Stars vs. Story: What Makes Movies Work

Bill sits down with award-buzzed actor Joel Edgerton for a sharp, funny, and moving conversation that jumps from Hollywood absurdities to deeply personal truths. They dig into Edgerton’s career-defining performance in Train Dreams, and why stories about ordinary people, loss, and resilience can hit harder than any superhero spectacle. Edgerton opens up about early struggles and the love that carried him through, while Maher shares a bizarre first “job” as an unqualified bodyguard for a South African diplomat’s kids. Along the way, they talk about how Australian actors seem to be quietly running Hollywood—and that most American accents these days were probably learned in Sydney watching Leave It to Beaver.

Support our Advertisers:

-Head to https://www.squarespace.com/CLUBRANDOM to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code CLUBRANDOM.

-Get 50% off your first box plus free breakfast for 1 year at https://www.factormeals.com/random50off

Subscribe to the Club Random YouTube channel:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/c/clubrandompodcast?sub_confirmation=1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Watch episodes ad-free – subscribe to Bill Maher’s Substack:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://billmaher.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you listen: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/ClubRandom⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Buy Club Random Merch:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://clubrandom.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ABOUT CLUB RANDOM

Bill Maher rewrites the rules of podcasting the way he did in television in this series of one on one, hour long conversations with a wide variety of unexpected guests in the undisclosed location called Club Random. There’s a whole big world out there that isn’t about politics and Bill and his guests—from Bill Burr and Jerry Seinfeld to Jordan Peterson, Quentin Tarantino and Neil DeGrasse Tyson—talk about all of it. 

For advertising opportunities please email: PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com

ABOUT BILL MAHER

Bill Maher was the host of “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC) from 1993-2002, and for the last fourteen years on HBO’s “Real Time,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 40 Emmy nominations. Maher won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, “VICE.” In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous.”

Maher has written five bestsellers: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden,” “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” and most recently, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.”

FOLLOW CLUB RANDOM

https://www.clubrandom.com

https://www.facebook.com/Club-Random-101776489118185

https://twitter.com/clubrandom_

https://www.instagram.com/clubrandompodcast

https://www.tiktok.com/@clubrandompodcast

FOLLOW BILL MAHER

https://www.billmaher.com

https://twitter.com/billmaher

https://www.instagram.com/billmaher

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices