“We’re all part of the same bag of molecules. If you care about anything—like your family, your community, or your ecosystem—then we should try our best to treat it all with equal affection. Life is about the constant vigilance of trying to do right with the new circumstances presented by the birth of each new season.”
-Nick Offerman, episode 367 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
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).
For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, reach me at sf@talkeasypod.com.
-
-
Show-notes:
- Purchase tickets to see Civil War, now in theaters and IMAX.
- Read Bilge Ebiri’s review of Challengers in Vulture.
- Order Nick Offerman’s book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play.
- Learn about his previous books.
- Read the poems Questionnaire and The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry.
- Watch Nick in Parks and Recreation on Peacock.
- Follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
- Hear more conversations with Quinta Brunson, Bill Hader, George Saunders, Nick Kroll, Alan Ruck, and Ramy Youssef.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream and navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
-
Illustrations by: Krishna Shenoi.
Subscribe, rate, and review: Apple Podcasts and Spotify.