Feeling Seen

Feeling Seen

By: Jordan Crucchiola, Maximum Fun

Language: en

Categories: Tv, Film, Interviews, History, Reviews

On Feeling Seen, writer and general enthusiast Jordan Crucchiola invites filmmakers, writers, comedians, and artists to discuss the movie characters that made them "feel seen." It's about that instant when a person connects to a piece of art so deeply that they see themselves reflected in it. Every week Jordan gabs it up with a guest about those magical moments when they were watching a film and realized, "That's me!" It's an informative, funny, and comforting show about our intimate relationship with movies, the impact they have on our lives, and how they influence our art.

Episodes

Tim Blake Nelson on 'Down by Law' & 'The Testament of Ann Lee'
Jan 08, 2026

Back in 1986, Tim Blake Nelson was a drama student at Julliard when he saw Jim Jarmusch's sophomore feature, DOWN BY LAW. Tom Waits (who would continue to work with Jarmusch, and is starring in his latest film) plays a regular unlucky joe, and does it as no typical Hollywood star could. It was a path into the world of movies that Nelson could see himself following, if he got the chance (which he did). Today, you can see the great Tim Blake Nelson in Mona Fastvold's THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE, which stars Amanda Seyfried.

Then Jordan...

Duration: 00:56:11
June Squibb on 'Thelma' & 'Nebraska' [Replay]
Jan 01, 2026

Happy New Year! We're bringing back one of our favorite episodes from the recent past, this conversation with June Squibb, which originally aired in June of 2024. Since then, in 2025, June had the title role in Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson's directorial debut, which premiered at Cannes.

June Squibb was born an actor, and had a rich career on stage for years before becoming an on-screen performer in her sixties. It’s not your typical trajectory, sure, but then neither is being 94 and carrying your first feature film – which, by the way, is an action comedy. With her new...

Duration: 00:53:35
Andra Day on 'Is This Thing On?' & 'Carmen Jones'
Dec 25, 2025

How's this for a holiday treat? Multi-award winning singer and actor Andra Day shares her love of Dorothy Dandridge's iconic lead performance in Carmen Jones,  as well as her perspectives on wading deeper into movie-stardom (with her latest role opposite Bradley Cooper and alongside Laura Dern and Will Arnett in IS THIS THING ON?), turning 40, and why you should never stop transforming.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about a festive little holiday picture called BLACK CHRISTMAS (the 2006 version).

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.

N...

Duration: 00:53:10
Sam Wineman on 'Hag' & 'How to Be Single'
Dec 18, 2025

It's an episode over 200 in the making -- writer/director Sam Wineman (who also happens to be Jordan's co-host on the oft-mentioned Aughtsterion podcast!) joins us to talk about his feature debut, Hag. And you might be surprised by his horror film's connections to a very different film -- 2016's rom-com (and Dakota Johnson vehicle) How to Be Single.

Then Jordan has one quick thing about another surprising movie dichotomy -- two films in theaters now starring Amanda Seyfried.

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.

...

Duration: 00:54:33
James Badge Dale on 'King Ivory' & 'Mean Streets'
Dec 11, 2025

Another one of those magical Feeling Seen manifestations this week: just a few episodes after discussing a film he starred in with director James Michael Powell (ep 196), James Badge Dale himself is with us to talk about his perspective on acting and how it was shaped by Martin Scorsese's MEAN STREETS. Dale, who has been in countless films, and blurs the line between leading man and character actor, would eventually go on to work with Scorsese in THE DEPARTED. Now, he's starring in a new film alongside Ben Foster, KING IVORY.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing...

Duration: 00:51:31
Thomasin McKenzie on 'Before Sunrise'
Dec 04, 2025

It's our 200th episode! We're celebrating in style with the charming and super-talented Thomasin McKenzie, an actor we've watched go from teen roles in films like LEAVE NO TRACE and JOJO RABBIT to grown-up roles, as in OLD, LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, and her new comedy, FACKHAM HALL. She shares the push-and-pull identification she feels (and aspires to) for Julie Delpy's Celine in the 1995 classic, BEFORE SUNRISE.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about...200 great episodes! (And some ways you can support our past guests while giving some amazing holiday gifts).

THANK YOU for being...

Duration: 00:55:10
Kevin Smokler on 'Real Women Have Curves'
Nov 27, 2025

For his latest book, BREAK THE FRAME, culture writer Kevin Smokler interviewed 24 prominent female filmmakers about their rich and varied careers. One of those filmmakers, Patricia Cardoso, directed the 2002 movie that introduced the world to a 17-year-old America Ferrera: REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. Despite their surface differences (to state the obvious, Kevin is not a young Latina child of immigrants from the barrio of Los Angeles), the movie has spoken to Kevin since it first came out, and has become the film he's most likely to recommend. It's a perfect example of how you never know just where or...

Duration: 00:53:08
Alex Winter on Buster Keaton
Nov 20, 2025

Actor Alex Winter may be best known as the Bill half of Bill and Ted -- and he's currently treading the boards with his counterpart from the Bill & Ted movies, Keanu Reeves, in a Broadway production of Waiting for Godot. But his body of work includes a ton of other films and tv shows, with roles both in front of and behind the camera. One project he co-wrote, co-directed, and starred in is the indelibly out-there 1993 comedy Freaked, which has just gotten a 4K UHD restoration and digital & BluRay release. Jordan and Alex talk about all that and more...

Duration: 00:46:37
Barbara Muschietti on 'Working Girl' & 'The Player'
Nov 13, 2025

Barbara Muschietti (along with her brother Andy) has made her mark on Hollywood, especially in the horror realm (MAMA, IT, IT: CHAPTER TWO and now WELCOME TO DERRY). But regardless of what genre you're working in, the business of Hollywood takes tenacity, luck, and no small amount of delusion. That's what we've got for you today, through WORKING GIRL (1988) and Robert Altman's THE PLAYER (1992).

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the 25th anniversary of the CHARLIE'S ANGELS movie.

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.

...

Duration: 00:55:22
John-Michael Powell on 'Violent Ends' & 'All the Real Girls'
Nov 06, 2025

Directors John-Michael Powell (VIOLENT ENDS, in theaters now) and David Gordon Green (whose movie ALL THE REAL GIRLS was an early entry in what's become an extremely varied and successful career) are both from Arkansas. Powell's new film, which stars Billy Magnussen, James Badge Dale, and Alexandra Schipp, is a bloody, grimy crime thriller -- a far cry from ALL THE REAL GIRLS' quiet romantic angst. But what the films have in common is an interest in depicting small-town Southerners as real, three-dimensional human beings. That detail both inspired Powell's film career and animates the work he's doing now...

Duration: 00:55:35
Tina Romero on 'Queens of the Dead' & 'Peter Pan'
Oct 30, 2025

An androgenous figurehead of a found family that refuses to grow up -- if you've never thought of Peter Pan in those terms, director Tina Romero is here to set you straight (er, in a manner of speaking). Tina also shares the ins, outs, and inspirations behind her feature debut, Queens of the Dead, which continues and reinvents a family legacy of zombie cinema (Tina is the daughter of the legendary George A. Romero). And as always, Jordan digs up all the connective tissue between all of the above.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about Nia...

Duration: 00:49:38
Katy O'Brian on 'G.I. Jane'
Oct 23, 2025

If you've never seen G.I. Jane, you might know it as a punchline, an epithet, or shorthand for a certain kind of movie -- or a certain kind of woman. But watching G.I. Jane in 2025, you see a portrait of fierce tenacity and genuine strength, all baked into a Ridley Scott action war drama. Actor Katy O'Brian -- who is absolutely on fire right now, and the list of things you'd know her from grows ever longer -- saw in Demi Moore's character, Jordan, a rare glimpse of something she recognized in herself. She's a character who...

Duration: 00:53:56
Lisa M. Thomas on 'Ma Vie En Rose'
Oct 16, 2025

Adult Swim veteran producer and head of Thin Edge films, Lisa M. Thomas has been working across genres in film and television for decades from her home in upstate New York. Her latest project is The Misadventures of Bucky and Beene, the story of queer radio hosts who get in some hot water with the locals. Similarly, her choice of young Ludovic from a French classic of '90s queer cinema, Ma Vie En Rose ("My Life in Pink"), is a character who runs afoul of the local normies simply by living their honest truth. Lisa and Jordan get...

Duration: 00:48:02
Mercedes Bryce Morgan on 'Carrie' & 'Bone Lake'
Oct 09, 2025

As October kicks into gear, we've got Mercedes Bryce Morgan, director of the new horror movie BONE LAKE. And not only is her own film spooky, but so is her chosen "feeling seen" subject: teen girlhood...er, we mean Sissy Spacek's CARRIE from the horror classic CARRIE. She and Jordan get into the blurry line between exploitation and representation in horror and erotic thrillers, especially when it comes to women's sexuality.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the future (or lack thereof...) of the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise.

Feeling Seen is hosted by...

Duration: 00:50:55
M.J. Bassett on 'Red Sonja' and Transformation as Representation
Oct 02, 2025

Writer/director MJ Bassett's latest film, Red Sonja continues her run as a writer/director of intense and action-packed projects -- she's also directed FUBAR, Reacher, Deathwatch, Rogue (2020) and more. But when it comes to seeing herself on screen, MJ's life has two distinct chapters: before and after coming out as a trans woman in her 40s. MJ shares the small ways she's felt seen (and not always comfortably) by all kinds of on-screen transformations and characters dealing with the aftermath of transformation: werewolf movies, Man on High Heels, Monica, Space: 1999, Fight Club, and Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde.<...

Duration: 00:56:36
Carmen Emmi on 'Plainclothes' & Little Miss Sunshine'
Sep 25, 2025

Carmen Emmi's directorial debut, PLAINCLOTHES, is in theaters now, after catching a lot of attention and fanfare out of this year's Sundance Film Festival. He tells Jordan about the experience of getting to break out with a personal contribution to the queer cinema canon, and about all the ways he was comforted, educated, and inspired by another Sundance hit -- 2006's LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the harrowing Sundance documentary The Perfect Neighbor, new to Netflix.

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.<...

Duration: 00:53:12
Alice Wu on 'Frances Ha' & 'Broadcast News'
Sep 18, 2025

When Alice Wu directs a film, she really means it. Both SAVING FACE and THE HALF OF IT, released decades apart, made a big splash on the independent cinema scene. Now SAVING FACE has been added to the Criterion Collection. Alice tells Jordan about creating a patchwork of identity across various movie characters -- specifically the romantic searcher Frances from FRANCES HA and the too-smart-for-her-own-good Jane from BROADCAST NEWS.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the legacy of Robert Redford.

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.<...

Duration: 01:00:45
Brian Jordan Alvarez on ‘All About My Mother’ and ‘English Teacher’ [REPLAY]
Sep 11, 2025

This episode originally aired in October 2024. A second season of English Teacher premieres on Hulu on September 25, 2025.

You may know Brian Jordan Alvarez from the killer horror film M3GAN or from his web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo. Most recently, Brian created and stars in the FX comedy series English Teacher, a refreshingly hilarious original that follows a high school teacher navigating personal and professional life in Texas. It's critically acclaimed and canonically GAY! This week, Brian schools us on the series AND talks about the work of filmmakers that inspire him...

Duration: 00:42:57
André Holland on 'The Knick' & 'Love, Brooklyn'
Sep 04, 2025

André Holland has wowed us in movies like MOONLIGHT and his new Sundance hit LOVE, BROOKLYN. But he says that he gets the most comments -- and perhaps even owes his career -- to his role as Dr. Algernon Edwards in the Steven Soderbergh-helmed Cinemax series THE KNICK. It was a role he could relate to, and of the kind he'd been searching high and low for -- one that fit. He and Jordan talk about the essential perspective that role brought to the Peak TV era, and the show's often unsettling resonance for today (despite being set in 1900). Duration: 00:51:59

Macon Blair on 'The Toxic Avenger' & 'Dazed and Confused'
Aug 28, 2025

Director, writer, and actor Macon Blair has been making movies with friends since he was young -- including frequent collaborator Jeremy Saulnier. His new film is THE TOXIC AVENGER, starring Peter Dinklage and Kevin Bacon. It might not feel like an obvious follow-up to his work with Saulnier, nor to Blair's previous film, I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE; neither might seem like a direct descendent of Macon's "feeling seen" choice, DAZED AND CONFUSED. But as Jordan will uncover during this conversation, the through-lines are there. They always are.

Then, Jordan has one quick...

Duration: 00:54:12
Tricia Cooke on 'Honey Don't' & 'But I'm a Cheerleader'
Aug 21, 2025

Tricia Cooke is having her moment, and it's been a long time coming. Together with partner Ethan Coen, she's made last years DRIVE AWAY DOLLS and the new HONEY DON'T from scripts written long ago. And in some ways, the seed for these very gay, very fun movies was planted by a modern classic of fun gay cinema: Jamie Babbit's BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER. Tricia and Jordan talk about that film, the new one, and the weird juxtaposition of being free to make this once-"uncommercial" cinema in a time when queer freedoms feel so tenuous.

Then...

Duration: 00:56:59
Madison Iseman on 'The Shining' & 'Witchboard'
Aug 14, 2025

Madison Iseman is making her play for horror icon status, starring in the fun and freaky forthcoming "cursed object" horror film WITCHBOARD. At the same time, she's embracing her "district attorney era" with a lead role in the new USA series THE RAINMAKER. And on this show, we can't leave out her credits playing twin sisters Lennon and Allison on the I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER tv series (though Madison might prefer we did). Through it all, another iconic horror performance with a complicated history served as Madison's North Star of performance: Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance...

Duration: 00:54:59
Kino Lorber's Richard Lorber on Rin Tin Tin. 'Last of the Dogmen' & More
Aug 07, 2025

From his childhood in public housing to his latest venture, Kino Film Collection, Richard Lorber has always had an affinity with movie dogs. But not just any dogs -- the wild ones, the brave ones, the determined ones. In this episode, Richard tells Jordan about how he related to a number of dogs and dog movies: Rin Tin Tin, Yorgos Lanthimos' Dogtooth, Godard's Goodbye to Language, surprise Kino Film Collection hit Last of the Dogmen.

Then Jordan has one quick thing about the just-announced sequel to 2020's Greenland.

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan...

Duration: 00:48:25
James DeMonaco on 'Rocky' & 'The Home'
Jul 31, 2025

We can get one thing out of the way right up top: James DeMonaco is from Staten Island. Seeing Rocky Balboa on the big screen as a kid was mind-blowing; seeing Sylvester Stallone take a story of such a familiar kind of guy and make it into an Oscar-winning mega-franchise for the ages was life-altering. While DeMonaco is best known for his stealthily political horror films, his love of Rocky even made it into a coming-of-age project called THIS IS THE NIGHT, set around the release of ROCKY III. He and Jordan get into the importance of seeing a...

Duration: 00:55:39
Danielle Deadwyler on '40 Acres,' 'Pan's Labyrinth,' & 'In the Mood for Love'
Jul 24, 2025

Danielle Deadwyler is an actor who wows and captivates with every performance, across moods and genres. You may have seen her as Mamie Till in TILL, as Berniece in THE PIANO LESSON, or in the new post-apocalyptic action thriller 40 ACRES (in theaters and now available to rent at home). Danielle shares her deep ties to history, the whispers of the ancestors, and the power of stillness in this conversation, through her love of PAN'S LABYRINTH and IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE. 

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.

N...

Duration: 00:48:22
'M3GAN's Jen Van Epps on 'The Lost Daughter' & 'I Love Lucy'
Jul 17, 2025

In a conversation full of personal revelation and discovery, M3GAN & M3GAN 2.0 star Jen Van Epps and Jordan think hard about the taboos of motherhood and the uncomfortable neediness of the acting profession -- and have a shocking amount of fun doing so. Leda (Olivia Coleman/Jessie Buckley) in Maggie Gyllenhaal's writing and directing debut, THE LOST DAUGHTER is a character Jen wasn't thrilled to relate to; feeling seen by Lucille Ball's irrepressible (but very thirsty) Lucy from I LOVE LUCY is a lot more fun.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the new I...

Duration: 00:48:48
Alan Tudyk on 'Young Frankenstein' & 'Resident Alien'
Jul 10, 2025

The rare prolific voice actor whose face is also extremely recognizable, Alan Tudyk is one of those guys who's a household name if your household is awesome. He's been in everything from ROGUE ONE and FIREFLY to A KNIGHT'S TALE and TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL. But he's really gotten his chance to shine in the series RESIDENT ALIEN (now in its fourth season!) in which he stars as Harry, an alien who takes on a human form. Alan and Jordan bond over robots, bygone comedy eras, and of course, the nearly-inimitable Gene Wilder as Dr. Frankenstein in the...

Duration: 00:51:57
Allison Williams on 'Mary Poppins,' 'The Sound of Music," & 'M3GAN 2.0'
Jul 03, 2025

This is a moment 179 episodes in the making: Jordan and Allison Williams (of GET OUT, GIRLS, M3GAN, and much more, including her new podcast LANDLINES) reunite to talk about Allison's latest film, M3GAN 2.0 (on which she's also a producer). A little background here: up to this point, Jordan and Allison's professional lady-bromance had its apex in Jordan's WIRED profile of Allison, back when the original M3GAN came out. Now they're talking about feeling seen by two of Julie Andrews' most iconic roles, and how Allison's views on life and the characters she embodies have changed over...

Duration: 00:53:41
Marko Zaror on 'No Retreat, No Surrender' and 'Diablo'
Jun 26, 2025

His mainstream star might still be on the rise, but to die-hard action fans, Marko Zaror is already a legend. He stars alongside Scott Adkins in DIABLO, directed by his longtime friend and collaborator Ernesto Diaz Espinoza. An accomplished and disciplined martial artist, Zaror idolized Bruce Lee from a young age -- just like Jason, the main character of Cory Yuen's 1986 American debut, NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER.

Then, Jordan has one (more) quick thing from the realm of action cinema; MEGAN 2.0?!

DIABLO is in theaters and available to rent now on most major streaming platforms.  Duration: 00:52:42

Bruce LaBruce on 'Making Love' & 'Looking for Mr. Goodbar'
Jun 19, 2025

Today, he's a notable writer, filmmaker, and artist (Letterboxd called him "The Godfather of Queer"). And as a young man trying to figure out his place as a person and as an artist, Bruce LaBruce was instantly fascinated by the films MAKING LOVE (1982) and LOOKING FOR MR. GOODBAR (1977). While the two films are very different in tone, execution, and commercial success, they both center around characters who are living lives that break away from oppressive cultural norms around sex and sexuality.  

THE VISITOR is now available on Blu-Ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

***

With Jordan C...

Duration: 00:52:10
Catalina Sandino Moreno on 'Maria Full of Grace' & 'Ballerina'
Jun 12, 2025

Long before Catalina Sandino Moreno found herself starring in action movies with names like John Woo and John Wick attached to them,  she was a young unknown in Colombia, unsure if her dream of becoming an actress would ever come to fruition. Then, her first role -- as Maria in Maria Full of Grace, directed by Joshua Marston – earned her an Oscar nomination. Catalina reflects on that role, what it taught her about empathy and art, and how it's affected her life ever since.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the new Amazon Prime show Overcompensating.

<...

Duration: 00:53:37
Samantha Sloyan on 'The Life of Chuck' & 'Twin Peaks'
Jun 05, 2025

Samantha Sloyan is a familar face from countless television shows, but that face will be particularly familiar to anyone who keeps up with the "Flanaverse" -- movies and shows from Mike Flanagan, like Midnight Mass, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Haunting of Hill House. Sloyan's latest project is a departure for Flanagan, and perhaps for her as well -- it's the new movie The Life of Chuck, which hits theaters this weekend and expands next week. Together, she and huge fan Jordan discuss the ways that she feels seen by FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle...

Duration: 00:49:55
Bobby Naderi on ‘The Better Sister,’ ‘Hit the Road’ and More
May 29, 2025

What do the little boy in HIT THE ROAD (2021). the dad in CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016) and the nearly-hopeless old driver in TASTE OF CHERRY (1997) have in common? Ask actor Bobby Naderi. He and Jordan find the common thread of a nomad lifestyle and a reckless spirit across these three films, as they track the path that led Bobby from Tehran all the way to his latest role in THE BETTER SISTER.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about HONEY DON'T!, Tricia Cooke's follow up to DRIVE AWAY DOLLS.

***

With Jordan Crucchiola and Bobby Naderi<...

Duration: 00:50:38
Zach Lipovsky & Adam Stein on 'Final Destination Bloodlines' & 'The Muppet Movie'
May 22, 2025

If you're wondering what connective tissue could possibly exist between Final Destination Bloodlines and The Muppet Movie,  consider this: Jordan's talking with the former film's directors, who are feeling seen by Kermit the Frog. Since this conversation, those directors have seen their first ever studio feature film become #1 at the box office, have the best ever opening in the FD franchise (by a mile) AND the biggest R-rated horror opening of the decade. Talk about dreams coming true...can we get these guys their Standard Rich & Famous Contract yet?

Jordan also has one quick thing about an u...

Duration: 00:52:25
Eli Craig on 'Clown in a Cornfield' & 'The Razor's Edge'
May 15, 2025

Jordan spoke to director Eli Craig a few days before his new (third) feature made an outsized impact at the indie box office, becoming IFC's best-ever opening. They speak about the genesis of that film, 'Clown in a Cornfield,' and about the surprising actor/writer turn Bill Murray took in 1984's 'The Razor's Edge,' as a man on the quest for a better way to live in difficult times.

Then Jordan has one quick thing about the new trailer for 'Nobody 2'!

***

With Jordan Crucchiola & Eli Craig

Feeling...

Duration: 00:50:05
Leon Chills on 'The Matrix' & 'Shadow Force'
May 08, 2025

With the recent premier of Shadow Force (starring Kerry Washington and Omar Sy), writer Leon Chills has seen one of the most daunting choices of his life payoff.  That choice echoed the inciting incident of one of Leon's favorite films, The Matrix. As he delves into this modern classic with Jordan, Leon shares his experience of finally realizing his creative dreams and looking toward the challenges ahead (which hopefully won't involve too much fighting with machines...but who can say?).

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the upcoming Danielle Deadwyler post-apocalyptic thriller 40 Acres.

***

Duration: 00:49:52
Ali Clayton on 'Fried Green Tomatoes'
May 01, 2025

If you were alive when Fried Green Tomatoes came out -- first Fannie Flagg's book, then the movie -- you may recall it was a phenomenon. To a (very) young Ali Clayton, it was a bit of a personal phenomenon, its only-kinda-coded queerness calling out to her before she even knew why. But beyond that, it was a movie about Southern women in a South that Ali recognized -- one where bad things can happen, but good people are holding each other up through it all.

Then Jordan has one quick thing about last weekend's big win...

Duration: 00:52:53
Dr. Jon Paul Higgins on 'This Boy's Life'
Apr 24, 2025

Long before becoming an award-winning educator, public speaker, and podcaster (of BFF: Black, Fat, Femme), Dr. Jonathan P. Higgins (aka Doctor Jon Paul) was just a kid sneaking movies while mom was at work. One of those films, 1993's This Boy's Life, became one of their favorites. That was in large part thanks to the aspirational friendship of main character Tobias "Jack" Wolff (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the closeted but undeniable Arthur Gayle. Doctor Jon Paul and Jordan discuss the film, the new book Black. Fat. Femme: Revealing the Power of Visibly Queer Voices in Media and Learning to Love...

Duration: 00:50:11
Lex Scott Davis on 'Suits LA' and 'Center Stage'
Apr 17, 2025

Lex Scott Davis is currently starring as Erica alongside Stephen Amell on NBC's Sunday night drama, Suits LA - which, as the name suggests brings the concept of the hugely popular show Suits to Los Angeles. Lex herself made the journey to Los Angeles as a risky, dream-chasing step in her performing arts career. And that career arguably started at a dance studio in Baltimore when Lex was just a kid. Which brings us to the Millennial classic CENTER STAGE, and Zoe Saldana's feisty and scary-talented character, Eva Rodriguez.

Lex and Jordan get into CENTER STAGE, Lex's...

Duration: 00:47:56
Jolene Purdy on 'The Bondsman' & 'Hairspray' (2007)
Apr 10, 2025

From booking her first audition (as a kid, for beloved cult classic DONNIE DARKO) to being Kevin Bacon's literal boss-from-hell in the new Amazon series THE BONDSMAN, Jolene Purdy has had a full career on screens of all sizes. She talks with Jordan about the challenges of being an "outside the box" casting choice, the importance of staying true to yourself, and the unlikely allure of the most charming John Waters adaptation Broadway could dream up.

Then, one quick thing about the latest entry in France's answer to the Fast/Furious franchise, The Lost Bullet 3.

***<...

Duration: 00:43:50
Chris Grace on 'The Joy Luck Club' [REPLAY]
Apr 03, 2025

This episode originally aired in September of 2024.

Comedian and actor Chris Grace has starred in NBC's Superstore, PEN15, and Broad City. Now he takes to the stage as one of the world's most famous actresses in his new comedy special on Dropout, Chris Grace as Scarlett Johansson. Chris graces our mics to talk about the special AND how he felt seen in the 1993 ensemble-driven drama, THE JOY LUCK CLUB. We get into a heartfelt conversation on Asian-American representation in cinema, the incomparable talent of Rosalind Chao,  and Chris answers the question: Am I a good person?

Duration: 00:46:59
Peppermint on ‘Survival of the Thickest’, Horror Movies, and More!
Mar 27, 2025

Peppermint is a multifaceted artist, all-around entertainer, and a self-proclaimed horror movie buff. She is no stranger to the stage or screen, having appeared in the Go-Go’s-inspired Broadway musical Head Over Heels and as a frontrunner on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Peppermint is back on your TV screen starring alongside Michelle Buteau, Tasha Smith, and Garcelle Beauvais in Survival of the Thickest, a Netflix comedy series that you will surely love. Its second season just premiered and you can stream it right now.

Peppermint joins us to talk about Survival of the Thickest, her very...

Duration: 01:02:26
Margaret Cho on ‘Almost Famous’
Mar 20, 2025

Margaret Cho is an undeniable legend: a comedian with over three decades in the game, a trailblazing Emmy-nominated actor, a badass Grammy-nominated musician, and an LGBTQ+ icon. Margaret is out on her Live & Livid standup comedy tour and just released a new studio album Lucky Gift. It's an awesome album influenced by sounds from the 60s and 90s that you can stream right now. 

Margaret joins Feeling Seen to talk her new album, performing standup comedy in the current state of the world, and takes a walk down memory lane. You'll hear about the time Margaret saved C...

Duration: 00:51:27
BOCO TEASER | Canonically Queer: X-Men and X-2
Mar 19, 2025

It's MaxFunDrive and we are giving you a peak behind the curtain. We're serving you up a bonus episode with one of the producers of this show: Daniel Huecias. Jordan and Daniel discuss two of the gayest films in cinematic history: X-Men and X-2. Our first entries into the Canonically Queer Foyer! Mutants, the Master of Magnetism, and a teleporting blue devil in the form of an insanely handsome Alan Cumming. Plus, a game inspired by America's FIRST top model Tyra Banks.

You wanna be on top? Become a member of Maximum Fun and get into the...

Duration: 00:06:55
‘Novocaine’ Directors Dan Berk & Bobby Olsen on ‘Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey’
Mar 13, 2025

For the past ten years, Dan Berk and Bobby Olsen have teamed up to bring you some amazing films. You may have seen their directorial debut Body, their black comedy horror Villains, or the science fiction thriller Significant Other. 

Their most recent collaboration is Novocaine, starring Jack Quaid as Nathan Caine, a mild-mannered introvert with a rare disorder, congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), who must rescue the girl of his dreams who has been taken hostage in a bank robbery. The film is action-packed with an incredible cast: Quaid, Amber Midthunder, and Ray Nicholson. It’s in the...

Duration: 00:46:12
Paul W.S. Anderson on ‘In the Lost Lands’ and ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’
Mar 06, 2025

Paul W.S. Anderson has directed some of the most iconic films in genre cinema: Mortal Kombat, the infinitely terrifying Event Horizon, and the British crime drama Shopping, a "reckless orgy of destruction" on screen. Paul has also directed and produced the Resident Evil series with six films spanning nearly 15 years alongside his wife and frequent collaborator Milla Jovovich.  

Paul’s most recent film brings to life the work of author George R. R. Martin. It’s called In the Lost Lands and it’s in theaters right now! The film stars Jovovich alongside Dave Bautista as a witch...

Duration: 00:48:22
Shea Whigham on ‘American Primeval’ and ‘Tender Mercies’
Feb 27, 2025

Shea Whigham is an all-star actor with more credits to his name than we can mention. You may have seen him in Take Shelter, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Boardwalk Empire, Lake George, The Righteous Gemstones, or Mission: Impossible–Dead Reckoning. Shea recently starred in the western miniseries American Primeval, alongside the incredible Betty Gilpin and Taylor Kitsch. The miniseries was created and written by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg. You can stream it right now on NETFLIX. 

Shea joins Feeling Seen to talk about American Primeval, his character Jim Bridger, and Robert DuVall’s per...

Duration: 00:48:11
Director RaMell Ross on ‘Nickel Boys’ and ‘Malcolm X’
Feb 21, 2025

RaMell Ross is a multi time Academy-Award nominee in documentary and narrative, a filmmaker, photographer, academic, and writer. You may have seen his directorial debut Hale County This Morning, This Evening, an experimental documentary about black life in Hale County, Alabama. 

RaMell's most recent directorial work is the historical drama Nickel Boys, based on the novel of the same name by Colson Whitehead. It's nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards and RaMell Ross and co-writer Joslyn Barnes are both nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. You can stream the film at home or watch in...

Duration: 00:47:30
Sophie Thatcher on 'Companion' and 'Cabaret'
Feb 13, 2025

Sophie Thatcher is a multifaceted star on the rise. You may have seen her last year in Heretic, opposite Hugh Grant and Chloe East, or in the Disney+ miniseries The Book of Boba Fett. Sophie also plays “Natalie” in the delicious TV series Yellowjackets on SHOWTIME. Its third season premieres on Valentine’s Day.

Most recently, Sophie stars in Companion alongside Jack Quaid. It’s a science fiction, robot thriller that you can see in theaters right now. 

Sophie joins Feeling Seen to discuss Companion, her love for karaoke, and the 1972 musical Cabaret! Sophie talks about the...

Duration: 00:47:35
Director Justin Simien on 'Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One'
Feb 06, 2025

This week, we're throwing it back to one of our favorite interviews! When writer/director Justin Simien (Dear White People, Haunted Mansion) first saw William Greaves' groundbreaking 1968 film, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One. He was mad. Not about the film's avant-garde style (part fiction, part documentary, part  performance art) but about the fact that he hadn't seen it sooner -- it might've saved him a lot of trouble as he found his way in a challenging, second-guessing industry. Now Justin is introducing more people to the contributions to cinema made by Black creatives like Greaves, through his series Hollywood Black, now s...

Duration: 00:56:16
Traci Thomas on 'Gone with the Wind'
Jan 31, 2025

Traci Thomas is the creator and host of the critically acclaimed literary podcast The Stacks, where Traci chats with an array of guests about the books we love and loathe, the impact reading has on our lives, and the way the written word shapes culture. This week, creative mediums collide and find common ground. Traci joins Feeling Seen to talk historical fictions, unlikeable female characters, and Vivien Leigh's portrayal of the tenacious Scarlett O'Hara in the 1939 historical romance drama Gone with the Wind. Plus, Traci and Jordan take to the stars to boast about their respective astrological signs. Can...

Duration: 00:47:23
Chris Sullivan on ‘Presence’ and ‘The Goonies’
Jan 23, 2025

Chris Sullivan is veteran actor of the stage and screen. You may know him as Toby Damon from the Emmy-nominated NBC drama This Is Us, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, or the Cinemax medical drama The Knick, directed by Steven Soderbergh. 

Chris reunites with Soderbergh in his newest project Presence. It’s a supernatural horror film centered on a family who moves into a new home BUT they aren’t alone. Chris stars alongside the incomparable Lucy Liu and newcomers Eddy Maday and Callina Liang in this grippingly innovative film. It’s in theaters right now.

Chri...

Duration: 00:46:18
Shea Serrano on ‘Rounders’
Jan 16, 2025

Shea Serrano’s writing credits run deep. He’s written for publications like The Ringer and Grantland. He’s also penned several books: The Rap Year Book, Basketball (and Other Things) and Movies (and Other Things). He’s also written, created, and directed projects like the film Miguel Wants to Fight, the Freevee sitcom Primo, and the Netflix series Neon. 

His most recent project is a book titled Werewolf Lawyer – A Thomas Atwell Legal Thriller. It’s a story about a lawyer who has to defend a werewolf accused of murdering his human wife. All of the evidence poin...

Duration: 00:50:01
Kate Gersten on ‘The Last Showgirl’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’
Jan 09, 2025

Kate Gersten has written for numerous award-winning series including Prime Video’s Mozart in the Jungle, NBC’s The Good Place, and Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon!. She just made her feature debut with The Last Showgirl, a film whose screenplay she adapted from her original play Body of Work. 

The film stars Pamela Anderson as Shelly, a glamorous showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. It's a beautifully poignant film that’s received an incredible amount of acclaim. The Last Showgirl is in theaters now. 

Kate Gersten gl...

Duration: 00:42:04
Mamoudou Athie on ‘Monkey Man’ [REPLAY]
Jan 02, 2025

As we all emerge from our holiday slumber, we are turning back the clock to one of our favorite interviews from 2024. Whether he’s starring in major movies like ELEMENTAL or JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION, or sinking his teeth into roles like Yorgos Lanthimos’ KINDS OF KINDNESS, actor Mamoudou Athie follows his gut and ignores the algorithms. When Dev Patel’s directorial debut, MONKEY MAN hit theaters, Mamoudou found new depths of admiration for Patel as an actor and director — and he also found a character he could deeply relate to in the determined Bobby/The Kid. It's an amazing conversa...

Duration: 00:57:08
Boyd Holbrook on ‘A Complete Unknown’ and ‘Major League’
Dec 26, 2024

You may have seen Boyd Holbrook in Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, or The Bikeriders. Most recently, Boyd stars in the new film A Complete Unknown, a biographical drama centering the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan portrayed by Timothee Chalamet.  Boyd plays the “Man in Black” himself, the iconic country singer Johnny Cash. It's in theaters just in time for the holiday! Boyd joins Feeling Seen to talk about the path that led him to becoming an actor, a failed basketball scholarship and the UPS Earn and Learn program, finding his community in film, and so much more...

Duration: 00:42:28
Dan Rubinstein on 'Stand by Me'
Dec 19, 2024

Dan Rubinstein is a decorated journalist and editor with over 20 years in the world of design, having contributed to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Air Mail, Architectural Digest, and L’Officiel. Dan currently hosts ‘The Grand Tourist’ podcast, a journey through the worlds of fashion, interior design, art, food, and travel with interviews from some of its leading tastemakers like Daphne Guinness and  THE PATTI LUPONE!  This time around, Dan is in the interview chair. He joins Feeling Seen to talk about the 1986 coming-of-age drama Stand by Me, discussing manhood and HBO in the 80s. Plus, Dan and...

Duration: 00:47:50
Dana Ledoux Miller on 'Moana'
Dec 12, 2024

Dana Ledoux Miller has written on television shows like Netflix’s Narcos and Thai Cave Rescue, ABC’s Designated Survivor, and Kevin Can F*** Himself. Dana is also the co-founder of Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (PEAK), an initiative aiming to redefine and expand Pasifika entertainment. More recently, Dana has co-written/directed one of the biggest films of the year: Moana 2. She joins Feeling Seen to discuss the monumental success of the movie, building up her community, and how she first felt seen by the wayfinding voyager, MOANA. 

Then Jordan has one quick thing about the Sundance Film Festi...

Duration: 00:47:14
Steven C. Miller on 'Back to the Future
Dec 05, 2024

Steven C. Miller is a filmmaker of some of the most action-packed films in recent times. He’s directed films like Silent Night, Extraction, Line of Duty, and so many others, starring genre titans like Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Nicolas Cage. His latest film stars Frank Grillo in a horror thriller alongside Lou Diamond Phillips and Katrina Law. It’s called Werewolves and it’s in theaters now! Steven joins Feeling Seen to talk about the film, the unicorn-like quality of werewolf movies, and the 1985 science fiction film BACK TO THE FUTURE. Plus, a chance encounter with director Quenti...

Duration: 00:46:34
Doug Jones on 'The Wizard of Oz' [Replay]
Nov 28, 2024

This interview (with a different "One Quick Thing" segment) originally aired in September of 2022.

We're off to the see the Wizard with this REPLAY! At 62, Doug Jones is as busy as ever, playing The Baron on FX's What We Do in the Shadows, Saru on Star Trek: Discovery, and returning to the role of Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus 2. But you might be most familiar with Doug for his singular roles in heavy prosthetics -- as Abe Sapien in Hellboy and Hellboy II, as The Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water; as Pan and the Pale...

Duration: 00:52:38
Jordan Santacana on 'Spy Kids'
Nov 21, 2024

Jordan Santacana is  a writer and director of action films and westerns. He has directed multiple shorts this year: 4 Graves for Ximena, entirely shot on film, and Trapo Sucio: A Mofongo Western, which took home Best Action Short at this year’s LUSCA film fest. This week, Jordan joins Feeling Seen to talk about music scores, westerns, and Robert Rodriguez's 2001 action film SPY KIDS.

Then, cross your heart because Jordan has one quick thing about the crime thriller television series Cross. It's streaming now on Prime Video, action-packed!

***

With Jordan Crucchiola and Jordan San...

Duration: 00:44:07
Alex Wolff on 'Ordinary People'
Nov 14, 2024

As an actor and musician, Alex Wolff is anything but ordinary. You may have seen Alex in films like, Hereditary, Oppenheimer, or A Quiet Place: Day One. You might have also heard his music with his sibling, Nat & Alex Wolff; the brothers are currently on tour with Billie Eilish. Alex stars alongside a stacked ensemble cast (Halle Bailey, Angus Cloud, John Malkovich) in the new film The Line.  It's campus thriller that plunges into the dangerous world of college fraternities and blind adherence to tradition. This week, Alex joins Feeling Seen to talk about The Line AND the 1980 drama f...

Duration: 00:42:25
'Gory' Cory McCullough on 'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl' and 'Elvira: Mistress of the Dark'
Oct 31, 2024

Cory McCullough is a rising star in horror. They run a killer blog (gorycory.net) and just produced a feature film. It’s called Welcome Week: A College Horror Anthology. College alone can be frightening but add a relentless masked killer to the mix and it’s a REAL nightmare. This week, Cory joins Feeling Seen to talk about their work AND an array of characters from films that span genre. Cory talks SCREAM on MTV, THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL, and ELVIRA: THE MISTRESS OF THE DARK. Plus, we define the modern classics of horror and carve out...

Duration: 00:48:27
Heather Graham on 'Harold and Maude'
Oct 24, 2024

Heather Graham is an absolute icon in film and television with countless credits to her name. You may know Heather from License to Drive, Boogie Nights, or her 2018 directorial debut Half Magic. Recently, Heather wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy film Chosen Family. She plays Ann, a yoga teacher struggling to achieve inner peace despite the fact her family is driving her crazy and her dating life is less than zen. This week, Heather joins Feeling Seen to talk about the film, friendship, AND how she feels seen by Ruth Gordon’s spunky septuagenarian in the 1971 black comedy HA...

Duration: 00:38:56
Brian Jordan Alvarez on 'All About My Mother' and 'English Teacher'
Oct 17, 2024

You may know Brian Jordan Alvarez from the killer horror film M3GAN or from his web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo. Most recently, Brian created and stars in the FX comedy series English Teacher, a refreshingly hilarious original that follows a high school teacher navigating personal and professional life in Texas. It's critically acclaimed and canonically GAY! This week, Brian schools us on the series AND talks about the work of filmmakers that inspire him, including Pedro Almodóvar’s  ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER.  Plus, one deep cut of Brian's viral internet spiritualist, the one a...

Duration: 00:42:56
Tim Leong on 'Interstellar'
Oct 10, 2024

Tim Leong's creative direction and design is some of the best of our time, featuring icons across industries on the covers of magazines. He is also an author, penning a series of Super Graphics that guide you through various comic book universes and Star Wars. His most recent book is the Marvel Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Marvel Comics Universe. The book explores 85 years of Marvel comics history through pie charts, scatter plots, timelines, and story arc guides. It's out now! Tim talks about how he first fell in love with comics AND how he feels seen...

Duration: 00:45:43
Rhona Mitra on 'Far from the Madding Crowd'
Oct 03, 2024

Rhona Mitra is known for her countless roles in film and television. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Boston Legal, The Last Ship. Rhona stars in the new film Hounds of War, an action-packed revenge story that’s streaming right now. This week, Rhona tunes in #TrulyOffGrid to talk about the film AND how she feels seen by the headstrong lead of the British epic period drama FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD. From Rhona’s former life in Los Angeles to the divine intervention of one such horse, this conversation is certified fresh! 

Then, buddy up with us becau...

Duration: 00:43:47
Chris Grace on 'The Joy Luck Club'
Sep 26, 2024

Comedian and actor Chris Grace has starred in NBC's Superstore, PEN15, and Broad City. Now he takes to the stage as one of the world's most famous actresses in his new comedy special on Dropout, Chris Grace as Scarlett Johansson. Chris graces our mics to talk about the special AND how he felt seen in the 1993 ensemble-driven drama, THE JOY LUCK CLUB. We get into a heartfelt conversation on Asian-American representation in cinema, the incomparable talent of Rosalind Chao,  and Chris answers the question: Am I a good person?

Then Jordan has one quick thing about Ryan C...

Duration: 00:45:37
Kristen "KII" Correll on 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure'
Sep 19, 2024

Kristen "KII" Correll isn't ashamed of her inner weirdness, and she isn't letting her big "but" stand in the way of her goals. If that's not Pee-wee Herman in a nutshell, then you don't know Pee-wee. Kristen and Jordan celebrate the many joys of Tim Burton's 1985 classic film, as well as Pee-wee's Playhouse  (which is where KII was first introduced to Pee-wee).

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the 15th anniversary of the little horror comedy that could, Jennifer's Body.

***

With Jordan Crucchiola and Kristen "KII" Correll

Feeling Seen i...

Duration: 00:51:12
Remy Solomon on 'Easy A'
Sep 12, 2024

Olive Penderghast might not have stood out at her high school until the big rumors started...but she certainly stands out in the world of teen comedy heroines.  Writer (and Tik Tok star!) Remy Solomon watched EASY A on repeat as a teen, and shares Olive's gifts, as well as some of her life lessons. 

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about Jeremy Saulnier's latest film, REBEL RIDGE.

***

With Jordan Crucchiola and Remy Solomon

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.

Need mo...

Duration: 00:52:35
Paul Feig on 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' [Replay]
Sep 05, 2024

This interview (with a different "One Quick Thing" segment) originally aired in November of 2022. It was our 1 year anniversary!

Starting off with his deep identification with the singularly obsessed Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss) in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, Paul shares stories of his childhood as a sci-fi loving movie nerd, his adulthood as a newly minted horror fan, and a bunch of stuff in between. 

When this interview came out, Paul's latest was The School for Good and Evil, streaming on Netflix.  Paul and Jordan also discuss his series Welcome to Flatch. As of...

Duration: 00:54:37
Mario Adrion on 'One Piece' and 'Good Will Hunting'
Aug 29, 2024

Stand-up comedy. YouTube stardom. Male modeling. Will Hunting. A precocious wannabe pirate with super-stretch powers. What do these things have in common? Listen and find out how they all come together in the form of German-born comedian Mario Adrion, as he and Jordan discuss his affinity with Monkey D. Luffy and Will Hunting.

Then Jordan has one quick thing about the great Kyle Gallner and his new film, STRANGE DARLING.

Find Mario's tour dates on his website.

***

With Jordan Crucchiola and Mario Adrion

Feeling Seen is hosted by...

Duration: 00:53:35
Jen Kober on 'Freaky Friday' (1976) and 'The Facts of Life'
Aug 22, 2024

Comedian Jen Kober always knew why she felt an affinity with Mindy Cohn's Natalie on The Facts of Life. Natalie was the rare bigger girl on TV in the 1980s, and yet that wasn't a huge part of her character -- she was smart, goofy, and beloved by her friends. As for Jodie Foster's tomboy teen in the original Freaky Friday movie? Sure, it was good to see a rough-housing girl at odds with her mom for not being girly enough. But there was just something else about young Jodie Foster that made sense... 

Presented with our a...

Duration: 00:53:07
Justin Simien on 'Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One'
Aug 15, 2024

When writer/director Justin Simien (Dear White People, Haunted Mansion) first saw William Greaves' groundbreaking 1968 film, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One. He was mad. Not about the film's avant-garde style (part fiction, part documentary, part  performance art) but about the fact that he hadn't seen it sooner -- it might've saved him a lot of trouble as he found his way in a challenging, second-guessing industry. Now Justin is introducing more people to the contributions to cinema made by Black creatives like Greaves, through his series Hollywood Black, now streaming from MGM+.

Then Jordan has one quick thing about B...

Duration: 00:55:15
Jennifer Phang on 'Battlestar Galactica'
Aug 08, 2024

Director Jennifer Phang has helmed episodes of some major shows -- THE BOYS, RIVERDALE, THE EXPANSE, RESIDENT ALIEN, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, and more. Her latest film is Disney's DESCENDANTS: THE RISE OF RED. In this conversation, themes of humanity, mother/daughter relationships, and robots of all stripes abound in this episode, and no wonder, when Jennifer's brought us the rich dual Grace Park roles of Boomer and Athena from beloved '00s sci-fi series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. 

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the upcoming Big Bad Film Fest, which celebrates independent stunt and action films.

Duration: 00:54:52
Bill Burke on '12 Angry Men'
Aug 01, 2024

Before Bill Burke founded The Optimism Institute and started hosting the podcast Blue Sky, he had a major career in entertainment business -- the first GM of Turner Classic Movies, former CEO of the Weather Channel, ghostwriter of Ted Turner's memoir, just to name a few. Now, as someone devoted to the cause of seeing the positivity in the world with clear eyes, he's brought a character who seems to do the same: Henry Fonda's "Juror #8"  in the 1957 Sidney Lumet classic (like, it hardly gets more classic) 12 Angry Men.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about a n...

Duration: 00:56:59
Sean Wang on 'Boyhood'
Jul 25, 2024

First time feature director Sean Wang wanted a story that only he could tell, specific yet relatable. And so, with his new film 'Dìdi,' (a Sundance hit this year) he chose the coming-of-age genre and a semi autobiographical narrative. He was inspired in his filmmaking by a movie he'd seen in the theaters when he was around the same age as its protagonist, Mason, is at the end of the film: 'Boyhood,' Richard Linklater's grand moviemaking project shot over 12 years of the actors' (and filmmaker's) lives. 

Following that discussion, Jordan has one quick thing ab...

Duration: 00:54:23
Sequoia Holmes on 'The Cheetah Girls'
Jul 18, 2024

Sequoia Holmes, host of the Webby Award-winning BLACK PEOPLE LOVE PARAMORE grew up idolizing Raven-Symoné...or was the real inspiration Raven's character, the self-assured and big-dreaming Galleria Garibaldi in 2003's THE CHEETAH GIRLS? Jordan and Sequoia celebrate the surprising depth of this DCOM classic.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about TRIGGER WARNING (the movie).

***

With Jordan Crucchiola and Sequoia Holmes

 

 

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.

Need more Feeling Seen? Keep up with the show on Ins...

Duration: 00:55:18
131 - Devery Jacobs on 'The Watermelon Woman' & More
Jul 11, 2024

Actor (and director, writer, producer) Devery Jacobs might be most familiar to folks from her role on RESERVATION DOGS, but she's carving out her own space in Hollywood with projects like the new movie BACKSPOT (executive produced by Elliot Page and directed by D.W. Waterson). And even as she's playing her part in making sure Native actors feel seen on screens, she's still battling to be herself on screen in projects that aren't centered around the Rez. Hear about all that, plus (of course) the many varied (and variably queer-coded) faces she's seen herself in on screen.

<...

Duration: 00:55:06
Nida Manzoor on 'Slums of Beverly Hills' [Replay]
Jul 04, 2024

This episode originally aired in April of 2023, but has been edited to include a new and updated "One Quick Thing" at the end! Season 2 of  Manzoor's We Are Lady Parts is now streaming on Peacock in the US.

Balancing the dark and the light sides of coming of age, womanhood, and navigating the social order is something filmmaker Nida Manzoor always strives for in her projects (like WE ARE LADY PARTS and POLITE SOCIETY). And she wants to shout one of her biggest inspirations from the rooftops: SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS (1998, Tamara Jenkins), which centers on high-schooler Vivian...

Duration: 00:51:26
Mamoudou Athie on 'Monkey Man'
Jun 27, 2024

Whether he's starring in major movies like ELEMENTAL or JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION, or sinking his teeth into roles like his his latest (in Yorgos Lanthimos' new KINDS OF KINDNESS), actor Mamoudou Athie follows his gut and ignores the algorithms. When Dev Patel's directorial debut, MONKEY MAN hit theaters earlier this year, Mamoudou found new depths of admiration for Patel as an actor and director -- and he also found a character he could deeply relate to in the determined Bobby/The Kid.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the latest film from past guest Ariel Vida...

Duration: 00:54:33
June Squibb on 'Nebraska'
Jun 20, 2024

June Squibb was born an actor, and had a rich career on stage for years before becoming an on-screen performer in her sixties. It’s not your typical trajectory, sure, but then neither is being 94 and carrying your first feature film – which, by the way, is an action comedy. With her new movie THELMA new in theaters this weekend, the singular June Squibb joins us to talk about how the role of Kate in Andrew Payne’s NEBRASKA – for which she won an Oscar – reflected her life and shaped her career.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the...

Duration: 00:53:35
Adam Goldman on 'Clue' (1985)
Jun 13, 2024

The movie CLUE may not have been an instant hit, but it has an enduring legacy. And maybe everyone has a favorite character.  But for Adam Goldman, creator and writer of The Outs and Hot White Heist, Mr. Green (Michael McKean) is more than just a fave. He's a first example of what it means to be a "gay dipshit" (his words, we promise).  

Then Jordan has quick thing about a couple of queer movies you may have missed!

Listen to Hot White Heist

***

With Jordan Crucchiola and Adam Goldman

...

Duration: 00:53:38
Megan Rosati on 'Let the Right One In'
Jun 06, 2024

Actor, director, and writer Megan Rosati was not a child vampire. But from first watch, she so identified with Eli, the 12-year-old vampire in LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, the modern horror classic from Sweden, that she would show the film to people to help them understand her. In this episode, she and Jordan dig into the ways we can feel like we're different -- especially in adolescence -- and the power of genre films to make a statement.

Then Jordan has a quick thing about the late, great Scott Wampler and the impact of his work.<...

Duration: 00:56:49
Asher Perlman on 'Adaptation' (2002)
May 30, 2024

New Yorker cartoonist and writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Asher Perlman, related to Charlie Kaufman's self-deprecating self-portrait in Spike Jonze's 2002 film Adaptation - a movie we discussed here in one of our earliest episodes, with author Susan Orlean. As he's grown up -- both as a person and a creative -- has he gotten more in touch with his inner Donald, Charlie's (fully fictional) identical twin brother?

This, and Jordan's take on Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga!

Well, This is Me is available for preorder and will be released on June 18, 2024

<...

Duration: 00:55:53
DeWanda Wise on 'The Secret Life of Bees' (2008)
May 23, 2024

You definitely know DeWanda Wise from somewhere. She's made a splash on the big and the small screen, in titles like SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT (the Netflix series) and JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION. Now she's starring in the horror film IMAGINARY, which just landed on VOD after being in theaters earlier this year. But if you didn't realize that was the same DeWanda in all of those projects, you're not alone -- and she doesn't really mind. After all, an actor's job is to drop into the emotionality of a character, whatever the world. Today she’s feeling seen by th...

Duration: 00:50:36
Justin Kuritzkes on 'Moneyball'
May 16, 2024

With CHALLENGERS, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes tapped into what he really wanted to know about his favorite athletes: what are they REALLY playing for? Beyond the game? That's a glimpse we get into Brad Pitt's Billy Beane in the 2011 film MONEYBALL. What's more, we see Beane trying to do something anyone who's tried to get a movie or a play off the ground knows well: hustling to make magic with less money than the big guys.

Then Jordan has one quick thing about FURIOSA's Cannes premiere.

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With Jordan Crucchiola and Justin Kuritzkes

<...

Duration: 00:56:13
Sierra Katow on 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'My Neighbor Totoro'
May 09, 2024

Sierra Katow is an Asian-American woman in stand-up comedy, but those parts of her identity are surface-level. What you might not know about Sierra (unless you watch her new special, FUNT) is that she's also a little sister. That's not the only point of recognition she has with Lilo and Mei, heroes of Lilo & Stitch and My Neighbor Totoro, but it's certainly first on the list. She and Jordan discuss that list, and why Sierra isn't interested in representing anyone but herself onstage. 

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about

Sierra's new stand-up special is F...

Duration: 00:54:04
Latrice Royale on 'Harlem Nights' (1989)
May 02, 2024

Drag superstar Latrice Royale has been in the game since before Ru Paul's Drag Race was a phenomenon. She won Miss Congeniality on her season of that show, and went on to appear on All-Stars and Drag U. An actor and performer, Latrice is one of the co-hosts of the just-launched Season 4 of HBO's We're Here. And if you know anything about Latrice, just a few moments with Della Reese's character, Vera Walker, in the Eddie Murphy-directed dramedy Harlem Nights  will show you how Latrice's persona may have been shaped by Vera's no-nonsense power and heart of gold.

Duration: 00:53:07
Lisa Ann Walter on 'Shall We Dance' & Funny Broads [Replay]
Apr 25, 2024

This episode originally aired on  May 18, 2023.

From her roles in a semi-autobiographical sitcom in 1996 (Life's Work) to The Parent Trap to Abbott Elementary, Lisa Ann Walter has played a lot of different kinds of strong, brassy women. And even though standards of beauty and acceptance in Hollywood are always changing, those winds haven't always blown in her favor. But what makes an icon iconic is her unwavering commitment to being her own unmistakable self.

After talking with Lisa, Jordan has one quick thing about Fast X (and especially Jason Momoa).

Feeling Seen i...

Duration: 00:56:11
Larry Fessenden on 'The Wolf Man' (1941)
Apr 18, 2024

Larry Fessenden is almost a kind of mythic figure in the world of indie filmmaking. He's a filmmaker behind dozens of his own independently produced projects, an actor, an editor, and a producer who's helped give directors from Ti West to Kelly Reichart their start. His new film is BLACKOUT, which focuses on a different kind of mythic figure: the werewolf (with Larry's signature thoughtful touch). Appropriatey, Larry is feeling seen by...Larry, the Wolf Man from the 1941 original THE WOLF MAN, starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as...well...the Wolf Man. 

Then Jordan has one quick thing f...

Duration: 00:52:25
Avril Speaks on 'Awkward Black Girl'
Apr 11, 2024

Avril Speaks, independent filmmaker and co-host of the film advice podcast DISTRIBUTION ADVOCATES PRESENTS tells us why J from AWKWARD BLACK GIRL was such a revelation -- even more so than when the successful web series morphed into INSECURE, and J became Issa. Plus, she shares her affinity with Summer, a teen girl coming of age as her mother converts to Islam, in her film JINN.

Then, Jordan has a long-awaited one quick thing about...MAXXXINE!

***

With Jordan Crucchiola and Avril Speaks

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and...

Duration: 00:55:58
Michael Mohan on 'The Savages' (2007)
Apr 04, 2024

THE SAVAGES (directed by Tamara Jenkins, who also directed SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS, and starrring Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman) is an often poignant comedy about adult siblings trying to get care for their elderly father, who suffers from dementia. That might not be the most expected pick from a director whose new horror film, IMMACULATE, now has  the distinction of being NEON's highest grossing opening weekend ever. But it's the movie that speaks most directly to an all-to-common, yet rarely depicted phase of life -- one that Michael found himself in right at the moment his Hollywood c...

Duration: 00:55:30
Jackie Kashian on 'My Favorite Year'
Mar 28, 2024

It's the final week of #MaxFunDrive! Thanks to everyone who has joined or upgraded so far; if you've been putting it off, now's thie time! maximumfun.org/join

It's been a long time since comedian Jackie Kashian (co-host of MaxFun's own Jackie and Laurie Show) has been a industry newb like Benji (Mark Linn Baker) in 1982's MY FAVORITE YEAR. But she felt really seen by Benji's journey into the world of comedy -- the risks, the shifting identity, and the heartbreak. She and Jordan will get into all of that, plus learn why Jackie relates to...

Duration: 00:58:55
BoCo Preview - Erotic Thriller Pilot, 'Color of Night' (Director's Cut)
Mar 23, 2024

This podcast is part of the #MaxFunDrive! If you’d like to help this podcast continue and get great gifts in the process, go to maximumfun.org/join and become a MaxFun Member for as little as $5 a month. You can also upgrade or boost your membership for as little as $1 more a month to help the show out even more and earn gifts and certain levels.

COLOR OF NIGHT is one of the wildest, most surprising movies Jordan has ever seen, and now producer Marissa can say the same! Starring Bruce Willis as a psychologist who's al...

Duration: 00:07:52
Susie Banikarim on 'The Devil Wears Prada'
Mar 21, 2024

Susie Banikarim has been a freshman journalist. She's also been a boss. Now, she's the co-host and EP of the podcast In Retrospect, along with her friend, New York Times editor Jessica Bennett. Over the years, Susie has kept watching the 2006 modern classic The Devil Wears Prada, and she's noticed a funny thing happen. Where once she (obviously!) identified with the put-upon lead, Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), time and life have shown her that maybe Miranda Preistly (Meryl Streep) wasn't such a devil after all.

Plus...it's #MaxFunDrive! Listen to find out what becoming a member at...

Duration: 00:58:58
Caitlin Peluffo on 'Little Giants' (1994)
Mar 14, 2024

Comedian Caitlin Peluffo (whose new album, DIRTY BIRD, just dropped) was a soccer star as a kid who craved attention from boys, despite not fitting the "cute girl" stereotype. Becky "Icebox" O'Shea, a central character in the 1994 family football comedy LITTLE GIANTS, is on the precipice of that same flight. Caitlin never did shake her deep affinity with Becky/Icebox, but her relationship to it has changed over the years.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about the upcoming THELMA, which just might prove to be June Squibb's BEEKEEPER.

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With Jordan Crucchiola and...

Duration: 00:57:01
Jack Haven on 'Midnight Cowboy'
Mar 07, 2024

Jack Haven (who at the time of this recording was known publicly as Brigette Lundy-Paine) comes from a creative family, and (in addition to their music and their work on WAIF Magazine), has been acting since childhood. In adulthood, success in their career has shown them the difference between being playing a role on screen and playing one in real life. Joe Buck, the pretend  cowboy and wannabe hustler at the center of 1969's MIDNIGHT COWBOY goes on a journey of identity, too. It's also a journey of friendship, and one through the perils and pleasures of life in t...

Duration: 00:52:39
Liza Powel O'Brien on 'Tootsie'
Feb 29, 2024

The host and writer of the SIGNIFICANT OTHERS podcast, Liza Powel O'Brien, was a teenager when Dustin Hoffman's iconic Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels dropped into her life via TOOTSIE. The Michael/Dorothy transformation illustrated to her the same thing it showed Michael in the movie: it takes a lot of work to dress up like a woman. 

Jordan and Liza will get into all that, and then Jordan has one quick thing about Drive Away Dolls

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With Jordan Crucchiola and Liza Powel O'Brien

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola a...

Duration: 00:55:24
Oscar Montoya on 'Young Sherlock Holmes'
Feb 22, 2024

Oscar Montoya is a co-host of the new MaxFun podcast Eurovangelists, all about the Eurovision Song Contest. And his love of song and spectacle factors into his professional life as a dancer, actor, and comedian. But long before that career began, Oscar was a kid growing up in Colombia, where for some reason a 1985 movie called Young Sherlock Holmes was playing on repeat. Directed by Barry Levinson and produced by Steven Spielberg, the movie captures the Watson/Sherlock dynamic that is common to most every retelling of that story...except this time, they're kids. As a smart but quiet...

Duration: 00:53:06