Table for Two

During his youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jesse Tyler Ferguson quickly discovered his affinity for the performing arts. Upon joining a local theater group, he found the stage to be a place where he could express himself fully. And when an opportunity arose to travel to New York City as a teenager, Ferguson set his sights firmly on Broadway. His career took off—early Broadway roles included in On the Town and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee—meaning that Ferguson had little reason to give much thought to television. And yet, the script for a new sitcom, called Modern Family, resonated deeply with him—and, as it turned out, with millions of fans. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actor joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss his early years on the theater circuit, the moment he recognized his on-screen chemistry with Eric Stonestreet, and the philosophy behind his own restaurant-oriented podcast, Dinner’s On Me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the early 2010s, after spending a good deal of her career performing in stage productions such as Spamalot and A Little Night Music, Hannah Waddingham wanted to try something different: acting on screen. Although she’d previously had small film and television roles here and there, her background was in opera and theater. But what seemed like a considerable risk to her at the time paid off in a big way—in the intervening years she has appeared in Game of Thrones, Sex Education, and Ted Lasso (for which she won an Emmy). On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Waddingham joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss why she enjoys playing characters with a gruff exterior, her perspective on turning 50, and the moment she learned she landed a part in the forthcoming Mission: Impossible film.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Lee Daniels was eight years old, he came across a copy Edward Albee's Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf that featured a photograph of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on its cover. Flipping through the pages, Daniels realized that his purpose in life was to direct characters like those in the Albee's play. After years managing actors, Daniels had his directorial breakout in 2001 with Monster’s Ball, for which Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. As a producer, director, and screenwriter, Daniels has since turned out celebrated movies and television shows such as from Precious and Empire, and, most recently, the haunting thriller The Deliverance. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Daniels joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss how his experience as a gay man influences his work, how his adopted children saved his life, and the motivation behind a new cop procedural he’s currently writing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the mid-1970s, while touring a museum in his hometown of Paris, Christian Louboutin came across a sign that would alter the course of his entire life. Indicating that stiletto heels were banned on the premises, it depicted a pair of the shoes with a red “no” symbol over them. For Louboutin, the image sparked a fascination with shoe design that led to him sketching original prototypes as a young teenager, working in major fashion houses by 20, and opening his own salon in 1991. It wasn’t long after starting his shop that his classic red-soled stilettos were born—and since then, Louboutin’s distinctive footwear has been ever-present on runways, in movies and television shows, and on the shelves of high-end shops around the world. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the legendary designer joins host Bruce Bozzi and discusses his childhood in France, the moment he realized the extent of his success, and the current state of men’s fashion.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a child growing up in Barbados, Minnie Driver developed an affinity for the water—and her love for the beach and its restorative properties has only grown since. For Driver, recharging is necessary: since her breakthrough role in the 1997 classic Good Will Hunting, she’s starred in a slew of feature films (two of which are set to premiere at this year’s Toronto Film Festival) and television shows—the most recent being as Queen Elizabeth I in The Serpent Queen—and she hosts her own podcast, Minnie Questions. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actress sits down for lunch with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss why she gravitated towards the performing arts, what she thinks people overlook about Margot Robbie’s talent, and the ideology behind her podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether he’s directing a movie, cutting in the editing room, or grabbing a bite to eat, Paul Feig wears a suit. In his view, dressing well both helps him focus and create strong first impressions. But Feig's elegance is also a reflection of his highly detail-oriented nature. Behind the camera, Feig’s acute perception and keen eye for comedy—his favorite genre—has led to hits like Bridesmaids and A Simple Favor (which has a sequel on the way), and the opportunity to direct television shows like The Office, Mad Men, and Freaks and Geeks, which he created. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the filmmaker joins host Bruce Bozzi and discusses his early years giving tours at Universal Studios Hollywood, what he loves about horror films, and why directing 2016's Ghostbusters convinced him to never work on a remake again. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is there anyone who has weathered the chaos of Hollywood more gracefully than George Hamilton? After moving with his family from Memphis to California, Hamilton began his career in the movie industry in the 1950s. Over the following decades, he appeared in countless films and television shows, became a producer and entrepreneur, and developed a reputation for his charm, wit, and tan. Now 84 years old, Hamilton is as energetic as ever. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actor joins host Bruce Bozzi to recall rubbing shoulders with actors such as Fred Astaire and Cary Grant, divulge the secret to moving up Hollywood’s ladder, and reminisce on what it was like to date Lyndon Johnson’s daughter, Lynda, during her father’s presidency.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1999, after roasting Jerry Stiller to perfection at the Friars Club, Susie Essman got a phone call. It was an old friend of hers from the stand-up comedy circuit: Larry David. David wanted her on his new television series, Curb Your Enthusiasm. With no guarantee that she’d be a recurring cast member and little in the way of financial compensation, Essman joined the show as Susie Greene. Over the course of 24 years and 12 seasons, she became one of Curb's most popular characters. Whether foiling a scheme devised by Jeff Garlin (who plays Essman’s husband), trading jabs with Richard Lewis, or hurling insults at David, Essman’s raucous wit reliably steals the show. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actress and comedian joins host Bruce Bozzi and discusses her early years waitressing in New York City, the key to David’s genius, and how her perspective on life has shifted with age.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Duchovny believes he’s a writer at heart. And though the Golden Globe-winner has achieved a level of acting success that would seem to eclipse his proficiency in any other art form, he has a point. After developing a love of books in high school, Duchovny was off to Princeton, and then to Yale to pick up an M.A. in English Literature. All this before ever trying his hand at acting, and starring as the enthusiastic Fox Mulder in X-Files. Duchovny has also written five books, including one that grew into the new film Reverse the Curse, in which he also stars. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, he sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss his favorite authors, the three celebrities he had to introduce himself to, and the inspiration behind his podcast, Fail Better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s hard to forge your own path in Hollywood. It’s even more difficult to do so when your aunt is Julia Roberts, you rose to fame as a Nickelodeon star, and executives seem to think of you only in terms of one role: “the girl next door.” Emma Roberts faced all these challenges. But because of a single show (American Horror Story), and a single producer (Ryan Murphy) who saw untapped potential in her, Roberts was able to transition from child stardom into a wide-ranging career that has spanned over two decades. That she balances rolling out new projects—her latest, Space Cadet, comes out July 4th—with her book club, Belletrist, and raising a son makes it all the more impressive. On this episode of Table for Two, the actress joins host Bruce Bozzi and discusses how Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop inspired her, the importance of financial independence, and her lifelong love of reading.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Kristen Wiig, stage fright is an asset. It’s only when this feeling subsides—and a job or role feels comfortable—that she knows it’s time to push her boundaries. This is what led her to leave The Groundlings, an L.A.-based comedy troupe, to join Saturday Night Live, where over seven seasons she established herself as one of the most celebrated cast members in its history. It also drove her to move from live television to film, which she did with a hilarious flourish in Bridesmaids. Her recent role on the Apple TV+ series Palm Royale proves the point that Wiig always rises to the occasion. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actress, writer, and producer has lunch with host Bruce Bozzi and discusses her transition to the silver screen, the experience of working alongside Carol Burnett, and why Aunt Linda is one of her favorite S.N.L. characters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To perfectly capture the essence of a subject, director Sam Taylor-Johnson borrows a strategy used by method actors. The British filmmaker and photographer says she enters the character's headspace to better represent their feelings, emotions, and complexities. For this reason, Taylor-Johnson only seeks out projects she can viscerally connect to, which was the case with her new Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Taylor-Johnson sits down for lunch with host Bruce Bozzi and discusses the moment she knew Marisa Abela was the right choice to play Winehouse, the difficulties of navigating the movie industry as a woman, and how her poignant photographic portrait series of Hollywood stars, “Crying Men,” helped her come to terms with her second cancer diagnosis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Ellen Barkin was at Manhattan’s High School of Performing Arts, the aspiring actress's teachers thought she lacked the talent (and the looks) to succeed on stage. This slight drove Barkin to prove the skeptics wrong. After appearing in several off-Broadway plays, she broke into the mainstream in 1982 with Diner, which kickstarted a prodigious career in films such as The Big Easy and Sea of Love, as well as on television and on Broadway. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the Tony Award-winning actress sits down with host Bruce Bozzi and dives into her early years as a waitress in New York City, the lessons she learned from Robert Duvall, and why The Normal Heart was the most important professional experience of her career.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s difficult to imagine Jeff Goldblum anywhere but center stage—and no one is more aware of this than the actor himself, who has always had a clear sense of artistic purpose. With almost no plan of action, a teenage Goldblum took to New York City, and through the 1970s appeared in films directed by the likes of Robert Altman and Philip Kaufman. Later hits in what has become a five decade career came in The Big Chill, The Fly, and Jurassic Park—not to mention his four collaborations with Wes Anderson. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Goldblum joins host and AIR MAIL contributor Bruce Bozzi to further discuss his early years as an up-and-coming performer, as well as his longtime love of jazz piano and the joys of raising his two children, Charlie and River, alongside his wife Emilie Livingston.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up in Staten Island, Colin Jost hung around many of his mother’s colleagues at the New York City Fire Department. He quickly gained an appreciation for the power of laughter, even in grave circumstances. By middle school, Jost was doing David Letterman impressions for classmates, and less than a decade later, while enrolled at Harvard, he rose to the top of the masthead of the school's humor magazine, the Lampoon. Suffice it to say, Jost’s talents as a writer and performer were clear to all, and he routinely demonstrates this aptitude on S.N.L.’s Weekend Update, which he has co-hosted with Michael Che since 2014. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Jost joins host and AIR MAIL contributor Bruce Bozzi to reflect on his early days as a comedy writer, the comedians and actors who influenced him, and the joys of raising his son, Cosmo, alongside his wife, Scarlett Johansson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Mann thinks of directing from the inside out. Even when he's working with established actors like Roberto De Niro and Daniel Day-Lewis, he focuses on providing a stimulus—through script, choreography, and verbal cues—that the performers can react to. This approach has earned Mann a reputation for bringing out the best in his casts, and for creating characters in films like Heat and The Last of the Mohicans that are at once distinct and memorable. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Mann joins host and AIR MAIL contributor Bruce Bozzi to discuss his filmmaking philosophy, the moment he knew Don Johnson was the perfect front man for Miami Vice, and his current writing process for Heat 2.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a promising theater student at Carnegie Mellon, Matt Bomer’s trajectory pointed towards the shimmering stages of Broadway. But upon arrival in Manhattan, he instead landed a role on a soap opera—slightly out of step with the theatrical future he envisioned. And yet today, Bomer views those early years as vital to his later success. The Golden Globe Award-winner has starred in feature films, plays, and television shows including the recent Fellow Travelers. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Bomer joins host and AIR MAIL contributor Bruce Bozzi to reflect further on his beginnings, the lessons taught to him on set by Jodie Foster and Bradley Cooper, and the experience of coming up in the entertainment industry as a gay man.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In her junior year at Temple University, Da’Vine Joy Randolph was essentially forced out of the school’s opera program. Unsure of what to do, she decided to join the school’s musical theater track—and immediately, Randolph turned heads. Her ability to bring something wholly her own to a wide variety of characters eventually impressed the Yale School of Drama, from which she eventually graduated. There, Randolph honed the warmth and presence that shines through in her role as Mary Lamb, the cafeteria manager and head cook in The Holdovers, for which she has been nominated for an Academy Award. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the Philadelphia-born actress sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss the development of her interest in the dramatic arts, the philosophies that guide her acting style, and the singular experience of working alongside Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti. Listen and subscribe to Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Countless lunches and dinners—not to mention glasses of rosé—later, the inaugural season of Table for Two with host Bruce Bozzi is coming to a close. We’ve whiled away afternoons with Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Anna Wintour, Matthew Broderick, and Scarlett Johansson; laughed over cacio e pepe with Mindy Kaling, Rob Lowe, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and John Stamos; and heard delightful and captivating personal tales from so many others. This week, we share some favorite moments from each of our last 25 episodes. When the next season rolls around in early 2024, we’ll be sure to save you a chair at The Tower Bar, Via Carota, and any other tables we end up at.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Nicole Avant moved to the Caribbean to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Bahamas, she left behind her husband, her friends, and a life and job in which she was comfortable. But it was because of these new challenges that Avant turned to the guiding force that has, in her mind, entirely shaped the person she’s become: her family. Avant writes lovingly of her recently deceased parents in her new memoir, Think You’ll Be Happy—its title echoing the last words Avant's mother ever spoke to her. On this week's episode of Table for Two, the political activist and producer joins host Bruce Bozzi to further discuss the values imparted by her relatives, and the importance of always living in the present. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.