The Ellen Burstyn Show: An in depth conversation with Ellen Burstyn about the art of acting, her career and spirituality

2021-08-09

"From the outset of our episode with Ellen Burstyn you will hear her beloved puppy make their presence known and would continue to "chime in" a couple of times for the duration. In many respects this was more welcome than not, if only because it is in the very nature of the podcast form itself to be at least partially intimate and homey. In a podcast you get to experience a person discuss their accomplishments but they will do so often in settings that are more relaxed or casual than would be the case in a traditional t.v. talk...

I like to think that is one of the beautiful features of the podcast as a form

Ellen Burstyn might be one of the most famous guests we have ever had on our show.

That fact alone, however, might not be nearly as remarkable as the further fact that in her case the fame is completely deserved.

In her case fame and recognition form a one-to-one perfect match with merit.

Burstyn, of course, is one of the greatest actors and, as I explain probably a little too profusely in the episode, I have had the greatest fortune to watch her performances over many decades, in some cases in live theatre.

I can't or won't be able to do a summary of Ellen Burstyn in the space here except to say that, in keeping with the in depth nature of the podcast I had the opportunity to ask her about some of my personal favorite performances that have meant a lot to me over the years.

Of course another host might have done a more comprehensive or less personal episode - one that focuses less on certain movies and plays or on some other facets of an extraordinary biography. I like to think that our ability to have taken the time to go into individual projects might be more rewarding than to hastily gloss over such projects.

As I admitted at the outset of this interview, I was very nervous.

But hopefully over the course of the hour you can listen to someone who is a master at the art of acting and hear her articulation of her ongoing life and career with all of the excitement and enjoyment I had in being so blessed and fortunate to have Ms. Burstyn as a guest."

Ms. Burstyn's Biography

Ellen Burstyn's sixty year acting career encompasses film, stage and television. In 1975, she became the third woman in history to win both a Tony Award and an Academy Award in the same year for her work in Same Time, Next Year on Broadway and in the film Alice Doesn't Live H as a guest.for which she also received a Golden Globe nomination and a British Academy Award for Best Actress. She became a “triple crown winner” when she received her first Emmy for a guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU (2009). She won her second Emmy for her role in Political Animals (2013). Additionally, she has received six Emmy nominations and five Academy Award nominations, including her nomination for Best Actress in The Exorcist (1973). Her most recent films include Pieces of a Woman (2021) and Queen Bees (2021). Her past work includes The Last Picture Show (1971), Resurrection (1981) and Requiem for a Dream (2000). She most recently starred in 33 Variations in Melbourne. Ellen is currently co-president of the Actors Studio alongside Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin. In 2006, she became a national best-selling author with the publication of her memoir, Lessons in Becoming Myself.