Best Laura Dern Podcasts (2024)

1
Laura Dern and Jayme Lemons Talk “Palm Royale,” Nepotism and Taylor Swift 31:51

29d ago31:51

31:51

On this episode of WrapWomen’s “UnWrapped” Podcast, “Palm Royale” star Laura Dern and her producing partner Jayme Lemons discuss their new series “Palm Royale,” career highlights and the joys of their work. Dern also opens up working with her father Bruce Dern on the new AppleTV+ series and discusses her friendship with Taylor Swift, including her …

1
Melissa Benoist Talks Voting & Reproductive Rights 35:47

1h ago35:47

35:47

In an election year, actress Melissa Benoist is taking her activism to the screen, and begging voters to, well, vote. “The Girls on The Bus” star also talks women’s rights, motherhood and therapy. She also takes a walk down memory lane reminiscing on past projects such as “Glee” and “Supergirl.”

1
Marc Wanamaker 57:53

6h ago57:53

57:53

Marc Wanamaker is a walking encyclopedia of Hollywood legends and lore. He grew up in the community and soon realized there was history all around him. He began to amass a collection of rare photographs which eventually numbered in the thousands. Marc has been an invaluable resource for authors, scholars, documentarians, and even the movie studios …

1
Episode 82: The end of Obama and Biden’s love affair with Iran. Censorship and the media who loves it. 17:16

3d ago17:16

17:16

Iran shows it’s not very good at making war. Journalist Catherine Herridge demands press freedom while the press demands censorship.

1
Revisiting Clint Howard 44:11

7d ago44:11

44:11

If you only think of Clint Howard as Ron Howard’s kid brother, it’s time to reassess. He and his older sibling recently wrote a joint autobiography called The Boys which explains their loving relationship and points to their actor-parents as lifelong role models. Early on, Clint embraced his destiny as a young-ish character actor. There’s almost no…

1
Brittany Snow Digs In on Making Her Directorial Debut With ‘Parachute’ and the Emotions That Came With It 36:23

14d ago36:23

36:23

On this episode of “UnWrapped,” actress Brittany Snow opens-up about reliving her experience with an eating disorder and self-harm while directing her new film “Parachute.” Snow talks about creating a safe environment on set and what she is working on with her therapist to take care of her mental health. The “John Tucker Must Die” actress also disc…

1
Frank Marshall 59:13

21d ago59:13

59:13

Frank Marshall’s chance meeting with Peter Bogdanovich launched a career that led to him producing Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Jurassic Park movies, among many others, often in partnership with his wife Kathleen Kennedy. Now he’s released a record album that returns him to the world his father Jack Marshall inhabited: a long-forgotten session feat…

1
Episode 81: Radical Republicans once saved the Union and can do it again. Netflix and China’s “Three-Body Problem. 15:52

24d ago15:52

15:52

The radical Republicans of the Civil War find a resurgence and voice in MAGA. The government of China and fictional extraterrestrials aren’t all that different in Netflix’s “The Three-Body Problem.”

1
Jacqueline West 1:01:48

28d ago1:01:48

1:01:48

Our guest is a five-time Oscar nominee for Best Costumes—most recently for Killers of the Flower Moon, although she is equally lauded for her work on Dune, parts 1 and 2. Her background in the fashion world, and as an art history major, gives her unique credentials for someone who provides costumes for movies. She also has world-class stories to sh…

1
Isabella Rossellini 32:11

1M ago32:11

32:11

Internationally renowned actress, model, and individualist Isabella Rossellini is charm personified. She has a supporting role in Alice Rohrwacher’s new import La Chimera,which opens in theaters March 29, and recently completed two seasons of Julia, playing Julia Child’s longtime friend and cooking colleague. She also carries with her the torch lit…

1
Frank Oz at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas 1:01:16

1M ago1:01:16

1:01:16

His alter egos are world-renowned, but Leonard and Jessie didn’t focus on Miss Piggy or Yoda in this conversation, recorded in front of a live audience at Esther’s Follies in Austin. The main topic was directing movies, which Oz has done so well for so many years: The Muppets Take Manhattan, Little Shop of Horrors, In & Out, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels…

1
Episode 80: SCOTUS blocks Colorado Supreme Court from election interference, puts Trump back on the ballot. 12:59

2M ago12:59

12:59

Election interference declared unconstitutional by US Supreme Court.

1
Revisiting Keith Carradine 59:55

2M ago59:55

59:55

In honor of the Academy Awards, we’re revisiting our 2017 interview with Keith Carradine, who won his Oscar for writing and performing the song “I’m Easy” in Robert Altman’s masterpiece Nashville (1975). Since we spoke, the actor has remained a familiar face on television as he and his siblings carry on the acting tradition that began with his prol…

1
Camila Mendes on Latinx Community Support, Mental Health, Producing and Stepping Into Her 30s 25:31

2M ago25:31

25:31

“Upgraded” star and executive producer Camila Mendes opens about the support she feels from Hollywood’s Latinx community, how she prioritizes mental health and what she’s looking forward to in her 30s – including taking on more roles behind the camera.

1
Revisiting James L. Brooks 57:58

2M ago57:58

57:58

Originally published Jun 10, 2021 From The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi to such movies as Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News and As Good as It Gets, writer-director-producer James L. Brooks has created quality entertainment for decades and has no intention of slowing down. He has served as mentor to the likes of Cameron Crowe and Wes Anderson an…

1
Episode 79: Citizen Trump scares NATO into paying its bills. 11:56

2M ago11:56

11:56

At a South Carolina rally speech, Trump tells NATO to pay their bills or Putin can have them.

1
Episode 78: Justice Department declares Joe Biden too senile to prosecute. 13:04

3M ago13:04

13:04

Justice Department says President Biden is too incompetent to stand trial for his illegal handling of top-secret government documents.

1
Cord Jefferson 49:24

3M ago49:24

49:24

Cord Jefferson is riding high as the Oscar-nominated writer and director of American Fiction, which has widely and properly been acclaimed as one of the best films of the past year. Even more exciting is the fact that Jefferson has never made a movie before. Leonard and Jessie enjoyed exploring the building blocks of his career that led to this ach…

1
Nick de Semlyen 59:40

3M ago59:40

59:40

As editor of Empire, Nick de Semlyen presides over the best film and television magazine in the English language: Empire. Every issue is jam-packed with deep-dive articles, interviews, set visits, and fun facts for both the fan and the aficionado. Nick has also written two excellent books examining American films of the 1980s: Wild and Crazy Guys a…

1
Episode 77: Climate change heroin Laura Dern reaches out to the dumb. UN workers joined Hamas in last October’s murder spree. 21:06

3M ago21:06

21:06

Actress Laura Dern says gentle coaxing can coopt climate dummies. United Nations relief workers joined Hamas in killing and kidnaping Israelis and Americans.

1
Episode 76: US Supremes and Biden mess with Texas. New Hampshire exit polls show voter belief that Biden stole the 2020 election is rising. 13:48

3M ago13:48

13:48

US Supreme Court rules to stop Texas using razor wire to stop invasion of the homeland. The media is worried that voters increasingly believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

1
Justin Chang 54:02

3M ago54:02

54:02

The senior film critic for the Los Angeles Times, Justin Chang is also a graduate of USC and took Leonard’s class—three times. Leonard takes no credit for Justin’s brilliance as an essayist or as a world-class punster. Jessie has known him her whole life and is also an unabashed fan. Just back from the Sundance Film Festival, Justin made time for u…

1
Episode 75: Revolting against the Revolting WEF. The art of a Hunter Biden scandal. 16:47

3M ago16:47

16:47

The revolution against the World Economic Forum. Hunter Biden’s artistic influence peddling.

1
Episode 74: Donald J. Trump, the once and future president. 15:28

3M ago15:28

15:28

Donald Trump dominates Iowa primary and virtually clinches the Republican presidential nomination.

1
Danielle Brooks 44:28

4M ago44:28

44:28

Our guest this week is now appearing on movie theater screens in The Color Purple, recreating the role of Sofia that she originated in the Broadway revival. But as you’ll hear, that is just her latest achievement in an ever-growing body of work on stage, screen and television. Fans of Orange is the New Black knew her as Taystee, and followers of th…

1
Episode 73: A few names surface belonging to Jeffery Epstein’s pedophile ring. 2023 proved a good year for Congressional insider trading. 16:53

4M ago16:53

16:53

Jeffery Epstein and his pedophile friends are back in the news. Members of Congress say goodbye to a profitable year of insider trading.

1
Sam Wasson 1:03:54

4M ago1:03:54

1:03:54

Sam Wasson has become one of the finest Hollywood historians of our time, and also one of the most productive. His newest book, The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story is not a conventional biography but an insightful analysis of the formidable filmmaker. It joins Sam’s earlier books on Blake Edwards, Paul Mazursky, and the making of Bre…

1
Episode 72: Harvard University’s antisemitic President Claudine Gay resigns. The New York Times says Microsoft’s killer AI is after them. 14:45

4M ago14:45

14:45

Bending to pressure, Harvard University’s antisemitism undoes President Claudine Gay. The New York Times fears Artificial Intelligence is a better liar than the old gray lady.

1
Episode 71: Colorado Supremes attack American Democracy. Trump’s language compared to, who else, Hitler’s. 17:21

4M ago17:21

17:21

Colorado Supreme Court says it must kill democracy to save it. Trump’s frank, unfiltered language is compared to German Dictator Adolf Hitler.

1
Episode 70: Hunter Biden blames MAGA, not crack. New Capitol Hill sex scandal. 18:08

4M ago18:08

18:08

As the walls close in, Hunter Biden attacks MAGA for his downfall. Senate aide plays cornhole in historic hearing room.

1
Patricia Clarkson 1:07:13

4M ago1:07:13

1:07:13

Any film that includes Patricia Clarkson in its cast has the cinematic equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. She is that good, that committed, that versatile. Her credits run the gamut from well-loved indies like Lars and the Real Girl, The Station Agent and Dogville to mainstream hits like The Untouchables and TV series, including …

1
Episode 69: Ivy League presidents need context to condemn antisemitism. 12:31

5M ago12:31

12:31

Three university presidents have a hard time condemning campus antisemitism.

1
Geena Davis 56:39

5M ago56:39

56:39

Oscar-winning actress, mother, championship archer, film festival director, memoirist, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media…Geena Davis has many hats but wears them lightly. The star of such enduring films as Beetlejuice, A League of their Own, and Thelma & Louise is a cut-up at heart, as Leonard and Jessie quickly learned. It’s …

1
Episode 68: What Jussie Smollett teaches us about media hoaxes. Yawn, the media compares Trump to Hitler… again. 23:10

5M ago23:10

23:10

An Illinois appellate court upholds Jussie Smollett’s conviction for staging a fake hate crime. With Trump rising against Biden in the polls, the mainstream media dusts off its hysterical Hitler comparisons.

1
David Keith 52:02

5M ago52:02

52:02

David Keith has been out of the spotlight in recent years but when he hit it big in An Officer and a Gentleman he became a hot property. Many movies followed, including The Lords of Discipline, Firestarter, Heartbreak Hotel (in which he played Elvis Presley), and The Indian in the Cupboard, to name just a few. He’s kept busy doing episodic televisi…

1
Episode 67: Populism is on the rise in the Western World. Sorry Dems and GOP, MAGA is here to stay. 28:38

5M ago28:38

28:38

Elections in Europe and South America show the rise of populism. Republican elites fear America may abandon the phony left/right debate in favor of MAGA populism.

1
Paul Raci 42:44

5M ago42:44

42:44

A lifetime of acting, mostly on stage, finally paid off for Paul Raci when he earned an Oscar nomination for a part he was born to play in Sound of Metal. It has changed the trajectory of his career, and he is happy to talk about working with Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Lopez, and Colman Domingo on recent projects. But what Leonard and Jessie took away …

1
Melvin Gregg 37:22

5M ago37:22

37:22

If you weren’t among the seven million people watching Melvin Gregg’s 7-second Vine videos online you may know him from such films and TV shows as Nine Perfect Strangers and the brand-new feature Share alongside Bradley Whitford and Alice Braga, now available on VOD. His acting ambitions brought him to Hollywood but unlike other young, struggling t…

1
Episode 66: What Hamas teaches us about democracy. Obama continues to show he has no moral compass. 15:27

6M ago15:27

15:27

Hamas, like the Nazis, gives us a lesson on the evils of democracy. Meanwhile, President Obama gives the world a lesson on moral idiocy.

1
Tony Anselmo 1:01:47

6M ago1:01:47

1:01:47

Tony Anselmo’s face may not be familiar, but the whole world knows his voice—that is, when he speaks as his alter ego, Donald Duck! Tony inherited this unique job from its creator, Clarence Nash, and he feels very protective of the famously furious mallard. He is also a graduate of Cal Arts and has been an animator at the Walt Disney studio since 1…

1
Episode 65: House Republicans find smoking gun in Biden pay for play scandal. 15:33

6M ago15:33

15:33

GOP gets its smoking gun in Biden family bribery scandal. Hunter Biden writes an op-ed saying his China deals, dummy corporations, money laundering, and payments to The Big Guy are the fault of drug addiction and mean right-wingers.

1
Elizabeth Daley 57:43

6M ago57:43

57:43

Elizabeth Daley has served as the Dean of the USC School for Cinematic Arts for 30 years, which means she’s been Leonard’s boss for 25 of those years. Leonard and Jessie realized that they’d never sat and just talked to her for an hour—until now. Elizabeth studied theater and migrated to television early in her career, then answered the call from a…

1
Episode 64: Pro-Hamas voter confronts Senator John Fetterman. Is diversity through immigration a sound policy with those who do not share American values? 17:36

6M ago17:36

17:36

Can Democrats continue to support Israel while pushing deadly identity politics? FBI Director Wray drops White supremacy narrative, admits domestic threat from Islamic terror “at a whole other level.”

1
Episode 63: Global support grows for neo-Nazi terrorist organization Hamas. 10:00

6M ago10:00

10:00

Terrorist organization Hamas gains anti-Semitic support around the world and the United State.

1
John Landis 1:03:39

6M ago1:03:39

1:03:39

Just in time for Halloween, we reconnected with director and film aficionado John Landis for a wide-ranging, clearly spontaneous conversation about horror films past and present. John’s Halloween bona fides: he directed An American Werewolf in London, the underappreciated Innocent Blood, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, about which Jessie was partic…

1
Episode 62: Israel declares total war on Hamas. The Washington swamp demands America accept Palestinian refugees. 9:53

6M ago9:53

9:53

Hamas and its supporters continue Hitler’s genocide. Is it wise to allow Palestinian refugees into America?

1
Revisiting Bruce Campbell 50:33

7M ago50:33

50:33

The actor you know and love from the Evil Dead movies was an animated guest when Leonard and Jessie spoke to him in front of a lively audience at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas back in 2016.

1
Revisiting Gilbert Gottfried 59:31

7M ago59:31

59:31

Having just wrapped Fantastic Fest 2023, Leonard and Jessie are thinking about past experiences at this unique gathering in Austin, Texas. Step back six years to enjoy an episode recorded at the Alamo Drafthouse Lamar’s lively Highball Lounge with the late, great comedian Gilbert Gottfried. He was one of a kind, and so is this raucous hour-long int…

1
Greg Nava 1:07:10

7M ago1:07:10

1:07:10

Writer-director Greg Nava made his reputation with the unforgettable 1983 film El Norte, and then gave the world an exceptional musical biopic, Selena. He is happy to recount the stories behind those memorable films for Leonard, who witnessed El Norte’s breakout screening at the Telluride Film Festival, and Jessie, who has committed Selena to memor…