Épisodes

  • For Natasha Rothwell improv is like prayer

    For Natasha Rothwell improv is like prayer
    Mar 13 2025
    Natasha Rothwell can't help but collaborate. She honed her improv skills at the Tokyo Comedy Store which led her to roles in memorable ensemble casts on "Insecure" and "How to Die Alone." Now, her character Belinda is back in the new season of "The White Lotus." Natasha talks with Rachel about bringing her own ideas to the show, the spiritual power of improv and what she's learned about love.

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    37 min
  • Zadie Smith lives more in the world than on the page

    Zadie Smith lives more in the world than on the page
    Mar 6 2025
    London today is very different from the one Zadie Smith grew up in and the one she wrote about in her debut novel "White Teeth." That is just one of the things Smith is grappling with 25 years after her best-selling book's debut. She talks to Rachel about the difficulty of revisiting the first few pages of "White Teeth," the wisdom only teenagers possess, and fighting despair with crème brûlée.

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    38 min
  • Bowen Yang thinks being present is overrated (encore)

    Bowen Yang thinks being present is overrated (encore)
    Feb 27 2025
    This week we're revisiting our episode with comedian Bowen Yang. The "SNL" cast member and "Las Culturistas" podcast co-host had a big year between being in the film adaptation of "Wicked" and the "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary special. He talked with Rachel last spring about living too much in the present, the risks of being real and why the afterlife will definitely have roller coasters.

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    29 min
  • Natalie Morales is trying to shake the "should"

    Natalie Morales is trying to shake the "should"
    Feb 20 2025
    When Natalie Morales was a kid growing up in Miami, she didn't just have a mango stand, she ran an entire mango monopoly. She's dreamed big ever since, finding success as an actor ("Parks and Recreation," "No Hard Feelings") and director ("Language Lessons," "Plan B"). She chats with Rachel about her new film, "My Dead Friend Zoe" and the important life lesson she learned from her dog, Taco.

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    34 min
  • Ronny Chieng is still chasing the perfect joke

    Ronny Chieng is still chasing the perfect joke
    Feb 13 2025
    Comedian Ronny Chieng's original path wasn't to become a correspondent on "The Daily Show." Plan A was to be a lawyer in Australia. But when he couldn't get a job in law, he turned to comedy as a backup. He talks to Rachel about his path to success and how he's more like his parents than he realized. His new stand-up special is "Ronny Chieng: Love to Hate It."

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    30 min
  • Ke Huy Quan is still proving he's good enough

    Ke Huy Quan is still proving he's good enough
    Feb 6 2025
    Ke Huy Quan was born in Vietnam, but his family fled the country and eventually settled in the U.S. as refugees. Not long after arriving, Quan was cast in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "The Goonies." He then struggled for years until "Everything Everywhere All at Once" came along. Quan talks to Rachel about his new action film, "Love Hurts," self doubt and love at first sight.

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    32 min
  • Jesse Eisenberg sprinkles trouble throughout his day

    Jesse Eisenberg sprinkles trouble throughout his day
    Jan 30 2025
    Jesse Eisenberg plays characters who spend a lot of time in their heads grappling with anxiety, fear and insecurity. You can see it in "The Squid and the Whale," "Zombieland" and his latest film, the Oscar-nominated "A Real Pain." He chats with Rachel about how anxiety plays into his own life, as well as his unique use of ChatGPT, his pro basketball aspirations and the virtues of true boredom.

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    40 min
  • Michael Shannon thinks you look ridiculous when you shout

    Michael Shannon thinks you look ridiculous when you shout
    Jan 23 2025
    Michael Shannon grew up a kid of divorced parents, shuttling between Kentucky and Illinois and never quite fitting in. In his conversation with Rachel, the "The Shape of Water" and "Boardwalk Empire" star discusses his experience being a "loner" in childhood, and finding solace in the music of R.E.M. and acting. He also discusses how his directorial debut, "Eric Larue," brought out his inner child.

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    34 min