The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: TDS Time Machine | Oscar Nominees 2026
Date: March 22, 2026
Host: Jon Stewart & The Daily Show News Team (notably Trevor Noah)
Theme:
A playful, insightful romp through interviews with top Oscar nominees for 2026. The episode features extended conversations with acclaimed filmmakers and actors including Paul Thomas Anderson, Ethan Hawke, Ryan Coogler, Emma Stone, Joachim Trier, Sean Penn, Bogdar Mor, Rose Byrne, and Michael B. Jordan. The tone is irreverent, human, and often laugh-out-loud, but leans into serious discussions about art, politics, representation, and the state of cinema.

Segment 1: Paul Thomas Anderson: On Directing, Writing, and the Art of Film

[01:06–08:03]

Key Points & Discussion

• Empowering Actors:
  • PTA attributes his famous caliber of performances to casting great actors and "listening to them and see how they feel about things and give them room."
    • "I hire good ones. That helps." (PTA, [02:41])
• Writer vs. Director Mindset:
  • Discusses the transition from writing to directing:
    • "When you’re a writer, you can get mad at yourself in the room...but when you go to be a director, you gotta pretend you didn’t do that stuff and be cool." ([03:13])
• Writing Process:
  • PTA reveals he often throws out the script once on set for organic performances.
    • "When you get to the set, I just sort of throw the script out the window." ([04:09])
• On Preciousness and Rewriting:
  • Recognizes tension between over-revising versus trusting instincts.
    • "I've written 50 drafts...you realize you had it right the first time...But sometimes you can write something 50 times and make it better, so it creates this endless reach for something that keeps you hungry." ([04:41])
• Deadlines in Film vs. TV:
  • Film deadlines are a "slow ticking bomb;" enforced timeframes help prevent overwriting. ([05:38])
• Distance from Art:
  • The passage of time allows for detachment, saying he sometimes watches his films and doesn’t recall details.
    • "I didn't remember what they were gonna say." (PTA, [06:30])
• Creating Vivid Moments:
  • Emphasizes allowing room for accident on set; not being too rigid with preconceptions helps keep filmmaking open and 'fertile.'
    • "Try to be as open as possible...create situations where accidents can happen" ([07:22])

Notable Quotes

• "I hire good ones. That helps." (PTA, [02:41])
• "When you get to the set, I just sort of throw the script out the window." (PTA, [04:09])
• "There’s a lot I don’t remember about this film already." (PTA, [06:42])

Segment 2: Ethan Hawke: A Night at Sardi’s and Artistic Sincerity

[08:42–20:41]

Key Points & Discussion

• Transformation for ‘Blue Moon’:
  • Hawke jokes about his unflattering appearance as Larry Hart (5ft tall, comb-over): “Comb-over is right...it’s just not sexy, you know...when you’re in the mirror it looks fantastic, but any other angle…” ([11:16])
  • Discusses trust and immersion with director Richard Linklater, who wanted Hawke to "disappear" into the role.
    • "He just basically said to me, I don’t want to see you...I saw you there in the third line...He wanted me to disappear." (Hawke, [13:36])
• Film’s Context:
  • 'Blue Moon' dramatizes the moment Rodgers and Hammerstein changed Broadway.
  • Hawke frames it as "the day the Beatles are gonna break up – one of them's gonna be in a band five times bigger...and the other one is gonna be dead." ([12:19])
• Themes:
  • Explores American myth-making via 'Oklahoma!' and artistic responsibility during wartime.
    • “Girls in gingham dresses singing I can’t say no is not the story of America.” (Hawke, [16:11])
    • Cites Hitchcock: “‘Sound of Music’ set cinema back 20 years...we love it so much. I don’t even know what Hitchcock meant, but I kind of know..." ([16:46])
• The Cast & Collaboration:
  • "You guys are dancing with each other up there...Bobby and I have known each other...Margaret Qualley's friends with my daughter." ([14:40])
• Perspective on Art:
  • Recommends a new Beatles book on friendship: “So much, I think, that is special about what they touched...artistic excellence...male friendship...it's powerful." (Hawke, [19:35])

Memorable Moments

• Linklater’s challenge: "Why don't you show me if you can do it?" (Hawke, [14:13])
• “American exceptionalism is a comfortable lie.” (Trevor Noah, [17:09])
• “Use whatever connections you have, right?” (Noah to Hawke, on industry networking, [15:08])

Segment 3: Ryan Coogler: Creed, Family, and Breaking In

[20:41–25:35]

Key Points & Discussion

• Personal Roots:
  • Inspiration for 'Creed' rooted in his father’s love for 'Rocky'—Coogler wrote it while his dad was sick, as a way of encouraging him.
    • "My dad was a huge Rocky fan...I came up with this idea that maybe if his hero went through something similar...maybe it could cheer him up.” (Coogler, [23:08])
• Unexpected Beginnings:
  • Football scholarship led to an unexpected call to screenwriting from a teacher moved by his storytelling.
    • “She suggested I get into writing movies because my writing was real visual.” ([24:04])
• Collaboration and Success:
  • Teamwork praised: “With filmmaking, it's an art form that you don't do on your own...Michael B. Jordan...just a blessing to do this job.” ([22:06])

Notable Quotes

• “It's just icing on the cake, to be honest.” (Coogler, on awards, [22:06])
• “She suggested I get into writing movies because my writing was real visual.” (Coogler, [24:04])

Segment 4: Emma Stone: Whimsy, Scarves, and ‘Magic in the Moonlight’

[26:47–33:10]

Key Points & Discussion

• Warm Welcome & Staff Gift
  • Emma shares a story about a staff member knitting her a scarf, highlighting the quirky affection behind the scenes.
    • “Made you a scarf?...Knitted me a scarf. Out of baby alpaca wool. It is so beautiful. And I teared up after she left.” (Stone, [27:55])
• Accessory Banter:
  • Amusing exchanges about men in scarves, turtlenecks, and male fashion faux pas (“bon vivant” vs. “eh, bon vivant”).
• Film Experience:
  • On collaborating with Colin Firth and shooting a Woody Allen film, and admiration for Firth's “scarf game”.
  • Touches on living in New York and random city encounters with the host.

Memorable Moments

• The discussion on male scarf-wearers is pure Daily Show banter—“If you choose to wear a scarf, you must somewhere in you be slightly a bon vivant.” ([29:06])

Segment 5: Joachim Trier: Family, Tenderness, and Norwegian Cinema

[33:10–42:49]

Key Points & Discussion

• Film Background:
  • ‘Sentimental Value’ and family dynamics, inspired by Trier’s own film-rooted family.
  • “It’s all about trust.” (Trier, [35:58])
• Tenderness vs. Irony:
  • Trier discusses his longing for more tender, hopeful art in a time of irony.
    • "The world is complicated...I have this yearning for some hope...that there could also be a place in art to see the other...” (Trier, [37:29])
• Norwegian Identity:
  • Insightful comparison: Norwegian public art focuses on families, not generals—“I never thought about it...probably true.” ([39:14])
  • Praises Norwegian social policies while poking fun at American perceptions (“So it’s a communistic hellscape,” jokes Noah, [39:37]).
• Avoiding Self-Indulgence:
  • When making films about filmmakers, Trier insists on focusing on family and generational trauma, not industry navel-gazing.
    • “We tried to make it about family...all the stuff we don’t know how to talk about..." (Trier, [41:03])

Segment 6: Sean Penn: ‘Bob Honey’, America Abroad, and Service

[43:44–47:59]

Key Points & Discussion

• On His First Novel:
  • ‘Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff’ as surreal satire—a metaphorical commentary on American compulsion to service and national identity.
  • Explores the consequences of American disengagement and longing for civic responsibility.
• America’s Changing Image:
  • “When the Berlin Wall came down, I think it had more to do with Levis 501s and Beatles black market records than Gorbachev or Reagan.” ([46:24])
• World View:
  • “The respect and the aspiration that we modeled is no longer on our country...That’s a touristic comment.” ([47:26])
  • Advocates for unity and active citizenship, pointedly referencing "the impeachment of this president" as a patriotic duty.

Segment 7: Bogdar Mor: Dictatorship and the Brazilian Present

[48:10–51:41]

Key Points & Discussion

• 'The Secret Agent':
  • Mor plays a man upholding values under the Brazilian dictatorship; the film’s events resonate with modern Brazil (“it didn’t really end in 1985”).
  • “When we elected a far-right president in 2018, that man was sort of a physical manifestation of those echoes.” ([49:45])
• Political Engagement:
  • Affirms the right for actors to engage politically but recognizes not everyone is equipped or obligated.
    • “I don’t see that as a responsibility…that’s how I behave as a human being...” ([51:10])

Segment 8: Rose Byrne: Accents, Mutants, and Comedy Sequels

[51:54–56:56]

Key Points & Discussion

• Multiple Releases:
  • Byrne discusses starring in both blockbuster (‘X-Men: Apocalypse’) and comedy ('Neighbors’ sequels, ‘The Meddler’).
• Accents & Typecasting:
  • Jokes about her non-mutant role: “Who wants to not be a mutant, right?” ([54:00])
  • Banter with Noah on her accent skills—her only weakness: South African.
• Comedy Sequel Challenges:
  • “Comedy sequels...it's actually very funny, and a lot of people thought it was funnier than the first.” ([56:13])

Segment 9: Michael B. Jordan: Muscles, Representation, and Modernizing Action

[57:56–68:47]

Key Points & Discussion

• Physical Transformation:
  • Noah teases Jordan about his physique: “At what point?...Do you eat anything?...Who are you, man?” ([59:13])
  • Jordan jokes about quarantine body, promising to get ready for Creed III.
• Making Action Real:
  • Deep immersion into Navy SEAL training for ‘Without Remorse’; credits authenticity to specialists who coached him in stunts ([61:29])
  • "Every stunt that you saw, I had a specialist that I spent...enough time to get comfortable within the stunt and then went out and executed." ([61:44])
• Representation & Modern Storytelling:
  • The importance of telling military stories from a truthful, nuanced perspective.
  • Applauds showcasing a Black female Navy commander (Jodie Turner Smith): “It's so important...that they can go ahead and try to get that too.” ([66:26])
• Future Plans:
  • Eager to direct (‘Creed III’): “That's the next thing for me. The next challenge...to get behind the camera and tell a story.” ([66:52])

General Notable Quotes & Moments

• "American exceptionalism is a comfortable lie, but is inherently perhaps true." – Trevor Noah ([17:09])
• "Use whatever connections you have, right?" – Trevor Noah, to Ethan Hawke ([15:08])
• "Try to be as open as possible...create situations where accidents can happen." – Paul Thomas Anderson ([07:22])
• "So much of writing is rewriting, right?" – Host ([04:25])
• "That was the one that...it took us about a week and a half to shoot. Every day...I would get to set and be like, 'Who wrote this?'" – Michael B. Jordan ([62:09])

Timestamps Summary (HH:MM) for Key Segments

• 01:06 – Paul Thomas Anderson Interview Begins
• 02:38 – PTA on Directing Actors
• 03:29 – On Writing vs. Directing
• 07:22 – PTA on Creating Vivid Moments
• 08:42 – Ethan Hawke Interview Begins
• 13:36 – Linklater’s Direction Style
• 16:11 – Hawke on 'Oklahoma!' and American Myth
• 20:41 – Ryan Coogler Interview Begins
• 23:08 – Coogler's Personal Inspiration
• 27:19 – Emma Stone Interview Begins
• 33:10 – Joachim Trier Interview Begins
• 37:29 – Trier on Tenderness in Art
• 43:44 – Sean Penn Interview Begins
• 46:24 – Penn on America’s Image Change
• 48:10 – Bogdar Mor Interview Begins
• 51:54 – Rose Byrne Interview Begins
• 57:56 – Michael B. Jordan Interview Begins
• 61:29 – Jordan on Stunt/Seal Training
• 66:52 – Jordan on Directing Plans

Wrap-Up

This episode is a whirlwind tour through the stories, inspirations, and methods of leading Oscar-nominated artists, mixing humor, candor, and critique. It’s part masterclass, part industry roast, and wholly entertaining—a perfect snapshot of The Daily Show’s unique approach to cultural conversation.