Geffen Playhouse Unscripted
105 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 65 ratingsJoin us back stage for in-depth conversations with some of today's most compelling creative voices. Hosted by acclaimed actor, Rory O'Malley, Unscripted explores the art and craft of live storytelling, the creative process, professional milestones, and personal challenges that have helped shaped an artist's life and career.
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Episodes
John Ross Bowie
April 18, 2018 07:00 - 41 minutes - 19.1 MBActor John Ross Bowie joins guest host Dana Delany to talk about his performance in “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” running at the Garry Marshall Theater, coming from UCB, his show “Speechless” on ABC opening his eyes to accessibility, writing a Deep Focus on “Heathers”, and his theater and acting background.
Kimberly Hébert Gregory
April 11, 2018 07:00 - 48 minutes - 22.2 MBActress Kimberly Hébert Gregory and Daniel discuss her work on “Kevin Probably Saves the World”, constantly looking for representation in the arts, toppling the patriarchy, women in Hollywood needing to stand together, the difference between “leaf” and “root” conversations, and how she takes care of herself.
Melanie Field
April 04, 2018 07:00 - 29 minutes - 13.5 MBGil Cates Jr. fills in for Daniel to talk with actress Melanie Field about her upcoming show at the Geffen, “Significant Other”. She also discusses when she decided to pursue acting, her favorite playwrights and dream projects, what LA is like as a theater town, and the upcoming “Heathers” reboot.
Tony Goldwyn
March 28, 2018 07:00 - 16.3 MBLegendary actor and political activist Tony Goldwyn joins Daniel to talk about the emotional week of finishing Scandal, the evolution of his career amongst movies and television, directing for the show, the importance of being an ally, engaging people with different mindsets into conversation, and trying to live in a polarized society.
Loretta Devine
March 21, 2018 07:00 - 42 minutes - 19.5 MBActress Loretta Devine sits down with Daniel to talk about hobbies to help her stay focused when acting, working with Michael Bennett on Dreamgirls, working on “Chapter and Verse” with Daniel, the impact her mom had on her, and the role artists have to play in our country today.
Tituss Burgess
March 14, 2018 07:00 - 41 minutes - 19 MBActor Tituss Burgess joins new Unscripted host Daniel Beaty to talk about his love of cooking, the challenge of working with an impatient world, being in couple’s therapy with the theater, landing a part on 30 Rock when he was facing eviction, and making a promise with God that later turned into landing “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
Daniel Beaty
March 07, 2018 09:00 - 30 minutes - 14 MBActor, writer, singer, activist (and your next Unscripted host!) Daniel Beaty joins John to talk about selling only one ticket to a show, moving an audience mentally and emotionally, giving a voice to the voiceless, his non-profit “I Dream”, and working hard to see a diverse America represented in art. You can find Daniel on instagram @danielbbeaty.
Heather Graham
February 28, 2018 09:00 - 25 minutes - 11.6 MBActress Heather Graham joins John to talk about her new film “Half Magic”, the difficulty in making a female focused film, its importance today, and what's coming up.
Charlize Theron and Kweku Mandela
February 21, 2018 09:00 - 57 minutes - 26.4 MBCharlize Theron and House of Mandela Family Foundation Co-Founder Kweku Mandela talk with guest host Soledad O'Brien to kick off a yearlong series of events in honor of Nelson Mandela. They discuss #MeToo, equal pay in Hollywood, the importance of millennials in the future, and that 2018 will be a year of love and not division.
Saffron Burrows
February 14, 2018 09:00 - 30 minutes - 14.1 MBActress Saffron Burrows comes straight from rehearsal to join John and discuss her new one woman play, “Jackie Unveiled”, what a wonderful challenge it is, how to discover new challenges, and understanding that the joy of acting isn’t just portraying devastation.
Judd Hirsch
February 08, 2018 09:00 - 40 minutes - 18.5 MBActor Judd Hirsch joins John to talk about his long acting career, the hilarious limits of working on TV in the 70’s, doing voiceover, acting as living truthfully and not lying, not being right for anything but acting, going from Broadway to England, and working consistently for 56 years.
Marin Ireland
January 24, 2018 09:00 - 43 minutes - 19.9 MBActress Marin Ireland sits down with John to talk about her current play at the Geffen, “Ironbound”, developing HR for the Arts to help deal with harassment in the industry, misrepresentation in entertainment, and the feeling of coming in to save a show at the last minute.
Paul Sparks
January 17, 2018 09:00 - 36 minutes - 16.5 MBActor Paul Sparks sits down with John to talk about the challenge of the TCA’s, the new miniseries “Waco”, accidentally falling in love with acting, working and his upcoming play “Zoo Story”.
Harry Lennix
January 10, 2018 09:00 - 37 minutes - 17.2 MBActor Harry Lennix joins John to talk about meeting his wife during his critically acclaimed Broadway debut, directing for the theater, the relevance of black playwrights today, the importance of agitating the status quo, and his exciting upcoming projects.
2017 Year in Review
January 03, 2018 09:00 - 32 minutes - 14.9 MBGeffen Playhouse Unscripted brings you its 2017 year in review. The best of the best of our guests including Matt Shakman, Alfred Molina, Bryan Cranston, David Copperfield, Josh Gad, Lisa Lampanelli, Rainn Wilson, Jason and Yvonne Lee, Anna Chlumsky, Ginnifer Goodwin and Allen Leech, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Matt Walsh, and Lois Smith.
Jessica Goldberg
December 27, 2017 09:00 - 35 minutes - 16.5 MBHulu’s “The Path” creator and showrunner Jessica Goldberg joins John to talk about what life is like as a writer, her beginnings as a playwright, seeing her first Broadway play, the writers that have influenced her, and how her show has affected its real-life viewers.
Omar Metwally
December 20, 2017 09:00 - 35 minutes - 16.2 MBActor Omar Metwally joins John to talk about the shocking finale of Mr. Robot, beginning his film career with Steven Spielberg, his time on Broadway, performing a 35 minute monologue, and how he prepares for a role.
Michael Emerson
December 13, 2017 09:00 - 31 minutes - 14.4 MBActor Michael Emerson joins John Horn via Skype to talk about his young departure and rediscovery of acting, finding himself in Shakespeare, the excitement of acting challenges, working on LOST, Arrow, and figuring out how to do theater vs television.
Michael Cerveris
December 06, 2017 09:00 - 42 minutes - 19.3 MBJohn talks with actor Michael Cerveris about his getting started in second grade in a Brecht play, falling in love with acting, going to Exeter, picking up the guitar, and taking a chance on "The Who’s Tommy". Plus, why he's donning a pig mask for Fox's "Gotham".
Lin-Manuel Miranda
November 29, 2017 09:00 - 48 minutes - 22.3 MBJohn Horn sits down at the Geffen Playhouse with Lin-Manuel Miranda to talk about relief for Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, some of his recent work to raise awareness for the people of Puerto Rico, as well as field questions from the audience.
Best of Geffen Playhouse Unscripted
November 22, 2017 09:01 - 31 minutes - 14.3 MBTake a look back at our top three favorite conversations this year. We heard about Josh Gad's inability to remember his lines and music cues in Book of Mormon, Bryan Cranston's view and advice on how to persevere as an actor, and Dana Delany's perspective on choosing jobs based on want versus need. All that coming up on Geffen Playhouse Unscripted.
Wayne Brady
November 15, 2017 09:01 - 37 minutes - 17.2 MBWayne Brady joins John over Skype to talk about getting started as a performer in a theme park, the difference between focusing on the celebrity as opposed to the craft, being the Wayne that everyone knows vs. the Wayne he really is, how improv changed his career, auditioning for Hamilton, and the importance of breaking the rules.
Scott Sanders
November 08, 2017 09:01 - 41 minutes - 19.1 MBBroadway, film, and TV producer Scott Sanders joins Gil in studio to talk about his new art of recreating Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes, working for Peter Guber, casting celebrities on Broadway, the upcoming "In The Heights" movie, and working with Oprah to co-produce The Color Purple.
Carly Hughes
November 02, 2017 08:01 - 34 minutes - 15.9 MBAmerican Housewife's Carly Hughes joins John in studio to talk about the challenges of working as an understudy, working as part of an ensemble cast, seeing her first Broadway play, the importance of being honest and real on the stage, and not knowing she was making her debut until 2 hours before curtain.
Beth Behrs
October 25, 2017 08:01 - 31 minutes - 14.5 MBActress Beth Behrs joins John in studio to talk about her time at UCLA and working at the Geffen Playhouse, booking 2 Broke Girls while working there and what the show experience was like, showing Gil Cates Sr. a copy of American Pie 7, and writing her book The Total ME-Tox.
Ahna O'Reilly
October 18, 2017 08:01 - 37 minutes - 17.1 MBActress Ahna O'Reilly joins John to talk about "Herpes Boy", one of her favorite projects, dealing with rejection, the danger of reading reviews, what happens when your scene partner isn't giving you enough, and working alongside powerhouses in "The Help."
Geneva Carr
October 11, 2017 08:01 - 40 minutes - 18.6 MBActress Geneva Carr joins John to talk about her beginning on Wall Street, getting started on Broadway, her work in Hand to God, the thing that sustains you if you want to act, and her work in shows like Law and Order and Bull.
Mark Jackson
October 04, 2017 08:01 - 31 minutes - 14.3 MBActor Mark Jackson talks with John about his recent life living in LA, his new show The Orville, going to Comic Con for the first time, growing up on the island of Borneo, how he decided to become an actor, and forgetting his lines in War Horse.
Matt Shakman
September 27, 2017 08:01 - 27 minutes - 12.7 MBGeffen Playhouse artistic director Matt Shakman joins John Horn to talk about the plays hes directed there, his TV directing work, starting as a young actor, working with actors, and the difference between working in TV and working in the theater.
Lisa Lampanelli
September 20, 2017 08:01 - 40 minutes - 18.3 MBQueen of the mean and lean Lisa Lampanelli joins John Horn to talk about her new play, doing something other than comedy, the difficulty of writing characters who are not herself, being inspired by comics like Don Rickles, and making fun of Donald Trump.
Yvonne Huff Lee and Jason Delane Lee
September 13, 2017 08:01 - 44 minutes - 20.4 MBWife and husband team Yvonne Huff Lee and Jason Delane Lee join John Horn to talk about Yvonne's new film Lucky, investing in projects by looking at it through the actors lens, giving a voice to actors of color, and how the power of the art of story can change our present day political climate.
Tate Ellington
September 06, 2017 08:01 - 47 minutes - 21.6 MBGil and actor Tate Ellington sit down to talk about his new show The Brave, when he knew he wanted to pursue acting, his work as a painter, his love for the theater, and the joy in independent films.
Lois Smith
August 30, 2017 08:01 - 30 minutes - 13.9 MBActress Lois Smith discusses her storied career from making her debut next to James Dean in East of Eden to her current work alongside John Hamm in Marjorie Prime, making the transition from the screen to the stage, and her advice for young actors looking to get their graduate degree in acting.
Anna Chlumsky
August 23, 2017 08:01 - 46 minutes - 21.1 MBActress Anna Chlumsky joins John to talk about the food writing career that didn't stick, rediscovering the passion for acting, hitting actor rock bottom, finding her way back to the stage, and her work in VEEP.
Joshua Henry
August 16, 2017 08:01 - 37 minutes - 17.1 MBHamilton star Joshua Henry joins John to talk about the plays run at the Pantages in Hollywood, his elementary school choir teacher opening the door for him to be a stage actor, how he got involved in Hamilton, his work in Violet and American Idiot, and combatting racism and prejudice with our art.
Ann Dowd
August 09, 2017 08:01 - 41 minutes - 18.9 MBActress Ann Dowd sits down with John to talk about the importance of what you want as a performer, the seriousness of the Russian rehearsal process, the importance of listening, when in an actors career can they say no, and how to stay grounded and in touch with yourself.
Betty Gilpin
August 02, 2017 08:01 - 36 minutes - 16.7 MBActress Betty Gilpin talks about her acting career, her new show GLOW, and some very unorthodox college training.
Norman Lear
July 26, 2017 08:01 - 33 minutes - 15.2 MBTV and Film Legend and now fellow Podcast One host Norman Lear joins guest host Gil Cates Jr. from the Geffen Playhouse to talk about the lesser spoken of Fried Green Tomatoes, Americas biggest product being the product of excess, the overwhelming landscape of television today, re-working One Day at a Time for modern day Latino sensibilities, and his feature in If Youre Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast.
Paul Dooley
July 19, 2017 08:01 - 32 minutes - 14.8 MBActor and Writer Paul Dooley joins John to talk about his one man show Movie Dad. Plus, how his career got started, working with Robert Altman and John Hughes, playing so many Dads in TV and movies and what that means to audiences, and his creating the electric company for PBS.
Ginnifer Goodwin and Allen Leech
July 12, 2017 08:01 - 32 minutes - 15 MBActors Ginnifer Goodwin and Allen Leech talk with John Horn about their show at the Geffen Constellations. How long does it take before they know they've hooked the audience? Do they ever tailor their performances to audience members? Plus, learn how they build the foundation for their characters and whats the best way to get back on track if you forget a line.
Alfred Molina
July 05, 2017 08:01 - 42 minutes - 19.5 MBActor Alfred Molina joins John in studio to talk about fooling the audience with his accent, some of his early lessons learned in becoming an actor, finding the joy in acting, when to say yes and when to say no, doing your homework vs using your imagination, working on Long Days Journey Into Night at the Geffen, and the intricacies of performing in a radio play.
Letters from a Nut
June 28, 2017 08:01 - 43 minutes - 19.8 MBThis week we are backstage at the Geffen Playhouse to talk with writer Ted L. Nancy aka Barry Marder, and actors Beth Kennedy and Sam Kwasman about the production of "Letters From a Nut by Ted L. Nancy". Learn their backgrounds and inspirations that go into this very funny show.
Michael Harney
June 21, 2017 08:01 - 34 minutes - 16 MBActor Michael Harney joins John Horn to discuss his enjoyment of the acting process, breaking boundaries, speaking the truth of our experiences, and his work as a play write and a teacher.
Ron Cephas Jones
June 14, 2017 08:01 - 28 minutes - 12.9 MBActor Ron Cephas Jones joins John to talk about his work on Luke Cage and streaming platforms, the importance of a good director, not being able to imagine anything outside of acting, and what the future holds.
Demetri Martin
June 07, 2017 08:01 - 38 minutes - 17.7 MBComedian Demetri Martin joins John Horn for a discussion about how he got started in stand up, what his previous life plan was, life's difficulties informing his present, the audience being part of his stand up presence, and the patience it takes to do stand up.
Keith Carradine
May 31, 2017 08:01 - 35 minutes - 16.2 MBActor and Musician Keith Carradine talks about his acting career starting with Hair on Broadway, moving back to Hollywood, working with Robert Altman, how film, TV, and theater acting crossover, and how actors can stay sharp. Plus, how does Madame Secretary seem to translate to our current political climate?
Dana Delany
May 24, 2017 08:01 - 26 minutes - 12 MBActress Dana Delany and host John Horn talk about her first feature film role, taking jobs on want vs need, her work as a voice over actress, the dream of playing Lois Lane, finally tackling Tennessee Williams, and where shes headed.
Bryan Cranston
May 17, 2017 08:01 - 34 minutes - 16 MBActor Bryan Cranston discusses being attracted to Police work prior to acting, not falling for the same acting trap as his father, his first junior college acting class, and when his love affair with acting first struck him. Plus, how Breaking Bad was a catapult for him, storytelling as his true occupation, and how fear motivates him.
Max Minghella
May 10, 2017 08:01 - 32 minutes - 14.8 MBActor Max Minghella joins John Horn to discuss his work on the new series Handmaid's Tale, growing up with parents in the industry, the play that made him fall in love with acting, learning to humiliate yourself to be an actor, and the importance of choosing your parts.
Matt Walsh
May 03, 2017 08:01 - 36 minutes - 16.7 MBUCB co-founder and Veep actor Matt Walsh joins John Horn to recollect on bad auditions, getting his career started, good vs. bad acting classes, the difficulty of stand up, and working on Veep.