Michael Keenan was my partners (Deborah Ann Woll) teacher at USC many years ago. Now Michael is retired and living outside Los Angeles in an assisted living facility. We talk about his life as a teacher, the decision to retire, having Parkinson

182: Opus Moreschi returns - head writer Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert Report, Trophy Wife

Oct 28th, 2019 1h 22m

Opus Moreschi and I met up in Brooklyn, NY and talked about everything from getting appendicitis in another country, doing comedy bits with Bill Murray and Mark Hamill, Emmy wins and losses, I talk about my half marathon run on Antarctica, and

181: Jim Parrack - actor True Blood, Fury, Suicide Squad, The Deuce

Jul 21st, 2019 2h 47m

SCRATCH the SURFACE is BACK!! I took a very long hiatus. Thanks for checking back in! Jim Parrack had me over his apartment in Brooklyn where we caught up after not seeing each other for about 5 years. We talk about politics, religion, sobriety

180: Joanne Whalley - actress Marvels Daredevil, Willow, The Borgias, Wolf Hall, Gossip Girl, The Man Who Knew Too Little, The Singing Detective

Nov 20th, 2018 1h 52m

Joanne Whalley sat with me to do her very first podcast ever! We talk about acting as a child, her parents divorce, meeting her husband Val Kilmer on the set of Willow, getting divorced several years later, their relationship today, having two

179: Matt Gerald - actor Marvels Daredevil, Avatar, Escape Plan, Rampage, San Andreas, The Shield

Nov 18th, 2018 1h 41m

Matt Gerald is an actor who discovered what he wanted later than other actors, but he is still in the biggest movie of all time; Avatar! We talk about his shift of careers in his 20's, his parents divorce and how that affected him, his fathers

178: Ayelet Zurer - actress Marvels Daredevil, Munich, Angels and Demons, In Treatment

Nov 15th, 2018 1h 19m

Ayelet Zurer plays Vanessa on Marvels Daredevil on Netflix. She talks with me about coming from Israel, having a mom that was on the run from Nazis and had to hide and live in a convent, working with Vincent D'Onofrio on Daredevil, getting to w

177: Deborah Ann Woll returns! actress Karen Page on Marvels Daredevil, Dungeons and Dragons, Escape Room

Nov 6th, 2018 1h 12m

Deborah Ann Woll is my favorite guest and my girlfriend! I asked her to return to the podcast to talk about the new season of Daredevil which is getting fantastic feedback and reviews, and this is probably her biggest season for her character.

176: Erik Oleson show runner of Marvels Daredevil, writer on Arrow, Man in the High Castle

Nov 4th, 2018 2h 1m

Erik Oleson is the newest show runner of Marvels Daredevil on Netflix. We have a very in-depth talk about the new season, how he got the job, how he staffs a writers room, his challenges of talking three seasons of television and keeping it in

175: Jay Ali - actor Marvel's Daredevil, The Fosters

Nov 2nd, 2018 1h 9m

Jay Ali is in the newest season of Daredevil and comes to the house to discuss being from England, having parents from Pakistan, moving to Los Angeles to be an actor with no training and no experience, having a son that lives in the UK, what he

174: Jon Barinholtz - actor Superstore, The Oath, The Mindy Project

Oct 31st, 2018 1h 18m

Jon Barinholtz came over to discuss being in the new film THE OATH directed and written by his brother Ike Barinholtz. We talk about working on the NBC show Superstore, being directed by his brother, working on the reboot of MadTV, his friendsh

173: Vincent D'Onofrio - actor Full Metal Jacket, Marvel's Daredevil, The Judge, Men In Black, Jurassic World, Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Oct 22nd, 2018 2h 22m

Vincent D'Onofrio is one of the best and hardest working actors today. He was kind enough to meet up with me in Brooklyn, NY and talk with me about all aspects of his life and career. We talked about his upbringing and his difficult relationshi

172: Elden Henson (second visit) - actor from Marvels Daredevil on Netflix

Oct 19th, 2018 56m 45s

Elden Henson kindly met up with me for a second interview in Brooklyn, NY. We talked Daredevil, being a kid actor, getting divorced, being a dad, the ups and downs of acting, and so much more!!! Please Listen! Please Share! Please Enjoy! Twitte

171: Emily Candini - improviser Annoyance Theater, iO Chicago

Oct 18th, 2018 1h 16m

Emily Candini and I met in Chicago several years ago. Emily and I talk about her current health issues that are stumping doctors, losing her father to alcoholism, getting sober herself a few years ago, her love of dogs, dating, sexuality, her f

170: Sarah Gee - improvisor/teacher The Second City, iO Chicago and iO West

Oct 18th, 2018 1h 30m

Sarah Gee was one of my first improv coaches in Los Angeles. She's lived quite a life since she moved out of LA several years ago. We talk about her life and how she got started as a performer, her experience in Chicago, joining Second City tou

169: Michael C. McCarthy writer/actor SNL, Sesame Street, Second City, The Drew Carey Show

Oct 16th, 2018 1h 51m

Michael McCarthy was one of my first teachers in Los Angeles when I moved here in 2003. He taught Sitcom Writing. These days he is fighting a battle against cancer. He was kind enough to make some time to talk with me when I was visiting Chicag

168: Tanya Wright - actress Orange is the New Black, True Blood, The Cosby Show, 24

Oct 15th, 2018 1h 16m

Tanya Wright and I had a great chat about a lot of very interesting topics such as creating her own hair care products, hosting her own podcast, working with Dave Chappelle before he was the juggernaut he is now, how Malcolm Jamal Warner got he

167: Raelle Tucker - showrunner Sacred Lies, writer/producer True Blood, Jessica Jones, The Returned, Supernatural

Oct 14th, 2018 1h 53m

Raelle Tucker joins me for an in-depth conversation about her fascinating life. We talk about being raised in Ibiza, doing drugs, the loss of her father, moving to the US by herself at a young age, being a stripper for several years, falling in

166: Ike Barinholtz - actor/writer Mindy Project, Blockers, Neighbors, Central Intelligence, Suicide Squad, MadTV

Oct 9th, 2018 1h 19m

Ike Barinholtz and I met at iO West about 15 years ago. I was already a fan of his from MadTV and he was an incredible improviser. He was kind enough to come to the house and chat with me about comedy, improv, writing, directing, and starring i

165: Fred Melamed - actor from Lady Dynamite, The Spy Who Dumped Me, A Serious Man, Casual

Aug 6th, 2018 2h 5m

Fred Melamed has nearly 100 acting credits on IMDB and we talked about some of them when he came over to the house and sat at the kitchen table. We talk about sexual politics in Hollywood, working with Woody Allen and his thoughts about what ha

164: Jerry Minor - actor/improviser SNL, Key and Peele, Arrested Development, UCB

Aug 6th, 2018 2h 15m

Jerry Minor has some fascinating stories from an amazing life. I was a fan of his comedy and didn't know the life he has lead before I invited him on the show. Jerry and I talk about his early life as a Jehovas witness, how is was shunned from

163: Derek Miller - actor/improviser Transformers, Scrubs, The Goldbergs, Opening Night: The Improvised Musical

Jul 26th, 2018 1h 2m

Derek Miller was one of my very first improv coaches in 2004 in Los Angeles. He and his family are moving to London, England and I wanted to have a chat before he left. We talk acting, Chicago, family, ups and downs of the business, improv, imp

162: Chris Claremont - legendary comic book writer for Marvel's X-Men

Jul 26th, 2018 1h 59m

Chris Claremont has been writing comic books for around 50 years!! He has written some of the most influential and memorable X-Men comics ever!! He had me over to his home where we talked about his long history and influence in comics. We talke

161: Two Blind Brothers - Bryan and Bradford Manning

Jul 1st, 2018 1h 23m

Bryan and Bradford Manning were told they were going blind from an eye disease called Stargardt Disease when they were kids. I met up with them in NYC and talked with them about learning at an early age about their disease, what it was like gro

160: Brian Stack - writer/actor/improviser Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Jun 19th, 2018 1h 57m

Brian Stack was kind enough to talk with me at his office in NYC where he writes for the Stephen Colbert Late Show on CBS. We talk about a lot of things including working for Conan O'Brien for 20 years and what was it like to leave him, the Chi

159: John Lutz - actor/writer/improviser from SNL, 30 Rock, Late Night with Seth Myers

May 30th, 2018 1h 27m

John Lutz was very kind in letting me interview him while I was visiting New York at his work in 30 Rockefeller Plaza. We talk about a lot of stuff including working on SNL, what it was like dealing with host Donald J Trump several years before