Podcast Summary: Takin' a Walk

Episode: The Master Class: F. Murray Abraham on Six Decades from Broadway to Star Trek
Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: F. Murray Abraham
Release Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging “master class,” Buzz Knight walks and talks with iconic actor F. Murray Abraham, covering his extraordinary six-decade career—from tough beginnings in El Paso, Texas, to his Oscar win for "Amadeus," through Broadway, film classics, recent TV hits, and current return to the stage in "The Queen of Versailles." Abraham shares wisdom, humor, and candor about the craft, perseverance, reinvention, artistic community, and the lessons and challenges of a long creative life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Early Career Challenges

• Staying Power in a Tough Industry
  • F. Murray Abraham reflects on the struggles and moments of doubt all actors face.
    • Quote:

      “It's a hard business, but I never lost faith. Well, a couple of times I doubted. It's hard after about 10 months of no work. But you persevere or you get out.” (00:00)

2. The Concept Behind “Takin’ a Walk”

• Buzz shares the genesis of his podcast—a simple walk in Chicago that sparked the idea for his storytelling-interview format.
  • “I come out of the radio business... I started thinking...why can't I come up with my take on storytelling and interviewing? ...So it was hatched there.” (02:42)

3. Love for Chicago and the After-Theater Ritual

• Warm appreciation for Chicago’s character (summer and winter), and the fading tradition of socializing post-theater.
  • Abraham laments the loss of post-show camaraderie:
    • “That used to be part of the action of going to the theater—getting together after, then hashing it out.” (03:54)

4. Who Would He Walk With?

• Abraham’s dream walking companions:
  • “Brando comes to mind right away... I'd like to walk around with Edna St. Vincent Millay... But, I mean, I'd like to walk around with Charles Dickens. Wouldn't that be a treat?” (04:36–05:17)

5. Discovering Music and Mozart

• First exposure to classical music occurred in high school, shifting Abraham from rock/R&B to classical.
  • “I was captivated because I was rock and roll. ...But that opened my eyes to some other music. ...She (teacher) came up with a Magic Flute. ...That's why I remember it so fondly.” (05:47)

6. Inside Llewyn Davis and Honesty in the Arts

• The importance of authenticity and constructive, if blunt, criticism in show business.
  • Abraham recalls his infamous “I don't see any money here” line:
    • “It's like that thing where they say...in other words, get out of here, you no talent bum.” (07:05)
    • “The toughest of the tough are in the music business…this guy I play was the hardest.” (08:11)

7. Broadway Now – “The Queen of Versailles”

• How Abraham joined the cast:
  • “It's one of those lucky things... Someone suggested me for it and they all said, 'That's a great idea. Would he do it?'...When you’re offered something like this with these people, of course you take it.” (09:13)
• Praise for castmate Kristin Chenoweth:
  • “We fell in love with each other right away... she’s the real McCoy. She’s a heart and soul of this production.” (10:33)

8. Pre-Show Rituals

• Abraham answers a listener’s question about Broadway rituals:
  • “I stretch, I vocalize, I don't eat much... I lay on the bed... The vocalizing is very important... everybody has a different warm up. Mine is pretty mundane.” (11:16)

9. The Opening Night Feeling

• The excitement and anxiety never fade:
  • “...opening night...it feels the same as it’s always felt. ...It hasn't become offhand... just as exciting and thrilling and...anxiety producing as it ever was. ...If you do [become jaded], I think you better get out of the business.” (12:11)

10. Perseverance and Self-Knowledge

• The realities of staying an actor and sustaining one’s chops during dry spells.
  • Masterful reflection:
    • “You got to do something to keep your chops up...continue to take classes or study on your own...I think it's important to know that any endeavor in art, if it’s an honest endeavor in search, nothing is lost.” (13:12–15:12)

11. Oscar “Where’s Waldo?”

• Abraham’s playful tradition of hiding his Oscar around productions:
  • “Every show I've done...I give it to stage management and they hide it on the stage...He has all these little costumes...putting it someplace and shrining it is silly to me...” (15:31)

12. Reinvention and Relevance

• On staying “hungry” over six decades:
  • “I don't know, man. ...If you do have any kind of a gift, it’s your responsibility to nurture it. ...When you are gifted and you can't work, it's killing...but you can always come back to the business and you will be a better actor if you do.” (16:34)

13. On Role Selection—Then vs. Now

• The reality of offers and priorities:
  • “You make it sound as though I have all these offers that I can select from. ...the ones that are offered are interesting. ...But there's a lot of crap out there, too. ...It's important to have a good time. It's hard enough work.” (17:44)

14. The Next Role

• Reflecting on favorite past performances and ambitions yet to be fulfilled:
  • “Always the next part. ...my Roy Cohn was wonderful, my Shylock... Lear...and my Bottom. ...But the Shylock and the Roy Cohn were superior until recently...Crap’s Last Tape. ...The next one? I'd like to do Oedipus.” (18:26)

15. The Power of Theater and Community

• Why live theater and shared laughter matter in a polarized age:
  • “Because it is one of the last venues where a whole bunch of strangers gather in one place...when they all laugh...it reminds them of their common humanity...It's called the United States of America. Remember that? United. ...there’s no electronic medium between you and anyone else. ...It's you and that living creature up there who is just like you. That's a reminder of our common humanity.” (19:50)

Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “It's a hard business, but I never lost faith. Well, a couple of times I doubted. It's hard after about 10 months of no work. But you persevere or you get out.” — F. Murray Abraham (00:00)
• “That used to be part of the action of going to the theater—getting together after, then hashing it out.” — F. Murray Abraham (03:54)
• “Brando comes to mind right away... I'd like to walk around with Edna St. Vincent Millay... or Charles Dickens.” — F. Murray Abraham (04:36)
• “The toughest of the tough are in the music business…this guy I play was the hardest.” — F. Murray Abraham (08:11)
• “We fell in love with each other right away... she’s the real McCoy. She’s a heart and soul of this production.” — F. Murray Abraham on Kristin Chenoweth (10:33)
• “If you do [become jaded], I think you better get out of the business.” — F. Murray Abraham (12:11)
• “I give it (the Oscar) to stage management and they hide it on the stage...He has all these little costumes... putting it someplace and shrining it is silly to me.” — F. Murray Abraham (15:31)
• “Any endeavor in art, if it’s an honest endeavor in search, nothing is lost.” — F. Murray Abraham (15:12)
• “If you do have any kind of a gift, it’s your responsibility to nurture it.” — F. Murray Abraham (16:34)
• “Because it is one of the last venues where a whole bunch of strangers gather in one place...when they all laugh...it reminds them of their common humanity.” — F. Murray Abraham (19:50)

Notable Segments by Timestamp

• [00:00] Opening reflections on faith and perseverance in acting
• [04:36] Dream walking companions
• [05:47] First experience with classical music and Mozart
• [07:05] Inside Llewyn Davis, honesty, and industry toughness
• [09:13] Getting cast in “The Queen of Versailles”
• [10:33] Kristin Chenoweth and company on Broadway
• [11:16] Pre-show rituals and routines
• [12:11] The thrill and nerves of opening night
• [13:12] Perseverance and surviving lean times as an artist
• [15:31] The hidden Oscar tradition backstage
• [16:34] Sustaining passion, relevance, and artistic hunger
• [17:44] Choosing roles in the current era
• [18:26] Favorite roles and the perennial hunger for the “next thing”
• [19:50] Theater, laughter, and human connection in divisive times

Summary

F. Murray Abraham’s episode is a heartfelt, candid, and masterful meditation on endurance, reinvention, the craft of acting, and the vital power of communal spaces like theater. He shares behind-the-scenes fun (like his Oscar’s cameo), the never-fading thrill of opening night, the necessity to nurture one’s gifts, and why, at 86, he still approaches each role with humility, gratitude, and the same anxious excitement as ever. His advice and stories are as relevant for aspiring actors as for anyone passionate about a creative life. Abraham’s conclusion—that communal laughter and shared humanity are essential—rings especially true for an audience seeking meaning, resilience, and connection.