Podcast Summary: Not Skinny But Not Fat

Host: Amanda Hirsch
Guest: Emily Bader
Title: Emily Bader: People We Meet on Vacation
Date: January 20, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Amanda Hirsch welcomes rising actress Emily Bader, the breakout star of Netflix’s “People We Meet on Vacation,” adapted from Emily Henry’s beloved novel. The conversation covers Emily’s journey to landing her career-making role as Poppy, her experience filming the anticipated rom-com, and the nuances of navigating sudden internet fame. The dialogue flows from the realities of being an actor—rejection, auditions, self-doubt—to Emily’s personal background, college years, and the realities of making a living in entertainment. The friendly, relatable tone makes for a refreshing insight into both Hollywood and Emily’s down-to-earth personality.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Amanda’s Hollywood-Adjacent Anecdotes & Episode Intro

• [00:01-08:21]
  • Amanda shares “Tell Me Lies” cast party stories, her empathy for the “supporting cast,” and her encounters with stars like Grace Van Patten and reality TV personalities.
  • Excitement for Emily Bader’s appearance and the success of “People We Meet on Vacation.”
  • Sets up Emily as humble and genuine:

    “She really is just like a normal cool girl that is on the number one movie on Netflix right now.” — Amanda [07:54]

2. Emily on Motherhood, Social Media, and Success

• [08:22-11:45]
  • Bonding over the intensity of childbirth and “the superhero feeling” it gives.
  • Emily tries to avoid the hype online for her own sanity:

    “I genuinely don’t even really know because I’m just too scared to pay attention to anything.” — Emily [10:12]

  • She curates her social media feeds:

    “I’ve been trying to like, shift my algorithm right now to be like, cooking videos.” — Emily [10:22]

3. Book-to-Movie Adaptation Challenges

• [11:10-14:50]
  • Emily discusses pressure to satisfy existing book fans and a wider audience.
  • Amanda relays her husband’s unlikely approval:

    “He sat there and giggled his tush off… He goes, she’s so good. From the burrito scene.” — Amanda [12:44]

  • They muse on the demand for classic rom-coms.

4. Landing the Role & Casting Experience

• [14:50-18:47]
  • Emily details her unique path to being cast—no traditional audition, but a chemistry read after someone from Netflix connected her indie film performance (“Fresh Kills”) to her “My Lady Jane” role.
  • Frantic attempt to read the book in Sweden before the Zoom with the director:

    “I had to try not to get car sick while I speed read through this book.” — Emily [17:36]

  • She immediately clicked with the character of Poppy:

    “Poppy’s a yapper. I am also a yapper.” — Emily [18:37]

5. Book Character Appearance vs. On-screen Portrayal

• [18:47-21:18]
  • Amanda reflects on casting controversies in adaptations; Emily is relieved that fans have embraced her despite not being a blonde Poppy.
  • Both discuss insecurities about hair and representation in Hollywood:

    “I was so insecure about my curly hair growing up, I think because, like, people always, like, why… Princess Diaries, like, the plot is—‘we gave her a blowout, now she’s hot.’” — Emily [21:05]

6. Travel & Filming Locations

• [30:29-34:23]
  • Emily and Tom Blyth met for the first time in Barcelona, then filmed across Spain, Tuscany, and New Orleans for nearly three months.
  • Filming “vacations” ended up being a literal vacation:

    “Sometimes it is really a job. And other times you’re like, this is not a job.” — Emily [31:01]

  • Emily reveals she books her best jobs while on vacation due to “not holding on so tight” to the audition process.

7. Background, Upbringing, and Theater Roots

• [41:52–54:53]
  • Emily grew up in a blunt, opinionated (not Italian, but close) family, not the popular girl in school, and found her people in college theater at Loyola.
  • Their raw first-day college theater class experience:

    “We all sat in a circle and had to cry. Like, think of a memory and start sobbing.” — Emily [54:33]

8. The Realities of Acting: Rejection, Persistence, and No Plan B

• [59:59–62:38]
  • Emily’s father’s advice:

    “No backup plans. Don’t get a good job. If you have any reason not to do it, you probably won’t.” — Emily [60:04]

  • She details the pain of rejection, even after “almost” successes, and the importance of focusing on the craft:

    “All you can control in this business is your craft… Celebrate every little, tiny, tiny thing.” — Emily [61:51]

9. Handling Sudden Fame, Support, and Humility

• [62:57–63:59]
  • Emily gets emotional discussing her gratitude, friendship, and self-pinching disbelief at her current success:

    “I have so many friends in this business… I would have just failed for a very long time. But I’m just trying to live in it because you never know when they’re gonna get over it.” — Emily [63:06]

10. Rapid-Fire: On-Screen Kissing, Hardest Scenes, and Fan Moments

• [64:29–72:59]
  • Lucas Gage asks via voicemail: who’s the best kisser, Tom Blyth or Lucien?

    “I kissed Tom a lot more than Lucas… I could not stop laughing with Lucas. It was the hardest scene I think I filmed.” — Emily [65:13]

  • Hardest scene: Kissing in the rain was “freezing,” and technical to film, despite looking romantic.
  • The infamous blue wig was Emily and the hairstylist’s idea:

    “I was whispering—we have to do a wig. They haven’t said that I can do a wig yet, but I’m gonna find a way…” — Emily [67:39]

  • Amanda and Emily both join fans wanting the “unreleased” spicier footage from the adaptation.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “You just feel like a superhero for the rest of your life.” — Amanda [08:40]
• “I genuinely don’t even really know because I’m just too scared to pay attention to anything.” — Emily [10:12]
• “He sat there and giggled his tush off… He goes, she’s so good. From the burrito scene.” — Amanda [12:44]
• “Poppy’s a yapper. I am also a yapper.” — Emily [18:37]
• “Sometimes it is really a job. And other times you’re like, this is not a job.” — Emily [31:01]
• “No backup plan. Because I think it’s so… this job questions your love for it a lot in the beginning.” — Emily [60:04]
• “All you can control in this business is your craft… Celebrate every little, tiny, tiny thing.” — Emily [61:51]
• “I have so many friends in this business… I would have just failed for a very long time. But I’m just trying to live in it…” — Emily [63:06]
• “I was whispering—we have to do a wig. They haven’t said that I can do a wig yet, but I’m gonna find a way…” — Emily [67:39]

Memorable Moments

• Amanda’s party story empathy for less-famous cast members (hilariously heartfelt)
• Emily speed-reading the book in Sweden to avoid being unprepared for her chemistry read
• Candid sharing about curly hair insecurities and growing up wanting the “Princess Diaries” blowout
• Confessions about college theater rituals (“everyone sat in a circle and had to sob on day one”)
• Lucas Gage’s playful “best kisser” question
• Fan excitement about the blue-wig, and Emily’s secret push for the look in the film

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:01–08:21] Amanda’s intro, party stories, setup for Emily interview
• [08:22–11:10] Emily on motherhood, social media, avoiding hype
• [11:10–14:50] Book adaptation chat, broad appeal, Amanda’s husband’s review
• [14:50–18:47] Getting cast, audition story, reading the book in a rush
• [18:47–21:18] Physical portrayal, hair, growing up curly
• [30:29–34:23] Shooting in Spain, Tuscany, New Orleans, “work comes calling on vacation”
• [41:52–54:53] Theater background, childhood, college dynamics
• [59:59–62:38] Parental advice, rejection, persistence
• [62:57–63:59] Fame, gratitude, processing the current moment
• [64:29–71:12] Lucas Gage’s question, hardest scenes to film, fan moments
• [71:12–end] Off-screen stories, talk about sex scenes and uncut footage

Overall Tone & Takeaways

This episode encapsulates what makes Amanda’s podcast so enjoyable—a blend of celebrity insight with the relatability of a best-friends-on-the-couch chat. Emily Bader emerges as self-aware, funny, gracious, and ambitious. She peels back the glamorous veneer of Netflix stardom to reveal the grind, vulnerability, and joy of making it in entertainment. For fans of the film, the episode provides rich behind-the-scenes stories; for aspiring creatives, it’s a testament to persistence and humility.