The Great Creators with Guy Raz

Latest Episodes:

Shania Twain: The Best-Selling Female Country Artist of All Time on Harnessing the Power of Optimism Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

Shania Twain is often referred to as the Queen of Country Pop. And rightfully so - she's sold over 100 million records, more than any female country artist in history. But before she was Shania Twain, she was Eileen Edwards from a small town in Ontario. In this episode, Shania talks with Guy about how she got her start singing at local bars before ascending to country music stardom in Nashville. And how, after almost losing her singing ability to Lyme disease, Shania is now back with a new album – Queen of Me.

Links from the show:

Young Shania on the Tommy Hunter Show

Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under

What Made You Say That music video

Shania at the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Giddy Up Music Video

Shania Twain Limelight Sessions

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Jason Sudeikis: His Winding Path from the Basketball Court to SNL, and How Ted Lasso “Saved” Him Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

Jason Sudeikis is the co-creator and star of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+. He tells Guy about the origins of the football/soccer coach character, why the show has connected so deeply with audiences, and Ted's impact on Jason's own self-image. He also reflects on his Midwest roots, why his basketball coaches always knew he'd be a performer, years spent in Amsterdam and Las Vegas honing his craft, and how he transitioned from comedy writer to featured player on Saturday Night Live.

Links from the show:

Jason's uncle George Wendt playing Norm in Cheers
Jason sinks a 3-pointer at a Knicks game
ComedySportz: how Jason got his start in sketch comedy
Boom Chicago improv theater in Amsterdam
SNL: Mitt Romney drowning his sorrows in milk
Original commercial that launched Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso Season 3 Official Trailer

Guy's Guest Appearance on Creator Science

At the beginning of the episode, Guy mentioned his appearance on Creator Science hosted by Jay Clouse. You can find that interview in the Creator Science podcast feed here!

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Sigourney Weaver: Conquering Self-Doubt and How to Harness Your Instincts (2022) Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

Sigourney Weaver has appeared in more than 60 films, from her breakout role in Alien in 1979 and the blockbuster Aliens in 1986, to Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl, and Avatar: The Way of Water, with more Avatar sequels in the works. Despite being raised by a family steeped in show business, Sigourney was reluctant to pursue acting for many years. In this conversation with Guy from the fall of 2022, Sigourney unpacks what was behind that reticence; tells Guy about her early years in avant-garde theater; talks about why, at first, she wasn’t all that interested in being in Alien; and explains why she takes issue with the idea that she tends to play “strong women.”

Links from the show:

The (pretty amazing) trailer for 1979's Alien
Ellen Ripley’s last stand in Alien
BBC story on Sigourney reuniting with the gorillas from Gorillas in the Mist
Sigourney in Working Girl
Sigourney plays a possessed Diana in Ghostbusters, with Bill Murray
Recent Boston Herald article on Sigourney’s very busy year
More on Sigourney’s new, 14-year-old character in the Avatar franchise

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Justin Long: Taking Your Work -- Not Yourself -- Seriously Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

Justin Long is an actor (Accepted, Dodgeball, Jeepers Creepers) best known for his roles in quirky comedies. He talks to Guy about the not-so-nice reality of showbiz, turning down his first big paycheck, a tough love lesson about Hamlet, and one very scary night in Michigan.

Links from the show:

Justin's first film Galaxy Quest

Recording Alvin's voice behind the scenes

"Get A Mac" ad campaign

"The Real Stephen Blatt" from Funny or Die

Barbarian trailer

Life is Short with Justin Long Podcast

Justin's Instagram

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Ike Barinholtz: How the Comedian Created His Own Luck When No One Was Calling Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

Ike Barinholtz is a writer, director and actor best known for his numerous roles on MADtv and other hit comedies like The Mindy Project, The Afterparty and Blockers. In this episode, he talks to Guy about his early origins in the Chicago comedy scene, and how a pivot from acting to screenwriting saved his career.

Links from the show:

Gay Straight Guys MADtv sketch

Ike as an Abercrombie model on MADtv

Ike on Eastbound and Down

Funny moments between Ike and Mindy Kaling on The Mindy Project

Trailer for The Oath

History of the World Part 2 Trailer

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Judith Light: Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone by Moving from Stage to TV and Back Again, and Dedicating Herself to Serving Her Audience Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

When Judith Light became an actor, she swore she'd never do a soap opera or a sitcom. She didn't see it as serious acting. But her roles as Karen Wolek on the soap One Life to Live and Angela Bower on the sitcom Who's the Boss? forever changed her views on those genres, and made her a star. In this episode, she tells Guy how, after early success on TV, she struggled to find her way back on to the stage. She also discusses how she learned to believe in her abilities, leading to several Emmy and Tony Award winning performances.

Links from the show:

"One Life to Live" courtroom scene

Judith as Angela Bower in "Who's the Boss"

Judith winning a Tony Award for "The Assembled Parties"

Judith as Marie Lombardi

Hand in My Pocket from "Transparent"

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Blair Underwood: Wisdom from Three Decades of Acting, Playing Good and Evil, and What He Learned from Sidney Poitier Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

Ever since his breakout role in L.A. Law, actor Blair Underwood (Rules of Engagement, Just Cause, In Treatment) has been fighting against being pigeonholed, and searching for new psychological puzzles to solve through the characters he plays. He talks to Guy about the profound influence both his father and Sidney Poitier had on his career, about the moments he thought that career might be over, and about the powerful role that imagination plays in his craft.

Links from the show:

Trailer for Krush Groove
Blair's first scene on L.A. Law
Blair on The Phil Donahue Show talks about race and policing in the wake of the Rodney King beating
Blair on performing in A Streetcar Named Desire
Scene from A Streetcar Named Desire
About Blair's character in In Treatment
Scene from A Soldier's Play

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Kenan Thompson: How an Atlanta Kid “Manifested” a Mighty Ducks Role, Starred at Nickelodeon, and Became SNL’s Longest-Running Cast Member Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live, Good Burger, Kenan & Kel, All That) is perhaps the most consistently funny TV performer of his generation. He’s the longest-running SNL cast member, and is beloved for early roles in Good Burger, D2: The Mighty Ducks, and the TV shows All That and Kenan & Kel. Kenan joins Guy to talk about his Nickelodeon days, why some of his big breaks have felt like kismet, his awkward SNL audition, impersonating celebrities, and whether – given the chance – he'd consider taking over for SNL creator Lorne Michaels.

Links from the show:

Kenan & Kel Youtube playlist
All That Funniest Moments compilation
Kenan's highlights from D2: The Mighty Ducks
Good Burger - Ed's Sauce
What Up with That? - SNL
Family Feud: Oscar Nominees - SNL
Kenan's Al Sharpton impression
Darrell Hammond's Bill Clinton impression
Photo of Kenan's inspiration: headshots lining the SNL hallway

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Audra McDonald: The Power of Taking On Work That Scares You (2022) Feb 14, 2023

Show notes

Audra McDonald (Master Class, Ragtime, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill) has won six Tony Awards--more performance wins than any other theater actor. (She's also won two Grammys and one Emmy along the way.) Still, each new role she takes scares her. In this episode from the fall of 2022, Audra told Guy why that fear is actually essential to her work, about her never-ending quest to know her characters better, and how it felt to have her friend and mentor Stephen Sondheim publicly pan one of her shows.

Links from the show:

Excerpts of Audra and Zoe Caldwell in Master Class
Audra singing "Summertime" from her role as Bess in The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
Audra performing Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" from Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Audra performing the song "Say No to This" from Hamilton in the voice of Billie Holiday
Playbill pick of 13 Audra performances on the occasion of her birthday
2020 New Yorker interview with Audra
More on Audra's role in Ohio State Murders

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Santigold: Harnessing the Power of Punk, Breaking Barriers, and Learning to Call Herself an Artist Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Singer/songwriter Santigold blends punk, indie, new-wave and soul music to create a sound all her own. She talks with Guy about why she initially shied away from singing, how she fights back against barriers in the music industry, and how she nourishes her creative spirit.

Links from the show:

"High Priestess" music video vignette, from Spirituals

"Disparate Youth" performed live at KCRW

"Shove It", sampled by Jay-Z on "Brooklyn We Go Hard"

"It's Unanimous", by Stiffed

Santi's Instagram

"New magic wand", Tyler, The Creator, feat. Santigold

Beyonce shouts out Santi in "Break My Soul"

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