Podcrushed: Meghann Fahy

Podcast: Podcrushed
Hosts: Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, Sophie Ansari
Guest: Meghann Fahy
Original Release: January 28, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Podcrushed dives into the life and career of Emmy-nominated actress Meghann Fahy. Known for her roles on Broadway (Next to Normal), TV series (The Bold Type, One Life to Live), and standout performances in The White Lotus and Sirens, Meghann shares her journey from a shy, anxiety-ridden middle schooler to a celebrated actress. The conversation explores themes of self-discovery, childhood insecurities, parental dynamics, navigating early career “institutions,” and the complexities of fame, all wrapped in the show’s characteristic warmth and humor.

1. Personal Backstory and Middle School Snapshot

(07:47 – 15:13)

• Meghann’s Early Self: A “huge gap tooth,” very lanky, late bloomer, and painfully shy. Spent weekends performing with a karaoke machine at random local functions—kids’ parties, fairs, and hospitals.

  “I had like a huge gap tooth... I was incredibly lanky, very late bloomer and really, really shy. I spent a lot of my weekends singing in really weird places...” – Meghann (07:47)

• Performance Anxiety: Despite loving to sing, she struggled deeply with performance anxiety, which intensified as she got older.
• Stage Persona: Found brief moments of transformation during performances—“something else took over and it was joyful. But everything leading up to that was torture.” (11:06)
• School Talent Shows: Never the show-off at parties—participated in middle school talent shows, but found them terrifying and often endured teasing.
• Parental Support:
  • Her parents were supportive, driving her to auditions and buying equipment.
  • Anecdote: Her mom insisted she face her fears and audition for Next to Normal. “My mom was not a stage mom... she knew when to push. She was right.” (14:00)
  • Family background in working-class Longmeadow, MA, where there was a real sense of disparity between her situation and that of her peers (“your dad works for our dad!” was a school chant).

  “I think it is sort of known as being one of these little sort of white picket fence towns... all my friends had, like, an actor dad and drove Audis, and I was in my grandpa’s five speed Mazda.” – Meghann (15:50)

2. Awkward Adolescence: Crushes, Heartbreak & Embarrassment

(18:11 – 26:33)

• Late Bloomer in Romance:
  • “I was in the basement listening to Dashboard Confessional while my friends were dating older guys.” (19:15)
  • First kiss: sophomore year at a friend’s party—“so much later than everyone else, which felt particularly embarrassing.” (19:15)
• Cringeworthy Story:
  • Born missing two adult teeth; wore a “flipper” (temporary denture).
  • One day, shouted in the hallway and her fake teeth flew out, “sliding down the linoleum” (21:22).
  • “I just ran at them and put it back in my mouth...I’ve never told that story before. It really shaped how I move through the world.” – Meghann
• Resilience from Embarrassment:

  “I’m weirdly really grateful for those...because when something like that happened, you just picked them up and kept moving.” (22:30)

• Body Image and Orthodontia: Group discussion about the medieval torture of palate expanders and not wearing retainers.

3. Building a Stage and Screen Career

(32:59 – 47:38)

• Broadway Debut:
  • Booked open audition for Next to Normal in high school (understudy, then took over lead, closing out the Broadway run).
  • Simultaneously did One Life to Live, shuttling between set and stage.
  • Learned technical skills, especially memorization on the soap set.

  “My ability to this day to learn dialogue quickly is because of that... I think the soap really taught me memory.” – Meghann (36:58)

  • Practice makes permanent, not perfect—advice from her middle school principal.
• First Screen Role:
  • Gossip Girl (two lines as “Devin”), then Law & Order: SVU—considered it a rite of passage for NYC actors.
  • “I loved Gossip Girl... it was like an institution.” – Meghann (39:44)
• Big Break:
  • Years of “in between” after Broadway until landing her first series regular role as Sutton in The Bold Type, filmed at 25.
  • Auditioning enough to keep hope alive: “Statistically it’s gonna happen eventually if I just keep doing this.”
  • On blending drama and comedy in The Bold Type:

    “My favorite space is where things are really funny and really sad... There's so much humor sometimes in weeping.” (43:34)

4. Prestige TV: The White Lotus and Sirens

(47:38 – 69:07)

The White Lotus

• Originally up for a role in Season 1, but cast in Season 2—which fit her better.
  • “There’s always a reason why certain things don’t happen, or they do, but not till later...” (48:13)
• On playing Daphne:
  • Mike White insisted: “She is not a victim of her circumstances,” despite audience sympathy.
  • “People told me, ‘I felt so bad for her,’ and I never felt sorry for her. That’s what made her interesting—she really subverted something.” (50:49)
  • Agency and resilience as core to the character, even as she’s wounded.
• All-Star White Lotus Question:
  • Would bring Theo James and Will Sharpe from her season, and Murray Bartlett and Alexandra Daddario from other seasons.

Sirens

• Portraying “Devin,” a character close to her spirit but not what people expected from her.
• Chemistry with Millie Alcock (“live wire of an actor”)—drew on her bond with childhood best friends (twin sisters Jen and Kara) to portray sisterly dynamics authentically.
  • “Molly [Smith Metzler, creator]’s sensibility to leave it [the story] on that note was really poignant.” (67:40)
• Working with Millie:

  “She’s just such an artist, and I was so impressed with the way she inhabited the space of Simone.” – Meghann (64:06)

• Tricky audition process—showrunners initially didn’t see her in the part, but “I wanted to show people this was in my wheelhouse.”

5. Collaborating with Penn Badgley: The Rom-Com "You Deserve Each Other"

(71:44 – 80:59)

• First time working together (despite both being on Gossip Girl years before).
• Meghann praises Penn’s subtle comedic timing, surprising given his known dramatic work.

  “I was truly, truly like, really impressed by your ability to subtly weave comic moments into your performance.” (72:08)

• Both reflect how the lightness of the set—with lots of improv from Justin Long—contrasted with the high-stakes comedy needing “emotional sense behind the games.”
• Chemistry and working environment: Directors Mark and Abby “were always beaming.”
  • “I felt like the chemistry was really there and rom-com lives or dies on that.” – Nava (77:20)
• Discussion of a playful “feud” on social media where fan reactions skewed surprisingly sexist in Penn’s favor, even when he was obviously in the wrong:

  “Is it not pronounced ‘fahey’? The Irish pronunciation is ‘vahi’—everyone is there for Penn.” – Nava (82:36)

  • Meghann, unfazed: “I wasn’t reading the comments. Everybody who said shit about me—yeah, that’s the response we need.” (83:54)

6. Reflections, Advice, and the Role of Intuition

(86:34 – 90:00)

• Asked what she’d say to her 12-year-old self:

  “That nervous feeling in your tummy—not before you perform, but about people and things—spend time with that, because that’s going to be the thing that guides you...I buried that feeling for so long, and now I’m digging it out.” (86:51)

• Intuition as a guide, not to be confused with anxiety. “It’s a gift to have and it really can be a spirit guide, but in your body.”
• Penn:

  “Imagine if one of the primary directives for middle schools was cultivating intuition in burgeoning youth...at age 12 it was, ‘shut that down.’” (89:13)

Notable Quotes

• On Performing and Anxiety:

  “There's a fine line between challenging yourself and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone...and knowing when you’re not getting anything back.” – Meghann (10:26)

• On Parental Influence:

  “I really want you to push me. Help me get beyond these feelings of fear that I have.” – Meghann (13:30)

• On Humor and Heartbreak:

  “There’s so much humor sometimes in weeping.” – Meghann (43:34)

• On Character Agency:

  “Mike [White] was very clear...She is not a victim of her circumstances. That was the only thing I really needed to know about Daphne.” – Meghann (50:49)

• On Intuition:

  “That nervous feeling...spend some time with that, because that's what's going to guide you.” – Meghann (86:51)

Standout Moments & Timestamps

• Meghann’s Flipper Story: Fake teeth fly across the hallway [21:22]
• Chant at Longmeadow Hockey Games: “Your dad works for our dad” [16:57]
• First TV Role on Gossip Girl: “I cared so much. I loved Gossip Girl... two lines!” [39:44]
• Breaking Social Media: Ungraceful TikTok “feud” and fandom’s response [82:21]
• Advice to Younger Self: “That nervous feeling... trust it.” [86:51]

Episode Structure

• Opening banter about the podcast’s approaching end and guest introduction [00:33 – 06:13]
• Meghann’s adolescence and musical roots [07:47 – 15:13]
• Family, class, and early lessons in resilience [15:13 – 18:11]
• Romantic beginnings and embarrassing school moments [18:11 – 26:33]
• Discussion of body image and orthodontia [24:41 – 26:33]
• Career arc: Broadway, soaps, and TV [32:59 – 47:38]
• White Lotus and Sirens deep dives, with analysis of characters and industry gender bias [47:38 – 69:07]
• “You Deserve Each Other”: Onset chemistry, comedy, and meta-commentary on social media [71:44 – 86:26]
• Final reflections and advice [86:34 – 90:00]

Tone & Style

The episode is marked by genuine warmth, laughter, occasional teasing, and a candid deep-dive into Meghann’s vulnerabilities and triumphs. The hosts and guest maintain a playful, relatable banter throughout—punctuated by honest insights about the entertainment industry and the social dynamics of adolescence. There’s an easy camaraderie, especially in the latter half as Meghann and Penn trade compliments, jokes, and real talk about anxiety, intuition, and time in the spotlight.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t listened, this episode offers:

• A refreshingly honest look at childhood awkwardness, anxiety, and the circuitous path to creative fulfillment.
• Candid backstage stories from someone who’s traversed both the grind of New York theater and the shifting tides of 21st-century television.
• Insightful anecdotes on navigating early career breaks, fame, social class, and the bizarre rituals of American adolescence.
• Lively, affectionate banter between all three hosts and a guest who feels, by the end, like an old friend.

Explore Further

• You Deserve Each Other (upcoming film with Meghann Fahy and Penn Badgley)
• The White Lotus Season 2 (HBO)
• Sirens (limited series)
• The Bold Type (Freeform/Hulu)
• Meghann Fahy on Instagram: @meghannfahy

Summary prepared by Podcrushed Summaries.
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