Griffin Dunne sat down with The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk in the latest episode of “At Home With The Creative Coalition,” a podcast featuring unplugged and uncensored conversations with today’s biggest stars. In the newest episode, Dunne talks about his character in “This Is Us”; how his aunt, Joan Didion, helped him earn an Academy Award nomination, the hardest part of shooting “An American Werewolf in London”; and more. Highlights below.
“At Home With The Creative Coalition” is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and more.
Listen now at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/admit-you-dont-know-what-youre-doing-guest-griffin/id1521900273?i=1000530150549
For planned coverage, please link to:
http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast
Highlights from “At Home With The Creative Coalition” featuring Griffin Dunne —
On his character in “This Is Us”:
“I would never never have thought of myself for that [role]. He’s actually a character who is over 10 years older than my actual life… [It’s] certainly the most widely watched commercial thing I’ve ever done. I mean, just brilliant writing and great actors. But I think it’s the only project I’ve ever done that I can mention and say the title of and everyone knows exactly what it is.”
On the most challenging part of “An American Werewolf in London”:
“Wearing that makeup. [It took] about five hours every morning, maybe sometimes six. And it was — not to whine about it too much — but it was really hard because you’d sit in a chair, it was very, very uncomfortable. You know, under the lights, it would constrict and be very painful to talk. You have fake teeth. They’ve refined the techniques by now, but at the time, it was pretty rustic.”
On how his aunt, Joan Didion, helped him earn an Academy Award nomination:
“She and her husband, who’s my uncle by blood, married Joan when I was very, very young. You know I’m the oldest. And I’ve always had a very strong connection with them growing up. And they’ve always included me in their life from a very early age. And when I was growing up, they were probably the coolest couple I knew, you know, during the ‘60s in particular. They were exceptional. Joan had written ‘Slouching Towards Bethlehem’ at that time and ‘The White Album.’ She was quite famous. And John was an incredible journalist. And they were also in Hollywood. They were at the epicenter of ‘70s filmmaking, which influenced me because they invited me to a party that they gave — when I was 13 years old that my mom took me to — for Janice Joplin and Tom Wolfe, who was coming out with ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.’ It was up in the Hollywood Hills. I was 13, I might have even been 12. But it was such a vivid memory that when I wanted to become a director, I made a short film about this party and a very autobiographical film. And that’s what started me being a director, and it was nominated for an Academy Award.”
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More about “At Home With The Creative Coalition”
Hosted by The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk, “At Home With The Creative Coalition” brings listeners intimate portraits, key moments of discovery, and “art and soul” conversations with iconic entertainment industry personalities from the big screen to the boardroom, from L.A. to D.C. Listen now at http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast.
Upcoming guests include Shiri Appleby (“UnREAL”), David Arquette (“Scream”), Justin Bartha (“The Hangover,” “National Treasure”), Ethan Cutkosky (“Shameless”), Michael Fishman (“The Conners”), Willie Garson (“And Just Like That…”), Jon Huertas (“This Is Us,” “Castle”), New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Isaacs (“Compromising Positions”), Haley Joel Osment (“Future Man”), Rachel Mason (“Circus of Books”), International Bestselling Author Patrick McGinnis (“The 10% Entrepreneur,” “Fear of Missing Out”), Marta Milans (“Shazam!,” “White Lines”), Yolonda Ross (“The Chi”), Reid Scott (“Echo”), Mona Scott-Young (“Love & Hip Hop,” “The Gossip Game”), Krista Vernoff (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Station 19”), and Matt Walsh (“Veep”).
Previous guests include Jason Alexander (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), David Alan Basche (“The Exes”), Asante Blackk (“This Is Us”), Carly Chaikin (“Mr. Robot”), Wilson Cruz (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Alan Cumming (“Briarpatch”), The Creative Coalition President and actor Tim Daly (“Madam Secretary”), Lea DeLaria (“Orange Is the New Black”), Jim Gaffigan (“The Jim Gaffigan Show”), Judy Gold (“The Other F Word”), Clark Gregg (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”), Jason Isaacs (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Richard Kind (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Chad Lowe (“Supergirl”), AnnaLynne McCord (“Let’s Get Physical”), Eric McCormack (“Will and Grace”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”), Katherine McNamara (“Shadowhunters”), Rob Morrow (“Billions”), Kathy Najimy (“Duncanville”), Bill Prady (“The Big Bang Theory”), Jessica Queller (“Supergirl”), Anthony Rapp (“Rent”), Julie Taymor (“The Lion King”), Alfre Woodard (“Clemency,” “Luke Cage”), Constance Zimmer (“Good Trouble”), and David Zucker (“Airplane!,” “Scary Movie”).
More about The Creative Coalition
The Creative Coalition is the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating, mobilizing, and activating its members on issues of public importance. Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization’s President. The Creative Coalition also creates award-winning public service campaigns including #RightToBearArts to promote the efficacy of the arts. The Creative Coalition harnesses the unique platforms of the arts community and entertainment industry to make positive impacts on social welfare issues. For more information, visit https://thecreativecoalition.org.
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