Transcript

Claire Danes | SmartLess

From SmartLess · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 2 min · 11,771 words · 335 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Claire Danes | SmartLess", an episode of SmartLess published November 17, 2025 (1 h 2 min, about 11,771 words). It mentions 63 people, works and ideas, including Homeland, SmartLess, My So-Called Life, Claire Danes, Casablanca.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: SmartLess, Claire Danes, New York City, New York, Self-care
  2. – 20:00: Casablanca, Crosby Kids, Crosby Street, Homeland
  3. – 30:00: Finding Your Roots, Northridge earthquake, Shakespearean drama, Tom Preston
  4. – 40:00: Homeland, Berlin, Cape Town, Casablanca
  5. – 50:00: My So-Called Life, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Portlandia, Steven Daldry
  6. – 1:00:00: Homeland, Hot yoga, The Beast in Me, Claire Danes
  7. – 1:01:57: Michael Grant Terry, SmartLess

Notable quotes from "Claire Danes | SmartLess"

  • That was a good drink. Speaking of drinking things up, welcome to Smartless.
    about SmartLess · at
  • Huh? Guys, let's welcome Chris and Clara's girl, the one and only Claire Danes. Come on out.
    about Claire Danes · at
  • And then we adopted a cat when we were filming a season of Homeland in Morocco, Harold Hamza, and he was a bit of a nightmare.
    about Homeland · at
  • From the rough streets of Casablanca to a pretty cushy situation in Indiana.
    about Casablanca · at
  • Crosby. Well, actually, okay. Yes. I grew up on Crosby Street. My parents were artists and they moved to Soho, in the late60s and when it bec, because it there were all these factory buildings that were.
    about Crosby Street · at
  • That did you get what I'm a huge fan of and I'm sorry you get asked all the time about it, my so-called life, which I used to I used to watch all the time. I Oh, that's so nice to see.
    about My So-Called Life · at
  • I like the yoga a lot. I like a little hot yoga.
    about Hot yoga · at
  • I want to get to one this trailer for the beast in me. rocked my world to watch it three times in a row. I cannot wait to see the show which is out now.
    about The Beast in Me · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

Books & papers

  • Homeland — Book · 6 mentions · first at
  • My So-Called Life — Book · 3 mentions · first at
  • The Beast in Me — Book · 2 mentions · first at
  • Finding Your Roots — Book · 1 mention · first at
    It was But then I did that show I did that show Finding Your Roots. yeah. What'd you find out? Well, many things. but my dad's mom, Claire, who I'm named after, she died when he was nine. So, there was very little information.
  • Portlandia — Book · 1 mention · first at
    You would be You would be good at com I saw you in Portlandia because I was a huge fan of that show. You were so You played Oh, that's right. I forgot I did that.
  • Dawson's Creek — Book · 1 mention · first at
    Show for, our age. it was like a game ch. It was like it was like our Dawson's Creek, you know what I mean? Anybody?
  • Seventh Heaven — Book · 1 mention · first at
    Seventh Heaven, Dawson's Creek. I got to say I missed it.
  • 24 — Book · 1 mention
  • Law & Order — Book · 1 mention
  • The Fall of France — Book · 1 mention
  • The Rainmaker — Book · 1 mention
  • The X-Files — Book · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

Concepts & topics

Places & events

  • Casablanca — Place · 2 mentions · first at
  • New York City, New York — Place · 1 mention · first at
  • Morocco — Place · 1 mention · first at
    And then we adopted a cat when we were filming a season of Homeland in Morocco, Harold Hamza, and he was a bit of a nightmare.
  • Crosby Street — Place · 1 mention · first at
  • Mexico City — Place · 1 mention · first at
    We filmed in Mexico City and I haven't been since. I loved it.
  • Langley — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Do Yeah. And like for Homeland, I had to figure out how to be a spy and got to go to Langley and meet those guys and also had to figure out what it was to be bipolar. That was fascinating.
  • Cape Town — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Challenging. Yeah. And Cyrus, grew up in all over the place. Like he was a toddler in Cape Town. He went to kindergarten in Berlin. He went to school in Casablanca and can't eat couscous to this day cuz he had it every day, a bunch.
  • Berlin — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Grew up in all over the place. Like he was a toddler in Cape Town. He went to kindergarten in Berlin. He went to school in Casablanca and can't eat couscous to this day cuz he had it every day, a bunch.
  • Long Island — Place · 1 mention · first at
    My you know success and my wife and I and our small boy moved to a pretty affluent suburb and on Long Island and then tragedy strikes. I'm I'm driving the car with our…
  • Salem, Massachusetts — Place · 1 mention
  • SoHo — Place · 1 mention

Full transcript with timestamps

That was a good drink. Speaking of drinking things up, welcome to Smartless. Smart Less. Smart Less. smart.

So, uh, listener, you've missed 10 seconds of this, uh, of this another attempt at us doing a podcast, um, where I mentioned how fresh Will looks, and then Will, um, seemed to imply he knew his way around the verbiage of a facial. Um, and I I had a facial scheduled for the other day because uh my wife was the dude's name.

Oh, you my wife's very diligent about getting me a facial, making sure I get a facial every like six months.

And um I got to say I don't push back a lot. Yeah. You know, because you because it feels good.

Because it's comfy. It's comfy. It feels good. I I feel weird with, you know, I got a tiny bit of um prepubescent facial hair on my on my face and uh I I wonder if it's I'm just wasting my time in there. I don't know effectiveness.

They do a lot of guys like that. I I I forget to shave a lot of times, too. But, you know, uh I just got one last week and it was really bad.

Yeah. Well, that's what I was going to ask. How how often am I the only guy here? Um

no, I get them I get them like once or twice a year, but but the last one I had I didn't This is no offense to anybody. I just didn't understand a lot of what she said. So I she she she was you know

anybody take any offensive I just didn't understand her unless you want if you want to do an imitation of what she said and then we'll decide if it's offensive.

I do not want to I just am stating a fact I did not understand. It's probably my fault.

I was trying to I was trying to I was trying to drag you into deep water. Let me just Can you Will you Can you just reveal what continent she may have been from?

Something Easter eastern Asia Asia. but not Eastern European because it' be a different a different accent.

But well, anyway, I feel like I've had a couple facials in my time as well. I think I've probably had eight total in my life and I think they've generally been um Eastern European an Eastern European bent.

That's right. Wait, you're saying you're in in you're you're under you're under oath now, sir. You need to understand only eight facials in your life.

Maybe 10. Yeah. God, I don't know. Honestly. Honestly. Really? You don't like them?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I I do like them. And it's one of those thing. It's kind of like massages. I always forget.

I fall asleep. I do it and then I go, "Oh, this is great." How many times have you had your fingers and toes done

while they're while the facials? No. No. No. No. Are we talking Are we talking Manny Petty?

Yeah. Bad. Okay. And uh I would say I would say less or more than your face. I got my first my first time I ever had a pedicure manicure was when I was 30. No, but I was about 31. Probably 32.

So, it's been it's been what 30 years. That's over 25 years. So, like 25 years.

Uh and uh so I would say I probably have I don't know 25. So more on the fa on the fingers and the toes.

Oh yeah. Really? Generally not the fingers. Generally just the the toes cuz they get kind of gnarly,

right? Can you do my heel gets gnarly? You like an open toe shoe. I used to remember I used to I used to wear a lot of flips.

Well, you don't wear socks ever. And I never wear socks. So, my heels get kind of gross. They'd get all cracked.

Do you wear underwear? Yes. Okay. Why are we focusing on Jason? Never wears underwear.

No. There was a stretch there through Arrested Development where I went commando and then he would go to then he'd go for a pee and then he and then he'd wrap his unit in toilet paper for the half an hour soak up all the driplets and then

rushing to get back on camera. And then 20 minutes later, like in between setups, he'd like pull out this disgusting toilet paper and put it in a in a 35 gallon trash can on set. True story.

Um, so wow. So Manny Petty's often facial, not so much. Not often. I mean, I I probably got one I got one in the spring. Uh, Manny Petty. Uh, I like going at like 9:00 a.m. I go to a spot. I've gone to a few times. I like going at 9:00 a.m.

This is disgusting. Right. When they By the way, says you you live like a pampered prince. If people knew how you live.

Dude, I don't have a I don't have a a target time. I like to hit my Manny Petties on, you know, at my What was that? My spot. Is that what you said? I have a spot.

Spot. I have a spot over here. And it's always fingers and toes at the same time. You ever go in for just the one one or the other? Cuz you rush for time.

Feet. Feet only. It's primarily feet. And I also like cuz they rub your feet. So it feels like soak.

But I would say in 25 years probably 25 times. That's average of once a year. Shnie, what about you?

I've gotten a Matty Petty. I The last one I got, she scrubbed my calves so hard I broke out into hives after it was over.

Huh. Eastern European. That's not a thing. No, that was on Larchmont. But it has nothing to do with her doing the calves.

Yeah, it was terrible. Uh well, listen. Um thanks for the weird morning chat. Um, let's get to our guest. We're gonna ask her what her hygiene routine is. I'll bet it's significant because you know what?

This is called self-care. It's not hygiene, it's self-care, by the way. All right. Selfare.

She's been impressing critics and audiences for over 30 years, you guys. Achieving incredible success, yet finds herself even more relevant today than ever before.

Okay. She's been awarded multiple Emmys, Golden Globes, SAGs, all that crap. and and she's been named one of Time's most influential people in the world. Yeah, that's something none of us can say.

Never will I. She's Yale educated. Also, you can't say that. Uh she's a proud mother of three. You can't say that.

And she's very kind to the women of a Afghanistan. Have Can you guys say that? Huh? Guys, let's welcome Chris and Clara's girl, the one and only Claire Danes. Come on out.

Hi, guys. Oh my gosh, I'm such a big fan. Right. I mean, she's everything. Look at her.

It's really nice to meet you. Well, you are. Yeah. You have all had more facials than I have, I think.

Is that true? Come on. Yeah. Really? Occasionally, like I'm gifted a facial by I don't know,

right? Like a start gift from an agent. Yes. Something like that. and I'll go a start gift

and I enjoy it but I yeah I forget to but I do I do get my nails done weekly because it's like my office I get a lot of work done I never do the fingers I experimented with the gels for a little while but that was quite stressful because

I don't know it just it's also a whole different look right I mean I've got two daughters and I'm I'm starting to get educated on the gels versus let's have some discipline and let it grow out naturally Yeah, I feel like it is it is a cultural statement to have gels on, right?

It is. And you can't you have to go back to get them off. So that is the hard part. I I I that made me feel kind of panicked and claustrophobic.

Or you can be on the volleyball team and then they just come off naturally. Right. Well, but I don't play enough volleyball.

I like the way JB couches it in. Oh, my daughters helped educate me. Like [ __ ] [ __ ] How you live, baby. I should [ __ ] try

my weekend gel sessions. How many times does he go like, "Oh, well, my kids really I'm" I'm like, "No, you like it.

I like gels." I used to drag my my my son Cyrus, our eldest son, um with with me to the salon

and I got he at about five he he had had enough. But until then and then I had to bribe him with like an iPad. No, no. But I just really enjoyed that experience of going with him.

What about all Fancy Dancy? Does he get the feets and toes done? The the very very occasionally. Yeah.

Um you got to keep your man tight, you know. Yeah. Or or are you the kind of gal that likes their guy to have a little bit of a little bit of dirt under the nails?

Um it depends what kind of dirt. Um if it's like cute upstate dirt, sure. But that's very cute dirt. Cuz some women I I've you know some women they they they're kind of turned off by a guy that actually keeps himself very clean and very I'm one of those guys I would turn a woman off like I understand thread count. I understand candles and croaks and things like that. I'm for it. Um but yeah,

I'm not like a man's man. No, that's a quote. You won't find me on a horse unless

Hang on a second. I'm I'm emailing the smartless uh merch people right now. We got a new hoodie coming out

called I'm not a man. Claire, where are we finding you? What part of the world? What what side of the United States are you on right now?

I live in New York City. Yes. Jealous. So, um this looks like it could be a brownstone too.

It's a brownstone. We've been here not for very long. We've been here about a year cuz we had this oopsy daisy third baby. Um, she's going to love what happens. You got to be careful.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm not Yeah. Uh, that was I was so old when that happened. I was 44.

How old is the baby? How old? Um, she's two now. Wait, you got pregnant at 44? I sure did.

Golly. Good for you. Good for you. I didn't think it was possible. I really didn't.

Rare. So, no. I I it was I was terrified but all was okay. Can I use the term blessing? What a blessing it was.

Total blessing. How did you find uh how did you find having a a surprise as you said a surprise blessing uh at that at that point?

Well, you know, it was it was actually really interesting um because I didn't I I did not foresee this at all

and it was weird. Suddenly I felt like a funny shame really. Um like like I was going to know I meant to Yeah. Like I was I was naughty. Um like I had been caught like um uh fornicating past the point I was meant to. No, it was weird cuz I was and I and it was it was like I found an edge that I didn't I hadn't been quite conscious of.

Um like there's a certain like I was going outside of the parameters a little bit

and I and I and it that was in that was wild. What's the what's what's the age spread with the the the kid right before it?

Um, so Cyrus is 12. He'll be 13 in December. Rowan, our a second boy is seven. And then Shay. Yeah. So there's about five years between each.

Wow. But it's a trip. I mean, I have a teenager and I a toddler. And this last one is a girl.

A girl. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. I know. I got really really lucky. My Yeah. My OB/GYN was like, "You know, you're having another boy." But no, turns out

You would have been pissed off. You definitely would have been pissed off. I would have been delighted. Um, but I am more delighted that I Yeah, that she's pretty cool. And um, and she loves a tutu.

Oh, yeah. Who doesn't? Who doesn't? A tutu and a tattoo. I am noticing that this this 5year gap is very good. Uh my eldest is just left the house for college and the fact that I've still got a a 13year-old so I've got another five years of like before before I get really really depressed.

Yeah. Um is great instead of just usually that usual gap of what 2 3 years or something like that.

Um yeah you get built in I same I've got a 5-year-old and an almost 17year-old as of next week.

Right. It's kind of a trip. It's great. It's amazing. I have a 5-year-old uh dog.

Yeah. Sean, with your diet, you're going to be moving into a 33 pretty soon. I mean, let's be honest.

Um, sorry. Do you take him to get pedicures, too? Do you have to bribe him with the iPad as well?

Uh, no, I don't. I don't go I don't go often enough despite Sean about his dog.

Oh, is Sean's dog? Yeah, exactly. How often do you get Ricky's toes done? Once a week,

I'll bet you. Once a week. Yeah, once a week. Yeah. You know, and that's that's and that's a thing those that nail grinder for a dog. I like I don't know how they sit still for that that they

Well, they Well, they you tie you you tie their neck around the thing so they stay on the on the table.

What? What are you doing? I'm a monster. And then Ricky gets up. No, I'm kidding. Uh

oh, great. Here come the letters from PETA. Here we [ __ ] go. Where'd it go, Sean?

No, cuz he's a golden doodle, so you have to brush him out every week and all this stuff. You wash him. He gets real dirty. Anyway, who cares?

Well, when's the last time you washed your own dog, Sean? Uh when he was a puppy. Yeah.

Yeah. It's years ago. You're absolutely years ago. When's the last time you walked your own dog?

Every almost every day. Liar. I swear to God, I love you. Actually do live in a in an area with sidewalks and front yards. I would walk dogs. I'd have a dog.

Sorry, Claire. They'll be right with you. Yeah. What about dogs there in the city? You have a dog there in the city?

I had a dog. Um I had a schnoodle for about 16 years. His name was Ouiji, but he great name.

And then we adopted a cat when we were filming a season of Homeland in Morocco, Harold Hamza, and he was a bit of a nightmare.

He pissed on everything. Those Moroccan cats, it's Is he still with us or No, you know what? after a really rough five years of of dealing with this like urine soaked

sofa furniture. Um I had I I had to rehome him which was very stressful and and not obvious. Um but found this saint in Indiana, this woman who has a cat sanctuary

and then three months into that arrangement which was actually ideal. We got, you know, weekly photos and reports and things. He died.

He had like there was some clot or Yeah, I don't know. I think he was the whole thing was

wild. Um, from the rough streets of Casablanca to a pretty cushy situation in Indiana. Yeah.

Yeah. And then and then so when Ouija died, we had Harold Hamza and then we adopted another cat, Mary, as in like Christmas. Our son Rowan named her that when he was like three in the middle of the summer. It was very confusing.

Um and we said, "Why did you why Mary? Everybody thinks it's Mary." It's not. Yeah.

Um he said, "I just thought it was a good name for a cat. That's a great reason.

Yeah. Um anyway, um wait, Claire, how do you and Jay, how do you guys know each other?

Did you work together? We don't really. I mean, we've had a conversation maybe, but

Right. It is. It is sort of surprising cuz we've both been banging around in this thing since we were kids.

I know. It's It's a little weird. You guys had a conversation where what where was the location? Jason, we'll be right with you. Jason, I'm not asking you. I'm asking CL

cuz I want to get the truth. I think we like had a conversation on the phone and I don't even really know why, but we did.

Were you surprised at how short he was? Sorry. Go ahead. You just No. Do you know what? I know how long ago it was because it was around I think it was like the same day that my parents delivered my schnel to me. They went and picked him up

in Kentucky. They live in LA. Yeah. Um, I live in New York, but they, you know, and I was filming in LA and they delivered this tiny little animal to me in my hotel room in LA. And I just, I had just talked to you for, you know, curious reasons. It was a nice conversation. But

where did you grow up? I grew up in New York. I grew up in in Soho. Yeah. Oh, in the city.

In the city. Ergo, the name of your company? Yes. Is that Is that Is that the address of the the the place you grew up in? Crosby.

Crosby. Well, actually, okay. Yes. I grew up on Crosby Street. My parents were artists and they moved to Soho, you know, in the late60s and um when it bec, you know, because it there were all these factory buildings that were closing down

and you actually had to legally prove that you were an artist to live there because there was this concerted effort to, you know, transform

and they're trying to retroactively now charge all these finance bros that have gone in there and bought these artist lofts uh for um Yeah. Um, anyway, like you you now have to prove that you're an artist to maintain this sweet deal on those places.

Oh, I didn't. Yeah, they're trying to get it through. I don't think it'll happen.

Wow, that's fascinating. Um, but then they went on to do different things and my dad was a he had been a photographer. We still had a dark room in our loft. my entire entire childhood a vestage of his the you know from his time as a photographer but he was a contractor and had a company called Overall Construction and now my production company name is Overall Production.

Oh, that's Yeah. Um and my mom uh ran a toddler school in our loft called Crosby Kids.

Wow. So that was weird. Um yeah. So, and and then I like was then I started acting and got jobs which was very surprising.

How'd that start? What was what was the impetus for that? I always knew I wanted to act and I danced as a kid. Um, and uh, occasionally dance companies would come to my class looking for young talent and I would get hired and I started, you know, performing every so often and these blackbox theaters in the lower side to 12 people. Yeah.

Um, and loved it and then started taking acting classes at Lee Strawber which is like down the street from me now which is very funny.

And how old were you? Same. same. I did the same. Oh, really? I was 10, but it was like on a Saturday and most kids were there cuz they're, you know, was either that or like tennis class, but I

was just so invested in the experience, you know, like the such an earnest Nelly about it.

Yeah. Um, and then I there was a performing arts junior high school called PPAS, professional performing arts school. It was its first year of its existence. And I and I went and then I met kids there who were professional performing people

and you know discovered what a headsh shot was and what an agent was and how to you know get them. And actually that dark room came in handy because the woman who was renting it out kind of swapped rent money for head shot. So she took my head shot and then I I had done some student films when I was a kid

and so I had like something to show an agent and um you know my first job was Law and Order, you know, like New York.

Yeah, that's cool. And how soon after that did you get what I'm a huge fan of and I'm sorry you get asked all the time about it, my so-called life,

which I used to I used to watch all the time. I Oh, that's so nice to see. Yeah, I loved it. I loved it.

Yeah. I was 13 when I did the pilot. Wow. And and then it did not get picked up

and I Yeah. I'd gone to public school my whole life, but then made a chunk of change and could afford to send myself to private school. So I went to this fancy school called Dalton for sure. And then halfway through my freshman year,

they actually did pick up the show and I I went to make the the rest of it in LA and stayed there for four years. My parents followed me. My brother is seven years older, so he was already at college at this point. So we were kind of available to have this adventure.

And so were you working in correspondence with with Dalton or did you enroll in a different school?

Yeah, for that first year. And then eventually I went to Lil France in LA. Barely there. Yes.

On motor. Yeah, you betcha. Yeah. Yeah. I tried to get in there. They they wouldn't have me. Um, but yeah, I like maybe went five days a year and but I was mostly like tutored from that point on on sets.

We'll be right back. And now back to the show. I remember my so-cal life it had it got it kind of had that it was critically acclaimed and so it was kind of like sputtered a little bit. It had a it lived in this weird place where everybody loved it, but the network didn't know what to do or am I right about that?

Nobody really watched it while it was on and we didn't even complete a full season. We didn't make it to the 22, you know, mark. We we got cancelled at 19 episodes. Um, but then, uh, it had a pretty, you know, the people who did watch were were devoted and passionate and they made a ruckus and, um, and then it and then it got bought by other it aired like it was on TV. It was on MTV and it was and then it found its audience kind of after the fact.

Tom Preston picked up. Yeah. Um now, uh am I right that your mom was your manager during this period?

Yeah, kind of like by default. I mean she was you know I was a kid and she was with me all the time and Yeah.

When did that I ask only because um my parents were my manager as well and it was it was complicated. Uh was it was it did you did you did you disengage from that before it became

Yeah, it was you know it that it made sense for a period of time and then it made more sense to just be mom and daughter,

right? Yeah. It wasn't uncommon. Most kids their parents Yeah. Yeah. But then once that they start,

you know, you're paying them a percentage and then that's kind of weird and Yeah.

It changes your relationship with your parents a lot. I mean, by definition, you're the employer.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's super complicated. Hey, grab me a coffee real quick. Yeah.

But I was very I mean, we were all just so stunned by this, you know, nobody anticipated this at all. We were just like totally naive and you know, then they

weirdly, we moved to LA the day after those Northridge that Northridge earthquake

19964. Sorry. And it was a wild way to parachute into our new reality there cuz everybody was just ashen and traumatized.

Must have been horrified. Like 2 days before you're set to leave, your bags are packed. You see on the news, oh the place we're going just got shaken.

Yeah. Yeah. And then it was a week of aftershock. So we landed. It was like, you know, and uh it was like a it was a very apt metaphor for what we were feeling already, you know. Um but but yeah, so and but then my parents really loved it. My mom went to grad school in her 50s. They came back to their their art. So she went to a school called Otis and

my dad built like his and her studios in their backyard and they you know full circle. You just jarred my memory because my father was my dad was also a photographer

and he tire to take photos of all of us as kids all the time and blow the pictures up and put them

put them up on the wall and put them up on the wall. A zoom lens. What's going on?

And would you put those photos just above the sun shade in the car so he could just look at them when he's going down the highway? you guys.

Oh, wait. Did he process his own photos, Sean? Did he? Yeah. So, he had a dark room in the basement.

And he would develop uh he would develop them there and then, you know, he would put them on the wall of the house and and it was really cool but weird for the time. So, did your dad do your photos and your your head shots and all that?

No. No, he didn't. Um but no, I mean, he didn't really take many photos of people. He likes a landscape.

Oh, I see. I see. I see. I mean, I'm sure he does take photos of us, of course, all the time, but that's not Yeah,

people don't tend to populate his images. Well, so with with with Am I right? Was your mom your mom was a sculptor? Is that No,

my mom does. Yeah, she was a textile designer initially and then and now she does she's a lot of etchings. She does do a lot of sculpture and she paints. It's

but both but both being artists were you just sort of kind of obviously it's in your blood but did you kind of think from a very very early age that arts is going to be your path because I think your brother's a lawyer is that right?

Yeah. Yeah. So like where how was it was it kind of predetermined or no or no? Well it was a pretty creative environment that's for sure. Um I mean they had a lot of art materials everywhere. It was fun. We had also we had even before the baby school, we had a trapeze and a trampoline and a swing and all these dirty hippies.

All Yeah. Yeah. It was like that. Wow. Uh and and we had all of our furniture was like found off of the street and my dad collected these old signs. So, it was funky and and they had fun tools. They had a light box and a you know you know I I was at a very at a very unfair advantage with my like school projects because um yeah

your brother just said screw it to all of that. I'm going into law. Yeah. I mean he's creative. He was very athletic. He was um I don't know. Yeah. It was

But then I did that show I did that show Finding Your Roots. Um yeah. What'd you find out? Well, many things. Um, but but my my dad's mom, Claire, who I'm named after, she died when he was nine. So, there was very very little information about her. I knew nothing about her. And people, of course, ask, you know, are there any people in the performing arts in your family? No. A lot of visual artists, a lot of academics, but not, you know, but it turns out she um she uh went to Northwestern. It must have been in like the 40s. So I

wasn't in Chicago. Yeah. And got her and like got studied theater and wrote her masters and the role of dance and Shakespearean drama and and and had directed plays and acted in them and I had no clue about that.

So it was in your it was in your DNA a little bit. Yeah. I was very moved by that.

Did she like her time in Illinois? Uh yeah, I have no idea. I don't know anything beyond that. But but uh yeah. Anyway, I also had uh my my ninth uh great great grandmother was hanged in Salem for being a witch.

What are you talking about? Big reveal. Is that Is that true? Yes. Wait, your great

You found this on the show? Yes. Well, how did they how did they find that out? What are you What are we doing?

Through like legal documents. Through other witches. Through other witches. Yeah. You went crystal ball, you idiot.

Wait. Wow. A witch hanged. Hang hanged. I know. I learned that word. I didn't know it before then.

So So wait, so did she practice witchcraft and all that? I mean, is that No, no, actually she was she was the oldest woman to be hanged. She was 72. She was a widow and I think she was just like lowhanging fruit. Like she was just an easy scapegoat.

Hey, how about that one? crossing the road. Yeah. Yeah. Basic I think maybe I mean who knows but yeah like we there are reports cuz this she was went to court and everything but people accused her of um of what was it of uh like cursing their cows and then and putting like and and then the cows would rear on their hind legs and she would penetrate people's dreams and like yeah she didn't do anything.

What is the what is what year is this? I wonder is it a long time ago? I don't I don't know.

Like would it be the 1500s, 1600s, 1700s? Maybe 1700. No. After 18 probably 1800s in Salem.

Yeah. North Carolina. No, Massachusetts. There's a few different Salems. Okay. All right. Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure between 1692 and May 1693.

Oh, you got a Google machine? Yep. Is that right? I have access to Google. That's what it says.

Wow. Okay. Well, I was way off. More than 200 people were accused, it claims. That's it.

The Salem witch. 30 people were found guilty. 30 30 were found guilty. 19 of whom were executed by hanging.

Yeah. Wow. And your your ancestor was one of them. Yeah. For cursing. For cursing cows.

Yeah. And dream penetration. But she had it coming. Hey guys, let's go around the corner. Everybody, your dream penetration. Go ahead.

That's different. Sorry. Different different accent on the second word. Yeah. Jesus.

So, marching through the cannon of uh of your career here. Um let's let's let's hit by let's go let's go to 96. Let's go to Romeo and Juliet. Um

oh my gosh. The the working with uh Baz Lurman was like what was that set like? Was it it was I I remember when that film came out I was like oh my god. like the production design and like this big swing on this classic and real like was it was it nerve-wracking or exciting to be on something that was taking such a big swing and it was such a big project.

All Yeah, all of the above. It was a total dream. I loved it. It was it was intense.

We filmed in Mexico City um and I haven't been since. I loved it. But it's like an it's a unruly, you know, vibrating brilliant place.

Yeah. Um and yeah, it was the whole thing felt very charged and alive and scary and fun and Baz was wonderful. Um, and he was very clear about making this accessible and exciting for everybody the way Shakespeare, you know, also intended his work to be once upon a time.

Had you done some Shakespeare prior to that? And have you done after? Um, no I haven't. And I hadn't. There was like a month where I read everything in amic pentameter, you know, like the cereal boxes and

um but but yeah, it it was um no it was it was amazing. So you so you you did so then I hear you you're saying you did some research there for at least a month. Um

I think I read a book on amic pentan there there's my question. How diligent are you? Uh what kind of actor are you? Are you are you the one that like does a massive amount of research and you got tons of

not a little nerdy about it. I'm a little but not every not every role asks that of you. I mean I don't do it for the sake of it. I do it if I, you know, actually need to learn something. Like right now I'm about to play a pediatric neurosurgeon and so I'm like reading some books on neurosurgery. I sat in on a brain surgery. I want to know all about that. I wouldn't be able to do that. Were you I did you pass out?

No, but but the I I asked that cuz I heard about somebody recently who who sat in on one of those

I think it happens a lot. I think it happens a lot. And and the surgeon's assistant did say like you may think you're a badass, but if you have the thought, oh, I might faint, you're fainting, and we can't have that happen. So, please let me know.

Um and the second you feel it seated. Yeah. And I don't know, there was like a half an hour I was very I was doing some conscious breathing. Wait a minute. So, so you're standing there while the brain is open and they're working on the brain.

Yeah. What was the moment that started to get you a little a little bit I might be starting to pass out here? Was it lifting of the scalp?

The residents were prepping the the head for the actual surgeon to come and do his work. But yeah, so they cut the scalp and they peel it back and they bore four holes into the skull.

Um, yeah. And then there's like I think it's called the derma or something. There's a there's a thin layer of of uh skin that they have to suture. They suture the corners and then they ho it up like a tent

and then you have the brain ready. But wait, but wait, you what about the part where they take like a bone saw and they cut the uh piece of the scalp.

So they do the four holes and then they cut with the saw and then they lift and they lift and the brain's exposed.

Yes. Oh my god. Wow. It was I actually I really understood in a different way that we are vehicles

like we are cars and we are not our bodies like we experience ourselves and the world through our bodies but something carries your brain around that was like a that was a profound thing

that you know to really know that in a on a different level. Yeah. So did the person that you watched was it a success and all that?

Yeah. She had a brain tumor and then she didn't. But it was a lot of tumor. It took a long time to suction that out.

Um but but isn't it wild like the kind of access we have? I've it was very embarrassing because they have something called a timeout where everybody in the room has to announce themselves and and say why they're there. I was like

really just to make sure everybody's cognizant. Not I'm Claire. I'll be playing. Yeah.

Yeah. I'll be playing you in a month and I'll wait a second. There's in the operating room there's a let's go around and and introduce ourselves.

Yeah. Mhm. Just so everybody's accountable. They don't already know each other this team.

They do. I think it's just a it's a ritualistic thing just to kind of get everybody focused

and then they announce what the procedure is going to be and so everybody knows they're in the right room. It's like you've heard all those rapid fire. It's not a big deal. It's just, you know,

you've heard all those stories about like they took off out the wrong kidney or they took out the something went wrong. It's cuz that's why they announce everything. So this is why we're here. This is what we're doing. This is who I am. This is what we're Yeah.

Yeah. But I mean the people that do this that surgeon and I have to say like our sets are so much more protected.

You know, look, I I was vetted. I you know I had a badge and everything but I wasn't anybody. But it felt relatively porous like you know on a set the feeling is so

can be so serious like we are actually saving. It was much more serious than it was in the

Clair. I went to an event recently and it was a very sort of Hollywood event and they had dogs and looking under the cars and stuff and I'm like, "Motherfucker, nobody's coming for our stars."

Right. Right. Right. It's so true. Everybody's over it. Yeah. I was very humbled by it. But um but yeah, so in those kind of cases, I will do Yeah. And like for Homeland, I I had to figure out how to be a spy and got to go to Langley and meet those guys and and also had to figure out what it was to be bipolar. That was fascinating.

When I played Temple, I had to learn about autism that, you know, so yes, some in some cases you have to do

a nice little sitcom for you, you know. Yeah. Nice little multicam. And you know, it's just

This is JB's dream, by the way. Sorry, Claire. He's just walking through his dream. JB, what time do you roll into your parking spot on the sit?

Like 10 a.m., right? Don't you uh I mean, you have played taken on voluntarily a lot of very heavy parts and you do them incredibly well. Um, does it ever get uh exhausting to be uh believably in a space of of of weightiness uh 12 hours a day for years on end?

Um, it's hard when you're first try figuring it out, you know. Um, and and once you are sort of oriented within the character and you've kind of made sense of her, it it gets a little easier. It was very cool in Homeland to play somebody for so very long. Yeah.

You know, like you you had kind of played your backstory. You lived your backstory. So you and and you know the actors that you're working with so very well, you know, like it was just

that was amazing to have that um fluency and that and that juice, you know. Um yeah, getting finding the momentum is always the the toughest part. Um, and but I have to say like if the writing is good,

yeah, it holds you. It carries you. Like doing a kind of technically easy scene but with bad writing is so much harder than doing an exacting scene that is really well constructed.

Um, and and and with a team that can actually support you. Um, you guys were together for how long on that show? Eight years. Uh, it felt like 10. I think it was like we did eight seasons, but it was about a decade in total.

And you and the you and the great Damen Lewis, too, right? I love that guy. I don't know him, but I just I'm a fan.

And what about the the travel on that? Did that was that was that was a lot. Was it nice um to to visit those corners of the world the way that that I'm imagining you you were traveled and and uh and and looked after?

It was. It was nice. Um, but I was also, you know, I I'd like just gotten married when we started the show. I had Cyrus in my second season. Then I had Rowan, I guess, you know, a few seasons late. I guess I had Rowan in our penultimate season. Um, so like making a family while globe trotting in that way was challenging. Yeah. And Cyrus, you know, grew grew up in all over the place. Like he was a toddler in Cape Town. He went to kindergarten in Berlin. He went to school in Casablanca and can't eat couscous to this day cuz he had it every day, you know, a bunch.

Um, you know, like when he was a little guy in a playground here in the city, you know, he come up to people, his little other kids, and say, you know, my name is Cyrus. I speak English. you know, it was just not a given that

what is what is I had a a mom who was a flight attendant for Panama and so that we did a bunch of traveling and con as a consequence I'm I I can't I don't like to travel because I did it at an age where it was just inconvenient because I was so small and I missed my friends. What is his relationship with travel nowadays? Well, now well then Homeland ended and it was very like careful what you wish for because of course I was desperate to just be anchored at home and then I never got to leave the like immediately wrapped and then we were you know in the COVID era.

Oh, right. Um that was a trip. Um and now and now we're working really hard to figure out how to remain employed and local. Um, yeah. It used to be like

script, director, actor, and now it's location location location. That's how you decide what you do.

Kind of. I mean, I'm sort of making a joke, but but basically, for the next 10 years, we just have to, you know, find jobs in the neighborhood.

What about going back to some of your theater stuff, doing that? I mean, I know it doesn't pay the bills as well, but, um, I imagine you guys are all right, you know. Uh, I mean, I I would I would definitely be open to that. Um, but yeah, lately it's been limited series in West two-hander with the Tony Award-winning Shawn Hayes.

Yeah, I love this. I love this casting. Jason, keep going. What is it? It's a two-hander. You and Shawn Hayes.

Okay, I do it. This is a new take on the odd couple. Um, I love it so much. We're going to switch roles uh every every four weeks. We'll be right back. And now back to the show. But you know what? You Jason's right. You would be You would be good at com I saw you in Portlandia because I was a huge fan of that show. You were so You played

Oh, that's right. I forgot I did that. Yeah, you played like an acting coach or I did. I played a terrible acting coach.

Yeah, I remember that. A a wildly pretentious acting coach. That was enjoyable.

That's really funny. What about Fred Arman? Fred Armanson. This guy, this guy, this guy, this guy's royalty, right? And I hear he's just he's just put out an album, I hear, of sound effects.

Amazing. That sounds about right. Sounds about right. Yes. Check. And check. Yeah.

I love We're leaving Baz Lurman and we're moving on to Francis Ford Copela with The Rain Maker. Let's talk about Did Did we

Can I just say something about about Romeo and Julia before we get off of it? So you got you do that and it has such a huge impact and by the way lasting impact that film it must have been a bit of a lifecher. I mean you had already sort of made a lot of waves with with with my so-called life in that area and then you do this and Romeo and Juliet just must have changed everything. You you're much more visible. You must have felt that like your life

Yeah, I did feel it and I I have to say I I I didn't quite know what to do with all of that. I I was a little thrown by it.

Were you? Um Yeah. Yeah. What What was the big jarring thing? Was it the Was it the press? Was it people stopping you on the street?

It was the attention. It was a different kind of attention. Yeah. And um I just, you know, didn't know how to focus like what to how to how to work with it or where to direct it or

I was a tiny human still, right? And then it's like, "Oh, look who's getting coffee at the coffee bean and tea leaf type stuff, right?" Like,

yeah. I just thought, "Oh, God." Like, what? I don't know. I I I I I it it made me anxious.

You're sharing yourself with with a whole world. Yeah. Yeah. And I thought I was supposed to know how to be like a movie star and really didn't. Um and and now I realize, oh, don't worry about it. It's not really a thing. But

what did what did you do about that? I I I I I think I read that you're you're a friend of therapy like all of us. Um was that helpful?

Yes. Yeah. Yes. I've been in therapy since I was six. I'm a New Yorker. Um. Right. Right.

And it's a great resource. If you have a great therapist, it can be Have you been with the same therapist the whole time?

Dangerous if it's not. Since I was about 18. Yeah. No way. Oh, wow. That's great. I'm going right after this.

I go in and out. Like I I take very substantial breaks, but I'm back in now and I'm glad of it.

Have you ever lied to this therapist? Um maybe by omission. I don't think I've ever explicitly lied to you.

Oh, I just forgot to mention that. But yeah, there's sometimes a I asked Sean once, right? Sean, remember I asked you if I ever came up in your therapy?

Yeah, everybody does. Everybody in your whole life does. How do I do, Sean? Yeah. Well, it's private. It's private. It's confidential. private dude. Yeah. What are you doing?

I'll call your therapist. I'll just Yeah. You're in touch. I owe him a call. Hi, Nikki. Jason. Um,

did I guess right? Is it a man or a woman? Me? It's a woman. All right. Yeah. Yeah.

Nikki. Huh? Nikki Glazer. Nikki Glazer. Unbelievable. Yeah, we we got it all sorted out.

She'd be an amazing. I bet she would. She would be. Um, all right. Let's do Francis Ford Copeland. Then I want to get to Steven Daldry.

Okay. You know, I do like these directors. I mean, you've been in some great great movies. You've worked with so many great actors and directors. I mean,

golly, what what what do you think is the what what is the most impactful thing you've absorbed, learned from any of these actors? You don't even need to say which one it is. What do you think?

Yeah. What changed your life and and and how it applies either to you in life or professionally?

Okay. Okay. Here's the story. So my first audition ever I was 12. It was again in some theater not like lower side kind of situation

and I don't know what's happening. And there's a guy in the like having his audition. I I can only hear him but he's like th it sounds like an exorcism is happening. It's like he's thrashing about, you know,

and he comes in and he's like dripping with sweat and he's just like vibrating this manic energy.

And it was Philip Seymour Hoffman. But but I was like, "Holy [ __ ] what's supposed to happen in there?

What am I supposed to be? What am I following? Like what am I walking into? Uh what do they expect of me?" Um

I love the reading for the kid that same day. Yeah. Yeah. But um Yeah. So, I don't know. I mean, I

didn't know how I mean, I sort of knew how extraordinary these people were when I first started, but um not not like I do now. Um I don't know how, you know, wildly rare and absurd it is to get to collaborate with people of that genius. Have you have you noticed that you know like from let's say Merryill Street to Leonard DiCaprio like is there there are so many different ways to go about doing what it is that we do. Some as we were talking about earlier some are are very very specific and and and surgical about it and very preporiented and others just sort of just kind of

wing it and keep it all natural and and and and the performances are equally great. Is is that has that been a bit of a of an eye openener for you? Okay. So, the thing I remember about Francis

is that he, you know, he kind of asked a lot of you, but it was all in a playful spirit. So, he he gave everybody the homework assignment of writing, you know, six pages of backstory for their charact, you know. Okay. and and um he I remember there was a scene where I was meant to be very distressed and crying and the big and he I sat on the chair and it was actually like a block of ice that was you know that and that he thought might help elicit some you know some feeling. He had a teamster

scream at me. Um and and I kind of was like okay I didn't need it but I you know

I was 17 I guess and um but actually I was very touched that he just cared that much like that he was invested that he felt present with me that he was committed to creating something

special with me like that was the thing that actually got to the feeling was that I I don't know that I and and I remember on that set like it was something kind of magical that happened and ineffable like it w suddenly you landed on that set and you were held by it like you knew you were oriented you felt grounded in whatever reality you were meant to be in in the place and that was his doing but I don't know how he did it exactly and the same is true of Baz a totally different approach

um he did not have teamsters yell at And actually it was almost surgical the way in which he directed. I mean he knew exact it was very prescriptive

but was it resultoriented? Um, no. Like he just was very it's so so th detailoriented, okay? You know, and he builds the world and it's really ornate and it's really hyperconidered and stylized.

But he wants a free feeling performance from his actors and that's why it's often exciting the work because it's that contrast,

right? Um, so it creates a sort of a Yeah. But yeah, I mean, and I have to say there what I there are a lot of directors too, not these guys. These guys are are brilliant, but I think I'm always surprised by the number of directors that are actually really terrified of conflict and visceral feeling. They would rather you not, you know, and they don't even know that they're guiding you away like they want you to make choices that's going to take you further from actual expressive feeling, you know.

Oh, interesting. And you know, and you're like, "But why are you doing this?" Oh, well, because you want to be at a remove from it. Like you want, you know, so there are those directors, too.

It's too real. Yeah. Sean, you used to pay a guy to yell at you, right? What was that? You put an ad in Craigslist or something.

I still do. I still do. Just get yourself on a block of ice, too. Yeah. Yeah. But I think even, you know, what the privilege of working with people like Merryill and Leah like is Yeah. They're w they're insanely gifted and they're,

you know, and capable, but they're also, you know, figuring it out, you know, like nobody gets to just like you never get to a point where

you're actually confident. I mean, but you you're never phoning it in like ever.

Yeah. I know that you're you're you're you're producing a lot of the stuff that you do um uh as well now. And what about did you did you ever get behind the camera on Homeland?

No. No. Any desire? No, not really. I mean, I kind of if I had the time, I would like to shadow a director just so that I could learn more about the parts of the process that we don't have access to cuz I'm curious,

but not with the intent of really doing it myself. I am enjoying producing. Yeah. Um, I like, you know, being part of the convers, like those consequential conversations about what it's going to be in its entirety, right?

But yeah, I don't directing seems really hard. Yeah, that's a good way to put it.

Yeah. Yeah, it does. So, Claire, you know, aside from I love what you said now, it used to be script, director, blah, blah, now it's location, location, location. I love that. That's so that's so interesting and true and I get it. But um how does that So that factors in with your days consist of moming and parenting and being home with the kids. Yeah. And making sure everything's taken care of with your husband

when you're not working, right? It's one or the other. Yeah. You try to just bank the hours.

Yeah. So did you get any time during the day when you're not working to do something for you?

Yes, for sure. Manny Petty. Yeah. Um I like the yoga a lot. I like a little a little hot yoga.

Uhhuh. Um, yeah. I have like lunch with my friends. Good, good, good, good. Okay, sure.

Book club. Oh, really? Yeah. You know, wait, so you go to yoga and then you read a book? I mean, god damn, I wish I was like that.

It sounds like Doesn't Giamati Didn't Paul say that? That's how his day is kind of

I think so. Yeah. Do you live with Paul Gmani? Yes. Hot yoga. It just It just sounds so nice. It's well, it's first of all, yoga itself, you just you're sweating because you're stretching is just sort of like being trapped in a hot car, you know, torturous. Um, but then to actually Well, we're going to we're going to go ahead and we're going to preheat the car.

It just seems like what? [ __ ] you, Jason. It's your nightmare. It's the smell of the the of the unwashed and and then getting sweatier.

And then guess what? And then you got to walk across the floor when you're done.

Yeah, you do. To get through your shoes outside and you're splashing through the [ __ ] puddles of these.

You sound like you really know it. Oh, dude. You've done this. I I knew it. And I was like, I'm good. That'll that'll do it.

It was just one class for you. It was maybe one and a half, something like that. Yeah. I just if I'm going to sweat, I want to be active. I don't want to be holding a pose

um and feeling my pores open while I'm still really hit hard. Um I want to get to one this trailer for the beast in me. Uh rocked my world to watch it three times in a row. I cannot wait to see the show which is out now. Uh November 13th it launched. Um I'm assuming it's doing very very well. Um, but this this this looks like you you got that pain in the ass, Matthew Reese, but besides that, it seems like

such a pain. Oh my god. Um, it seems shame of whales, right? And and and just and talent free. I don't get it. I know. I know. He's got it with

He's a little wooden, but you know, I'm going to text him. He has a charisma that

uh No, it looks so so good. I can't wait to see you two go at it. Um, is it as good as it seems? It's got to be.

Yeah, it's I think it's good. I think it's fun. It's a Yeah, I had a blast making it. Um,

where was that shot? That looks like is in a taste New Jersey. Who do you play in it? Like cuz it's about like a guy who's a murderer or something or Right.

She's a writer. I'm a writer. Um, yes. a a pretty successful writer and um uh I you know won the Pulitzer was kind of cresting in my you know success and my uh wife and I and our small boy moved to a pretty affluent suburb and on Long Island and uh and then tragedy strikes. I'm I I I'm driving the car with with our six-year-old son in the back and we get hit by a drunk driver and my world is

ended. Um the marriage dissolves, falls apart. Um and I am kind of creatively paralyzed. I can't produce any work and am rattling around in this, you know, gorgeous but neglected home needs a lot of work and suddenly I can't afford to pay for it. And um uh suddenly this man moves in next door who's a pretty controversial figure um like a real estate scion and you know very famous very moneyed and uh you know

and this is and a little problematic maybe and he has a wife who had committed suicide and there's a lot of talk about his involvement with that

um and he wants to create a jogging path in our little suburb and I'm, you know, the the canankerous writer. I'm the only one who objects and it's dumb, but he can't let it go. And um and he kind of insists on taking me out to lunch to persuade me to, you know, agree to this thing.

Yeah. And we get to and then suddenly we were sort of repelled by each other or I certainly am of him. But um weirdly like kind of excited by each other also. I tell this story about my son and the guy who's responsible was just under the limit when he finally had, you know, the breathalyzer done and, you know, and was never held accountable and still lives in town and and he can see I've kind of avoided feeling the difficult feelings and just fixated all of my grief on this man and

that man has committed suicide and I don't know what to think of that and I and I decide to write a book about him and um really as a way to figure out if he did in fact kill this guy on my behalf.

Oh, I love but also because he just wakes me up creatively. It's dark. This is dark and troubling. I think the most troubling thing about it is it's produced by Conan O'Brien. That to me

that he got his grubby little fingers in a pain in the ass. You want to talk about a talentree

talk about a big red comes in son of a [ __ ] But it's kind of like a cat and mouse story and it's a little Hitchcockian and um and it's fun.

Yeah, it looks great. What a great scene partner you got there with all those scenes with Matthew. It's just

like the snake and the mongoose. Had you guys did you guys know each other beforehand? You and Matthew?

No. No. Um but just a dream boat, right? I mean the loveliest charming, kind, and talented.

So smart and so very good at what he does with the with the acting business. Oh,

easy. No, I like I like nice guy. He's a great guy. You're taking Well, okay. Back up. And you're uh And you're back with Howard Gordon there. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. That was fun. Very, very cool. Who's Howard Gordon? He was one of the creators of Homeland.

Yeah. And he did 24 and X Files and Well, listen, we owe you 3 minutes and 40 seconds. We're over, you know. It's like I could I could I could violate the time even further. You're you're fantastic. Thank you for doing this. I mean,

oh, my pleasure. This is so fun. Thank you guys. You know, yeah, everybody watch The Beast in Me. It's on Netflix.

Um, the great Claire Dan. Claire, we love you. Thank you. We love you guys, too. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Bye. I don't know how to do this. I I closed the thing, right? Slam it. Claire Danes,

lovely, lovely woman. Been a part of our world for a very long time. That's that's that's 30 plus years.

I know. My so-called life when when it was on MTV was such a was such a huge show for, you know, our age. I mean, it was like a game ch. It was like it was like our Dawson's Creek, you know what I mean? Anybody?

Seventh Heaven, Dawson's Creek. Um, I got to say I missed it. Um. Oh, I loved it.

Which is not too surprising. It came out uh Here he comes. Wasn't Jared Leto in that, too?

Yeah. Two of them, wasn't it? Yeah. That's right. Yeah. Isn't that crazy? What a couple.

Yeah. No, she's been I I just, you know, it this is a hard business. It's even harder for women for some stupid unfair reason. Um, and the fact that she's stayed so relevant at such a high level, doing such great work, um, since she was a kid in stuff that that ain't easy. Um, it's really really admirable. She's, uh, had an incredible career thus far and seems not anywhere

near a big deal. She's one of the she's one of the great, but she's just got a big life in general and she's got three kids and she's doing so much. And

yeah, we didn't even get into her charity work that she and her mom do for the women of Afghanistan, too, which is pretty cool. Um but um what a delight. What a delight. You know, I mean, you know, guys, it's not that hard. If you guys just just just concentrate a little bit more, you could be charismatic. You could be warm. You could be, you know, people that that that people want to talk to and are charmed by after you're done speaking to them.

There's no way. No, I think you could do it. Of course, you could do it. Yes, you could. I want you to listen to this interview back and just focus on her and just focus on just her magnetism. Okay. And how she's just she's engaging and she

How many ever going to do it? How am I ever going to do it? I'm going to stall for you, Sean. Bye.

Sean, Sean, go. You know what I'm doing? I'm I'm just I'm hanging I'm hanging by coming up with a bite.

Come here with a bite. Hello and bye. Smart less. Smart less. Smartless is 100% organic and artisally handcrafted by Michael Grant, Terry, Rob Armjarf, and Bennett Barbco. Smart less.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "Claire Danes | SmartLess"?

In order: 0:00 SmartLess, Claire Danes, New York City, New York, Self-care; 10:00 Casablanca, Crosby Kids, Crosby Street, Homeland; 20:00 Finding Your Roots, Northridge earthquake, Shakespearean drama, Tom Preston; 30:00 Homeland, Berlin, Cape Town, Casablanca; 40:00 My So-Called Life, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Portlandia, Steven Daldry; 50:00 Homeland, Hot yoga, The Beast in Me, Claire Danes; 1:00:00 Michael Grant Terry, SmartLess.

What is mentioned in this SmartLess episode?

63 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Homeland, SmartLess, My So-Called Life, Claire Danes, Casablanca, Hot yoga. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Claire Danes | SmartLess"?

The episode runs 1 h 2 min; the transcript is about 11,771 words in 335 timestamped sections.

More from SmartLess

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.