart, Tight Jokes
pplpod Episode 126 traces Ricky Velez’s climb from Queens club rat to HBO headliner with a point of view that’s sharp, fast, and surprisingly tender. We track the early New York grind and the storytel...
22 Sep 202537min
Episode 125 — Rhea Seehorn: Precision, Moral Whiplash & the Look That Says Everything
pplpod Episode 125 tracks Rhea Seehorn’s elegant climb—from theater and single-cam comedies to a defining dramatic turn that reprogrammed how TV measures subtlety. We revisit early beats (I’m with Her...
22 Sep 202522min
Episode 124 — Gary Clark Jr.: Austin Roots, Fuzz-Tone Truth
pplpod Episode 124 tracks Gary Clark Jr.’s climb from Antone’s prodigy to genre-bending headliner with Grammys in his guitar case. We start in Austin—teen sets, big ears, and a hollowbody that could p...
22 Sep 202547min
Episode 123 — Lil Rel Howery: Chicago Hustle, Big Laugh, Bigger Heart
pplpod Episode 123 tracks Lil Rel Howery’s rise from West Side open mics to scene-stealing force on screens big and small. We map the club grind and breakout on The Carmichael Show, the instant-classi...
22 Sep 202539min
Episode 122 — David Baddiel: Jokes, Football, and the Argument After the Laugh
pplpod Episode 122 traces David Baddiel’s shape-shifting career—from Cambridge Footlights and The Mary Whitehouse Experience to era-defining double acts with Rob Newman and Frank Skinner. We revisit t...
22 Sep 202546min
