Wednesday, February 23, 2022
EP263: Meet Lisa Edelstein Part One
Lisa Edelstein has led a fascinating life. She’s a terrific actress. You’ve seen her in HOUSE, THE KOMINSKY METHOD, GIRLFRIENDS’ GUIDE TO DIVORCE, and 85 other titles. She’s also been an MTV host, playwright, and renowned party girl on the 1980’s New York club scene. In part one we talk about her many careers and finish with an Oliver Stone casting story that should make you hate Oliver Stone, if you don’t already. Lisa is a fantastic guest. More podcasts at WAVE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/artist/wave-podcast-network/1437831426
I think that I saw Lisa Edelstein first on the wonderful series RELATIVITY, which was so great that ABC axed it ! She always does great work.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a Relativity (1996) fan - somewhere I have the "sex episode" on tape. Every actor was brimming with talent on that show, except the two leads (or maybe there was just no way for them to make their characters interesting?). Particularly great was Richard Schiff as Barry Roth, the male lead's sad-sack father.
ReplyDeleteRelativity had some of the same actors, directors and writers as the terrific My So-Called Life.
ReplyDeleteShe's a terrific actress who really has been in just about everything. ("West Wing" fans remember her as the too-smart student/prostitute who dated Rob Lowe's character at the very start of the show. I also recall her single, but memorable, episode of "Frasier.") She was great on "House," but they often didn't seem to know how to handle her character (a very feminine woman who was in charge of the hospital -- but was usually stuck being a scold who had to tell House that he couldn't do whatever ridiculous thing he would end up doing).
ReplyDeleteSally Kellerman has passed. RIP
ReplyDeleteLisa Edelstein - what a treat - GOOD SCORE, Ken.
ReplyDeleteIn Kominsky, she was annoying (at the funeral) then a brat (in her mother's closet) then got some sympathy - trying to "make good". All a nice collaboration of acting and writing.
Too bad, then, that Arkin did not appear in Season 3. No doubt this discouraged Lorre who phoned it in after that.
Lisa Edeltstein strikes me as the type of actor that really loses herself in the part. Frances McDormand has the same effect on me, too. It's a great performer that, after watching for a few minutes, you say, "Hey, that's ____ _______!"
ReplyDeleteSPOILER FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T HEARD THE INTERVIEW YET!!!
Oliver Stone's behavior was known by at least some during the time of the making of "The Doors". According to Spy Magazine, it was known that Stone was asking auditioning actresses to strip naked because the movie required nudity, which was not an uncommon practice. However, Stone was asking women to strip, turn around and BEND OVER.
To add insult to nudity, Ray Manzarek didn't care for the movie, either.
Not to lead the discussion too far afield, gottacook, but Richard Schiff does a great guest shot on Becker as Dr. John Becker's cousin/accountant.
ReplyDeleteI just flatly don't have time to listen to podcasts -- but I'm making the time to listen to this one. Big fan of Lisa's work in everything she has ever done.
ReplyDeleteGreat interview, I saw her paintings on Twitter. She really is a multi-talented lady.
ReplyDeleteBefore she was on West Wing, she appeared in a coupla episodes of Aaron Sorkin's SPORTS NIGHT and was, of course, fantastic. In her first episode, she was a fill-in anchor for the sports show and the joke was she believed that she and the main character anchor had had an one night stand, which the main character anchor was sure never happened. In her second episode, the anchor realized that she was right and sincerely apologized. Lisa Edelestein was great both as a played-for-laughs that-woman-is-crazy-right? character in the first episode, and in a more dramatic moment as a woman finally validated and, somewhat, made whole again.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that stint on Sports Night lead to the West Wing and House--but I'll guess we'll find out in part two!
MAJOR crush on Lisa since WEST WING. Sorry she had to go through what she did with Sleaze Bag Stone. No, I'm not surprised.
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