This Week's Interviews | Ben Wikler, Megan Rapinoe, Elliot Page, and Karolina Wydra

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: This Week's Interviews | Ben Wikler, Megan Rapinoe, Elliot Page, and Karolina Wydra
Date: July 26, 2026
Host: Comedy Central's The Daily Show News Team

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Overview

This jam-packed episode of The Daily Show’s Ears Edition features a series of thought-provoking and incisive interviews with political organizer and strategist Ben Wikler, soccer legend and activist Megan Rapinoe, acclaimed actor Elliot Page, and Emmy-nominated actor Karolina Wydra. The hosts, notably Jon Stewart and the News Team, dive into pressing issues ranging from the state of American democracy, activism in sports, lessons from Hollywood, and the science-fictional world of AI and consciousness. Each conversation is rich in personal insight, humor, and motivators for collective action.

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1. Ben Wikler on Saving Democracy and “This Is the Plan”

[00:23–21:56]

Main Theme

Ben Wikler, former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party and author of This Is the Plan: How to End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy, discusses how grassroots organizing and hyper-local engagement “unrigged” Wisconsin’s political system. He offers a blueprint for restoring representative democracy nationwide.

Key Discussion Points

• Wisconsin as a Microcosm of America

  • Deep divides: progressive traditions vs. far-right uprisings ([01:42])
  • Wisconsin's outsized impact on national politics—pioneering progressive reforms but also notorious for right-wing tactics.

• The “Con” of Right-Wing Entrenchment

  • Post-2010: Republicans seize control, gerrymander maps, pass extreme voter suppression ([02:18 - 04:18])
  • Supreme Court “rubber-stamps” their agenda, using billionaire donor support (e.g., Koch brothers)
  • Unpopular governance shielded by structural manipulation.

• Blueprint of Democratic Fightback

  • “They built a movement that fought for control at every level—mayors, school boards, state Supreme Court races.” ([06:53])
  • Focused on stopping supermajorities and flipping critical judicial races.

• Motivating Ordinary People

  • Recruiting neighbors to organize at street-level—“the five voters you might find could tip the state” ([08:18])
  • Emphasizing every election, especially blink-and-you’ll-miss-it local races.

• Critique of Democratic Strategy & Systemic Barriers

  • Filibuster in the Senate as a “mausoleum for policies people are begging for.” ([14:16])
  • “If you don’t change the system, you can’t deliver the change people want.” ([14:45])
  • Calls for Supreme Court reform, greater accountability, and abolishing structures that stymie progress.

Notable Quotes

• On gerrymandering and suppression:
  “They rigged our maps more than the country is gerrymandered right now. They passed one of the most extreme voter suppression laws in the nation.” – Ben Wikler ([02:18])

• On grassroots activism:
  “We built a movement of people who rolled up their sleeves and decided to keep fighting—even in mayor’s races, school board races, where it seemed like we had basically no hope.” – Ben Wikler ([06:53])

• On the importance of local action:
  “Every Tuesday there’s an election somewhere. Most of those elections have no volunteers... but finding the races that start a row of dominoes can affect legislation for years.” – Ben Wikler ([20:35])

• On system change:
  “You have to change the system itself. If you don’t change the system, you can’t deliver.” – Ben Wikler ([14:45])

Memorable Moment

• The tale of Elon Musk unsuccessfully trying to “buy” a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat:
  “He spent more money in that race than anyone's ever spent in any judicial election... and we beat his ass by 10 percentage points.” ([11:59])

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2. Megan Rapinoe: Advocacy, AI Brand Censorship, and Life After Soccer

[22:04–34:02]

Main Theme

Soccer icon and advocate Megan Rapinoe talks about leveraging her platform for equal rights, her new podcast Why Are You Like This?, AI controversies, and the realities (and joys) of retirement.

Key Discussion Points

• Intersection of Sports and Social Change

  • Reflects on the difficulty of getting Americans to care equally about women and soccer ([23:27])
  • Compares pushback faced by women’s teams on- and off-field.

• Standing up for LGBTQ and Prison Reform

  • “Being gay is just part of it... my brother was formerly incarcerated. I was getting an education on the prison system from a young age…” ([25:55])
  • Notes convergence of identities made her “get in there.”

• AI, Corporate Censorship, and Brand Deals

  • Lost a brand deal after AI flagged her as “risky” for supporting trans people ([26:47])
  • “They ran it through the AI as they call it, and they were like, not her.” – Megan Rapinoe ([27:25])

• Retirement and New Chapters

  • Describes disorienting but freeing experience after stepping away from soccer ([28:36])
  • “It’s kind of like a gay wedding. People are like, you can have anything you want. And it’s like, that’s a lot.”

• Podcast: “Why Are You Like This?”

  • Focused on people who take unconventional paths and reasons behind their choices ([29:39])
  • Dream guests include Michelle Obama, Jalen Brunson, Asia Wilson.

• Family and the “Soccer Mom” Phenomenon

  • Shoutout to her parents, especially her mom’s “chauffeur and orange slice” labor ([31:34])
  • Answers questions for the 10-year-old son of the host: started soccer at 5, didn’t practice “that much,” main difference between women’s and men’s teams—“the stars on our jerseys.” ([32:22–33:56])

Notable Quotes

• On advocacy risk:
  “I think I was, like, flagged because of my support. I’ve had a longstanding support of trans people, obviously, and of all sorts of people.” – Megan Rapinoe ([27:25])

• On activist origins:
  “I think being gay is just part of it... so a couple different convergences in my life, but yeah, being a woman and being gay, I’m like, there you go. I gotta get in there.” ([25:55])

Memorable Moment

• Explaining sports to a kid:
  “The jerseys look a little bit different because we have the stars on top.” ([33:56])

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3. Elliot Page: Acting, The Odyssey, and Finding Meaning in Storytelling

[34:51–41:08]

Main Theme

Elliot Page discusses starring in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the challenges of epic filmmaking, the continued relevance of ancient narratives, and finding personal resonance in myth and struggle.

Key Discussion Points

• On Re-teaming with Nolan

  • “It’s such a dream to get to be involved with this project... this extraordinary cast and crew…” ([35:14])

• The Odyssey’s Contemporary Resonance

  • Relates to “war, the impacts of war, the lies that are told to go to war” ([39:21])
  • Page’s character is not Odysseus, but represents a “conscience” wrestling with violence and shame.

• Craft, Preparation, and Process

  • Filming was grueling—mud, weather, physically demanding, but “I grew up working in Canada as a kid, so I’m used to some pretty brutal working… temperatures.” ([38:25])
  • Loves boxing for stress relief and focus—“I can’t think about anything else when I’m doing that.” ([40:12])

• Working with Christopher Nolan

  • “Working with someone who just wants to tell the best story they can possibly tell... gathers extraordinary, talented people and crew together.” ([37:18])

Notable Quotes

• On ancient stories:
  “What I connected to deeply was how much it resonates in terms of our times, in terms of war, the impacts of war, the lies that are told to go to war. And so I would say that’s what resonated the most.” – Elliot Page ([39:25])

• On craft:
  “I love how extremely difficult [boxing] is... the degree of focus and physical exhaustion, honestly.” ([40:12])

Memorable Moment

• Humor about Canadian toughness:
  “Take it easy, you have health care, all right?” – Host ([38:54])
  “This is true.” – Elliot Page ([38:59])

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4. Karolina Wydra: Breaking Through in “Pluribus” and the Power of Dreamwork

[41:09–52:48]

Main Theme

Emmy-nominated Karolina Wydra reflects on her unexpected career resurgence via Apple TV’s Pluribus, meditative acting techniques, and how her background and motherhood inform her art.

Key Discussion Points

• Surprise Success and Second Acts

  • Left acting to raise children; dropped by her reps; returned through a serendipitous casting search ([43:02])
  • “They stumbled upon my photo and went, whatever happened to this girl?... and that’s how I was able to audition.” ([44:53])

• Explaining a Wild New Series

  • Pluribus: when a “virus” of happiness and telepathic connection creates a collective consciousness, a handful of people remain immune ([46:16])
  • “A virus breaks out and everyone becomes happy and content and joyous, except a few... the world becomes one consciousness and they communicate telepathically.” ([46:25])

• Craft and the Role of Mind

  • Prepares for her role Zosia with “dreamwork”—letters to the subconscious before sleep—inspired by Carl Jung ([47:12])
  • “Meditation came up for me… you become one collective, energetically, and you feel unconditional love for the world. And there’s no ego.” ([48:10])

• Character Choice and AI Parallels

  • Plays a “heightened intelligence, almost AI quality, and yet… warmth and texture.”
  • Did not create a backstory for her character to stay in the “now” of a hive-mind being ([50:22])

• Impact on Motherhood

  • “Suppressing feelings as a character made me a better mom... made me less reactionary.” ([52:10])

Notable Quotes

• On dreamwork:
  “Before you go to sleep, you write a letter to your subconscious asking to reveal to you whatever it is that you want answers to... and you can use that for your characters.” – Karolina Wydra ([47:48])

• On acting and identity:
  “When I first read it, I was definitely, you know, the concept of who the others are was overwhelming, exciting and overwhelming. Because you're like, oh, my God, how am I going to approach this?” – Karolina Wydra ([47:12])

Memorable Moment

• On future roles and catharsis:
  “I want to play a woman who's just completely unhinged... just utterly mental. And just like ugly cr[ies]… let it all out.” ([51:44])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment / Guest | Key Topic | |------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------| | 00:23–21:56 | Ben Wikler | Saving democracy, Wisconsin, political playbook | | 22:04–34:02 | Megan Rapinoe | Sports & activism, AI brand censorship, retirement | | 34:51–41:08 | Elliot Page | Acting in “The Odyssey”, ancient myth, collaboration| | 41:09–52:48 | Karolina Wydra | Pluribus, dreamwork, motherhood, second chances |

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Final Takeaways

This episode of The Daily Show’s Ears Edition weaves together the significance of activism—be it in politics, sports, or art—with the necessity of joy, resilience, and visionary imagination. Each guest offers not just anecdotes but also calls to action, be it voting in every election (no matter how small), embracing difference and purpose, or connecting deeply to one’s inner life and artistic calling.

From strategizing at the street and state level to fighting for inclusion on the world’s stage, from making ancient myths relevant to modern audiences, to embodying both the collective and the personal through acting—this week’s episode is a celebration and a manual for making change one step, one vote, one story at a time.

Transcript

[Ben Winkler]

You're listening to Comedy Central.

[Host 1]

Hello.

[Host 2]

Welcome back to the Daily Show. Oh, my goodness. Tonight, political organizer and strategist, former chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, the author of the new book this Is the Plan, how to end America's Meltdown and Save Democracy. Please welcome to the program Ben Winkler. I want it. It's okay. This is the plan.

[Ben Winkler]

This is the plan.

[Host 2]

And let me remind the people, so they may think to themselves, Ben Wickler's got a plan. I don't know Ben Wickler. I don't know why he would have a plan. Talk to me a little bit about the genesis of this because you ran the DNC in Wisconsin. And for those who do not know, the story of Wisconsin this century is Scott Walker and a Republican takeover of a state where they tried to rig the maps, they tried to rig the courts, they tried to do supermajorities of a relatively purple state. You helped devise the plan to fight that successfully. So talk about what happened there.

[Ben Winkler]

Absolutely so. And thank you for all.

[Host 2]

That's all the time we have.

[Ben Winkler]

So my state, Wisconsin, which has a deep progressive tradition and a deep far right tradition. Joe McCarthy's from Wisconsin.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yes.

[Host 2]

So, so is fighting Bob.

[Ben Winkler]

So is fighting Bob La Follette. It's the place where workers compensation, unemployment insurance, the Social Security act was written by a Wisconsinite. All these things, great things came from our state. Progressive taxation, first state to ratify the 19th amendment. And also this far right street that runs through the state's history. We zigzag, sort of like the country. But in 2010, there was this huge right wing wave fueled in part by citizens United States.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

And my senator, Russ Feingold, who I'd interned for, was my political hero. He'd passed campaign finance reform to get big money out of politics. He was swept out, replaced by Ron Johnson in the state legislature. Republicans won, had been Democratic. They won majorities in both chambers, they won the governorship. But when they came into power, they didn't just do the right wing things that they talked about, they immediately tried to rig the system permanently so they'd never lose control. They attacked unions, they basically declared war on teachers, created a teacher crisis in the state. They rigged our maps more than the country is gerrymandered right now. They passed one of the most extreme voter suppression laws in the nation. The judge said it was the most extreme anti voting law in the nation. The next election, 2012, Democrats won statewide. Barack Obama won. Tammy Baldwin won in the U.S. senate race. Republicans majority in the state Legislature grew, even though they got less votes than the Democrats because they rigged the system so they'd never lose control.

[Host 2]

They were rigging the state legislature, state legislature, so that they would always have a majority or super majority or something akin to that.

[Ben Winkler]

At that point majority. They went for super majorities later.

[Host 2]

And where's the Wisconsin Supreme Court in this? Right in that moment?

[Ben Winkler]

So Wisconsin State Supreme Court was almost evenly divided. There was an incredibly close state Supreme Court race in the spring of 2011. Republicans held on to their majority by less than 1 percentage point.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Ben Winkler]

And that meant that the state had a state supreme court that rubber stamped everything they did. So basically, Wisconsin, all the maps.

[Host 2]

Everything.

[Ben Winkler]

All the maps. The voter suppression law. They basically allowed Scott Walker and his friends and cronies, the Koch brothers network, this sort of far right billionaire donor network, to break election laws. And then they changed the campaign finance and election laws to suit their model of winning elections. And once they'd broken democracy, they started defunding public services. So there were suddenly people called them Scott holes after Scott Walker, potholes in the roads all over the state. People had to spend hundreds of dollars a year.

[Host 2]

So what they're doing is unpopular in the state, but the way that they have Jerry rigged the system, unpopularity was no longer a barrier to reelection.

[Ben Winkler]

That's exactly it. And that's the con, right? The con.

[Host 2]

That's why I've written a book.

[Ben Winkler]

This is the Jon Stewart plan.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

So it almost worked. Donald Trump in 2016 won Wisconsin.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

They. Narrow margin. Narrow margin, less than 1 percentage point. A lot of our elections come down to less than 1 percentage point. They had cemented what looks like for the foreseeable future, control of the state legislature.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

And the state Supreme Court was so dominated by the right that in 2017, there was only one uncontested far right candidate. No one wanted to run against that person. Someone wrote that it looked like the right was going to dominate the state Supreme Court.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

For a generation to come, it seemed as though they'd succeeded. And Wisconsin wasn't the only state where this happened. Take Iowa.

[Host 2]

Iowa. Take Florida.

[Ben Winkler]

Take Florida. Wisconsin in 2018.

[Host 2]

No, I'm saying take Florida.

[Ben Winkler]

State after state in 2018, the right had a plan. They called it REDMAP. They invested in winning state legislative races, and then as soon as they won, they used their power like getting a genie and wishing for more wishes to lock in control so that even if voters rejected them in the future, they would always have majorities of the votes in the legislature.

[Host 2]

They could not be fired to make themselves unaccountable. North Carolina's tried to, you know, a Democratic governor, whenever they win North Carolina, the North Carolina legislature, if it has Republicans on it, makes a new law saying, yeah, the governor is not allowed to do anything.

[Ben Winkler]

That's exactly it. And they did same thing in Wisconsin. And my view, and I argue this in the book, is that Project 2025 is reheated Project 2011. This is a nationalized version of what they've been doing in the states when they took control.

[Host 2]

That's right.

[Ben Winkler]

Which is to defund public services, to rip off the public, to give tax cuts to the super wealthy and then break democracy so that when people don't like what they're doing, they have no say in the matter of fixing it.

[Host 2]

But as we stand here today, the governor of Wisconsin is now a Democrat. The state supreme court of Wisconsin now has a more progressive majority.

[Ben Winkler]

5 2. Pro democracy majority.

[Host 2]

And the legislature in Wisconsin is also now fair maps.

[Ben Winkler]

And Democrats have at least an even chance of flipping both legislative chambers on November 4th.

[Host 2]

So riddle me this, Batman. How? Because writ large, that seems to be what is happening now on a national level. So what did you do?

[Ben Winkler]

So this is. I'm proud of having played a role. This is thousands of people, including the state party chair before me, who worked on the groundwork laid by the state party chair before her allies, national unions, they'd been, like, decimated in Wisconsin. People still kept investing, kept volunteering. But what happened in Wisconsin is that we, a big. We built a movement of people who rolled up their sleeves and decided to keep fighting. In mayor's races, school board races, in local judicial elections, in state supreme court races, where it seemed like we were gonna always be outgunned and had basically no hope. We fought for all these different offices and mapped out a plan for what it would actually take to unrig the system. So that when people were like, why should I even work in the state legislative race when we know who's gonna have the majority? The answer is if we stop the Republican super majority, then if we win the state supreme court race and flip the majority there, they can pass new maps and the supermajority can't override the governor's veto. It's this intricate zigzagging puzzle.

[Host 2]

Which one of these is Milwaukee? I can't figure out. But how did you inspire people to not feel anxious and helpless, like they couldn't do anything? Like this was a fait accompli. What was done? Somebody had to design the idea of how you could take it back. But somebody had to activate all those regular people to get involved.

[Ben Winkler]

I will tell you this. When this system was built, starting in 2017, before I moved home to Wisconsin, the idea was we're gonna find people in their living rooms who wanna be part of the solution. Ask people to get friends together and say, we're going to be responsible for our neighborhood. There's this huge big picture. We're all part of this big fight. But we're going to start here in this neighborhood in the election that's coming up in April that no one else in the country even knows is happening. But we're going to roll up our sleeves. And elections here are so close so often that it might be that the five extra voters we find add up to enough around the state to tip this thing by a couple thousand votes. And it actually started to work in races where Democrats kind of hadn't been focused in the same way. You know, nationally, Democrats that love, love me some Democrats. Democrats can get focused on who the next presidential candidate will be in 2028. It's 2026 right now. Instead of saying there is a judicial election happening in a month that could determine whether the state is gerrymandered for the next 16 years.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Ben Winkler]

And we brought the focus to these local races that added up in the. In the kind of web of how American political power works in this country that added up to enough power to unrig our state system.

[Host 2]

What I love about the book is you get specific on what actually, on a molecular level, make up the levers of power from local to state areas and how you need to get involved. And it's very much a logistical and architectural blueprint for that. And I haven't seen something like that written in such an accessible way for people to get ahold of. And it's great.

[Ben Winkler]

Thank you.

[Host 2]

Who is. But who is the Ben Wickler who is going to do that for what Democrats should stand for at the same level of specificity and connection? Because the blueprint is great. It strikes me as you've built an incredible vehicle, but the fuel is the inspiration that people get from candidates. I feel like the conditions that sparked this right wing revolution that people started to feel like government was no longer responsible in any meaningful way to the effects that their policies had on people writ large. That's the area where this fills in a ton of gaps. Who's filling in that other side that isn't boilerplate? Like we've got to talk to them like real people at the kitchen table. And you're like, shut up. Who's doing that work?

[Ben Winkler]

Here's what I'll say. There are dozens of people thinking about running for president. There are amazing people running for governor and Senate and Congress around the country. They are talking, you know, a lot of the great ones are talking about they want this policy. They want that policy that will solve a problem in people's actual lives. What I try to do in this book is say if you actually want to pass policies that can stick and actually deliver for people in ways that they can touch and see and feel, you have to unrig a political system that right now is. Is built to allow a handful of far right billionaires to write the rules for everyone and face no accountability. We In Wisconsin after 2024, Elon Musk came to my state to try.

[Host 2]

He bought it.

[Ben Winkler]

He tried to buy it.

[Host 2]

Yeah.

[Ben Winkler]

He tried to undo what we'd done in the state Supreme Court.

[Host 2]

That's right.

[Ben Winkler]

He went to Green Bay, Wisconsin. He put on a cheesehead and he said, you might not think that this election will affect the entire destiny of humanity, but I think it will. And for him, this was his demonstration that these pesky little Wisconsinites could not stand up to the world's richest man, that everyone needed to fear him. He spent more money in that race than anyone's ever spent in any judicial election in American history. And then we beat his ass by 10 percentage points and he was booted out of the White House.

[Host 2]

I get it. See, this is what I like about this is what you present here is, is the theory of the case for power. You even make the case that the filibuster should be abolished. And I generally, knowing how the Senate is in many ways affirmative action for Republicans, just in the way that it's established.

[Host 3]

Now,

[Host 2]

that made me nervous. But the case you make is no, blow it up. Let them do the thing they want to do. When the country sees what it is, there will be a backlash to the poor nature of the policy. And then Democrats can come in. And if they develop proper policies and can execute them competently, we'll have a chance to finally execute them.

[Ben Winkler]

The American political system right now is Democrats get control, they mess everything up, the country goes into crisis. Imagine 2008 flip that.

[Host 2]

I think you might have.

[Ben Winkler]

Excuse me.

[Host 2]

Thank you.

[Ben Winkler]

Good point. Jesus. Let me say that again.

[Host 2]

Have you read this book? We. Clerk.

[Host 1]

All right.

[Host 2]

Do I have to do everything around here?

[Ben Winkler]

Let me try right now the way our political system works. The U.S. supreme Court has had a Majority appointed by Republicans since 1970.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

And in electoral politics, Republicans come in, they get control of the federal government, they screw everything up.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

George W. Bush, we get to 2008, global financial meltdown, disastrous forever. Wars going on and on, mass death. Then you have a Democrat coming in, Barack Obama. Great, very exciting. Some emergency legislation passes to clean up that mess. But so much of what Democrats fight for and organize for and advocate for, so much of the inspiring vision cannot pass.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

Because of the 60 vote filibuster in the US Senate passes, bills pass through the House, they die in the Senate. It's a mausoleum for the policies that people are begging for. Overwhelming majorities of the public things people want things like health care, things like sure, yeah. So then what happens? Then people are like, oh, this sucks. Democrats, you haven't delivered. You haven't delivered.

[Host 2]

That's right.

[Ben Winkler]

Let's vote for change. Let's get the other House.

[Host 2]

But to be fair, oftentimes they don't.

[Ben Winkler]

Yeah, but why is that? It's because the system right now is structured to stop things from actually happening.

[Host 2]

Oh, I'll give you that. That's for sure.

[Ben Winkler]

You have to change the system itself. Yes, this is my argument. If you don't change the system.

[Host 2]

So right now in Wisconsin, and I'm gonna move my hands as much as you, you can't out. Let's do this. You can't out move me. I've long just cause they're longer. I'm my chair Rolls show you these chairs. John, this is who writes the rules in our system. That's right. But all right, so now you got a governor's election now in Wisconsin, Evers is out, right?

[Ben Winkler]

He's done, he's served two great candidates.

[Host 2]

You've got a system, you've got some progressive candidates, you've got some establishment candidates. The party is not backing any of the progressive candidates that have the plan they want to stick with the establishment candidates that might not want to rock that boat. Why is that? Because what you're discussing is what moderates those plans sometimes what makes it not be able. People always say don't let perfect be the enemy of the good, but don't let the good be the enemy of what will fix it and that we tend to be in that position all the time.

[Ben Winkler]

So in Wisconsin, the way that the party works, which I think is a good way that the party works, the party says whoever comes out of the primary, we're going to be the boots on the ground to support that person. Get them through the Finish line. But the party itself, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, will not put its finger on the scale. I'm now the former chair, my successor, Chair Devin Reminger. His commitment is we're going to work with every candidate to make sure they know how the general election can unfold. And then we hit go. I think that people lose trust when they feel like the party is trying to decide these things in smoke filled rooms. It should be the voters who choose the nominees.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

And then they do.

[Host 2]

The difference with whoever that some ways there is a real energy amongst, you know, the progressive candidate in Wisconsin. Would you. Would you agree?

[Ben Winkler]

I think there's tons of grassroots energy and you know, there's a. Yeah, you can see it surging in. Yeah, sure.

[Host 2]

But it feels like they're trying to not make that happen.

[Ben Winkler]

There are different elect. So there are currently five candidates for governor.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

I think there's a lot of candidates have a lot of big ideas. A lot of them describe themselves as definitely progressive. One's a democratic socialist. There's a variety of different views and strategies for how to get there.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Ben Winkler]

And different elected officials are endorsing different people. Governor Evers just made an endorsement of one of the candidates as the democratic socialist candidate who's currently in first in the primaries. He said everyone can have their own voice in this and the voters decide who's gonna win.

[Host 2]

Right.

[Ben Winkler]

And that is how democracy works. The party and the structure shouldn't advantage one candidate or one set of ideas. It should be the voters who make the choice. And then we should come together and say, let's do this and let's not only win the governorship, let's win the assembly majority and the state Senate majority and then actually pass the things that can unrig the system and make the

[Host 2]

difference that we need. That's what I'm saying. That's called democracy. That's the whole idea. Where are you talking my LA language? And now. And we're in that same bullshit place now where all these new ideas, suddenly the Democrats are these democratic socialists. They're crazy. And you're like, well, but that generally their crazy ideas aren't where the energy is. The energy isn't around like we shouldn't have prisons or borders. The energy is around a belief that their economic populism. And when you call it socialism, I think it's a misnomer. Like in the same way that if you call Social Security socialism, that's kind of a misnomer. It's about strengthening a safety net for a country that has suffered too long overvaluing capital and money and undervaluing labor and work. That's all a million. That's it. And it's so I don't get the whole hullabaloo.

[Ben Winkler]

I think one of the reasons why you see some candidates catching fire right now.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

Is that they speak directly to what a total meltdown crisis we're in as a country. What people are actually experiencing in their day to day lives. And then they tell people, you can do something about this. And I invite candidates and there are candidates who identify as centrists running in some states that are democratic socialists and other states, everybody. It is a big tent. And I would say that right now the most exciting parts of the tent, wherever you are in the geography are the parts where people say this is not working and we need to change it. We don't need to go back to something that wasn't so great before. We need to go forward to something where there's specificity. Here's what we're gonna do is encouraged XYZ things and they lay it out. And then again, this is the plan. When you get in power, you need to be willing to change how the system works so you can actually change the policy, deliver for people and sustain it. If the US Supreme Court to take one examp. If the US Supreme Court keeps striking down everything a Democrat does, anything that is intended to protect democracy from the power of big money or workers or workers striking down workers protection laws, anti corruption laws. Wisconsin created the first workplace protection agency, forerunner to Wisconsin. Love Wisconsin. I know, I know. But this is my point.

[Host 2]

You know, they will keep. Jersey's no piece of shit, by the way.

[Ben Winkler]

I mean it's great. Every state. I mean, Wisconsin.

[Host 2]

All right, fair enough.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Ben Winkler]

But they. The U.S. supreme Court's gonna keep striking this stuff down until we reform. Meaning either expand or put term limits on the U.S. supreme Court.

[Host 2]

We gotta do that too. Going bigger. Go home, baby. Let's go make it.

[Ben Winkler]

We are we. The pendulum swings in American politics, but what the right does is when it swings their way, they catch it and they grab it and they don't wanna let it go.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

And you need to electrify the pendulum so that you cannot grab the thing and stop it from moving.

[Host 2]

Were you ever a magician? I think I saw the pend this.

[Ben Winkler]

What I lay out in the book is step by step. It starts at the end of the book. There's a chapter called this is the plan that ties together all the pieces. The first part of the this Is the plan's plan is this week. Every Tuesday, there's an election somewhere.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Ben Winkler]

And most of those elections have no volunteers across the country. They have no people chipping in $27 from wherever. Nobody gets involved.

[Host 2]

A lot of them are unopposed.

[Ben Winkler]

A lot of them are unopposed. But if you look around and find the races that actually start a row of dominoes that can affect future legislation around gerrymandering or affect money in politics, in a state where people like Elon Musk want to waltz in and take over everything, then getting involved in a mayor's race here, a county recorder's race here can have a huge effect.

[Host 2]

That's right.

[Ben Winkler]

But it goes from that step, something any of us can do, where the margins of victory are often, sometimes a single vote. And I list some of those races in the book, it goes all the way to then. 26, we win in states, we win in Congress. 28, we win a federal trifecta. 29, we passed.

[Host 2]

You even deal with the backlash to all these victories, and that's to remove

[Ben Winkler]

the power of that backlash to break our democracy from 2030-20.

[Host 2]

Accountable to post mortem policy, not just process.

[Ben Winkler]

That's it.

[Host 3]

You have to have.

[Host 2]

Yes. You have to actually deliver and make the difference. That's the plan. And we can do it. Every person here can do this plan. Yes, we can. Yes, we can. We're going to take a quick break.

[Ben Winkler]

We'll be right back.

[Host 3]

My guest tonight is a soccer legend, activist and entrepreneur who's launching a new solo podcast called why Are youe Like this? Please welcome Megan Rapinoe.

[Host 1]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Feel the love, baby.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Feel the love. Oh, I'm like more.

[Host 3]

Yeah, keep it coming. You deserve it. We're so happy that you're here. You are a soccer legend, two time World cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, countless individual honors, the first soccer player to ever receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. I gotta tell you something. Someone whose report card in grade school said she needs to work on skipping. I can't relate to this level of achievement. It's so impressive. So we, the US Just hosted the World Cup. What do you think is harder? Getting Americans to care about soccer or getting Americans to care about women?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah, we seem super into the World Cup. Yeah, we nailed that.

[Host 3]

When's the rest gonna fall out?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah, probably soccer. Yeah. Yeah.

[Host 3]

Okay, so far.

[Megan Rapinoe]

So far it feels like that's changing, but, you know, I sure slowly hope so. Yeah, it is.

[Host 3]

What was your take on this whole red card drama that happened? You've definitely gone head to head With Trump before, how do you think that affected the men's team?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Certainly not. Well, yeah. Yeah. Didn't give them the boost. Maybe that they were thinking it would or that Trump was hoping that it would.

[Carolina Weedra]

I don't know.

[Megan Rapinoe]

It seemed like it kind of, like, threw them off their game. Whether it was, like, you know, meant to be a red card or not, I don't know. I'm not a ref, and I don't even know the rules. I feel like people are always. So many people are asking me, they're like, well, what about this? And what about this? I'm like, guys, I don't know.

[Host 2]

I don't.

[Host 3]

Not my job.

[Megan Rapinoe]

I don't. Not my job. I don't know. But it didn't go well. They had, like, such a good vibe. I feel like they had, like, the underdog kind of vibe going. And then, you know, who got involved, and everyone was like, nope, yes. No, we don't like it. And then obviously, Belgium was like, no, we absolutely can't lose to this team.

[Carolina Weedra]

Nice.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

And the men's team maybe hasn't gone, you know, faced that kind of difficult team. The women's team is used to this all the time.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Pushback from.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah. We're like, bring it. Yeah. Bring it on. We can handle that. Yeah. They have enough.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah. They're not getting asked about, like, abortion bans in their press conference, so where. This is, like, old hat to us.

[Host 3]

Yeah. You're used to it at this point.

[Megan Rapinoe]

We're good. Yeah.

[Host 3]

One thing that I appreciate about you so much is that you. You have acknowledged that you have a platform and you have a purpose and you understand your influence and you don't wanna squander it. You've been the face of advocating for so many issues like equal pay as a woman. Thank you.

[Megan Rapinoe]

You're welcome.

[Host 3]

Thank you for that. LGBTQ rights. You've become a huge advocate. Was there a moment in your life or in your career when you decided, this is my purpose and I can actually make a difference here?

[Megan Rapinoe]

I mean, I think being gay is just part of it. I'm like, okay, something's up here. I was like, hold on. I have a brother who is formerly incarcerated, so I feel like from a young age, I had started to get an education on what our prison system was like and what it does and doesn't do for people. And then I think going into sports and being in women's sports was like, something's not adding up here. So a couple different convergences in my life, but, yeah, I think definitely, being a woman and being gay, I'm like, well, I mean, there you go. I gotta get in there.

[Host 3]

Yes. And you have.

[Megan Rapinoe]

I gotta get in there.

[Host 3]

You have. Thank God you wrote a piece in Marie Claire about losing a brand deal. Tell us, walk us through exactly what happened, because this was shocking to me.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah. I mean, honestly, I feel for the people who work at the company because, like, the humans didn't flag it. And then AI just came over the top and was like, no. And they were already like, we're working with this person, and we have. I think I was, like, flagged because of my support. I've had a long time support of trans people, obviously, and of all sorts of people. I mean, all of us, really. I'd love everyone to have the rights. That's really the goal, certainly. But, yeah, it was sort of at the last minute, I don't know. They ran it through the AI, as they call it, and they were like, not her. Mm. Mm.

[Host 3]

This is. She had a brand deal and they. The AI took over and flagged Meghan for. Yeah. For being an ally of the trans community.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Yeah. How up is that?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah. I'm like, guys. What?

[Host 3]

Yeah. So if there's anyone else out there that's interested in someone who's a real advocate. Any brands out there that want to do good business. Yeah. What do you think is riskier? Advocating for trans women in sports or setting up an entire generation of boys to have a gambling addiction?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah. Confidence is dangerous when a girl gets it. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

[Host 3]

I don't see AI flagging that.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Certainly not.

[Host 3]

You retired in 2023. How has that been for you? I mean, you are someone who is so such a recognizable elite athlete. How is it going on this journey now finding who you are and what fills you with joy outside of the game?

[Megan Rapinoe]

You know, it's been, like, the craziest experience. I feel like it's great. I was excited. I was ready. I never want to play again, and I know that I can't. And it's also just, like, so weird. Do we have any, like, retirees in the building? A couple, yeah. It's just strange. Like, all of a sudden one day you're doing this thing you love. I've been doing it for decades, and really my whole life. And then the next day, it's like, you can do anything. It's kind of like a gay wedding. People are like, you can have anything you want. And it's like, that's a lot. Maybe we'll just do the same thing, you know, start with one thing. Yeah. Let's not reinvent the wheel. But it's been fun, like just stepping away and having a lot more time and space and figuring out what I want to do next and yeah. Going to more family stuff or going on vacations or doing different things. It's nice to be on the fan side of things. Yeah. Not in the game.

[Host 3]

Well, and now you're immediately jumping right back into work because you've got this new podcast out, why Are youe Like this?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

As because of the title. I'm gonna flip the question on you and ask you, Megan, why are you like this?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah. I blame my mom and dad, probably Jim and Denise. They're the reasons why I'm like this. I don't know. I feel like I got that question all the time, implicitly or explicitly. Sometimes just a side eye of like, ooh, what is she doing over there? I feel like I'm like this probably because I'm just different already and curious about what the world looks like when it's sort of made for all of us. So I feel like that's kind of how I approach things. And I'm really looking forward to talking with people who are, you know, taking a left and everybody is going right or doing things differently or could be really successful in a more kind of status quo pathway, but have like just chosen to do something different. I think those probably people I'm most interested in and just like why people are the way that they are. I think it'll be fun to talk to all kinds of different people about that.

[Host 3]

Who's your dream guest?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Well, I've been on a looked at cameras or Mom. Donnie.

[Host 3]

Hey, girl, you here?

[Megan Rapinoe]

I'm in New York.

[Host 3]

You're doing a great job. Make it happen.

[Megan Rapinoe]

We've got the soccer connection I would love to do. I feel like he's doing stuff very differently. Yes. Jalen Brunson over here in New York.

[Host 3]

That would be interesting. Get a nick in there.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah. Asia Wilson would be awesome. Michelle Obama would be great. Yeah, yeah. Excellent list. You can come on the pod anytime you want.

[Host 3]

Now you mention me. Sure, sure.

[Megan Rapinoe]

After Michelle Obama.

[Host 2]

Okay.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yes.

[Host 3]

I loved, I happened to read your memoir and I love that you acknowledged soccer moms and kind of acknowledged that. It sounds like a bit of a derogatory term. And people make fun of soccer moms making orange slices and holding their Stanley cups. But you really gave so much credit to your mom for taking on like pretty much a full time job to Drive you and your sister around to play soccer?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh. I mean, my mom and my dad, I feel like soccer parents in general. It's like you just like, you think you're signing your kids up for soccer and it's really just like a chauffeur job and like the orange slice job and you're like supporting them through this and you're driving them everywhere. It's a lot of time. We had a lot of like early weekend drives where my mom, you know, she worked late too. She was a waitress, so she didn't get off work till like midnight and we're up at 4am driving and both her and my dad tag teaming. So. Yeah. Shout out to all the soccer parents.

[Host 3]

Shout out to all the soccer parents out there.

[Host 1]

Are you.

[Host 3]

I have to make a confession. I am a soccer mom.

[Megan Rapinoe]

You're a soccer mom.

[Host 3]

My son just started playing soccer this year and I hope it's okay, but he wrote a few questions to ask you. Do you mind answering his questions?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Okay. He's 10. He said. How old were you when you started playing?

[Megan Rapinoe]

I was, oh, gosh, probably like five. I'm a twin and we have an older brother, Brian, so he's five years older than us. So I think we were both just kind of like following him around. But I think five was my first team.

[Host 3]

Okay, you were five when you started. And he'd like to know when you were a kid, how much time did you spend practicing? Answer this carefully.

[Carolina Weedra]

Yeah.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Honestly, not a lot. Oh, come on. I know. Like, not. Yeah, I mean, I played a lot. Again, having a twin sister, Rach. Like, we played all the time, but actual practice, like, not that much. We played all kinds of sports and I don't know, probably like twice a week or something.

[Host 3]

Did that make you want to practice more because your parents kind of were just letting you enjoy the fun of it?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah, I think so. And it made me really excited for the games. I feel like those were like the most important. I mean, we played a lot of games definitely and played other sports and yeah, they were always like, listen, we're into doing this, like if you guys want to do it, but we're not going to be driving this train. We're going to drive this van, but not this train. So just let us know. Love that.

[Host 3]

Okay, note to self, make it fun. I hadn't thought about that. This is his final question. What's the main difference between US men's soccer and US women's soccer other than the really good at it part. He wrote it.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah, he wrote it.

[Host 3]

He wrote it.

[Megan Rapinoe]

He wrote it. The jerseys look a little bit different because we have the stars on top.

[Host 3]

Yeah.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah, that's good. Yeah, that's good.

[Host 3]

I gotta tell you, I so appreciate you coming on. I appreciate all that you do, all of your advocacy. And I gotta tell you, I like that you're like this. So thank you for being like this. Thank you. New episodes of why Are youe Like this? Rock Every Thursday starting August 6th. Megan Rapinoe. My guest tonight is an Oscar nominated actor who stars in Christopher Nolan's the Odyssey. Please welcome Elliot Payne.

[Host 2]

Oh, boy.

[Host 3]

I am so, so excited to have you here. Congratulations on all of the success on the Odyssey. Every IMAX showing in New York is sold out through mid August. How does it feel to be part of a project that is single handedly saving movies?

[Host 1]

Oh, my God,

[Megan Rapinoe]

it's such a dream

[Host 1]

to get to be involved with this project. I get to work with Chris Nolan again. This extraordinary cast and crew that makes a movie like this possible. You know, I'm just so lucky to be a part of it.

[Host 3]

Now, I know that you're an avid reader. Did you read the Odyssey well in school? More than I can say.

[Host 1]

Yeah. The character I play in this is actually not originally in the Odyssey. Right. So for me, the focus was really on and being able to capture him in these few scenes and hopefully make Chris happy.

[Host 3]

Oh, God, you really, really did. Your performance is incredible in this. It truly took my breath away. You have such an important role in the film and that you're really the heart and soul and your character stays all the way through the end. I mean, in a way, you're kind of embodying Odysseus, shame and selfishness going into this role, knowing that. Is that thrilling for you as an actor or does it terrify you?

[Host 1]

You know, both in the best way, you know, and getting to work with someone like Chris, who obviously just has such impeccable vision and execution. And, you know, I think, yeah, those were the initial conversations I had with Chris about this character in Sinon being this sort of consciousness of, you know, facing Odysseus and the impacts of war, the brutality of war and violence. And so I think I was terrified and just, you know, wanting to make sure I did an okay job, you know, and pulled it off in the movie. And so. But it was the good kind of, you know, the good kind of nerves. Of course.

[Host 3]

Right, of course. Well, you truly did that. Your performance is remarkable. This is the second time you've worked with Christopher Nolan. What do you think it is about him as a director that makes his work so distinct?

[Carolina Weedra]

Gosh.

[Host 1]

I mean, I can remember it was actually like, Chris who brought this up. He said he remembered this moment in Inception, and we were shooting a scene, and I turned to him at one point and I said, oh, my God, you really do just care about getting, like, the best possible shot. You know, there's all the best possible story. And I think I'd had experience on larger movies where that didn't always necessarily feel like that was the goal on set, you know, And I think working with someone who just wants to tell the best story they can possibly tell, you know, gathers extraordinary, talented, you know, people and crew together to make the vision possible. And. And, yeah, there's really nobody like it.

[Host 3]

I heard that the filming of this was no easy feat, that it was incredibly hard and grueling at times. You were hiking in water, in mud. All of the actors have been talking about this whole process. What was the hardest day on set for you? Or was it easy and Matt Damon is just acting like a big baby?

[Host 1]

No, I worked early on in the shoot, and then I was back, you know, later on in the shoot. And to be honest, I couldn't even understand how they were all still standing. You know, I definitely had an easier job than. Than other people. And I'd say, you know, the. The challenging things were probably just like weather and temperature and, you know, But I'm lucky in that I grew up working in Canada as a kid, so I'm used to some pretty brutal working in some pretty brutal time. Temperatures.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Yeah.

[Host 3]

Okay, take it easy. You have health care, all right? You do get health care in Canada.

[Host 1]

This is true. This is true.

[Host 3]

The odyssey is a 3,000-year-old story been around almost as long as the Daily Show.

[Host 1]

Congratulations.

[Carolina Weedra]

Oh, thank you.

[Host 1]

Thank you.

[Host 3]

But it clearly is still so resonant today. Was there a part of the story that you. You connected to deeply?

[Megan Rapinoe]

Oh, good question. I mean, I think.

[Host 1]

I think what I connected to deeply, like, particularly like, when seeing it, was how much it resonates in terms of our times, in terms of war, the impacts of war, the lies that are told to go to war. And so I would say that's what resonated with me the most. And those themes throughout the film.

[Host 3]

Is it true that you're a boxer?

[Host 1]

I don't know if I can call myself a boxer, but I love to box.

[Host 3]

Was this part of the prep for the film, or is this something you

[Host 1]

just Enjoy doing this was actually technically a part of. I started cause of prep for something else that we'll see if that ends up happening or not. But the real benefit for me is that I did really fall in love with boxing and I have an awesome coach.

[Host 3]

What is it about boxing that you love?

[Host 1]

I think I love how extremely difficult it is, obviously from you know, a physical standpoint and, you know, tiny little adjustments you're making with your body to get the outcome that you want mixed with the mental intensity of it. And I can't really think about anything else when I'm doing that and enjoy just the degree of focus and like physical exhaustion, honestly.

[Host 3]

See, I would love to get. I feel like it would be a great way to get my aggression out, but I don't love the idea of getting punched in the gut. That's the part I feel like watching the news does that time and time again for me over and over. So I don't know if I could take it.

[Host 1]

Yeah, that's fair. You have to take in a lot of junk all the time.

[Host 3]

I'll leave the boxing for you. Congratulations. I am so happy that you were here. Thank you for being here and congrats on everything.

[Carolina Weedra]

Thank you.

[Host 3]

The Odyssey is in theaters everywhere right now. Elliot Cain. My guest tonight is an Emmy nominated actor who stars in the hit Apple TV series Pluribus. Please welcome Carolina Weedra. This is awesome. Yeah, right?

[Carolina Weedra]

What a great audience.

[Host 3]

We are so excited to have you. Congratulations on your well deserved Emmy nomination.

[Carolina Weedra]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Yeah, it's wow. And congratulations to you guys. Yeah, it's wild. I still like when you said that Emmy nominated. I go, wait, that's me. Are they talking about me?

[Host 3]

That's you.

[Carolina Weedra]

What is happening?

[Host 3]

It is so well deserved. You're nominated for supporting actress, but also the show itself got 18 nominations. Yes. It's incredible. Now you play Zosia, who's one of the joined, one of the of the hive minds. So does that mean if you win the Emmy that you have to accept on everyone's behalf?

[Carolina Weedra]

Yeah, basically. So basically the whole world got nominated.

[Host 3]

Hey, this is good news for all of us. All of you guys. I wish everyone luck. The story of how you got this role is wild. You were working steadily shows like True Blood and Justified and Sneaky Pete. And then you decided to kind of step back for a bit and raise your children.

[Carolina Weedra]

That's right.

[Host 3]

Have a family. And I heard your agent and manager took that super well.

[Carolina Weedra]

Yeah, they took it very, very well. They said thank you Very much. We don't want to work with you anymore. So, yeah, that was very disappointing. Isn't that.

[Host 3]

That's.

[Carolina Weedra]

It was very.

[Host 3]

It was shocking name names, right?

[Carolina Weedra]

You know, sometimes I want to be like, so and so and so. So I'm not gonna do that. But it was, you know, I think it was scary. Cause I was 39 going on 40 when I decided to have kids. And also I decided. When the pandemic happened, the shutdown happened in March and in July, my husband and I were like, I think we need to procreate. I think we need to have. I think it's a really good time to have children.

[Host 3]

Right?

[Carolina Weedra]

And so, yeah. And it was important for me to be stay at home mom for the first two years because I grew up in communist country. So I know communism very well because I know there's a lot very well. And so, you know, my parents would travel to different countries to bring a better life for us. And so they weren't around. And so it was important for me to be there for my kids and. Cause I miss them. And so when that happened, you know, you feel so disappointed in the people that they make that choice where they say, I don't, you know, I don't want to work with you anymore. And so then I had my second son. And after he was 18 months, I really wanted start acting again. And I got out of nowhere, I got an email with an audition for the show. And, you know, I didn't know how I was ever going to come back to acting. And so when that came through, it came from someone that I didn't know. It was a commercial agency. I was on their roster, but I didn't work with them. And if it wasn't for casting that remembered me from years prior, that I would have never had the opportunity for you, which is so wild to me. And their side of the story is that they were running out of resources. They had over 5,000 submissions for this role worldwide. They couldn't find Zosia. They went through their digital files and they were running out of resources. And they had to go through their old cabinet, handwritten notes of all the actresses they've ever seen. And they stumbled upon my photo and they went, whatever happened to this girl? And that's how I was able to audition for this.

[Host 3]

And clearly you said,

[Carolina Weedra]

it's. I'm still like, I'm still pinching myself, because I can't believe that. And now being Emmy, it's just. I literally feel like I'm dreaming and I'm waiting for somebody to go. Okay, kid, you had a fun run. That was great, wasn't it? Now back to reality.

[Host 3]

It's all real and so deserved.

[Carolina Weedra]

Thank you.

[Host 3]

I am such a fan of the show. I'm always telling people, I'll say, you have to watch. I try to explain it and then realize there's no way to explain this show. So I just say, watch it. Trust me. How do you explain the premise of the show to people?

[Carolina Weedra]

I mean, I do love the logline. The most miserable person in the world trying to save the world from happiness.

[Host 3]

Yes. Someone's got to.

[Carolina Weedra]

Someone has to. So I think. And Racy Horn does an incredible job as Carol Serka, so she really does. Yeah, she's phenomenal. Phenomenal.

[Ben Winkler]

Yeah.

[Carolina Weedra]

It's a wild concept. I mean, you know, a virus breaks out and everyone becomes happy and content and joyous, except a few.

[Host 3]

A dozen people.

[Carolina Weedra]

A dozen people that are immune to the virus. And also the world becomes one consciousness and they communicate telepathically and anybody can perform anything. And they're the best at it, which is so interesting. It's such a wild concept, especially with the AI. With the conversation of AI today.

[Host 3]

Exactly. And I want to talk about your character. Because Zosia is, on one hand, you're sort of playing this slight detachment, this heightened intelligence, almost AI quality, and yet. But you play her with so much warmth and texture. How do you prepare for something like that? How do you even approach a role like that where you're having to play that dichotomy?

[Carolina Weedra]

Thank you for saying that. Well, when I first read it, I was definitely, you know, the concept of who the others are was overwhelming, exciting and overwhelming. Because you're like, oh, my God, how am I going to approach this? And I'm a big dreamer where I dream, work for my characters to tap into the subconscious, which started with Carl Jung. You know, he wrote the Red Book. He used dreams to heal himself. And you can use that for your characters, which is quite fascinating.

[Host 3]

What is this concept? Dreams.

[Carolina Weedra]

I gave up on those long ago dreams.

[Host 3]

What a dream dreams mean so meaning,

[Carolina Weedra]

like before you go to sleep, you write a letter to your subconscious asking to reveal to you whatever it is that you want answers to. And what's fascinating is that things come up and you get kind of. You know, some people are like, this is so woo woo. But it's not. It's like, it's. We all dream at night, you know, and our subconscious talks to us through images and so that you can use that for your Characters. And so whatever comes up, you. There's a process that you go and, you know, you can talk to the images or, you know, certain things come up. You're like, oh, yeah, I could use that. This relates to my character. And meditation came up for me because ego gets lifted when we meditate a lot. Right. And when you meditate daily for a long time, what happens is that, you know, you're your body, but you do feel this connection to the world energetically in a different way. You do become one collective, but energetically, and you feel unconditional love for the world. And there's no ego. And there's more and more studies talking about that. So meditation. I was meditating a lot for this character to tap into that energy because she lives in a different frequency. I mean, there's a lot of different layers to her. And, you know, when I ask Vince about who the others are, he says, you know, he's very simple. So his response was, they're happy, content, unflappable, and they don't have a full spectrum of emotions, but they are fully fledged human beings. Right. So they're not robots. So they experience feelings. Only limited amount of feelings. What are the positive feelings, I would say. And anger and grief and sadness is a memory that they experience and doesn't live in their body. They don't have nerves. They're not afraid. They're not even afraid of dying because their memory is uploaded into the system to the. Into the hive mind. So it's so interesting. It's really fascinating.

[Host 3]

Do you think that this kind of dream work and meditation could work for our administration?

[Carolina Weedra]

I would highly recommend it, yes.

[Host 1]

Okay.

[Host 3]

I think we need to.

[Carolina Weedra]

I think I should have a meeting with them and be like, hey, guys,

[Host 3]

so could you just cure a quick masterclass for them? Yes, I think it would be. The world would greatly appreciate it.

[Carolina Weedra]

I should take him through a dream class. Yeah.

[Host 3]

I'm curious. What do you think Zosia was like as an individual before she became part of the hive? What did her individuality look like? Did you discuss that with Vince?

[Carolina Weedra]

I didn't, because. And normally that's something that I do. I do backstory for my characters because I think it's important, because we have, you know, we all have our tics, our trauma and everything, and we come from that place, and behavior comes from that place. And with her, because she's not who she was prior to the joining, I didn't want it to color my performance. I wanted to build who she is today. So I didn't ask Vince any of those questions. But you do see in episode eight, the monologue that I have about mango ice cream.

[Host 3]

Yes.

[Carolina Weedra]

And so there is a moment where you get to see a little bit. And this is another fascinating thing. When I talk about the mango ice cream, I paused because I don't have the memory of it. And I have to tap into the collective to bring out the memory of who she was because it doesn't live in me anymore. Right. So we talked about that. And you know that she was born in Poland and that she came from no money. She didn't have any money. So that's the only thing I know. But I haven't built her backstory, which I'm very curious about.

[Host 3]

This is why you're Emmy nominated, though. You made the right choice. It's working for you.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Thank you.

[Host 3]

It's definitely working.

[Host 2]

Thank you.

[Host 3]

So from here, what would your dream role be next? Do you want to play a woman who's just completely unhinged?

[Carolina Weedra]

Oh, yeah.

[Host 3]

Goes nuts.

[Carolina Weedra]

Just mental. Just utterly mental. And just like ugly does, like, the ugly cries. I want to, like, go full on out.

[Host 3]

Let it all out.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Let it all out.

[Carolina Weedra]

Because think about it. When you have to suppress your feelings so much on a daily basis, when, you know, when Carol, played by Rhea Seehorn, when she beautifully has these big emotions and you just gotta hold that in all the time. You know what? It made me a better mom.

[Host 3]

Oh.

[Carolina Weedra]

You know why? I mean, I know it's cute, but, like, you know, I have two little boys and, you know, they're beautiful and a lot and a lot, as you know, you have. Yeah, it's like you're the punching bag and you just say you love them. Through it all, of course, but. But it made me less reactionary.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Oh.

[Carolina Weedra]

Which is why you tapped into your collective.

[Host 3]

You tapped into social. Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna try that. I'm gonna try this dream thing.

[Ben Winkler]

Yeah, yeah.

[Carolina Weedra]

My son, fake me like a thrower.

[Host 3]

Well, listen, if you ever. If you end up getting a totally unhinged character to play, come over to the Daily Show. You can do your research by watching cable news all day. That'll send you into a pure.

[Carolina Weedra]

Oh, yes.

[Host 3]

Rage panic. You are such a joy. And congratulations on everything. Thank you for being here.

[Carolina Weedra]

Thank you, Katie.

[Megan Rapinoe]

Thank you.

[Host 3]

Love streaming on Apple tv. Carolina Weedra.

[Ben Winkler]

Explore more shows from the Daily show

[Host 2]

podcast universe by searching the Daily Show.

[Ben Winkler]

Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the

[Host 2]

Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on

[Ben Winkler]

Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.