Q with Tom Power

CBC
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Jul 30, 2025 • 31min

Prabal Gurung explains why Kamala Harris’s pockets matter

World-renowned fashion designer Prabal Gurung grew up in a turbulent household, with an abusive father at home and bullies at school who teased him for being too feminine. It was only when he moved to New York City to work with designers like Donna Karan and Cynthia Rowley that Prabal began to embrace the things that made him different. His new memoir, “Walk Like a Girl,” is a tribute to the women who made him the fashion designer he is today, from Anna Wintour, who championed his work, to longtime clients like Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris and Kate Middleton.
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Jul 30, 2025 • 12min

Cate Blanchett forgot the sound of her real voice

Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth, The Aviator, Tár) is one of the most respected actors of our time. She's an on-screen chameleon who transforms into whatever role she plays, taking on whatever accent is required of her — so much so that she says it’s easy to forget what she actually sounds like. At last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Cate sat down with Tom Power for a thoughtful conversation about two of her most recent projects (the unique political satire “Rumours” and the psychological thriller series “Disclaimer”), plus, her voice work.
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Jul 29, 2025 • 27min

Heather and Arizona O'Neill find a bit of magic on the Montreal Metro

Heather and Arizona O'Neill are more than just mother and daughter — they're creative partners, storytellers and travel companions. Their latest collaboration, a novel called “Valentine in Montreal,” is already an instant bestseller. Heather wrote the book, which was first published in weekly installments in the Montreal Gazette, and Arizona illustrated it. The mother-daughter duo join Tom Power to tell us what it's like working together and why the Montreal subway system plays a special role in their relationship.
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Jul 29, 2025 • 24min

How Brian Tyree Henry overcame his imposter syndrome

Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta, Causeway, The Book of Mormon) has become one of Hollywood's busiest actors. On the new series “Dope Thief,” he plays Ray Driscoll — a complex character who’s dealing with generational trauma, addiction and grief. Back in April, Brian joined Tom Power to talk about the role, the epiphany he had that reframed the way he looks at his career, and how he put his imposter syndrome in the rearview mirror.
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Jul 28, 2025 • 41min

The pressure of being a Palestinian American comedian

Mo Amer's comedy career couldn't be going any better right now. His semi-autobiographical TV show “Mo” is a big success and he’s currently on a massive stand-up tour. But even though his professional life is thriving, certain things in his personal life are a bit more complicated. Mo joins Tom Power to talk about the pressure he’s feeling as a Palestinian American comedian, the emotional conversations he's been having with his fans, and how his life in comedy all got started.
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Jul 25, 2025 • 30min

Angélique Kidjo’s life and work is defined by one thing: freedom

Multi-Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo is now the first Black African performer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This past March, she joined Tom Power from our Montreal studio to talk about her incredible career in music. Angélique reflected on her childhood in Benin, how she fled to France to escape her home country’s strict military dictatorship, and what that experience taught her about freedom of all kinds. Plus, she tells Tom why percussion has to come first when she’s making music.
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Jul 25, 2025 • 23min

Thriller writer Ruth Ware has never done a sequel — until now

Bestselling author Ruth Ware doesn’t do sequels, or so she’s said. After nine standalone psychological thrillers, the British novelist has released “The Woman in Suite 11,” which is a follow-up to her hit 2016 book, “The Woman in Cabin 10.” Ruth sits down with guest host Ali Hassan to tell us how her readers persuaded her to take another look at her character Lo Blacklock — a travel journalist who seems to find herself on the deadly end of luxury excursions. Plus, Ruth explains how maternity leave put her on the path to becoming a professional writer.
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Jul 24, 2025 • 34min

Robby Hoffman’s unconventional path to comedy

Comedian Robby Hoffman is having a big year. She was just nominated for an Emmy for her role in the hit HBO show “Hacks,” where she plays a character based on her own experiences. Plus, her Just For Laughs show in Montreal this summer is sold out. But Robby hasn’t had a conventional path into comedy. From leaving an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic community in Brooklyn as a kid to living in Montreal with her nine siblings, Robby tells Tom Power about how she forged her own path.
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Jul 24, 2025 • 16min

Yves Jarvis gave himself a concussion making music

The Montreal musician Yves Jarvis spent a year listening only to Frank Sinatra when he wrote his sixth and latest album, “All Cylinders.” He says it’s the least contrived thing he’s ever done. Not only did he produce the record, but he also plays every instrument on it, blending genres like bluegrass, jazz, folk and even yacht-rock in unexpected ways. Back in March, Yves joined Tom Power to tell us how his songwriting evolved in the process, and how he concussed himself while having too much fun in the studio.
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Jul 23, 2025 • 22min

Remembering Ozzy Osbourne

Yesterday, Ozzy Osbourne passed away at age 76. The Black Sabbath frontman will be remembered for his music, his antics on stage and his family’s reality television show, “The Osbournes.” In 2022, Tom Power sat down with the Prince of Darkness himself to discuss his new album at the time, “Patient Number 9.” But they also spoke about the legacy that Osbourne hopes to leave behind, his love for his wife, Sharon, and how he survived his addictions to drugs and alcohol.

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