Today, actor and author Nick Offerman returns to the show! We call him up to unpack his latest role as a fictional president in Alex Garland’s Civil War (2:30 ), the function of the film’s politics (9:30 ), and a powerful poem by Wendell Berry (26:15 ).

Then, we turn to Offerman’s personal journey, beginning with his recent book Where the Deer and the Antelope Play (32:48 ), which was inspired by growing up in rural Minooka, Illinois (33:30 ) and his experiences with the late Sam Shepard at Steppenwolf Theatre (35:55 ).

Shortly after working with Shepard, Offerman began to find his footing—on and off the stage—as a performer, carpenter, and fight choreographer (39:48 ). He reflects on his galvanizing role in the film Going All the Way (42:37 ), the guiding principles of George Saunders (45:30 ), lessons from his sensei Shōzō Satō (52:10 ), the start of his nearly two-decade marriage with actress Megan Mullally (54:05 ), the phone call that changed his life (1:00:00 ), and the complicated legacy of Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation (1:06:36 ). 

Then, before we go, we return to the timely (and urgent) message of his latest book (1:11:30 ), a piece by Jeff Tweedy (1:14:10 ), and words by Wendell Berry (1:16:45 ).

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