Podcast Summary: Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers

Episode: SAMARA WEAVING Is From "Radelaide"

Release Date: March 31, 2026
Hosts: Seth Meyers & Josh Meyers
Guest: Samara Weaving

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Meyers Brothers welcome Australian actress Samara Weaving to relive her freewheeling, globe-trotting childhood and the memorable, sometimes chaotic family adventures that shaped her. With candid and comedic energy, they explore Samara’s unique upbringing across multiple continents, tales of family injuries in exotic locales, and what it means to come from “Radelaide.” Samara also reflects on her acting career, famous family quirks, and how her international childhood influences her today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Meyers Brothers on Handiness and Family (00:00–11:32)

• Seth and Josh open with a relatable discussion about home repairs, admitting their lack of “Handy Dad” skills and poking fun at tool stores and their own “helpless” personas at home.
• They touch on generational differences (their father’s attempts at handyman projects), and Seth’s awe at people who can fix things easily.
• A running joke is the Home Depot “apron people” who are supposedly elusive (“The apron people are maybe playing a little hide and seek…” – Seth, 04:30).
• Seth shares a personal story about playing the Hamilton soundtrack with his sons and getting unexpectedly emotional (“I told Ash. I tried to tell this to Ash in the car and I could not stop crying to a part that was like disturbing. Disturbing for the kids. They didn’t enjoy it.” – Seth, 07:19).
• Both reminisce about growing up listening to Broadway soundtracks, especially Cats.

2. Introduction to Samara Weaving (11:32–14:40)

• Seth notes Samara’s recent very pregnant red carpet appearance—her openness about pregnancy sets a fun, real tone.
• Josh mentions seeing her film Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, discussing its family-game premise and “rules-based” narrative, which the Meyers brothers, as rule-followers, deeply enjoyed.
• Casual chat about mutual connections (Jorma Taccone, Scott Speedman, etc.).

3. Samara’s “Radelaide” Origins & Global Childhood (14:40–21:21)

• Samara is from Adelaide, which she amusingly calls “Radelaide” (“That name. Rattleade… Oh my God. I never even thought to call her that.” – Seth, 13:56).
• She grew up moving around: Fiji (where her sister was born), Indonesia, Singapore, Italy, and various parts of Australia.
• Samara’s father’s mysterious career (“He says he was a business consultant… Now he’s a lecturer. I’m sus. I’m real sus.” – Samara, 15:05–16:26) leads to jokes about him being a spy.
• She and her sister were close, but like many siblings, had periods of rivalry (“…teenage years and your nemesis, aren’t you?” – Samara, 16:52).

4. Kids on the Move: International Schools & Acting Start (21:22–25:19)

• The practical realities of moving: Samara was often taking buses to auditions between Canberra and Sydney, sometimes driven by her dad, other times on her own.
• Australia’s laid-back work culture amuses her U.S. agents who are flummoxed by 10-week holidays.

5. Childhood Adventures, Family Dynamic, and Injuries Abroad (25:19–44:32)

• Samara’s family valued cultural immersion, not tourism: trips to Angkor Wat, Vietnam, Nepal, and local rituals were “just normal” to her (“…with a child's brain, so there was no sort of, I didn’t know any different.” – Samara, 25:19–26:00).
• Her parents’ spirit of curiosity led to some, in hindsight, questionable safety practices:
  • Stories of injuries on trips, especially suffered by her fearless younger sister.
  • Bali pool mishap: Sister split her chin open—only local help was available: “Finally, we Find this dentist…he gets the needle ready to numb the chin, …Mum faints on him, and he injects his own hand. So then he can’t stitch her up.” (42:35)
  • Indonesia batik injury: Sister burned by hot wax, cured by villagers with toothpaste.
  • Both incidents highlight both the resourcefulness and chaos of their travels.
• Samara credits her dad for knowing how to engage her shyness and love for acting: “He’d interview me at, you know, a certain ruin or in a gallery…like a pseudo David Attenborough style…” (31:41).

6. The “Devil Granny” in Malta (32:12–35:04)

• Family history with a great-grandmother in Malta who refused to meet them because they weren’t baptized (“…she was like their devil children.” – Samara, 33:07).
• Eventually, a meeting occurs, but it is awkward (“…forcibly polite and I was just a bit afraid.” – Samara, 34:53).
• The brothers share similar awkward grandparent meeting stories.

7. Extended Family, Global Gatherings, and More Travels (37:10–40:03)

• Family scattered across Australia, England, Scotland.
• Scottish roots are celebrated with a tartan and a drunken family reunion.
• Reflections on filming in Finland (for a Jorma Taccone movie meant to be set in upstate New York), the harshness of Nordic winters, and the cultural differences abroad.

8. Cultural Learnings & Childhood Realizations (44:32–50:18)

• Samara recalls realizing Santa Claus wasn’t real because her gifts were always from wherever they traveled.
  • (“…Why is everything Cambodian when I’m in Cambodia?” – Samara, 45:09)
• She and her sister were close and “raised on the go,” so grandparent visits were rare but special.

9. Sibling Contrasts & Early Acting Career (50:18–54:55)

• Sister is now a researcher at Stanford, Samara jokes about being “the lazy one who didn’t go to university.”
• Her acting career began young, with soap opera Home and Away, “the cooler” as it’s set on a beach.
• Seth & Josh recount their exposure to Aussie TV (Neighbors, Home and Away) while working in Amsterdam.
• Funny commentary on Australian accents: “It is the hardest accent to get.” – Samara (54:41)
  • The brothers and Samara joke about their (bad) attempts at the Australian accent and how Aussies hate it.

10. Acting in America – Accents, Pilots, and Life as an Outsider (54:55–56:36)

• Samara describes working on her American accent to fit U.S. roles and the awkwardness of staying in character on set.
• Commentary on the difference between being an “inside” vs. “outside” person—her husband is an “air-conditioned boy” who struggles in Australia’s beach culture.

11. Life in Italy & Homeschooling (60:36–64:05)

• The family spent six months in Florence (Samara age 12), homeschooling in a “creative sweatshop” led by their artist-curator mother (“just do me a painting a day and we'll say that's good.” – Samara, 63:20).
• The sisters relished the freedom, lack of peer pressure, and pre-social-media innocence before returning to Australia and “mean girls.”

12. Reflections on Career & Next Steps (64:08–67:09)

• Samara discusses the forthcoming Ready or Not 2, a more comedic, less spooky sequel.
• Admits to being easily frightened by scary movies, which she now stars in (“I had to really train myself. Cause doesn’t come naturally.” – Samara, 65:23).

13. Speed Round Q&A (66:13–68:09)

A fun closing rapid-fire round:

• Ideal vacation: Relaxing
• Favorite transportation: Car
• Dream family to vacation with: "Devil granny" (callback to Maltese anecdote)
• Desert island pick: Sister, Morgan (“the smart one”)
• Ultimate family destination: Florence
• Current hometown: Los Angeles (“It’s not a family destination!” – Samara, 67:27)
• Would she visit the Grand Canyon? "Sure." (Seth jokes it now sounds like a real offer.)

14. Niagara Falls in Costume (68:09–69:11)

• Samara shares a memorable moment: visiting Niagara Falls – still covered in fake blood from the Ready or Not set, unintentionally scaring tourists.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On her father’s mysterious jobs:
  “He says he was a business consultant… Now he’s a lecturer. I’m sus. I’m real sus.”
  – Samara Weaving, 15:05–16:26
• On childhood travel:
  “We were in the wild. We were the Wild Thornberrys.”
  – Samara, 29:47
• On improvisational parenting:
  “If you do, just do me a painting a day and we’ll say that’s good.”
  – Samara describing her mother’s homeschooling in Florence, 63:20
• On realizing Santa isn’t real:
  “Why is everything Cambodian when I’m in Cambodia?”
  – Samara, 45:09
• On sibling rivalry vs. adventure:
  “My sister’s really adventurous… I was a big scaredy cat shy kid and I didn’t want to leave my little house…”
  – Samara, 30:43
• On Australian accents:
  “It is the hardest accent to get.”
  – Samara, 54:41
• On being in horror movies:
  “I had to really train myself. Cause doesn’t come naturally.”
  – Samara, 65:23
• On open windows in the U.S.:
  “There was this trend … called burping the house. Essentially meant, just open your windows. … This is just how we live everywhere.”
  – Samara, 60:02

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Handyman Banter & Opening Stories: 00:00–11:32
• Samara’s Introduction & Family Origins: 14:40–21:21
• Childhood Stories, International Upbringing: 25:19–44:32
• Malta, “Devil Granny” anecdote: 32:12–35:04
• Travel, Art, and Homeschooling in Florence: 60:36–64:05
• Speed Round & Q&A: 66:13–68:09
• Niagara Falls Story (in Costume): 68:09–69:11

Tone and Style

The episode sparkles with playful sibling rapport, wry humor about family roles, and Samara’s signature blend of Australian candidness and warmth. Her descriptions of wild travels, sibling mishaps, and cultural oddities are vivid and funny. The hosts celebrate her unique perspective and connect over the universal, sometimes messy truths of family travel.

Takeaways

• Samara’s peripatetic childhood fostered curiosity, resilience, and a healthy dose of skepticism (especially about family cover stories!).
• Family “disasters” abroad are, in hindsight, rich fodder for laughter and nostalgia.
• The best family trips embrace adventure, mishaps, and improvisation—with plenty of love and humor mixed in.

Recommended For:
Fans of travel tales, family stories, and those who love hearing about the quirks and chaos that shape creative, global lives. This episode delivers both laughs and heart.