Table for Two

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.

When John Stamos landed a role on General Hospital, his father, a restaurateur, required that the then-teenager keep working around the kitchen in addition to his acting gig. Today, Stamos doesn’t resent this ordinance, and in fact he credits it as being particularly important to his later success. For this reason and others, he considers his father as one of his mentors, among others such as Anthony Geary, Jack Klugman, Don Rickles, and Sammy Davis Jr. Stamos speaks to the importance of each of these role models—as well as the invaluable lessons they imparted to him—in his newly released memoir, If You Would Have Told Me. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the Emmy nominated performer sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss the affecting stories in his new book, including the lasting influence of a childhood bully, his relationship with sobriety, and the recent passing of his close friend Bob SagetSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To say that Irving Azoff makes being in the music business look easy would be an understatement. After relocating from his hometown, Danville, Illinois to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, it was only a few years before he was managing the Eagles. He’s since run companies including Ticketmaster and his own Full Stop Management, and has signed artists from Fleetwood Mac and U2 to Harry Styles and Lizzo. Despite the immediate success he achieved in the rock-and-roll era, though, Azoff thinks today—the age of streaming and social media—is the true musical gold rush. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Azoff reflects on exactly why the modern entertainment industry is so compelling, and delves into the lessons he learned in his early career that he still calls upon all these years later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though Bette Midler has performed on the largest theatrical stages, sung to the grandest audiences, and appeared in beloved films from The Rose to Hocus Pocus, “The Divine Miss M” still gets nervous before her shows. It’s because of this persistent fear that the Grammy, Emmy, and Tony award-winner so dutifully prepares herself for each and every act, no matter the medium and the size of the crowd. She believes this vigilance—an “alertness”—has allowed her to realize the murky vision of success she came to New York City with in the late 1960s. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Midler sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to reflect on her five-decade career in show business, including recollections of an early gig as a bathhouse singer, her first forays into Hollywood, and the realities of working in entertainment as a woman before the turn of this century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While growing up in Massachusetts, Mindy Kaling felt like an outsider. Yet the Tony-winning producer, actress, and comedian believes that her upbringing as the child of immigrant put an edge on the singular tone and wit that defines her projects, from The Sex Lives of College Girls, soon to premiere its third season, to the forthcoming Legally Blonde 3. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Kaling meets host Bruce Bozzi to discuss the specific influences that helped shape her career, and to gossip about Sex and the City, The Office’s Christmas episodes, and raising her two children.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Though Matthew Broderick enjoyed watching his father, an actor, perform on stage, he had little desire to pursue the profession himself. That is, until he scored a small part in a high school production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The laughter and applause of the audience relieved some of his pre-performance jitters and simultaneously kickstarted his career. And though the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Producers star has since established himself as one of his generation’s great actors, he can still fondly reminisce about his “early days” spent auditioning for Bubble Yum radio advertisements and headlining in flooding (and empty) theaters. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Broderick joins host Bruce Bozzi to delve further into his personal history, recounting stories of co-starring alongside Marlon Brando, the New York Times article that altered the course of his professional life, and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leaping from Algiers, Louisiana to the Broadway stage and, ultimately, the top-tier of Hollywood, is no simple feat. In Patricia Clarkson’s case, it required a daring jump from her native New Orleans to Fordham University, and the fortuitous, essential mentorship of actress Debra Monk. But Clarkson never truly left the South behind, and in fact she relishes her upbringing there, recalling it fondly—especially her mother’s Creole cooking. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the Golden Globe Award-winner sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to reflect on her early roles in The House of Blue Leaves and The Untouchables, her adoration of actress and singer Jennifer Holliday, and the values she’s gained by growing up the youngest of five sisters. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After becoming Miss America and studying at Stanford and Oxford, but before spearheading the estimable nonprofit Lift Our Voices, Gretchen Carlson spent more than a decade as one of Fox News’s eminent hosts. The rest of her story is the stuff of legend: after being fired from network in 2016, the small-town Minnesota native helped bring down the network’s slimy chairman, Roger Ailes, on charges of sexual harassment by her and dozens of other women. Through Lift Our Voices, Carlson is still working to enact change for workers everywhere. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Carlson details the intricacies of modern workplace harassment—both her own experiences, and those of others—over lunch with host Bruce Bozzi, and shares the requisite steps towards creating safe, and inclusive, workplace environments. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Jessica Parker stands alongside the most instantly recognizable actresses in the world. And yet, if you go out for dumplings in New York City’s Chinatown, or loiter in the Whitney Museum—two of Parker’s favorite pastimes—or even just ride the subway, you might well run into her. Parker is a New Yorker through and through, and she won’t let the notoriety she’s garnered through her role in Sex and the City—one she is now reprising in the show’s sequel, And Just Like That…—stop her from taking part in the things she enjoys (and that includes public transportation). On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Parker shares a meal with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss more of the things she loves, Diane Keaton’s acting process, and being a mother. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emily Blunt relishes a challenge. Her career, from early stardom in The Devil Wears Prada to later roles in Marry Poppins, A Quiet Place, and, this summer, Oppenheimer, reflects a self-imposed desire for all things difficult, different, and daring. Not to mention that the British actress—who, despite living in Brooklyn, maintains her Englishness—is also a mother, raising two daughters alongside her husband, actor and director John Krasinski. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Blunt sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss family life, being neighbors with the Damons (Matt and Lucy), and Christopher Nolan's directorial style. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a span of eight years, Jon Hamm existed in the collective consciousness as one character, and one character only: Don Draper. So it may not come as much of a surprise that for a long time, casting agents exclusively offered him parts like the one he was already playing on Mad Men. What they didn't know, but have since figured out, is that despite possessing every bit as much charm as his most well-known character, Hamm is capable of so much more. In equal measure, he's funny, philosophical, and honest, all of which shine through on this week's episode of Table for Two, where he discusses what it was like listening to R-Rated Red Foxx LPs in the library at 10-years-old, his parents dying when he was young, getting married at 52, working with Tina Fey and John Slattery on his latest film, and much more. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One would have an easier time charting the areas Rita Wilson hasn't excelled in than those in which she has. From early turns on television, on shows such as The Brady Bunch and Bosom Buddies—alongside her future husband, Tom Hanks, on the latter—to starring roles on the silver screen and Broadway stage, to her work as a producer (Mamma Mia!, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and A Man Called Otto), Wilson has left her fingerprints on classics both past and present. And that's to say nothing of her enviable music career, which has now yielded a fifth album, Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets. On this week's episode of Table for Two, Wilson joins host Bruce Bozzi to discuss her recent project, growing up in L.A. in the 70s, her friendship with Nora Ephron, and how Bruce Springsteen convinced her to start writing music later in life. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The historian Douglas Brinkley has written over 20 books on everything from the American space program to Rosa Parks. But more than any other subject, his work has touched on the environment—Teddy Roosevelt’s pioneering preservation work, F.D.R.’s under-appreciated efforts to protect America’s public lands, the fight to save Alaska’s disappearing wilderness, and so forth. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Bruce Bozzi and Brinkley consider his latest book, The Silent Spring Revolution, and explore how one woman, Rachel Carson, launched an ecological revolution that in turn led to the Clean Air Acts, Earth Day, and a healthy number of popular environmental songs by the likes of Marvin Gaye and Neil Young. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If not for her wisdom and polished charm, you'd never believe that Sienna Miller has been working in Hollywood for two decades. The New York-born British actress, former model, and perennial tabloid fixture is not only conspicuously ageless, but she possesses an unflappability that, coupled with her improbable ambition, has assured her success in switching from film to television to stage. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, just in time for the Cannes Film Festival, the former juror shares a glass of rosé with Bruce Bozzi and discusses the lasting influences of Lucille Ball and Marilyn Monroe; acting for a good cause; the labels that have hobbled female actresses both past to present; and much more. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The name Tom Ford symbolizes many things: strong-shouldered suits, evocative fragrances, daring advertisements, and a brand that Estée Lauder bought in a deal valued at $2.8 billion late last year. But it also represents the American designer behind all those things, whose unerring taste has made him a master at everything he touches, from fashion and beauty products to feature films—Ford directed A Single Man (2009) and Nocturnal Animals (2016), both of which were nominated for Academy Awards. On this week's Table for Two, Ford shares a rare lunch on the town with Bruce Bozzi and is unmistakably himself in a black suit, white shirt (with deliberately unbuttoned cuffs for the occasion), and matching pocket handkerchief. Here, he discusses his life beyond fashion and within it, and in all his charming contradictions—Ford is contemporary but classic, shy yet assertive—he adds color to his known authority on how to look good anywhere, and everywhere. Hear a preview of the episode below, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.