From BoJack to Batman, Will Arnett has made a name for himself with his signature baritone voice. This week the beloved ‘SmartLess’ co-host joins us to talk easy.

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We begin with his latest role in Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? (6:35), the real-life story that inspired the personal project (10:53), and how making it reconnected Arnett to his early years as a young, jobbing actor in New York City (13:24). Then, we discuss Arnett’s first voiceover gigs (18:16), finding his way in his early 30s (22:50), and the thrill of collaborating with creator Mitch Hurwitz on Arrested Development (27:08).

On the back-half, he shares some lessons in failure (38:19), coming to terms with criticism (41:00), his family’s heartfelt reaction to the new film (50:00), the joys of co-hosting SmartLess alongside Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes (53:00), and the kind of work he plans to make next (55:54).

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Patti Smith has been hailed as the Godmother of Punk, the people’s poet, a defining voice of her generation. She’s been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She won a National Book Award for Just Kids. Last fall, she published her most intimate memoir to date, Bread of Angels.

Act I: In Sickness and In Health

We discuss Patti’s early creative awakenings in South Jersey (5:00), discovering Bob Dylan at sixteen (15:50), and the summer job that inspired her infamous poem, Piss Factory (20:00).

Act II: Coming to New York

Then, we walk through her nomadic years with Robert Mapplethorpe in-and-out-of the Chelsea Hotel (31:30), her run-in with the Rolling Thunder Revue (36:30), the whirlwind of making her debut album Horses (40:00), and why she left it all behind (46:00).

Act III: Curtain Call

To close, she talks about giving voice to those whose time was cut short (50:15), her tireless desire and commitment to evolve as an artist (53:30), and the protests and politics that have shaped some of her best and most urgent work to date (55:40).

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gwyneth Paltrow, now and forever, reigns supreme.

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We discuss her return to acting in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme (7:45), the personal parallels that shaped her portrayal of 1930s movie star Kay Stone (8:00), and memories of her early years at the Williamstown Theatre Festival (12:14). Then, Paltrow reflects on the “fast-moving train” that followed her breakout roles in Se7en, Hard Eight, and Emma (30:05), the sexism she encountered in Hollywood (32:35), and how her sense of self shifted after winning the Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love at just twenty-six (35:00).

On the back-half, we revisit the making of The Royal Tenenbaums (41:40), her decision to step away from acting to build Goop (49:30), why she continues to advocate for wellness practices today (57:30), and what she imagines the next chapter of her life and work might hold (1:00:18).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at talkeasypod@gmail.com.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.