Episode 267

Stephen Tobolowsky has gifted us with indelible character performances while living an extraordinary life that spans from Texas roots to show biz lore to telepathy and beyond.

Stephen reflects on his earliest pull toward Hollywood, when even as a child playing cowboys, he imagined the action as if it were being filmed. That instinct would carry him from Texas to Broadway to Los Angeles, constantly seeking opportunities to create. 

And his capabilities stretch beyond acting and music to include a Universe connection  that has invited intriguing insights, unexplained knowing and“coincidences.” In fact, Stephen’s abilities inspired David Byrne to write a song called Radiohead which led the band Radiohead to become exactly that.

Best known by many as Groundhog Day’s painfully persistent Ned Ryerson, Stephen comes loaded with behind-the-scenes intel on the film’s famously complex shoot, during which he and Bill Murray (portraying a weatherman!) were kept on constant standby to shoot the scene in every possible weather condition for director Harold Ramis. 

The conversation winds from Stephen’s participation in Thelma & Louise’s iconic final moment to Brad Pitt’s instant star quality to a chilling moment, on location for  Mississippi Burning, were Stephen, playing a KKK grand wizard, was pulled aside by a Klansman and told, “We will be watching you.” 

Stephen opens up about his collaborations and creative relationships, including his connection to playwright Beth Henley and how he helped shape her Pulitzer Prize-winning Crimes of the Heart and his enduring love and best-friendship story with his wife, Actress/Director Ann Hearn.

From Memento to Silicon Valley, Stephen reflects on the wide range of roles he’s brought to life, offering insight into Christopher Nolan’s storytelling brilliance, Norman Lear’s landmark contributions and the stark terror of performing Live In Front Of A Studio Audience. 

He also speaks candidly about being entirely recognizable and shares what folks tend to run over and say when they become HIS Ned Ryerson!

And Stephen brings his masterful storytelling to IMDB Roulette, covering One Day At A Time, The Goldbergs, Spaceballs, Glee and Nobody Wants This while weaving Hollywood history with personal perspectives and navigating the curious intersection of art and life.

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