Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington would crush on 'The Amazing Race.' Amy hangs with the star of 'Imperfect Women' and talks about the things she learned from Olivia Pope, why acting is harder than brain surgery, and the art of kintsugi. Host: Amy PoehlerGuests: Tony Goldwyn and Kerry WashingtonExecutive producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-BermanFor Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel LovellFor The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson and Aleya Zenieris; audio producer Kaya McMullen; social producer Bridget Geerlings; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and booker Kat SpillaneOriginal music: Amy Miles Use coupon code ‘EATCESAR10’ at Cesar.com for 10% off Shop your favorite local grocers on Uber Eats! https://www.ubereats.com/brand/kroger Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by PayPal. Shine at gift giving this year by planning ahead. Shop your favorite online stores with PayPal this holiday like Sephora for gift sets, Target for toys and electronics, and TikTok Shop for fashion apparel and gadgets. Check out with the flexibility to pay now or pay later and split your payments with Pay in Four with no interest, no late fees. Shop now with PayPal. Pay in Four is subject to approval. Learn more at paypal.com/payinfour. PayPal, Inc., NMLS 910457.

• 0:38Amy Poehler?

  Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. Very, very excited about our guest today. It is the one, the only Kerry Washington. Kerry is so talented. She is so good at so many things, and we're going to talk about a lot of those things today. We are going to talk about growing up in the Bronx, the Bronx, and how it shaped her and what she learned from being from there. And we're going to talk about her activism, how she stays connected in a turbulent and often depressing world. We're going to talk about scandal because of course. And we're going to get to the nitty gritty in a lot of that. And we're going to talk about Amazing Race, a random show that we talk about and talk about how good it is for kids. We're going to talk about her new TV show, Imperfect Women with Elizabeth Moss and Kate

• 1:23Amy Poehler?

  Mara that's coming out on Apple. All of these things are going to be discussed today. But most importantly, we're going to discuss her with someone who loves her. And who is that person? Fitz. That's right. Tony Goldwyn, writer, producer, director, just coming off of directing Shay Joey, a new musical with Savion Glover that is hopefully on its way to Broadway. We're catching Tony right after rehearsal. He's tired and still he can't wait to profess his admiration for his co-star. So let's see if we can get him on the Zoom horn. Tony, are you there?

• 2:07Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by Zoom. Many of us have been there. The calls where you zone out for one second and miss six key points. The quick check-ins that are anything but quick. Because here's the thing. Every conversation creates work. With Zoom, though, the conversation itself can actually move work forward. Zoom is now a full system of action that can actually complete work from the context of your existing meetings, calls and chats. No more post-call panic. No more inbox avalanche. You talked about it. Zoom got it done. Visit zoomahead.com to learn more.

• 2:52Amy Poehler?

  Tony?

• 2:53Speaker 01

  Hi, Amy. How are you?

• 2:55Amy Poehler?

  Thank you for talking to us today. Because I have to say that the relationship that you and Carrie had on screen and off screen is really, really wonderful to watch. And people are very invested in it. And what I have to say is what I glean from the way you two interact with each other is a deep, mutual respect. Deep, deep respect for the way you work and the kind of people that you are. Can you tell us how you first met?

• 3:25Speaker 01

  My first recollection, we may have met briefly before this, was at the Democratic Convention when Obama became president in 2008 in Denver, which was a really incredible experience.

• 3:37Amy Poehler?

  You bet.

• 3:38Speaker 01

  And then, and we kind of became friends through kind of social activism and stuff, but didn't know each other well. But for me, when Shonda asked me to do Scandal, and she told me Kerry Washington was doing it. I, Kerry was an actress who every time I saw her in a movie, I found myself going, who is that actress in that role?

• 3:59Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 4:00Speaker 01

  Because she was so different in every movie she did. And at the end of the credits, you know, I'm looking and go, oh, my God, that's Kerry Washington. She just was so great. And everything I saw, there was Ray or Last King of Scotland. I remember seeing her in it. But again, totally different than anything I'd seen. So I was just like, God, I hope I get a chance to work with her. So when Shonda said to me, she's like, are you going to play the president in my new show? And I was like, Well, Shonda Rhimes writing a president, that should be pretty interesting, when she's saying Kerry Washington, I was like, you and Kerry Washington, I'm in.

• 4:32Amy Poehler?

  Had you known Shonda before? Had you worked with Shonda before?

• 4:35Speaker 01

  Yeah, I met Shonda, I directed the, I think the second or third episode of Grey's Anatomy.

• 4:41Amy Poehler?

  Oh, wow!

• 4:43Speaker 01

  Yeah, it was one of the first TV things I'd done. I directed a couple of movies, and then Betsy Beers, Shonda's partner, called me and said, you know, we'd like, would you consider doing Grey's Anatomy? And I saw the pilot of that show and said, wow, this is amazing, of course. And I was just getting used to directing TV. So I did that. And Shonda and I met, and she was brand new to television. Little did we know she was gonna become Empress of the Universe.

• 5:05Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, totally.

• 5:06Speaker 01

  But I knew the second I met Shonda, too, I was like, oh, this woman's the real deal.

• 5:10Amy Poehler?

  It's so interesting that you and Kerry met in real life, doing political work. I'm really in awe of how she stays connected to the real world while also playing these people. Like, those two things don't always happen?

• 5:24Speaker 01

  She does. I mean, first of all, she's like, she's got this amazing husband, Nandi. She's got, she's a totally, fully devoted mom of three kids, and a, you know, and, and her perfect, and yet she's a thou, she's like a thousand percent in everything she does. I don't know how she does it. And I can't ask her, because she's too modest, she'd just like laugh in my face if I was like, you're amazing, how do you do it? You know, she, she wouldn't take it.

• 5:54Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 5:55Speaker 01

  So, you know, I'm, I, I've, I've, I learned a lot. I learned, I always learned a lot from her.

• 6:01Amy Poehler?

  What was it? Like, she was kind of the leader of the show? She was number one on that call sheet?

• 6:05Speaker 01

  Kerry, from the get-go, we had an amazing cast of great people, all grownups, no, you know, jerks in the cast. But Kerry set a tone by example. She worked harder than anybody. And then that role, she worked so hard. I have a funny story. We, I talk about leading by example. And I think it was maybe our fifth season or something like that. When we were gonna premiere the season, Good Morning America wanted us to be on the show, but they wanted us to be on as their opening at 7 a.m. to do it. So we're like, great, great, great, great, great. And then I was in the makeup trailer and some of the actors like, wait, so we're in L.A. Wait, 7 a.m. means we're like 4 a.m. We have to be here. Where were we working?

• 6:50Speaker 01

  And everyone's sort of bitching and moaning about having to be. That means you have to go in. And the girls are like, and that means we gotta get up at 2:30 to be in here and makeup. Like, I don't know. Do you wanna do it? I'm not sure. Well, did you? And I'm kinda like, well, I don't know. I mean, you guys wanna do it? So I don't have to get made up that much. So we're arguing, well, should we do it? What do we think? Well, let's see what. So it was one of those things of actors kind of being a little like, like children. And we go to the, I'm on set and one, Darby and I, Darby Stansfield, a wonderful Darby Stansfield was in our cast. We're talking about it and Carrie walks into the set, onto the stage. She wasn't working there. She just walks to say hi. And Darby's like, oh, you know, I wonder if Carrie wants to do Good Morning America. Like, maybe. And I was like, well, why don't you go ask her? See how she feels about it. So Darby goes up to Carrie, and this is classic Carrie Washington.

• 7:35Speaker 01

  Darby goes, Carrie, um, you know, this Good Morning America thing that's happening at like 7 a.m. That means we gotta get here like 2 o'clock in the morning. And I'm just wondering why. And Carrie's like, of course we're doing it. Darby, we're in season five and ABC wants to promote us by putting us on Good Morning America. Like, of course we're getting up 2:00 in the morning to do this. Like, isn't it amazing that they wanna put us on their opening of their show? And Darby goes, yes.

• 8:03Speaker 01

  I think it's so fantastic. She comes running over to me and I'm like, yep. That's quintessential Carrie Washington.

• 8:10Amy Poehler?

  I mean, I wanna talk to her about that because she has this work ethic that's really, really, you can feel it. And it's, and it's, you know, it feels very collaborative and inclusive. It doesn't feel like strident, but I'm really curious where she gets it from.

• 8:25Speaker 01

  I don't know. It's for real.

• 8:26Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 8:26Speaker 01

  It's for real. But it comes out of a kind of joy and passion and some intense inner drive that she does have. I mean, you know, no one works as hard as she. Just something drives her. Part of it, I think, is, I mean, she's a. She has a lot of gifts to give the world. You know, and a limited amount of time to give them.

• 8:46Amy Poehler?

  Well, I want to ask her about that. How does she stay, you know, how do you stay, how does one stay involved in this time of like, deep fatigue and deep, like, every day is really feels really harder and rougher than the next. And there's a lot of people hurting and a lot of people struggling. How do you stay, how do you stay in it?

• 9:08Speaker 01

  It's a, it's a big question, and she's got an answer for herself, which I think can be useful to all of us. I mean, I want to ask her about that. I sort of had two things that I

• 9:18Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. What, what do you, what do you want to ask?

• 9:21Speaker 01

  Well, there are things that I, as I told you, if I asked her myself, she'd laugh in my face.

• 9:28Speaker 01

  You know, we talked about her activism and Carrie as an activist.

• 9:33Speaker 01

  She's not a normal celebrity activist, which is a great thing. You know, people who donate their time and their money and their image and their passion to, to things that they care about. Carrie does it on a level I've, next to maybe Jane Fonda. I've never seen anybody like that. She's, it's, it's a, it's become a fully professionalized, fully operational part of her business. It's like she doesn't do anything. If I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it for real and have a major impact. And, uh, yeah, so I just would love to hear her talk about how that became so professional, so full on, you know?

• 10:09Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 10:09Speaker 01

  And then I guess the second thing I was, I wanted to ask her, which I could never, she would never answer to me, is the drive we talked about. Like, and I wonder as a parent, like, when you have that much drive as a human being, I'm curious, does she like impart that to them?

• 10:26Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 10:26Speaker 01

  Or is it something she just lays back and has to dial that back in order to let them kind of be them or find it for themselves? I, you know, I wonder.

• 10:36Amy Poehler?

  It's such a good question.

• 10:37Speaker 01

  No, we do this.

• 10:38Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, like, how do you lead by example? How do you figure out what is the right thing for your kid? Before you go, and, and those are great questions, and I want to talk to her about both those things. And there are areas that I want to get into with her. What does it feel like to have done a show that's so, still so beloved? I mean, people feel such a connection to that show still. It is, and, and of those characters. I'll just say, it reminds me a little bit of when me and Adam Scott talk about our characters on Parks and Rec, like, we love, we love Ben and Leslie's love. Like, we love their love.

• 11:17Amy Poehler?

  And it feels like you and Carrie both get that, where people are into you, your characters' love.

• 11:25Speaker 01

  Yeah. Yeah, it's a beautiful thing.

• 11:27Amy Poehler?

  It is.

• 11:28Speaker 01

  It constantly amazes me. I mean, I guess because of Netflix and whatnot, people, just this past month or two, have been coming up to me a whole lot going, "Oh, my God, I just finished Scandal. I just discovered..." Like, people are just discovering it. And I'm like, "Didn't we finish that seven years ago?" And we had such a beautiful, like you said about you and Adam, we had such a beautiful time doing it. And a group of deep friendships were made, which, more than any other job I've ever done, you know, I have some really close friends from over the years that I've worked with, but that group was like your high school best friends for seven years, and we're all still really tight.

• 12:07Amy Poehler?

  Well, I, I so appreciate you talking to us. Thank you for the questions. Carrie will be so happy that we talked. Such a fan. Congrats on the musical. Cannot wait to see it. Cannot wait till it goes to Broadway. Cannot wait till it wins the Tony and eventually turns into a film that you direct.

• 12:25Speaker 01

  Thanks, Amy. It's so Carrie, I love her.

• 12:26Amy Poehler?

  I will, I will. Thank you so much, Tony. Thanks for your time.

• 12:30Speaker 01

  It was great to see you.

• 12:31Amy Poehler?

  Bye, you too.

• 12:34Amy Poehler?

  All right, listen up. Ralph's, King Supers, Harris Teeter, Food for Less, Kroger, and more are now on Uber Eats, and you get 40% off your order of $30 or more. Maybe you're trying a new recipe and need some last-minute ingredients, or maybe the kids made a mess and you're lower on cleaning supplies than you thought. Whatever you need, you can get it delivered in as little as 25 minutes. So, order now on Uber Eats and get 40% off your order of $30 or more with code KROGER2026. Plus, Uber One members get $0 delivery fees. Orders of $30 or more save up to $25. Ends May 31, 2026. See app for details.

• 13:16Amy Poehler?

  You're in a denim sandwich.

• 13:17Speaker 02

  I am.

• 13:18Amy Poehler?

  So happy that you're here. Thanks for doing this.

• 13:20Speaker 02

  I'm so excited.

• 13:22Amy Poehler?

  I want to start because I'm obsessed with New York kids.

• 13:25Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 13:26Amy Poehler?

  I mean, I grew up in the suburbs of Boston. Kids that grew up in New York, they're just...

• 13:30Speaker 02

  We're a different breed.

• 13:31Amy Poehler?

  You are, and you grew up in the Bronx.

• 13:33Speaker 02

  I did.

• 13:33Amy Poehler?

  What was it like, growing up in the Bronx, little Carrie? What was the Bronx like when you were growing up?

• 13:38Speaker 02

  The thing about being from the Bronx, and I just did a speech about this, a whole entire speech, because I was presenting Jennifer Lopez with an award.

• 13:46Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 13:46Speaker 02

  And she and I went to the same Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx. And I was saying in the speech that the Bronx is like the underdog borough. It's like the forgotten borough.

• 13:56Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 13:57Speaker 02

  You know, like Brooklyn had Spike Lee, and Queens has all the airports and the cemeteries, and like a story. But the Bronx is like the forgotten borough. And people don't expect much of you when you're from the Bronx. And so there's like a hustle.

• 14:11Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 14:11Speaker 02

  There's a certain kind of hustle and determination to make it. If you, if there's something you want to do, there's a different kind of strength and resilience, I think, from people who are from the Bronx.

• 14:23Amy Poehler?

  I agree. It feels, and it feels like, and also Fred Armisen does a really funny bit about this. Fred does all the accents of different parts of New York, and he always talks about the Bronx.

• 14:33Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 14:34Amy Poehler?

  And how it's so, even the word.

• 14:36Speaker 02

  Mm-hmm.

• 14:37Amy Poehler?

  With an X in it.

• 14:38Speaker 02

  So it's also, yes, it has an X. It's also the only borough that has a "the" in front of it.

• 14:43Amy Poehler?

  You're right.

• 14:44Speaker 02

  You don't say "the Brooklyn."

• 14:45Amy Poehler?

  The Bronx.

• 14:46Speaker 02

  The Bronx. It's like a thing.

• 14:48Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 14:49Speaker 02

  It's a whole thing.

• 14:49Amy Poehler?

  It's so true. And there's a vibe, I mean, there's a working-class vibe, certainly.

• 14:53Speaker 02

  Yes, for sure.

• 14:54Amy Poehler?

  And a, and a sense of pride, but you're right.

• 14:56Speaker 02

  Work ethic.

• 14:56Amy Poehler?

  There is a, there is a...

• 14:58Speaker 02

  It's like a scrappy, scruffy hustler vibe to it, that I'm really proud of.

• 15:03Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 15:03Speaker 02

  Super. I don't think I would, you know, have the things I have or have done that. But I have to tell you, this is a little bit of a tangent, but I have to, I don't want to forget to say this.

• 15:10Amy Poehler?

  I love tangents.

• 15:11Speaker 02

  This morning, when I got up, I was thinking about, I was prepping for this interview.

• 15:15Amy Poehler?

  You're such a good, you're such a good student.

• 15:17Speaker 02

  And I was like, I remember my first Time 100 dinner that I ever had the blessing to attend. You were one of the Time 100 recipients.

• 15:26Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 15:27Speaker 02

  And your speech changed my life. It was extraordinary because you...

• 15:33Speaker 02

  Got up, it was like you stood up at the tables. Do you remember this? Everybody stood up in the room, at the tables, and you thanked your nanny. That's who you thanked in your speech.

• 15:43Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. Oh, my, oh, my nannies.

• 15:46Speaker 02

  Nannies.

• 15:47Amy Poehler?

  A lot.

• 15:47Speaker 02

  And I, I was thinking about it this morning because it really moved me. I got very emotional. But I was like, I wasn't even a mom then. I wasn't a mom yet. And I think, like now, when I think about it, it's one of the things I love about you because you do credit the people who make it possible, right? And I know, like, I'd be nothing without the support that I have with childcare, in the home, all that. But also, I think, growing up in the Bronx, my grandmother, like, I went to a very fancy Upper East Side. I went to the same school Gwyneth went to. I went to this fancy Upper East Side school. My grandmother used to cook and clean houses in that neighborhood. And so I think there was a part of me

• 16:28Speaker 02

  that when you got up and thanked your support team, your home staff, it made me feel like my family was seen. Like, it made me think of my grandmother.

• 16:40Amy Poehler?

  Oh, that's so nice.

• 16:41Speaker 02

  And that you were thanking the people that other people like to ignore or pretend don't exist or want to marginalize. It just was so moving.

• 16:52Amy Poehler?

  Carrie, thank you for saying that. I, I, I think they, people like to make the hard-working class often invisible.

• 17:00Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 17:00Amy Poehler?

  And also, it's just mean to other women because it's like, nobody's doing this alone.

• 17:03Speaker 02

  Nobody's doing this by themselves. That's right. And you don't get more credit by making other humans invisible. Like, it doesn't make you more perfect, too.

• 17:11Amy Poehler?

  Well, I feel like a lot of the work that you do is exactly that, is making sure that people feel visible and feel seen. Like, whether it's the art you're making or the stuff that you're fighting for. And it makes sense to me that, like...

• 17:23Speaker 02

  That it would impact me that way. Yeah, that I heard it that way.

• 17:28Amy Poehler?

  Before I pass by J-Lo.

• 17:30Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, just a little mic drop on J-Lo.

• 17:33Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 17:33Speaker 02

  She taught me how to dance.

• 17:35Amy Poehler?

  Can you just tell us? What do you mean?

• 17:38Speaker 02

  So we had this dance teacher named Larry Maldonado. And Larry was a dream. Larry taught me so much. He was like this very eccentric gay man dance teacher. And he ran the dance program at the Boys and Girls Club. And he got really sick in the eighties, like a lot of people did. And Jennifer is not that much older than me, but she's a little bit older than me. So she was one of the big girls at the club. And so when Larry went into the hospital, she started teaching dance. She was teaching the little girls classes. So I mean, if I was like eight, she was 16 or something like that. But she was teaching. So I learned like hip hop and flamenco and like all. I learned to dance from Jennifer. She's never hired me to dance in any of her videos, but yeah, I don't know what that says.

• 18:24Amy Poehler?

  That's wild.

• 18:25Speaker 02

  It's so crazy.

• 18:26Amy Poehler?

  Because when you're that age and there's like a 16 year old girl, they're just, and they're good. They're the most beautiful, talented.

• 18:31Speaker 02

  Yes. I remember right before she left to go off to LA to pursue her dream of being famous. She did this duet dance with Larry. So he must have gotten better and was back. And it was like very risque. We weren't supposed to watch it. The little girls were like, no, this is not for you. It was like later on in the dance program, but we all hid in the wings.

• 18:54Amy Poehler?

  Oh, fun.

• 18:55Speaker 02

  Because we couldn't not watch it. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. And it was just, yeah. She was, she's always been a real inspiration for me.

• 19:02Amy Poehler?

  That's so cool. What a fun, like, like, to use a Gwyneth term, like sliding doors moment.

• 19:09Speaker 02

  Yes, totally.

• 19:10Amy Poehler?

  Where you're like, see you again in 20 years in a different way.

• 19:13Speaker 02

  Wild, so wild.

• 19:14Amy Poehler?

  And you went to Spence.

• 19:15Speaker 02

  I did.

• 19:15Amy Poehler?

  And you were in Midsummer Night's Dream with Gwyneth.

• 19:17Speaker 02

  With Gwyneth. It's the only time I've ever worked with her.

• 19:21Amy Poehler?

  You've not worked with J Lo or Gwyneth since.

• 19:23Speaker 02

  No. You guys, I'm good. We have history. I'm available. Gwyneth, Jennifer.

• 19:29Amy Poehler?

  Who were you in Midsummer? Because I was also in that play.

• 19:32Speaker 02

  Who were you? You were Puck.

• 19:34Amy Poehler?

  I wish.

• 19:35Speaker 02

  Who were you?

• 19:36Amy Poehler?

  I was Pea's Blossom.

• 19:37Speaker 02

  Of course you were.

• 19:38Amy Poehler?

  One of the fairies.

• 19:40Speaker 02

  I was a fairy too, and I don't remember which one.

• 19:42Amy Poehler?

  I know, they all have names. You might have been Pea's Blossom.

• 19:45Speaker 02

  I bet I was. Soulmate.

• 19:46Amy Poehler?

  So I just kind of, I was like, just like. A background dancer.

• 19:49Speaker 02

  That's yeah, same.

• 19:49Amy Poehler?

  Did you know, I mean, I feel like you could do many things well. You do do many things well.

• 19:56Speaker 02

  So kind. My kids would argue with you, but I like that you think that.

• 19:59Amy Poehler?

  And I feel like, you know, there's probably a point in your life where you had to have a real like, you know, you grew up around a lot of artists. You knew from an early age that you were a creative person. But did you make a decision like, I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be an actress?

• 20:11Speaker 02

  Yeah, I did.

• 20:11Amy Poehler?

  And what age?

• 20:13Speaker 02

  So I was halfway through college.

• 20:15Amy Poehler?

  Okay, yeah, pretty late.

• 20:16Speaker 02

  Yeah, pretty late. And I went to college on an acting scholarship, which I didn't even know existed. But and it was sort of like being on a basketball scholarship. Like I went, I had to audition for all the plays. I really got benched. I got to do a lot of theater.

• 20:28Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 20:29Speaker 02

  And so that was maybe the beginning of being like, oh, people will give me money, like significant amounts of money to do this because it was helping to pay for my education. But then halfway through college, I did this summer conservatory program at Michael Howard Studios in Chelsea in New York. And that was the first time in my life that from the moment I woke up, you know, to the moment I went to bed, all I did was act. There was no like hiding behind other classwork or being an academic. Or it just was like, I was just an artist all day long, every day. And I was so happy.

• 21:04Amy Poehler?

  You loved it.

• 21:05Speaker 02

  I was so happy.

• 21:06Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 21:06Speaker 02

  And I was doing like clown work and improv and scene study and acting as a business class. And I just was like, I couldn't get enough.

• 21:15Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 21:15Speaker 02

  I wanted to sleep there at night. I just, I was like, I, so I thought, okay, I'm gonna try to do this. I gave myself one year after college. And I was like, if I can get a significant job in this year, then I'll go for it. And it, but at the same time, I had like the workbooks next to my bed to study for the LSATs.

• 21:32Amy Poehler?

  That's what I get for, oh, LSATs. Interesting.

• 21:36Speaker 02

  I thought maybe grad school for psych, but I, but that even what is like, I'm gonna try for law school first.

• 21:42Amy Poehler?

  And in a, in a, again, sliding doors way, you would be what kind of lawyer?

• 21:46Speaker 02

  Right now, I'm thinking of like all's fair. I'd be like a badass divorce lawyer, sexy Sarah Paulson type. But I don't know. Whatever it'd be sexy. I'd wear heels. I don't know. Maybe I'd be like an Olivia Pope. Like maybe the, maybe the. Like the souls or the energy in your life gets to you no matter how. You know, so maybe I would have been a crisis person and I figured out how to be that person. I mean, my mom, who desperately did not want me to be an artist. Cause she's a professor of education and she was like, I just, I don't want you to starve. You know, she just, the idea of a starving artist. And I brought my parents with me the first time I was at the Emmys. The first time I was nominated at the Emmys, I brought them and we were sitting at the governor's ball. My mom's like cutting into her steak and I was like, anybody starving?

• 22:35Speaker 02

  She was like, you're doing okay.

• 22:38Speaker 02

  But I, I think, oh God, I lost my train of thought. I was like, that was not a humble story to tell.

• 22:43Amy Poehler?

  No, I love that story. And also what I feel like is, is you gave yourself a year and in that year, something big happened.

• 22:50Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 22:50Amy Poehler?

  What was the break?

• 22:51Speaker 02

  You're good at this.

• 22:52Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, I'm good. I'm good at listening. Thanks. Let's brag about ourselves for a second.

• 22:58Speaker 02

  You're so good at this. You kept track.

• 23:02Amy Poehler?

  That's really my one job.

• 23:03Speaker 02

  Cause you're not intimidated by the tangents.

• 23:05Amy Poehler?

  I love the tangents. And I honestly, it's, if you care to know.

• 23:11Speaker 02

  I do.

• 23:11Amy Poehler?

  I think about the tangents. I don't know if you think, I'm much more of a visual.

• 23:15Speaker 02

  Great.

• 23:15Amy Poehler?

  Learner and remember. So I think about a tangent when, when you're talking, I think about literally a line going out like this. And I picture it going out like that. And I'm like, just don't forget to get it.

• 23:26Speaker 02

  Ooh.

• 23:26Amy Poehler?

  I actually visualize it so I don't forget it.

• 23:29Speaker 02

  Do you do that in your improv work? Like when you're doing, when you're doing a sketch?

• 23:32Amy Poehler?

  I think so. I think more and more I'm learning that I visualize things in order to remember them. Like I try to give it some kind of like picture in my mind.

• 23:41Speaker 02

  Yeah, because you have to, in the scene work, let it go some, you have to be open to the exploration. But then also remember you gotta land the plane.

• 23:49Amy Poehler?

  So your first big break?

• 23:50Speaker 02

  See? Did you see? That was magic. Did you see that happen? Oh my God.

• 23:57Amy Poehler?

  What would you consider your, cause there's a lot of things that could be your first big break.

• 24:02Speaker 02

  I think, so I gave myself this year and in that year, I booked my very first film, which was called Our Song. Which is actually having its 25th anniversary this year.

• 24:13Amy Poehler?

  Tell us about that film.

• 24:14Speaker 02

  It was this really tiny, scrappy, independent film. I mean, our entire transport department consisted of like four Metro cards.

• 24:23Amy Poehler?

  Rest in peace, Metro cards.

• 24:25Speaker 02

  Exactly, exactly. We had no wardrobe department. I mean, it was, it was, it was an incredible experience because it was, we were stealing shots on the subway. We didn't have permits. But it was a story of these three girls growing up in Brooklyn, and I wanted this part so badly. I learned to be in a marching band, to be in the movie. Because it was about a summer in these three girls' lives in Brooklyn that are all part of this marching band. It was the best experience. I, when I was a kid, we lived in this high rise that was across the water from LaGuardia Airport. And we were like in a flight path where at the 12th floor, the top floor, these airplanes would fly by when I was a kid. And I would always want to be on those airplanes, like, where are they going? I wanted to be on those planes, like, explore other places and have adventures.

• 25:10Speaker 02

  And when we were filming our song, we were stealing shots on the A train in Far Rockaway, close to Kennedy Airport. And I remember sitting on the train and a plane going over and thinking, nope, there's nowhere else I want to be. I want to be right here.

• 25:24Amy Poehler?

  How cool.

• 25:25Speaker 02

  Doing what I'm doing. You can't put me on a plane right now. I am like in, this is it, this is it. I'm in the pocket.

• 25:33Amy Poehler?

  That's such a cool feeling.

• 25:34Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 25:34Amy Poehler?

  I mean, you kind of wish it for everybody.

• 25:35Speaker 02

  You do.

• 25:36Amy Poehler?

  Right, that whatever they're doing, they realize like, this is exactly what I want to be doing.

• 25:39Speaker 02

  I wish that for my kids. I wish it for myself even, like, project to project. Because sometimes you sign on for something and you're like, oh, this is exactly what I thought it would be, or better. Like, this is better than I could have imagined, and it feels so good. And sometimes you're like, what time is lunch?

• 25:54Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. I know. When you, when did you first?

• 25:58Speaker 02

  Not that we're lucky, we're super lucky to be doing what we do, we're blessed.

• 26:01Amy Poehler?

  I think it's really hard, I think it's as hard as coal mining. I think acting is, I think acting is harder than brain surgery.

• 26:08Speaker 02

  I don't know why more actors don't win the Nobel Prize.

• 26:11Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, I agree.

• 26:12Speaker 02

  Because we bring peace.

• 26:13Amy Poehler?

  When people talk about brain surgery, I'm like, try acting.

• 26:16Speaker 02

  Honestly?

• 26:17Amy Poehler?

  Seriously, for one day.

• 26:17Speaker 02

  Because I'm like in your brain, doing surgery.

• 26:20Amy Poehler?

  Exactly.

• 26:21Speaker 02

  Metaphorically. You know what I mean?

• 26:22Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 26:23Speaker 02

  Multiple patients a year.

• 26:26Amy Poehler?

  Who's starving now?

• 26:30Speaker 02

  See what I mean? Do you see what she does? This is brilliant.

• 26:35Amy Poehler?

  Okay.

• 26:36Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 26:37Amy Poehler?

  Tell me, when you first heard about Scandal, was it written for you?

• 26:40Speaker 02

  Uh-uh.

• 26:41Amy Poehler?

  I mean, Shonda, one of one.

• 26:43Speaker 02

  She's one of one.

• 26:45Amy Poehler?

  What an incredible, like-

• 26:48Speaker 02

  Phenom of a human.

• 26:49Amy Poehler?

  Phenom.

• 26:49Speaker 02

  Truly.

• 26:50Amy Poehler?

  So it was an idea out there that you heard about, and did you feel like, I have got to get that?

• 26:56Speaker 02

  So, you know, there's been a lot of talk, when Scandal came out, a lot of the headlines were like, "This is the first time that a black woman is leading a network drama in almost 40 years." Like, it hadn't happened in my lifetime, I'd never seen it, a network drama. So, you can imagine that when word on the street was that there was a show that was starring a black woman that was gonna be on ABC, like, people went crazy. Everybody wanted to read for it, and God bless Shonda, she was like, "I didn't have the heart to say no." So she read everybody from like 15 to 85, everybody wanted to be Olivia Pope. She read everybody, she met with tons of people. I heard about the project, and I was really a film actor. It was that time when like, film actors were starting to do television.

• 27:37Amy Poehler?

  Because you had done Spike's movie, you were-

• 27:38Speaker 02

  I had done-

• 27:39Amy Poehler?

  Chris Rock's movie.

• 27:40Speaker 02

  I had done Ray, I had The Last King of Scotland.

• 27:43Amy Poehler?

  Yes, great film.

• 27:44Speaker 02

  So I was like, I was like the good luck charm, like, "If you hire me to play your wife, you'll win an Academy Award, Forest Whitaker, Jamie Foxx." So I, I wasn't hesitant to do television, because I was starting to see that there were these incredible women, like Glenn Close was doing damages. And, you know, you were starting to see it, that there were opportunities for women to play anti-heroes, and have like, more rich experience in television, and movie stars were doing more TV. And so, I wanted to read the script, I was like, "If it's great, I'll consider it." And I read it, and I was like, "Oh." It was one of those things where like, I threw the script across the room, because I was like, "This is, I have to play her." It's for me, like, no, I have to, the unfortunate thing where there were like, 10 other actresses

• 28:29Speaker 02

  who felt the same way. And so we all auditioned and auditioned.

• 28:33Amy Poehler?

  And did you have to come in and come in?

• 28:35Speaker 02

  I met with her first, because I was at a certain place in my career, I could do a meeting first, so I met with her, and I remember getting off the elevator, and there was a huge sign that said, "Shonda Land," and I was like, "Oh, I don't know about this."

• 28:48Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 28:48Speaker 02

  Like, "It's your land."

• 28:50Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 28:51Speaker 02

  Like, what does that mean?

• 28:52Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 28:52Speaker 02

  I have a country I live in.

• 28:54Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, you know, you always wanna be careful when people say their own name too much.

• 28:58Speaker 02

  You know what I mean?

• 28:59Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, you never know.

• 29:00Speaker 02

  And then I sat down with her and I was like, I'm in.

• 29:03Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 29:03Speaker 02

  Like, I will give up my citizenship to live where in this land of yours. It was, I just, I loved her.

• 29:09Amy Poehler?

  It's interesting, you have to play a character who has to kind of like take care of other people.

• 29:15Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 29:16Amy Poehler?

  And do you feel like in playing that character, you learn anything about how you take care of other people in your life? Like, are you a fixer?

• 29:25Speaker 02

  I could and almost did write an entire book on the things I learned from Olivia Poe.

• 29:30Amy Poehler?

  Ooh.

• 29:31Speaker 02

  She taught me.

• 29:32Amy Poehler?

  Tell me a couple of chapters.

• 29:33Speaker 02

  So much. The biggest thing was she, and I feel like you'll really understand this, she taught me how to be a number one.

• 29:39Amy Poehler?

  Hmm.

• 29:39Speaker 02

  Like, at work and in my life.

• 29:41Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 29:42Speaker 02

  She taught me how to, like, step into leadership and not shy away from it and to be team captain, to not be afraid of it.

• 29:50Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 29:50Speaker 02

  Um, that whole, like, it's my name on that door, like, she taught me to not be afraid of that. Cause I always thought, I mean, I had this role model of Jennifer Lopez, but I was like, I'm not that. Like, I'm not that pretty and I don't dance like that and I just, I thought, I'm never gonna be the kind of actor who's like on the cover of magazines. I'm just gonna, I, my goal was to have a career where I could pay the bills, do a few commercials a year, do a lot of theater, and like, just live a happy artist's life. So she really taught me, like, to not be afraid to step into more.

• 30:23Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 30:24Speaker 02

  And that was extraordinary. And yes, I think there was, there is with her, I don't know if she taught me how to be a fixer. I think I brought a lot of that to her.

• 30:36Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 30:37Speaker 02

  Like, it was written that way. I don't mean to say I invented it, but I, I already understood the need to want to make things around me better.

• 30:46Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 30:47Speaker 02

  And to help people and to, like, that's in me. It's a little bit of like an only child thing and, um, maybe a little bit of my own codependency, like, there, there, there is some, something in me that wants to help other people. I mean, even that joke I made about, like, if you hire me to play your wife, you'll win an Academy Award. Like, I do take a lot of pride in the fact that I think. When I go home at night, I want to know not only that I did my best work as an actor, but I take a lot of pride in helping other actors do their best work across from me in the scene.

• 31:18Amy Poehler?

  Sure.

• 31:19Speaker 02

  Like, I want my scene partner to be like, whoa.

• 31:21Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 31:22Speaker 02

  I didn't know, you know, you can do things to like, push each other and make it better. And like, that idea of the water, we all rise together. Like, I love that. I love helping people win.

• 31:33Amy Poehler?

  But I think that's the best thing about TV, is like, when you're locked into a part that you love and with people that you love, like, I know you love Tony, you love your cast. Like, you're in a marriage. You're really in like, a long marriage where you have to like each other.

• 31:47Speaker 02

  Yes, yes. It's family. It's really interesting because, this is like, what the fans don't want to hear, but I, I really am so grateful for the healthy relationships that I was able to have, also with the men on that show, like Scott Foley and Tony Goldwyn. Like, I love their wives. They love my husband. Like, there's so much.

• 32:06Amy Poehler?

  Okay, well, let's talk about this.

• 32:07Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 32:08Amy Poehler?

  Because what's underneath about this is people ship you guys all the time.

• 32:12Speaker 02

  Ship us so hard. And we, by the way, we like to fuck with people. Like, we, I,

• 32:15Amy Poehler?

  Of course.

• 32:15Speaker 02

  I post stuff all the time with Tony, like.

• 32:17Amy Poehler?

  And that's how you can tell everyone's secure.

• 32:19Speaker 02

  Yeah, yes.

• 32:20Amy Poehler?

  That's how you can tell.

• 32:21Speaker 02

  That's the key.

• 32:22Amy Poehler?

  Because you can tell that everybody's feeling totally fine and enjoying it. And because when people don't do that.

• 32:28Speaker 02

  Then you can't fuck around.

• 32:29Amy Poehler?

  That's the scandal.

• 32:30Speaker 02

  Hey!

• 32:32Amy Poehler?

  No, but I mean, it is, it's like, that's what the sense I got from watching you two work together. And, and, full disclosure, we talked to Tony for this podcast.

• 32:44Speaker 02

  What? What did he tell you?

• 32:48Amy Poehler?

  I'll tell you.

• 32:49Speaker 02

  Tell me all the things. I love him so much. If he said anything bad, I'll kill him.

• 32:57Amy Poehler?

  And, um.

• 32:59Speaker 02

  Did he tell you that he likes my husband better than he likes me? Because that's the truth.

• 33:02Amy Poehler?

  Well, I'm obsessed with your husband.

• 33:04Speaker 02

  I am too.

• 33:05Amy Poehler?

  Nandi was so funny on The Kroll Show, by the way.

• 33:07Speaker 02

  He was so good on The Kroll Show.

• 33:09Amy Poehler?

  He's so funny.

• 33:09Speaker 02

  He's really funny.

• 33:10Amy Poehler?

  I love him.

• 33:11Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 33:11Amy Poehler?

  And, okay, so you're saying like, you guys were able to have a healthy, working,

• 33:15Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 33:15Amy Poehler?

  appropriate, platonic relationship where you were able to discover these characters together and enjoy the fact that people love them together.

• 33:22Speaker 02

  Yes. We, I love that people ship them. I love it. I love it so much. I love that people get into arguments like, oh, Lake, oh, Lit, all that stuff. It's, I love it. And I love that, you know. That we gave people romance. You know, that we gave people escapism, that we that we made people think, that we made people feel. I love all of that.

• 33:43Amy Poehler?

  You had two kids while you were doing your show?

• 33:45Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 33:45Amy Poehler?

  I also had children when I was doing a show. It's very hard.

• 33:48Speaker 02

  Isn't it wild?

• 33:49Amy Poehler?

  I, by the way, never really, I don't think I really knew that. I mean, I never really sunk in that you you were.

• 33:55Speaker 02

  Oh, because my kids were being hidden behind boxes and Prada bags.

• 33:58Amy Poehler?

  So you had them both, so you were you had you were pregnant and gave birth on both with both during show?

• 34:05Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 34:05Amy Poehler?

  Dang.

• 34:06Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 34:07Amy Poehler?

  That's hard. That's hard. I'm just gonna, that's all, I have no question.

• 34:13Amy Poehler?

  Because I only, it's hard.

• 34:15Speaker 02

  It's a thing.

• 34:15Amy Poehler?

  It's hard.

• 34:17Speaker 02

  But also, I was so, so blessed because Shonda also had young kids. And we built a playroom on the lot. And Viola had a daughter and How to Get Away was on the same lot. And so we would, we had this playroom, like I had my kids at work with me all the time.

• 34:32Amy Poehler?

  That's awesome.

• 34:33Speaker 02

  I figured I had a nurse during, you know, camera turnarounds. I was like, I need 15 minutes, get on. Um, and I just, I loved it. I love my, my kids are set kids, they're set kids. They they are comfortable on a set, which is important because I went with my mom when she was teaching. I went to her office and I would sit in her lecture halls and I want them to know that what I do is work, that I'm that I'm working, you know?

• 34:58Amy Poehler?

  Okay, we talked to Tony.

• 34:59Speaker 02

  Yes, okay, oh, yeah. How did I forget? Okay, what did he say?

• 35:02Amy Poehler?

  Um, I mean, he's he's your biggest fan.

• 35:04Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 35:05Amy Poehler?

  And, you know, there's so many things about you that, like, you know, he, I mean, we talked about, like, the fact that you're the the amazing activist that you are, the way that you stay engaged with the world, the way that you make sure that you use your currency for good. And how important it is to you and how impressive it is to people. I mean, you have been working tirelessly for a long time and talking to people about what matters to you and what matters to this country and what matters to the world. How do you stay engaged right now, Carrie? It's tough.

• 35:36Speaker 02

  It is really tough.

• 35:37Amy Poehler?

  And people are feeling super fatigued. And really feeling numb and checked out.

• 35:43Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 35:43Amy Poehler?

  And feeling disconnected and feeling discouraged. How are you staying connected and not opting out? Any advice?

• 35:53Speaker 02

  You know that toxic positivity thing that people talk about of like-

• 35:56Amy Poehler?

  Well aware of it.

• 35:57Speaker 02

  Yeah, right? I'm-

• 35:58Amy Poehler?

  Oopsie.

• 35:59Speaker 02

  I don't want to do that.

• 36:00Amy Poehler?

  I know, I mean, I-

• 36:02Speaker 02

  I don't want to, but this is not that.

• 36:04Amy Poehler?

  No, I don't think it is, but it is, you're right. It's always like, you don't want to be like, it's gonna be-

• 36:08Speaker 02

  It's gonna be great.

• 36:10Amy Poehler?

  I mean-

• 36:10Speaker 02

  Great, no.

• 36:12Amy Poehler?

  No, it's bad.

• 36:13Speaker 02

  Horrible right now.

• 36:15Amy Poehler?

  Y'all, it's bad.

• 36:16Speaker 02

  Yeah, but I also don't want to bury my head in the sand.

• 36:20Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 36:20Speaker 02

  Because I think it's really important to stay open-hearted and to ask myself, what am I willing to do? Because that's changed also, like, I think every day, each person and every day, there's a different level of what we can give. So I keep trying to ask myself, like, what am I able to do today? And some days, it's like, march for six hours for no kings with my entire family and make seven posters and do it all. And some days, it's like, I want to donate $5 to a community organization. You know, like, there's different, but to not do nothing, to really, like, ask of myself to not do nothing, because we can all be doing something, whether,

• 37:03Speaker 02

  and you know, that it's time, treasure, or talent, like, no matter who you are, you have something you can give and it can change over time. But I think we all have to be leaning into solution, like, in little ways even.

• 37:16Amy Poehler?

  The other thing I just want to commend you on is, and it's definitely from a social media perspective, is you also make things seem fun.

• 37:23Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 37:24Amy Poehler?

  And I know that that word fun can feel like, I don't know, not weighted enough, but it is important.

• 37:33Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 37:33Amy Poehler?

  Because when you ask people for their time, their energy, it's really hard, I mean, people have really complicated lives.

• 37:40Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 37:41Amy Poehler?

  And when you ask them to join into something, if it looks like it's-

• 37:45Speaker 02

  A drag?

• 37:45Amy Poehler?

  A drag, yeah. If it looks like it's a drag, they're like, I'm already pretty sad.

• 37:50Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 37:52Amy Poehler?

  You know, like

• 37:52Speaker 02

  So true.

• 37:53Amy Poehler?

  Like, I can take care of my family and like, I hope those other sad people are also hanging on. But I'm sad, too.

• 37:59Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 37:59Amy Poehler?

  But there's something about the way I find in, in how you talk about things and like, and, and, and like, thinking about Tony showing up for things is a good example of that. Your instinct to wanna make it interesting for the, like, just this idea of like, how can I involve people? Is, it's, it's not an easy thing to do.

• 38:18Speaker 02

  So I would say two things about that. One is that I learned from two extraordinary women. Eve Ensler, who wrote the vagina monologues, and Jane Fonda. And I used to be on a board, like, the, the board, the V board, we called it, for the vagina monologues. And, which was, went from being a play to being a global movement, and violence against women. And those two women really, throughout my life, have taught me that when you're feeling isolated, alone, and afraid, if you plug into community, and community activism in particular, but when you plug into community, into like, baking bread for somebody else, or making cookies, or driving somebody else's kid to school, or just checking on a girlfriend who you haven't heard from in a long time. Like, plugging into community actually helps you feel better.

• 39:01Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 39:01Speaker 02

  Like, it, it, being a part of something bigger than you actually is like a balm for your soul.

• 39:12Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by Allstate. Checking Allstate first could save you hundreds on car insurance. Not checking which group chat you're typing in before hitting send? Next thing you know, you sent a scalding hot take about the restaurant to the group with the person who picked it. Yikes. Yeah, checking first is a good idea, so check Allstate first for an auto quote. It could save you hundreds. You're in good hands with Allstate. Potential savings vary, subject to terms, conditions, and availability. Allstate North American Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. Folks, as we head into fall, we welcome yet another season of change. Changing leaves, refreshed wardrobes, and new routines. But one thing that doesn't need to change: your phone.

• 39:55Amy Poehler?

  The smartest upgrade this season isn't a new phone, it's a better wireless plan. Switch to Visible, the ultimate wireless hack. You get unlimited 5G data and unlimited hotspot powered by Verizon for just $25 a month. That means keeping the phone you already love, ditching your overpriced phone bill, and saving enough to get yourself a pumpkin spice all season long. All the perks of big wireless for half the cost. Switch today at visible.com. The Visible plan starts at $25 a month. Or get the premium Visible Plus Pro Plan and save $10 on your first month with promo code HANG. Terms apply. See visible.com for plan features and network management details. This episode is brought to you by Sephora.

• 40:39Amy Poehler?

  Holiday gifting can be a tough gig. You're frantically searching, second guessing everything, and accidentally buying your dad eye cream he's never gonna use. Thankfully, Sephora is here to save us from ourselves. Whether you're shopping for a total beauty guru or someone whose whole routine is hand soap, Sephora has the perfect gift for everyone on your list. And if you're still lost, don't panic. Their beauty advisors can guide you to safety. This holiday season, we all Sephora. Shop gifts at Sephora and give something beautiful. This episode is brought to you by Boar's Head. There's turkey, and then there's the Fryer's Deep Fried Turkey Breast. New from Boar's Head. Deliciously golden fried on the outside, perfectly seasoned all the way through, bursting

• 41:23Amy Poehler?

  with savory flavor, juicy—okay, I need to stop, my mouth is watering. This isn't just any turkey, it's a taste that'll take you back. A taste born from a backyard tradition. I'm talking fold-out chairs on the lawn, neighbors catching a whiff and popping their heads over the fence, kids being told to stand back, that feeling of the first slice being carved. And now you don't need a backyard fryer. You can get that same golden juicy seasoned to perfection taste at the deli with the Fryer's Deep Fried Turkey Breast. Discover the craftsmanship behind every bite at your local Boar's Head deli. Boar's Head: committed to craft since 1905.

• 42:07Amy Poehler?

  Tony talked also again about like your incredible mothering. One of his questions was-

• 42:14Speaker 02

  Oh, he had a question?

• 42:15Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 42:15Speaker 02

  I'm not taking questions.

• 42:16Amy Poehler?

  Okay, good.

• 42:20Amy Poehler?

  So you've directed a lot-

• 42:21Speaker 02

  No, no, no, go ahead. What was the question?

• 42:24Amy Poehler?

  That is, by the way-

• 42:27Amy Poehler?

  You shouldn't take a question. Don't take a question, just be like, I'd rather not answer.

• 42:31Speaker 02

  No. I remember doing one of our first, it was like our first all cast appearance on Good Morning America with the Scandal cast, and none of them had done a lot of press before.

• 42:40Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 42:40Speaker 02

  And I had done all these movies, and so I was like, you guys, here's the number one thing to remember, because they came into the green room and they were like, something was going on with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt or something, and they came in the green room and they were like, do you mind if we ask you? And I said, we'd rather not talk about that. And the whole cast was like, oh.

• 42:56Amy Poehler?

  Oh, you can say that?

• 42:57Speaker 02

  So I said, you guys, no matter what anybody asks you, just say what you want to say.

• 43:00Amy Poehler?

  I always say that to people.

• 43:02Speaker 02

  Just say whatever you want to say.

• 43:03Amy Poehler?

  Answer whatever question you want.

• 43:05Speaker 02

  Yes, you have your own agenda.

• 43:07Amy Poehler?

  If someone says you've had, you know, there's difficult things going on at home, you can go, I mean, I think at the end of the day, what's important about us as a community-

• 43:14Speaker 02

  There you go.

• 43:14Amy Poehler?

  Just answer whatever you want.

• 43:17Speaker 02

  That's right. It's your interview.

• 43:19Amy Poehler?

  The person forgets what they even asked, if you're good enough.

• 43:22Speaker 02

  You know why? They don't know to come back.

• 43:24Amy Poehler?

  They don't know. They don't know to do tangents.

• 43:26Speaker 02

  That's right.

• 43:26Amy Poehler?

  They don't know how to get back in there. And if they come back with like, but what I asked about, then you're like-

• 43:30Speaker 02

  You're like, oh, I think we're out of time.

• 43:31Amy Poehler?

  You're like, it's weird, I can't hear you.

• 43:38Amy Poehler?

  Speaking of therapy, my therapist used to say something that was always like, making me laugh, is when someone asks a really inappropriate question, like, we're talking not like reporters, but let's say, like a friend or a colleague who asks something inappropriate, and if you want to stall for time, because you know, like, our instinct is to like react, you can go, what an interesting question.

• 43:56Speaker 02

  I say it all the time.

• 43:57Amy Poehler?

  I love that.

• 43:58Speaker 02

  I say it all the time.

• 43:59Amy Poehler?

  It's like, I'm so curious why you asked that.

• 44:01Speaker 02

  All the time. That is, are you just like, that's a great question.

• 44:06Amy Poehler?

  What a good, what a great question. I wonder what made you ask that question?

• 44:10Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah.

• 44:11Amy Poehler?

  Can you tell, can you unpack that for me a little bit more?

• 44:14Speaker 02

  Where did that come from?

• 44:15Amy Poehler?

  Where did that question come from? And then they go, huh.

• 44:25Speaker 02

  Okay, what was Tony's question?

• 44:27Amy Poehler?

  His question was, um, your intense inner drive when it comes to, you have this inner drive which he really respects.

• 44:35Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 44:35Amy Poehler?

  When it comes to being a mom,

• 44:37Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 44:37Amy Poehler?

  is it something you like wanna instill in your children?

• 44:41Speaker 02

  Oh.

• 44:42Amy Poehler?

  Like, and it's kind of what we talked about, like, like, how do you push? Or do you push? How do you figure out, like, you have a very strong work ethic.

• 44:50Speaker 02

  I do. I'm like a longshoreman of acting.

• 44:53Amy Poehler?

  I mean, and I promise we will cut this part and not keep it in, but have you ever done the Enneagram test?

• 45:00Speaker 02

  You can keep it in. I've done it. I don't remember. I don't remember what it is.

• 45:04Amy Poehler?

  Very Enneagram three to me.

• 45:05Speaker 02

  Really?

• 45:06Amy Poehler?

  Achiever, achiever, achiever.

• 45:07Speaker 02

  Oh, interesting.

• 45:07Amy Poehler?

  But anyway.

• 45:08Speaker 02

  I feel like Reese is, I feel like she told me she's a three.

• 45:11Amy Poehler?

  Oh, she's a big time, I would say.

• 45:12Speaker 02

  So whatever I am, I remember I told Rashida, and Rashida was like, oh, I don't like those. And I was like, but we're friends. And then it like changed her mind.

• 45:21Amy Poehler?

  Enneagram seven, wing six thing for Rashida to say.

• 45:24Speaker 02

  Oh, oh, see? I love this about you. I didn't know that you had this. Do you, now, are you an astrology person also or just an Enneagram?

• 45:33Amy Poehler?

  No, that is nonsense.

• 45:37Speaker 02

  I believe in numbers.

• 45:41Speaker 02

  Numerology.

• 45:44Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 45:45Amy Poehler?

  No, but he was, he was wondering if like your drive, like, how do you, do you, do you try to instill that in your kids? You wanna lead by example? Like, how do you? Cause I think what, what's underneath that and what I think is interesting is, is what I, when I started with, is that you can do many things well and you work really hard.

• 46:02Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 46:03Amy Poehler?

  How do you instill that in your children?

• 46:05Speaker 02

  I do.

• 46:06Amy Poehler?

  Or do you?

• 46:06Speaker 02

  I think about this because I feel like they don't have that thing of being from the Bronx.

• 46:12Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 46:12Speaker 02

  They don't have that scrappy hustler. At least they weren't born in the neighborhood that I think produced it in me.

• 46:19Amy Poehler?

  Hmm.

• 46:20Speaker 02

  And so I wonder where they'll find it.

• 46:23Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 46:23Speaker 02

  I, I see, I, my, I, my kids are really resilient.

• 46:27Amy Poehler?

  Hmm.

• 46:27Speaker 02

  And I see it mostly in sports. That's like their opportunity, their, their place where that gets.

• 46:33Amy Poehler?

  So what kind of sports mom are you? Do you go to the games?

• 46:36Speaker 02

  I go to the games.

• 46:37Amy Poehler?

  And do you cheer?

• 46:38Speaker 02

  I do. And much to the dismay of my children. Cause I'm like a loud cheerer.

• 46:43Amy Poehler?

  Are you a, after the game? Let's say they have a game and it doesn't go well. What do you say to them?

• 46:50Amy Poehler?

  There's no wrong answer here.

• 46:52Speaker 02

  Really?

• 46:53Amy Poehler?

  I mean, unless you like berate them, which I know you wouldn't, but.

• 46:56Speaker 02

  Get it together.

• 46:58Amy Poehler?

  How do you, how do you like to approach?

• 47:02Speaker 02

  I really try to be directed by them. Like, I try to figure out how they're feeling about it.

• 47:07Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 47:08Speaker 02

  And, um, and ask a lot of questions. I don't try to like make it better immediately. I try to just like.

• 47:17Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 47:17Speaker 02

  If I, if there was a visual metaphor for it, I try to like sit on the bench with them.

• 47:21Amy Poehler?

  Oh, that's great.

• 47:22Speaker 02

  And just like, look where they're looking, just give it some time.

• 47:25Amy Poehler?

  It's funny that you do that. I find that there's a lot of good conversations when people are looking forward in the car.

• 47:29Speaker 02

  Yes, with kids especially.

• 47:31Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 47:32Speaker 02

  Walks in the car, that like thing of like, I'm just gonna be here, like, let me know. Like, was that hard? Do you feel good? Yeah.

• 47:40Amy Poehler?

  I heard a really cool thing one time, again, probably just read it on Instagram. Definitely didn't read it in a book, definitely didn't read it in a book.

• 47:49Amy Poehler?

  Heard it on a commercial on YouTube.

• 47:51Speaker 02

  Lately, I've been like, where did you get that? And she's like, well, not to sound like you, but I read it in an article.

• 47:59Speaker 02

  I'm like, what article? Like, time for kids? She's like, an article.

• 48:04Amy Poehler?

  But, uh, I, I read something once, or again, saw something one time that was like, act like, I loved this metaphor, act like a, a, a small town reporter with your kids. So, um, just repeat back to them what they just said as if you're writing it down in a small notebook.

• 48:24Speaker 02

  They'll feel so heard.

• 48:26Amy Poehler?

  It really works.

• 48:27Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 48:28Amy Poehler?

  And they, it was like, the less questions you can ask, the better. So they're like, that was a bad game. That was a bad game. I sucked, I didn't play well. You didn't play well. Like, you don't say, why? The questions can sometimes kind of stop the, the, because all you want them to do is talk.

• 48:47Speaker 02

  Yes. Oh, that's so good.

• 48:49Amy Poehler?

  And then, if you want, you can kind of like. Give them a headline back like, so it was a bad game and you didn't play well.

• 48:56Speaker 02

  Oh, wow.

• 48:57Amy Poehler?

  And they're just like, yeah, and then pause. Because the coach said whatever.

• 49:00Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 49:01Amy Poehler?

  Because the coach said whatever, like.

• 49:02Speaker 02

  Because all, all, we, we just wanna be witnessed. Like, as human beings, we just wanna be witnessed and heard. And that's such good, like, I hear you, I see you, I'm gonna give it back to you. Like, that's good.

• 49:14Amy Poehler?

  Isn't that a good way to think about it?

• 49:15Speaker 02

  That's really good.

• 49:16Amy Poehler?

  As opposed to what my instinct sometimes to do is like, well, you know what I would do.

• 49:19Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 49:22Amy Poehler?

  You know what I think you should say.

• 49:23Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 49:25Amy Poehler?

  And I always ruin it at the end.

• 49:26Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 49:27Amy Poehler?

  You've directed a lot. You love directing.

• 49:29Speaker 02

  I love directing.

• 49:30Amy Poehler?

  What do you love about it?

• 49:31Speaker 02

  I haven't directed as much as I would like to, so I need to do more. I'm saying that here.

• 49:35Amy Poehler?

  And you walk in, kind of, you walk, you've, you've, you've walked in other people's shows. Like, you've walked in and you did Smell, you did Insecure.

• 49:45Speaker 02

  Yeah, I love directing.

• 49:46Amy Poehler?

  What's it, how, what's it like to walk into a show that's already running?

• 49:49Speaker 02

  It's so fun. I mean, I, especially if I love the show and love the creatives and I just. I, I think the thing I love about directing is that thing I was talking about with acting. Like, I love to help other, I love to help create an environment where other people can do their best work. And to help push people toward excellence, to like unlock the things that are gonna make other people better. Whether it's set design, or acting, or a score, like, just getting into a situation to help other people do what they do best. I love.

• 50:21Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 50:21Speaker 02

  I love that.

• 50:22Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 50:23Speaker 02

  I love it.

• 50:24Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, and do you think you wanna, I mean, have you directed a feature?

• 50:27Speaker 02

  I haven't.

• 50:29Amy Poehler?

  So that should be next, yeah?

• 50:30Speaker 02

  I think so.

• 50:31Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 50:32Speaker 02

  I think so.

• 50:33Amy Poehler?

  It's a lot of, it's a lot of.

• 50:33Speaker 02

  It's a lot of time away from your family. So I'm like, I, this, I was just.

• 50:37Amy Poehler?

  It's a lot of time.

• 50:37Speaker 02

  So I did this movie with Ben Affleck, the senior, and he was like, you need to find a feature to direct. And I was like, I have to find a feature that I like enough.

• 50:43Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 50:44Speaker 02

  To spend that much time away from my amazing husband and children.

• 50:47Amy Poehler?

  Have you ever heard Sarah Polley talk about any of this stuff, the amazing director? She talks a lot about, me too. And when she did Women Talking, which I thought was amazing. She talks a lot about how, you know, there's this, you know, we talk, obviously, we're always trying to like, write the, um, the imbalance of not enough female directors. And there's not enough discussion about the fact that like, women, and with kids, it's very, you have to give up a lot of time. And that, she was like. Hoping and kind of working towards this idea that you could have these humane ways of working where more women could direct. And she talked about that movie.

• 51:26Speaker 02

  What that would look like.

• 51:27Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, that she had women on her crew be able to kind of like what Shonda did, like bring kids to work, try to keep hours shorter, try to keep prep more remote, whatever it was, so that more women were incentivized. Because it is like, it's like, it's really, really hard to be away.

• 51:45Speaker 02

  It's a life choice.

• 51:46Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 51:46Speaker 02

  I, so on this film with Ben, he likes to be home with his kids for dinner. And so we were done filming every single day by 6:37. It meant I was out before drop off, but I was home for dinner and bedtime and homework to the point where my son was like, Mom, is your part not big? Like, why are you? Like, he was worried for my career. Like, why are you home every night for dinner? Did you get fired? Are you like pretending to act during the day?

• 52:16Amy Poehler?

  He was putting on an outfit and sitting in your car.

• 52:20Speaker 02

  He was like, Mom.

• 52:21Amy Poehler?

  He's like, be honest.

• 52:22Speaker 02

  Be honest. I was like, no, I have a really big part. He was like, oh, Mom.

• 52:30Amy Poehler?

  Mom, it's okay.

• 52:31Speaker 02

  It's okay, there are no small parts, Mom.

• 52:33Amy Poehler?

  But that's so humane.

• 52:37Speaker 02

  And so we, so on Imperfect Women, it was this extraordinary experience of all three leads were all moms.

• 52:44Amy Poehler?

  Let's talk about this. Who's in Imperfect Women with you?

• 52:46Speaker 02

  Lizzie Moss and Kate Mara and myself. I mean, our, most of our directors are moms, all of our producer. I mean, we, it was such a family friendly set. And it was great because the show is really told from three points of view. So basically, for like a third of the show, I was number one on the call sheet, a third of the show Kate Mara was number one on the call sheet, and a third of the show Lizzie was number one on the call sheet. So we got to all like star in a show, but we all had lots of time to like do other things. Like in Lizzie's episodes, I'm sort of a glorified extra. I'm like number six, even though I'm not, but it feels like I'm one of the ensemble. And so.

• 53:26Speaker 02

  It was a really wonderful way to share the load of the pressure of what it takes to lead a limited series because we were, we really shared that responsibility.

• 53:36Amy Poehler?

  That's really cool.

• 53:37Speaker 02

  So fun. And also, it's really great because you got to flex. Like, everybody got to do really meaty. I mean, these women, Kate Mara and Lizzie Moss are, they're beasts of acting, just extraordinary talent.

• 53:49Amy Poehler?

  What a cast. I mean, I've just, I, we rewatched the Mad Men recently.

• 53:54Speaker 02

  Oh, so good.

• 53:56Amy Poehler?

  Good lord.

• 53:57Speaker 02

  So good.

• 53:58Amy Poehler?

  Elizabeth Moss is.

• 53:59Speaker 02

  She's extraordinary. She's a treasure.

• 54:01Amy Poehler?

  She is an incredible actor.

• 54:03Speaker 02

  And another amazing director. She's an incredible director.

• 54:07Amy Poehler?

  I am not surprised.

• 54:08Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 54:09Amy Poehler?

  You, like me, you've been in the business a long time. And you've seen it, and you've seen it change and like, and expand and grow in the way things.

• 54:16Speaker 02

  What was that, that I just did, the cigarette thing?

• 54:19Amy Poehler?

  Oh, a long time, baby. Remember, did you ever smoke cigarettes?

• 54:24Speaker 02

  So.

• 54:25Amy Poehler?

  That's a yes.

• 54:26Speaker 02

  Casually. Week, I was like a weekend smoker.

• 54:28Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, you never bought cigarettes.

• 54:30Speaker 02

  No, never bought cigarettes. Well, no, not really. Only for like a boy I really liked and we shared them. But I wasn't like a real, and then always it was because I would start smoking because of a character and then get, you know, I was like kind of method with the smoking, nothing else, just the smoking.

• 54:45Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, no. Do you have any like vices right now that you try to get rid of? Anything?

• 54:51Speaker 02

  I try, honestly, so this question, like, I don't like the guilty pleasure question because I feel like if I'm not killing anybody, then I don't want to feel guilty about my pleasure.

• 54:59Amy Poehler?

  That's right.

• 55:00Speaker 02

  My pleasure is, like, pleasure is good.

• 55:02Amy Poehler?

  What about your hobbies? Like, do you like fake food?

• 55:06Speaker 02

  No, but this I know came from, yes, Ina Garten gave me that.

• 55:09Amy Poehler?

  Garten.

• 55:10Speaker 02

  And there's three. Are there gifts? Should I have brought you fake food?

• 55:13Amy Poehler?

  Not at all, but I just realized something today, and not to put you on the spot, it's not a psychological test and your therapist, Julie? Nope. Nope, won't, mine, but you've got three different types of burgers there.

• 55:28Speaker 02

  One's a candle.

• 55:29Amy Poehler?

  And I would love to know which one you'd like to pick. And for people that are listening, we've got a candle cheeseburger, we've got a wooden cheeseburger, and we've got a squishy.

• 55:40Speaker 02

  That's satisfying.

• 55:42Amy Poehler?

  She went for the squish. You know who else went for the squish?

• 55:44Speaker 02

  Who?

• 55:44Amy Poehler?

  Michelle Obama.

• 55:45Speaker 02

  Oh! I mean, water seeks its own level. This is so satisfying.

• 55:53Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 55:54Speaker 02

  Excuse me, I'm gonna have a moment.

• 55:55Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, ASMR.

• 55:57Speaker 02

  And I'm not gonna feel guilty, cuz it's pleasurable.

• 56:00Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. Do you enjoy, do you have any like?

• 56:02Speaker 02

  I love dark chocolate.

• 56:03Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm.

• 56:04Speaker 02

  I'm a big dark chocolate girl.

• 56:05Amy Poehler?

  And are you, um, are you like a, is there any kind of knitting hobby situation?

• 56:09Speaker 02

  I really like kitsunji.

• 56:12Amy Poehler?

  Excuse me?

• 56:13Speaker 02

  I did not sneeze.

• 56:14Amy Poehler?

  Hold on.

• 56:15Speaker 02

  Um, you wanna Google it?

• 56:16Amy Poehler?

  Mm-hmm. While, while you tell me what it is.

• 56:19Speaker 02

  So it is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery back together again with gold.

• 56:27Amy Poehler?

  Oh, wow.

• 56:28Speaker 02

  It's so beautiful.

• 56:30Amy Poehler?

  Oh, wow, that looks so.

• 56:31Speaker 02

  The pieces are so beautiful. And so I had read about it a long time ago.

• 56:34Amy Poehler?

  Hmm.

• 56:35Speaker 02

  And then I had this beautiful pottery that my mom and dad bought for Nandi and I for our 10-year anniversary. It had like a Bible verse on the edge. It was handmade. It was beautiful. And my kids were playing ball in the house, and they broke it. And they, I was, I was able somehow miraculously to regulate my nervous system in the moment and not yell. I was like, oh, ooh. And they were devastated. My son was like crying. And, and I remembered kitsunji. And I was like, I'm gonna put this back together. And so I found this private teacher. This was last year on my birthday. And I went and brought her these pieces, and we put this bowl back together. And the art, the, the philosophy of this art is that by not making the cracks disappear,

• 57:18Speaker 02

  but by highlighting them with gold, you actually bring beauty to the broken spaces. And you honor that the places where we are wounded and broken are what make us most beautiful. It's just so special. So it's very like meditative and beautiful. And so now my friends give me their broken plates and bowls and things. But yeah, I, I really enjoy that.

• 57:39Amy Poehler?

  What a great, by the way, what a nice thing for your kids to also see too. Like, we make mistakes. It's okay.

• 57:45Speaker 02

  And now, actually, what they say to people when they ask about it is they're like, so now we're part of the bowl too? Cuz it's like, it's our anniversary bowl. They, of course, they had to be a part of it.

• 57:52Amy Poehler?

  Oh, that's so nice. And honestly, it reminds me of your memoir. It reminds me of Thicker Than Water, which was amazing.

• 58:01Speaker 02

  I mean, this, that was very artful, what you just did there. That was super.

• 58:06Amy Poehler?

  Kitsunji.

• 58:07Speaker 02

  Woo!

• 58:09Amy Poehler?

  But it does because it reminds me of what you spoke about and you spoke about you. You've you've you've spoken about your experience recently, learning more about your family.

• 58:19Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 58:20Amy Poehler?

  And learning and you wrote beautifully about it about um in an attempt to kind of find your roots. Your your family kind of informed you like, hey, the the way um maybe you thought this family um was.

• 58:34Speaker 02

  Came to be.

• 58:35Amy Poehler?

  Came to be was a little different.

• 58:37Speaker 02

  You've been lied to for four decades.

• 58:40Amy Poehler?

  And that you were born with artificial insemination and that but.

• 58:43Speaker 02

  From a donor, from a sperm donor.

• 58:45Amy Poehler?

  And you spoke so beautifully about it and honestly about it. And I guess my question to you is now with some time, you've kind of. The book's out, you've spoken about it. How do you like to talk about it now?

• 58:55Speaker 02

  I really enjoy talking about it because it's been such a. Healing journey for my family. Like, we're in such a better place than we used to be and we were. We kind of had a picture perfect-esque for for a working class family from the Bronx. We were like as perfect as it gets. Or so we performed to be. And now there's like a real genuine closeness and authenticity and truth. Between us. Um, that's so special. I'm I'm just so, so grateful. So I really like talking about it. There's just. My mom said this thing, we were being interviewed, I think by Robin Roberts, and.

• 59:36Speaker 02

  My mom said, you know, we're just not as afraid to hurt each other as we used to be. And that's huge.

• 59:43Amy Poehler?

  That's huge.

• 59:43Speaker 02

  Safety in relationship, that trust that like things are hard, but you'll get through it. I don't know. There's just like so much allowing now in our family and grace, so much more truth and grace than there used to be. I don't know. It's just such a gift my parents gave me by telling me this truth about who I am and who we are.

• 1:00:02Amy Poehler?

  Yeah, it's so awesome. Well, from what I know about you is you love to laugh.

• 1:00:07Speaker 02

  I do.

• 1:00:07Amy Poehler?

  You do.

• 1:00:08Speaker 02

  I really do.

• 1:00:09Amy Poehler?

  What is making you laugh these days? What is like a way where you practice? Tuning out or enjoying yourself or like who, what do you watch, read? Is it a, is it, you have something.

• 1:00:22Speaker 02

  Well, I love this podcast. Does everybody say that?

• 1:00:26Amy Poehler?

  No, no, not enough.

• 1:00:27Speaker 02

  This podcast is amazing.

• 1:00:30Amy Poehler?

  Oh my God, Carrie, thank you.

• 1:00:32Speaker 02

  The big thing is my kids.

• 1:00:34Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 1:00:35Speaker 02

  Really, because now they're people. So there, I have one that's 20, my bonus baby's 20, and then an 11 and a nine. And they're, like, now they have their own wit.

• 1:00:47Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:47Speaker 02

  And it's sharp.

• 1:00:49Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:49Speaker 02

  And I love that. Like, I actually, this is, so I want to be really clear. I love when my kids get a good burn on me.

• 1:00:57Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:58Speaker 02

  But it's different. I'm not saying that I want my kids to be disrespectful. Like, there's a different thing about, like, like, I see some of these other households that my kids hang out in sometimes where there's no discipline or respect in the house. Like, that does not fly in my home. It's really important. But like, a good, well-timed comedic burn, it just makes me love them more.

• 1:01:17Amy Poehler?

  Well, because maybe teasing is a little bit of a love language for you.

• 1:01:21Speaker 02

  I think so.

• 1:01:23Amy Poehler?

  Because I, I share that, like, a well-placed tease

• 1:01:27Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:01:27Amy Poehler?

  that is well-observed is a sign of intelligence, that your kids are paying attention to you.

• 1:01:33Speaker 02

  Yes, they see you.

• 1:01:34Amy Poehler?

  That they know you can take a joke.

• 1:01:36Speaker 02

  Yes, they feel safe with me, they see me.

• 1:01:39Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 1:01:39Speaker 02

  They feel comfortable, like, flexing their own mental prowess.

• 1:01:43Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:44Speaker 02

  I just love that.

• 1:01:45Amy Poehler?

  Yes, and they're trying to figure out what goes too far. And they're supposed to practice with you.

• 1:01:50Speaker 02

  Yeah, they are.

• 1:01:51Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:52Speaker 02

  So I love that. And I love also that it humbles me, you know?

• 1:01:56Speaker 02

  My kids are so not impressed with me, which I love.

• 1:01:58Amy Poehler?

  Yeah. Have you guys started watching any stuff, any comedy together? Because that is the age around eight and 11 where you start being like,

• 1:02:05Speaker 02

  You can start sharing comedy.

• 1:02:07Amy Poehler?

  Share shows.

• 1:02:08Speaker 02

  The number one show that we obsess over as a family, even so we go back and watch old episodes because it doesn't come on enough, is Amazing Race.

• 1:02:16Amy Poehler?

  Let's talk about Amazing Race.

• 1:02:18Speaker 02

  We

• 1:02:18Amy Poehler?

  It's not talked about enough.

• 1:02:20Speaker 02

  Amazing Race.

• 1:02:20Amy Poehler?

  Is it still on?

• 1:02:21Speaker 02

  It's still on.

• 1:02:22Amy Poehler?

  Amazing.

• 1:02:22Speaker 02

  And it's still racing.

• 1:02:24Amy Poehler?

  They're still Phil.

• 1:02:25Speaker 02

  It's still traveling the world. I, I've never met him. If I ever meet him, I'm going to pass out. He's amazing. And so what?

• 1:02:34Amy Poehler?

  He's amazing.

• 1:02:34Speaker 02

  He's amazing. He's amazing and he races. The thing I love about watching it with our kids is, so there's all this kind of learning going on. First of all, we're learning geography.

• 1:02:42Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 1:02:43Speaker 02

  We're learning culture.

• 1:02:44Amy Poehler?

  Right.

• 1:02:44Speaker 02

  We're learning languages, dance around the world, food around the world, music around the world, landmarks in important places.

• 1:02:51Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:51Speaker 02

  So there's that. You're also learning like just travel resilience. Cause we're a big travel family. So they're learning like, sometimes the hotel is closed. Sometimes you miss the train. Like they're learning that kind of stuff. But the biggest thing are these relational dynamics.

• 1:03:06Amy Poehler?

  Oh, yeah.

• 1:03:06Speaker 02

  Because I love when my son turns to me and he's like, he is not a good husband. Right? Like you see these teams where you're like, why is he talking to her like that?

• 1:03:14Amy Poehler?

  Yes.

• 1:03:14Speaker 02

  Or like two siblings where you're like, they do not really get along. Or two sisters where you're like, I love their relationship. Like that, it's so, they're really learning about what makes a good team.

• 1:03:25Amy Poehler?

  Yeah.

• 1:03:25Speaker 02

  What partnership looks like, what respect, what, it's so, so we love him and we laugh a lot in Amazing Race. Cause inevitably in the first couple of episodes, there's always the people that are like, they have no business being on Amazing Race. Those people have no business racing around the world. No, but they're having a good time and we have a good time with them.

• 1:03:44Amy Poehler?

  Do you, okay, do you think, when you watch Amazing Race, do you think you would do well on it?

• 1:03:49Speaker 02

  It was, so here's one of the really sweet things, and I, I don't talk about my relationship often.

• 1:03:53Amy Poehler?

  I know. I love Nandi though. He's so cute.

• 1:03:56Speaker 02

  It's the first show we watched together. Like even when we were dating, we were watching Amazing Race.

• 1:04:00Amy Poehler?

  We would crush on Amazing Race.

• 1:04:02Speaker 02

  We would.

• 1:04:02Amy Poehler?

  We would. He has all of the physical prowess.

• 1:04:06Speaker 02

  There's so many retired athletes on there.

• 1:04:08Amy Poehler?

  But he has the athlete thing and he's so smart and funny and you have the drive.

• 1:04:15Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:04:15Amy Poehler?

  You have, you'd be the one.

• 1:04:17Speaker 02

  I'm scrappy. I've got the Bronx. I'd be in the Bronx with me wherever I go. My mother's like, why do you make everything the Bronx? Whenever I'm like, come over here! She's like, this is not.

• 1:04:28Amy Poehler?

  Well, but do you watch it and think I would do well? The only thing I know I would not do well on is. The running.

• 1:04:35Speaker 02

  Oh, the run. What? It's a race. What are we talking about? You have to run. What do you mean?

• 1:04:40Amy Poehler?

  There it always and I mean, I I run okay.

• 1:04:43Speaker 02

  Sometimes it's a foot race.

• 1:04:45Amy Poehler?

  The foot race.

• 1:04:46Speaker 02

  Sometimes it's two teams.

• 1:04:47Amy Poehler?

  Like you can be so great and then at the end you just have to run with your bag to the next thing.

• 1:04:52Speaker 02

  It's true.

• 1:04:52Amy Poehler?

  That's not nice.

• 1:04:53Speaker 02

  I would kill.

• 1:04:55Amy Poehler?

  You would? Are you a good runner?

• 1:04:56Speaker 02

  No, but I would make myself a good runner.

• 1:04:58Amy Poehler?

  See, this is our difference.

• 1:04:59Speaker 02

  I I think I would struggle with um the driving.

• 1:05:04Amy Poehler?

  Oh, I could do that well.

• 1:05:06Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:05:06Amy Poehler?

  We would be a good team.

• 1:05:07Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 1:05:08Amy Poehler?

  Because I would be like, at the end, when they'd be like, run to the thing, I'd be like, you got this, Carrie.

• 1:05:12Speaker 02

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I would go.

• 1:05:13Amy Poehler?

  Go.

• 1:05:13Speaker 02

  And in the car, I'd be like, go for it. I get nervous on the highway. I'm one of those people who like, as you approach the moment where it splits, I'm like, I don't know. GPS, be more clear. I get really nervous.

• 1:05:24Amy Poehler?

  No, I could lock in on the driving. But the running, I know I would try as fast as I could. I would try as hard as I could. And I would just get so far behind.

• 1:05:33Speaker 02

  We always make the mistake of falling in love with a team that's like a father, daughter, or a mother, son, and they do so well, and they're so smart, and they're so on it, and then there's a foot race and you're like.

• 1:05:42Amy Poehler?

  It's the running. It takes them down.

• 1:05:43Speaker 02

  She's eighty-seven. They're not gonna win. They're not gonna win.

• 1:05:48Amy Poehler?

  And that is why I don't think it's fair. There's too much running in that show about racing.

• 1:05:53Speaker 02

  But also, anything can, like, the thing, the great, we're not gonna talk about this forever, but the thing that's so magical about The Amazing Race, and the other thing that my kids really are absorbing, is anything's possible.

• 1:06:04Amy Poehler?

  True.

• 1:06:05Speaker 02

  The final challenge can be all mental.

• 1:06:07Amy Poehler?

  It's so true.

• 1:06:08Speaker 02

  And you think you're the team who's got it, but if you can't figure out how to make that special Portuguese sausage the way, and then you're done.

• 1:06:17Amy Poehler?

  And to the point about teamwork, when people are at their lowest point, when they're very, very stressed, their real, the real personality comes out.

• 1:06:27Speaker 02

  It's so true.

• 1:06:27Amy Poehler?

  So when someone is kind.

• 1:06:29Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 1:06:30Amy Poehler?

  And when they're kind to each other at their lowest moment, then you know they're gonna be okay.

• 1:06:33Speaker 02

  Yes, you, we always, because we watch old episodes, and we so Google, like, are they still together? Do we think they're married still? Did they ever get married? We're so, we're like, super fans. All right. Just or just the two of you? But no, I can't, we can't and like compete with all the big brother people.

• 1:06:51Amy Poehler?

  Remember Battle of the Network Stars?

• 1:06:53Speaker 02

  I do remember that.

• 1:06:55Amy Poehler?

  You might be too young for that, but there was.

• 1:06:56Speaker 02

  I do have a memory of that.

• 1:06:58Amy Poehler?

  There was an amazing moment in TV where all of the stars in TV had to put on really short shorts and do like Olympic events and just do track and field events and be, and it was the most famous people in TV.

• 1:07:13Speaker 02

  And they all did it.

• 1:07:14Amy Poehler?

  And they all, I mean, I don't even know.

• 1:07:16Speaker 02

  Would you do it today?

• 1:07:17Amy Poehler?

  I would do it.

• 1:07:18Speaker 02

  You would say all but the running.

• 1:07:20Amy Poehler?

  I would do all but the running. And I wouldn't do very well in any of the events, but I would have.

• 1:07:25Speaker 02

  So much fun.

• 1:07:25Amy Poehler?

  I'd be a good like mouth. I'd be like, I'd be, I'd be able to trash talk.

• 1:07:30Speaker 02

  Oh, yes, that's important.

• 1:07:32Amy Poehler?

  And that was important. In Battle of the Network Stars, there was a little bit of like, ha ha, I'm gonna get you kind of thing. But um, the insurance would never let this happen now.

• 1:07:40Speaker 02

  That's true. They wouldn't do it now.

• 1:07:42Amy Poehler?

  No, you'd be.

• 1:07:42Speaker 02

  The teams we, that I'm proud that my kids don't like, because I got nervous they would just be focused on the winning. But there are like, occasionally there are teams who lie about what to do next. They're like, they figure out a challenge and then they lie to the next team.

• 1:07:56Amy Poehler?

  I know.

• 1:07:56Speaker 02

  And those teams.

• 1:07:58Amy Poehler?

  And it always comes back to bite him.

• 1:07:59Speaker 02

  Karma, karma. Yeah.

• 1:08:02Amy Poehler?

  When they take the thing, they're like, don't show them the clue.

• 1:08:04Speaker 02

  That's right, that's right. They're like, oh yeah, the clue's over there. And it's really over there and you're like.

• 1:08:08Amy Poehler?

  See you in hell.

• 1:08:09Speaker 02

  That's right.

• 1:08:10Amy Poehler?

  That's right. See you in amazing, raise hell.

• 1:08:13Speaker 02

  Yeah.

• 1:08:14Amy Poehler?

  And Phil's gonna be like, you've arrived. You've been, you're the last to arrive.

• 1:08:18Speaker 02

  You, I'm sorry to inform you.

• 1:08:23Speaker 02

  Oh, it's so good.

• 1:08:24Amy Poehler?

  Carrie, thank you so much for doing this. This is so fun.

• 1:08:30Amy Poehler?

  Thank you so much, Carrie. It was so fun talking to you and um, I'm always just impressed by your range and ability to do so many things so well. Thanks for um, being an awesome guest and it's just great talking to you. And, and I feel like I want to just plug this YouTube show, The Street That You Grew Up On, um, because you have, you, you, there's great guests like Michelle Obama and Issa Rae and Sarah Paulson. And it's a great idea, this idea of just figuring out where you grew up and, and digging deeper. And it feels like Carrie's always trying to do that in her own life and in her characters. And so, check that out on YouTube. And I have heard that you can get YouTube without commercials. If you pay a little extra.

• 1:09:13Amy Poehler?

  Which I'm not willing to do. But if you, if you want to do that, that's up to you. So, um, thank you so much for, uh, joining us. Carrie, thanks so much for listening to Good Hang and we'll see you soon. Bye. You've been listening to Good Hang. The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paperkite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Kat Spillane, Kaia McMullin, and Aleia Zaneras. For Paperkite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Berman. Original music by Amy Miles.

• 1:09:54Amy Poehler?

  This episode is brought to you by Sephora. Holiday gifting can be a tough gig. You're frantically searching, second guessing everything, and accidentally buying your dad eye cream he's never gonna use. Thankfully, Sephora is here to save us from ourselves. Whether you're shopping for a total beauty guru or someone whose whole routine is hand soap, Sephora has the perfect gift for everyone on your list. And if you're still lost, don't panic. Their beauty advisors can guide you to safety. This holiday season, we all Sephora. Shop gifts at Sephora and give something beautiful.

• 1:10:25Speaker 03

  New and exclusive holiday decor just launched online at The Home Depot. Check out the viral Grand Duchess Collection with smart holiday lights you can control from your phone. Easily customize the twinkle across trees, wreaths, and garlands to match your holiday vibe. Create stunning light effects, then switch it up with the tap of your fingers. Even the man in red will be impressed. Shop the holiday decor you want, online only, at homedepot.com.