Table for Two

In 1999, after roasting Jerry Stiller to perfection at the Friars Club, Susie Essman got a phone call. It was an old friend of hers from the stand-up comedy circuit: Larry David. David wanted her on his new television series, Curb Your Enthusiasm. With no guarantee that she’d be a recurring cast member and little in the way of financial compensation, Essman joined the show as Susie Greene. Over the course of 24 years and 12 seasons, she became one of Curb's most popular characters. Whether foiling a scheme devised by Jeff Garlin (who plays Essman’s husband), trading jabs with Richard Lewis, or hurling insults at David, Essman’s raucous wit reliably steals the show. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actress and comedian joins host Bruce Bozzi and discusses her early years waitressing in New York City, the key to David’s genius, and how her perspective on life has shifted with age.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether on stage as a stand-up comedian, alongside Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm, or answering lightning-round questions, Susie Essman never fails to get a laugh out of her audience. On this week’s bonus episode of Table for Two, Essman joins host Bruce Bozzi and shares her favorite comics, her biggest New York City pet peeve, and the celebrity she met that stunned her. Hear a preview of the episode below, and listen and subscribe on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Duchovny believes he’s a writer at heart. And though the Golden Globe-winner has achieved a level of acting success that would seem to eclipse his proficiency in any other art form, he has a point. After developing a love of books in high school, Duchovny was off to Princeton, and then to Yale to pick up an M.A. in English Literature. All this before ever trying his hand at acting, and starring as the enthusiastic Fox Mulder in X-Files. Duchovny has also written five books, including one that grew into the new film Reverse the Curse, in which he also stars. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, he sits down with host Bruce Bozzi to discuss his favorite authors, the three celebrities he had to introduce himself to, and the inspiration behind his podcast, Fail Better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For someone who loves reading enough to start a book club, picking a favorite novel can be a near-impossible task. But on this week’s bonus episode of Table for Two, Emma Roberts joins host Bruce Bozzi and does just that, and also discusses the actor she most admires and the singer she can’t get enough of.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s hard to forge your own path in Hollywood. It’s even more difficult to do so when your aunt is Julia Roberts, you rose to fame as a Nickelodeon star, and executives seem to think of you only in terms of one role: “the girl next door.” Emma Roberts faced all these challenges. But because of a single show (American Horror Story), and a single producer (Ryan Murphy) who saw untapped potential in her, Roberts was able to transition from child stardom into a wide-ranging career that has spanned over two decades. That she balances rolling out new projects—her latest, Space Cadet, comes out July 4th—with her book club, Belletrist, and raising a son makes it all the more impressive. On this episode of Table for Two, the actress joins host Bruce Bozzi and discusses how Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop inspired her, the importance of financial independence, and her lifelong love of reading.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even when pressed for time, the eminently erudite David Duchovny has no trouble answering questions on the fly. On this week’s bonus episode of Table for Two, Duchovny straps in for host Bruce Bozzi’s lightning-round about his favorite movie, the first word that comes to mind when he hears X-Files, and the advice that changed his life. Hear a preview of the episode below, and listen and subscribe on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Kristen Wiig, stage fright is an asset. It’s only when this feeling subsides—and a job or role feels comfortable—that she knows it’s time to push her boundaries. This is what led her to leave The Groundlings, an L.A.-based comedy troupe, to join Saturday Night Live, where over seven seasons she established herself as one of the most celebrated cast members in its history. It also drove her to move from live television to film, which she did with a hilarious flourish in Bridesmaids. Her recent role on the Apple TV+ series Palm Royale proves the point that Wiig always rises to the occasion. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actress, writer, and producer has lunch with host Bruce Bozzi and discusses her transition to the silver screen, the experience of working alongside Carol Burnett, and why Aunt Linda is one of her favorite S.N.L. characters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The music children obsess over is not all created equal, which makes Kristen Wiig particularly thankful that Taylor Swift’s “Welcome To New York”—a song she can get behind—is one of her daughters’ current obsessions. On this week’s bonus episode of Table for Two, Wiig answers other lightning-round questions from host Bruce Bozzi, including her biggest pet peeve, what Lorne Michaels means to her, and the first thing that comes to mind when she hears the word “bridesmaids.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To perfectly capture the essence of a subject, director Sam Taylor-Johnson borrows a strategy used by method actors. The British filmmaker and photographer says she enters the character's headspace to better represent their feelings, emotions, and complexities. For this reason, Taylor-Johnson only seeks out projects she can viscerally connect to, which was the case with her new Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, Taylor-Johnson sits down for lunch with host Bruce Bozzi and discusses the moment she knew Marisa Abela was the right choice to play Winehouse, the difficulties of navigating the movie industry as a woman, and how her poignant photographic portrait series of Hollywood stars, “Crying Men,” helped her come to terms with her second cancer diagnosis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Taylor-Johnson may have just directed the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black, but don’t be fooled: her musical tastes run much deeper than the singer's hit “Valerie." On this week’s bonus episode of Table for Two, Taylor-Johnson reveals the other artists in her rotation, her biggest pet peeve, and the advice from Anthony Minghella that altered the course of her career.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.