Ilana Glazer on responsibility and a belief John Lithgow let go of

Summary

Wild Card with Rachel Martin: Episode Summary Episode: Alana Glazer on Responsibility and a Belief John Lithgow Let Go Of
Release Date: December 12, 2024

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Introduction

In this special bonus episode of NPR’s Wild Card, host Rachel Martin diverges from the traditional interview format to engage with two remarkable guests: comedian and actress Alana Glazer and acclaimed actor John Lithgow. The episode delves into themes of responsibility, personal growth, and the evolution of beliefs, offering listeners an intimate glimpse into the lives and minds of these talented individuals through a unique game-like conversation format.

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Alana Glazer: Embracing Responsibility

Adjusting to Adulthood and Early Career Hustles

Alana Glazer opens up about her seamless transition into adult responsibilities, attributing her ease to a strong work ethic developed from a young age. Starting work at nine years old, Glazer shares anecdotes from her early jobs, including waitressing and babysitting, which instilled in her a sense of independence and preparedness for the future.

Alana Glazer (03:10): “I was always preparing for something, you know.”

Glazer discusses how her dedication to her craft in stand-up comedy and her relentless pursuit of opportunities in acting and writing kept her grounded during challenging times, such as her anxiety-filled college years. Her commitment to Broad City alongside Abbi Jacobson exemplifies her perseverance and passion for creative projects.

Alana Glazer (03:08): “Getting into the comedy scene and focusing, creating work and doing that work was what kept me grounded and sane.”

Balancing Public Persona with Personal Drive

Despite presenting a laid-back, carefree image on stage, Glazer reveals her Type A personality and her unwavering determination to make a meaningful impact through her work. Her relentless drive contrasts with her public persona, highlighting the complexity of balancing personal ambition with outward appearances.

Alana Glazer (04:06): “I was just waitressing and nannying and babysitting and catering from the age of 9 until I was 24. Honestly.”

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John Lithgow: Letting Go of Beliefs and Embracing Acting

Evolving Beliefs and Personal Aspirations

John Lithgow reflects on the beliefs he has chosen to let go of over the years, distinguishing between religious convictions and personal aspirations. Growing up without a defined religious background, Lithgow emphasizes that his journey of releasing beliefs primarily pertains to personal goals and creative endeavors rather than spirituality.

John Lithgow (09:40): “You know, I've had a few aspirations that I've let go of. That's a little different.”

He elaborates on his tendency to start projects with enthusiasm only to eventually abandon them, citing his experiences with learning instruments like the guitar and banjo. This pattern underscores his preference for projects that capture his sustained interest and passion.

John Lithgow (10:30): “I've initiated a lot of projects. No, you're a starter where I just, I'm a starter and not many of them get to completion.”

Choosing Acting Over Directing

Lithgow shares his initial foray into directing, prompted by the scarcity of acting opportunities early in his career. However, his genuine love for acting ultimately led him to abandon directing in favor of pursuing roles that allow him to embody diverse characters and engage in storytelling.

John Lithgow (11:20): “I way prefer acting. It's just so much more fun.”

He underscores the joy he finds in acting, describing it as “blissful irresponsibility”—a stark contrast to the responsibilities he faced when attempting to direct. This passion for acting highlights his commitment to the craft and his appreciation for the collaborative nature of performance art.

John Lithgow (11:14): “What I like about acting is it's blissful irresponsibility. You know, you just show up for rehearsals and everybody does your work for you.”

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Insights and Conclusions

This bonus episode of Wild Card offers a profound exploration of personal responsibility and the evolution of personal beliefs through the lenses of Alana Glazer and John Lithgow. Glazer’s narrative of early responsibility and relentless work ethic provides inspiration for managing adulthood with grace and determination. Meanwhile, Lithgow’s candid discussion about letting go of personal aspirations in favor of pursuing his true passion for acting underscores the importance of self-awareness and authenticity in one’s career and personal life.

Through engaging dialogues and thoughtful reflections, Rachel Martin successfully unravels the complexities of her guests' journeys, offering listeners valuable insights into balancing ambition, personal growth, and the continuous reassessment of one’s beliefs and goals.

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Notable Quotes

• Alana Glazer (03:08): “Getting into the comedy scene and focusing, creating work and doing that work was what kept me grounded and sane.”

• Alana Glazer (04:06): “I was just waitressing and nannying and babysitting and catering from the age of 9 until I was 24. Honestly.”

• John Lithgow (09:40): “You know, I've had a few aspirations that I've let go of. That's a little different.”

• John Lithgow (11:14): “What I like about acting is it's blissful irresponsibility. You know, you just show up for rehearsals and everybody does your work for you.”

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Conclusion

Wild Card continues to innovate the interview format by blending thoughtful conversation with interactive elements, allowing guests like Alana Glazer and John Lithgow to share their unique perspectives on life’s big questions. This episode not only entertains but also inspires, encouraging listeners to reflect on their own journeys of responsibility and belief.

Transcript

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[Rachel]

Hey, it's Rachel. So we're doing something special here. In the spirit of giving, we are giving you a preview of our bonus episodes where you get to hear more questions and hear me reflect on what sticks with me about a particular guest or an answer that they g. You also get a little peek behind the curtain about what goes into making our show. So usually these are just for our Wildcard supporters, just to give them something a little bit extra for their support. We love our PLUS supporters, by the way. Thank you, thank you, thank you as always. And if you're not a plus supporter yet, well, this is supposed to be a kick in the pants, but it's still in pr, so it's more like a gentle little nudge to sign up when you do. You're supporting all our work here. You get access to all these bonus episodes and you get to listen to every episode with without ads. So go to plus.npr.org wildcard to find out more. And hey, what about a little gift subscription for your nearest and dearest this holiday season? Go to plus.npr.org wildcard okay, with that onto the episode. It's a little bit random how two guests end up in the same bonus episode, and it always makes me happy to think about the two of them in real life sitting down and having a beer together. In this case, it would be maybe a glass of French Chardonnay for John Lithgow and an expertly rolled joint for Alana Glazer. John would quote Shakespeare, Alana would give hilarious color commentary punctuated with a lot of F bombs, and they'd come out on the other side as new, unexpected best friends. I can't magically make that happen yet anyway, but I can offer up a couple bonus questions and answers from their respective wild card episodes. I was so excited to talk with Alana Glaser, mainly because they've had so much life change since I met them. In 2014, their standup career took off. They started writing and starring in movies with big names. They also fell in love, got married, birthed a child. There was a lot of ground to cover. But honestly, the most interesting thing I learned about Alana is that they are a damn hard worker. They put blood, sweat and tears into making the show Broad City with their Friend and collaborator Abbie Jacobson. They hustled to build their standup career and get bigger and bigger movie projects. And you wouldn't blame them if they just decided to coast a little bit right now. Right, but that's not their vibe. Sure, they present as a super chill, pot smoking, cool girl who doesn't care what anyone thinks, but they're actually a type A achiever with a clear sense of themselves, how they can make a difference in the world, and a work ethic that's gonna make it all possible. So here's our bonus Q and A with actor and comedian Alana Glaser. One, two or three?

[Alana Glazer]

Number two.

[Rachel]

Number two. How well did you adjust to the world of adult responsibility?

[Alana Glazer]

I adjusted very well.

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Did you?

[Rachel]

So now I'm seeing that.

[Alana Glazer]

So I was always, like, very good and very, very anxious. And to quell that anxiety, I would do and be generative and productive and that really. I was very scared during college. When I was in high school, I was, like, really had my sights set on comedy. And once I got to college, I felt the first year I was, like, losing my mind. But, like, getting into the comedy scene and focusing, creating work and focusing on that work and doing that work was what kept me grounded and sane and.

[Rachel]

Like, you could pay your bills.

[Alana Glazer]

Yes. Yeah.

[Rachel]

The quotidian stuff of adulthood. You were.

[Alana Glazer]

And this will give you a bigger picture. I started working when I was nine, and I, as you saw in my standup special, like, I. I developed young, I looked older. I started mothers helping at 9, and.

[Rachel]

I was like, babysitting, but the parents around. But, yeah, you get.

[Alana Glazer]

But the parents are drunk. Actually, I was nine years old, and I don't know drunk or she was just like, extra chill. Like, it was something this person was not sober for sure. You know, I was nine, but I look 13, but it's like. But I'm still nine. I was watching twins, and one of them bit my breast. Bit my breast, like. And I went in the bathroom. I was like, ha, ha, ha, ha ha. And I went in the bathroom, and I saw, like, little red bite marks of this jerk, this little toddler jerk.

[Rachel]

And so the mom's drunk, you're watching twins, and the toddler bite your boob?

[Alana Glazer]

Yeah. And I was like, give me a second. And I went in the bathroom, and I was like, ow, dude. I mean, and he's, like, biting me because his mom should want to be hanging out with him. I get it. But, like, ouch. And I started working. Then I was, like, a busboy when I was 12, I like started at 9 truly and never stopped working. I waitressed from 14 to 18. I was just waitressing and nannying and babysitting and catering from the age of 9 until I was 24. Honestly. 24?

[Rachel]

Are you saving up for something like as a 9 year old, this career, it really was. It was like you were set on this and you knew you were going to need to move out of your parents house.

[Alana Glazer]

Fully, like fully. I know, yeah. I just kind of was always like preparing for something, you know.

[Rachel]

Now to Mr. Chardonnay and Shakespeare, John Lithgow is just a gem of a human being. I've loved so many of his roles, but really had no sense of who he was as a person. And then I came away from my conversation with him not only knowing him a little better, but wishing that maybe he'd let me crash his family's Christmas dinner. He was just so darn nice and thoughtful and funny in a dorky dad kind of way. I also really like when people are honest about the questions that I ask. I don't mean honest in their answers. Obviously I'm into that. I mean when they are honest about how they understand a particular question and whether it resonates with them or not. The questions are a reflection of the way that I see the world and that's going to be different than how other people see it. So when a question doesn't make sense or it doesn't connect with a guest, I love when they just say that and then we talk about why. I appreciated that about John Lithgow. He was really listening, really thinking and then opening up in ways that helped me understand the man behind all the tv, film and theater credits. Here's your bonus moment with actor John Lithgow.

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[Laurel Wamsley]

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[Laurel Wamsley]

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[Rachel]

1, 2 or 3 1. What's a belief you chose to let go of?

[John Lithgow]

Beliefs that I've let go of? Well, I grew up without any particular religion, ironically enough, because all my grandparents were very religious. Both my parents were kind of black sheep who simply dispensed with that. And all of us kids are, you know, we never defined ourselves one way or the other, but we certainly had no religious training or religious convictions. So there was not that to let go of. I simply never had had it to let go of.

[Rachel]

It doesn't have to be a religious belief that one has released.

[John Lithgow]

You know, I've had a few aspirations that I've let go of. That's a little different.

[Rachel]

But I it's different.

[John Lithgow]

But I'm, I am. I am. I dabble a lot. I hurl myself into something and then abandon it. I learned the guitar and got to the point of being mediocre and then have and then started working with really good musicians and decided I'm going to let them do it. I'll just do the singing. Same with the banjo. I got to a certain point with bluegrass banjo and just eventually I felt I'm never going to get good enough at this. Let's let it ride. Never made that decision, but it just died on the vine. And I've done that with a lot of things. I've initiated a lot of projects. No, you're a starter where I just, I'm a starter and not many of them get to completion. It's quite amazing when they do. You know, when I set out to write these political satire books, I had deadlines and dates and I absolutely had to get them done. Other people were counting on me, so I got them done. But left to my own devices, I can't quite. It's why I'm it's what I like about I've always said what I like about acting is it's blissful irresponsibility. You know, you just show up for rehearsals and everybody does your work for you. You're given your lines, you're given your blocking. You're often driven to work. And back movies, they treat you like a movie star.

[Rachel]

Oh my God, how wild. So you never wanted to be a director? You never wanted to be a director?

[John Lithgow]

I actually started out as a director. I started out as a theater director mainly because I couldn't get acting work and working for my dad. But I way prefer acting. It's just so much more fun. I mean, basically all of us in the theater or in movies and tv, we're storytellers, but the actors are the ones who are really doing the storytelling. It's just simply too much fun to choose anything else in my for me.

[Rachel]

Okay, that's it for this week's bonus episode that we are making available to all y'all this week. See, it was so fun. It doesn't have to end here. Friends, if you want access to all our bonus episodes and sponsor free listening, consider signing up for Wildcard Plus. When you do, you support all the good work that NPR does. Tell a friend or tell five. Maybe give them a gift subscription while you're at it. Find out more at plus.npr.org wildcard talk to you next time.

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[Laurel Wamsley]

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