Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Side Dish: More with Ali Larter

Released: January 8, 2026
Podcast by Sony Music Entertainment

Overview

In this "Side Dish" episode, Jesse Tyler Ferguson hosts actor Ali Larter on the penthouse patio of Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills for a candid and warm conversation. They discuss Ali’s starring role in the new Paramount series Landman, her move from Los Angeles to Idaho, the complexities of motherhood while working, the changing landscape of the acting industry, and their shared love of cooking and writing cookbooks. In a signature Dinner’s on Me style, the encouragement of storytelling is matched by laughter, vulnerability, and relatable struggles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Landman Casting Process & Character Depth

• Ali’s audition for Landman was a three-month, grueling process. She describes having to perform multiple scenes and monologues, culminating in 19 pages of material for her final round.
  • "After I even read the first scene, I wanted to play this character because it's very rare for me in my career that I've gotten a chance to lean into all the sides of a woman...she can be so ballsy and fierce. And then there's these massive vulnerable moments, and then moments of historical laughter..." — Ali Larter (05:11)
• Playing ‘Angela’ offers Ali a rare multidimensional role. She expresses excitement at representing women with agency and strength, as well as depth and vulnerability.
  • "In Texas, the women really run the show...There's a fierceness to them and a strength, but they, like, own it, you know?" — Ali Larter (06:44)
• Jesse relates Ali’s role to her career, noting a trend of her portraying underestimated women who reveal great strength.
  • "There's a theme in the roles that you've played; you play these women who, on the surface, can be underestimated, and they have this great agency to them..." — Jesse (05:54)

Timestamps: 04:33 – 07:09

2. Life and Work in Texas

• Filming on location in Fort Worth, Texas, adds authenticity.
  • Ali describes how being surrounded by "real" Texas culture — "you go to the stockyards, feel like the cattlemen...there's nobody wearing a cowboy hat that didn't just come from the rodeo" — seeps into their performances and the show’s feel.
• Contrasts between Texas cities, wealth, and energy industry: Jesse and Ali riff on the eclectic culture, with Ali noting, "oil is the heartbeat of Fort Worth, you know, and it's just like, generational." — Ali (08:47)
• Ali discusses how the experience has impacted her, contrasting the pace and intensity of work with her parenting duties and personal life.

Timestamps: 07:09 – 09:47

3. Motherhood, Career, and the Changing Industry

• Both Jesse and Ali reflect on parenting and how it reframes their relationship to their careers.
  • Jesse: "I look at my career in such a different way now as a parent...I prioritize my time, obviously, differently." (09:57)
• Industry changes:
  • They reminisce about their early audition days in Los Angeles, contrasting them with the current state of the industry, and note how communal and "scrappy" those times were.
  • "Everyone did lean on each other, you know...that’s when it was like seven auditions a day, like I was racing in my Corolla to the next one..." — Ali (10:49)
• On moving on:
  • "I cherish it, but I'm also like, glad to be past it." — Jesse (11:14)

Timestamps: 09:47 – 11:18

4. Relocating to Idaho: Making Family the Priority

• Pandemic-led move: Ali details the family’s decision to leave LA for Idaho for what was meant to be two months during the pandemic and becoming a longer commitment.
  • "We drove in five years ago on our daughter's sixth birthday...if they're gonna be on screens, let's go ski as a family...I’d actually never been to Sun Valley." — Ali (16:05)
• Weighing career risks: She and her husband debated if moving out of LA would stall their acting careers.
  • "It was the first time, I think, my husband and I were like, let's forge the path that feels right to us and let the cards fall where they're gonna fall..." — Ali (17:00)
• Community & Values: Emphasis on small-town life, giving kids strong values, accountability, and respect. "We loved the idea of really giving our kids the values of a small town...being accountable, respect, you know, that kind of stuff." — Ali (18:56)

Timestamps: 16:05 – 19:40

5. Children, Social Media, and the Arts

• Would Ali or Jesse let their kids become actors? Both are open but cautious, recognizing the difficulties and pitfalls of child stardom, especially with social media pressures.
  • "I wouldn't want them just to go to Juilliard or this tish...you need two parts of your life within this industry...this industry needs to be the bonus in life." — Ali (21:46)

Timestamps: 19:41 – 22:08

6. Alternate Paths, Wanderlust, and Self-Discovery

• Jesse admits he may have gone to culinary school if acting didn't pan out; Ali considered news broadcasting and reflects on traveling alone to Japan at age 17 as a transformative experience.
  • "I was a force of nature, though. I don't know if my parents knew what to do with me, do you know what I'm saying?..." — Ali (22:49)

Timestamps: 22:09 – 23:34

7. Cookbooks, Cooking, and Feeding Community

• Both Jesse and Ali have written cookbooks. They bond over the arduous process and the joy cooking brings.
  • "Mine's called Food between Friends...It's sort of about cooking with friends. I have a very close friend named Julie Tan, who's my cooking partner...she sort of helped me figure out my way around the kitchen." — Jesse (25:42)
  • Ali describes her own book—written with her best friend Tracy—as an expression of love for food and entertaining.
• Shared lessons in cooking:
  • Greatest kitchen tip? "How to dice an onion properly." — Jesse (26:33)
  • Ali describes how her kitchen transforms when she’s not working and expresses her passion for simple, family-centered meals over complicated, “unattainable” home cooking perfection.
  • "The things that don't work, you make it a positive...now it's about the mistakes, that's what makes it beautiful." — Ali (29:19)
• They agree that the pressures of social-media-perfect cooking take the joy out of home cooking and champion an authentic, joyous, sometimes messy approach.

Timestamps: 25:40 – 29:38

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "In Texas, the women really run the show...There's a fierceness to them and a strength, but they, like, own it, you know?" — Ali (06:44)
• "Everyone did lean on each other, you know...that’s when it was like seven auditions a day, like I was racing in my Corolla to the next one..." — Ali (10:49)
• "Let's forge the path that feels right to us and let the cards fall where they're gonna fall..." — Ali (17:00)
• "The things that don't work, you make it a positive...now it's about the mistakes, that's what makes it beautiful." — Ali (29:19)
• "I cherish it, but I'm also like, glad to be past it." — Jesse (11:14)

Timestamped Highlights

• 04:33 — 07:09: Ali’s Landman audition process and developing the character of Angela.
• 09:47 — 11:18: Reminiscing about “the hustle” of early LA career days; reflecting on how parenting shifts their relationship to work.
• 16:05 — 19:40: Story of moving to Idaho during the pandemic and building a new family-centered life.
• 25:40 — 29:38: Deep dive into the joys and struggles of cookbook writing, the realities of home cooking, and letting go of culinary perfectionism.

Tone & Style

Warm, genuine, and humorous—Jesse and Ali engage in an open conversation, blending personal anecdotes, professional insight, and lighthearted exchanges (with the occasional parenting and LA actor war story for flavor). Their shared authenticity and affection for cooking, parenting, and artistic exploration shine throughout.

For Listeners/Newcomers

This episode is a deliciously candid exploration of what it means to create a home, take professional risks, balance parenting with passion projects, and nourish both body and soul. If you enjoy real talk about the industry, family, and food—served with wit and honesty—this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Next week: Jesse is joined by Eric Stonestreet to reminisce about Modern Family and discuss life beyond the set!