WTF with Marc Maron – Episode 1673: Regina King
Date: August 28, 2025
Guest: Regina King
Episode Overview
In this moving and deeply candid episode, Marc Maron welcomes Oscar-winning actor and director Regina King for a heartfelt conversation. The pair reflect on career milestones, the evolving craft of performance, lagging cultural memory, and the realities of grief—particularly King’s journey since the loss of her son, Ian. The discussion balances humor, professional insight, philosophical musings, and hard-won wisdom, offering listeners both an intimate portrait of King and larger meditations on living with loss, creativity, and authenticity.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Authenticity, Aging, and Finding Your Voice
[12:51–14:47]
- Maron and King bond over the theme of painful authenticity in their lives and careers, and how self-acceptance grows with age:
- Regina King (13:10): “Some people never quite find that [authentic self].”
- Discussing the liberation of accumulating “zero fucks” as you age.
- Maron shares how comedy, and especially performing, can retain anxieties even as you grow older.
2. Information Overload and Intentional Detachment
[15:04–19:09]
- Both reflect on the barrage of media noise and the value of intentional silence.
- King discusses her strategy of leaving her phone in her trailer on set; she credits Southland’s director Christopher Chulack for encouraging actors to be script-free and present.
- King (19:16): “I’ve been leaving my phone in the trailer… It’s worked out really great.”
3. Craft and Training as an Actor
[20:12–26:06]
- King describes how enforced memorization (no script “sides” on set) improved her craft.
- Details from shooting Shirley: working with dialect coaches and learning complex speeches; challenges when multiple dialects are on set.
- Maron and King discuss being “people watchers” and how deeply observing others feeds their craft and empathy.
4. Family, Aging Parents, and the Cycle of Care
[26:06–33:36]
- Both share stories about navigating the decline of aging parents.
- King discusses her mother’s dementia and the heartbreak of watching independence fade.
- Maron relates his father’s increasing dementia and its surreal, sometimes darkly comic, realities.
5. Developing and Starring in Shirley
[33:36–41:21]
- King discusses the 17-year journey to bring Shirley (the film about Shirley Chisholm) to life with her sister/production partner, Raina.
- Discusses the competition (Viola Davis’s parallel project), script development, and finally collaborating with John Ridley.
- King (34:53): “Her story, she’s like the godmother of first, you know, and she’s the blueprint."
6. Directing One Night in Miami
[42:06–45:07]
- King describes what drew her to direct One Night in Miami:
- The script’s depiction of Black icons as “just regular men” debating and growing together stuck with her.
- Regina King (43:18): “I could see all the men that really have made an impact in my life. It felt like if them and their friends were having real heart to heart discussions, debates, that they would look something like this."
7. Career Breaks and Working with John Singleton
[46:10–48:02]
- King reflects on pivotal moments: 227, Boyz n the Hood, and Jerry Maguire.
- Singleton’s knack for spotting untapped talent in actors was instrumental in her career.
8. Recent Work: Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing
[51:45–57:14]
- King and Maron unpack filming Caught Stealing:
- King has not yet seen the film; Maron describes its gritty, authentic NYC setting and violence as “character-driven, not gratuitous.”
- Discusses onset process, Aronofsky's approach, and the excitement of not being typecast.
9. Recognition, Awards, and the Grind Behind the Scenes
[63:50–66:14]
- King shares her surprise at learning she was the “most awarded actor” in a particular year and expresses the exhaustion of non-stop promotion and awards campaigning.
10. Grief, Mental Health, and Public Mourning
[66:32–85:31]
- Maron and King pivot into an extended, deeply personal exploration of grief—King’s after her son Ian’s suicide, Maron’s after the death of partner Lynn Shelton.
- They discuss public versus private mourning, the dangers of internet speculation, the stigma of mental illness, and the simultaneous presence of joy and sadness after loss.
- King (67:39): "Sadness and happiness is always working in concert within me…”
- On public scrutiny: King (72:12): "The amount of humility people don’t have is mind-blowing.”
- On depression: King (75:52): “It’s just so irresponsible…to present depression as something that looks like people walking around sad. That’s not how it looks.”
- On mental illness: “People can’t look at mental health as a disease…” (82:31).
11. Ongoing Healing and New Projects: “Me and You” Wine
[87:46–91:40]
- King details her new passion project: an artisanal “orange wine” venture named “Me and You” (M I A N U)—a tribute to Ian’s creativity and taste.
- King (89:57): “How do I create new stories?... We’re gonna do an orange wine.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Regina King (68:21): “Sadness and happiness is always working in concert within me all the time.”
- Marc Maron (81:03): “If I didn’t have this sadness, then I’d be scared—because then that would mean Ian is not my world.”
- Regina King (81:35, via a card from her aunt): “Grief is love that doesn’t have anywhere to go.”
- King on media/online cruelty: “Keyboard gangsters.” (85:56)
- On depression: "It's a battle. Absolutely." (76:17)
- Regina King (90:01): “It was more just a way to... put something in a bottle that was the closest for people who did not get the opportunity to be blessed with Ian’s presence…”
Important Timestamps
- 12:51–15:00 — Authenticity, aging, and self-acceptance
- 15:04–19:09 — Media noise and conscious detachment
- 26:06–33:36 — Discussing aging parents and caregiving
- 33:36–41:21 — Making Shirley
- 42:06–45:07 — Directing One Night in Miami
- 66:32–85:31 — Grief, loss, mental health, and public mourning
- 87:46–91:40 — “Me and You” wine: healing through creative tribute
Overall Tone
The conversation is frank, empathetic, and at times raw. Maron and King move organically through humor, vulnerability, and safe honesty. The tone—though heavy in places—remains ultimately life-affirming, celebrating the roles of both joy and pain in a lived, creative life. The episode underscores the importance of speaking openly about grief and mental health, and insists on the power of genuine connection in the face of private and cultural adversity.
Useful Links
- Caught Stealing: In theaters everywhere
- Me and You wines: meandyouwines.com (small batch orange wine, personal tribute to Ian)
- Regina King filmography: Notable works discussed include Shirley, If Beale Street Could Talk, One Night in Miami, Southland, and early work in 227, Boyz n the Hood, Jerry Maguire, and more
For listeners seeking a nuanced exploration of coping, creativity, and survival, this episode stands among Maron’s most poignant and human interviews.