Sunday Sitdown With Willie Geist

In this week's Sunday Sitdown, Willie met up with Grammy, Oscar and Emmy-winning musician and actor Common. They discussed his Broadway debut in a Pulitzer Prize winning play and his path to that stage through a life of hip-hop and activism.

In its first month of streaming in the fall of 2020, Emily in Paris captured the attention of millions of viewers and made actress Lily Collins a bona fide star around the world. But Collins' latest role in the intense, claustrophobic film Windfall is a world away from Paris. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist talks to Collins about that movie, as well as the global success of Emily in Paris and what it was like growing up the daughter of legendary musician Phil Collins. (Original broadcast date: March 27, 2022)

Alexandra Daddario's career has taken her from soap operas, to blockbusters, to dramatic performances that have made her one of Hollywood's brightest young stars. Her latest role comes in a series based on the supernatural novels of the legendary Anne Rice. Daddario and Willie Geist got together in her native New York for a Sunday Sitdown.

Idina Menzel became an international star with the animated movie Frozen. But Menzel already was a star in her own right, known for her performances in Rent and Wicked, with the latter earning her a Tony award. That unmistakable voice and a determination to succeed have taken Menzel from the wedding circuit on her native Long Island, to sold-out arenas across the country. Idina and Willie Geist got together for a Sunday Sitdown at one of the spots in New York where it all started for her.

Kate Hudson is part of an all-star cast in the highly-anticipated new Netflix film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Even before it has begun streaming, the movie has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards. Hudson and Willie Geist got together in New York for a Sunday Sitdown.

In 1998, an aspiring stand-up comedian named Sebastian Maniscalco left his hometown of Chicago for Los Angeles. He took a job as a waiter at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills, hoping he'd rub elbows with comedy big-shots while pouring their coffee. Today, he is one of the biggest shots in comedy, himself.  In Maniscalco's latest special, he takes his act to Las Vegas. Sebastian and Willie Geist got together in New York at one of the comedy clubs where he made his name.

Maren Morris first began to find her now-famous voice as a child, singing at her parents' hair salon in Arlington, Texas. She made her name playing bars across the state before moving to Nashville, where she wrote songs for artists like Tim McGraw and Kelly Clarkson. In 2016, though, Morris recorded one of those songs herself, a love letter to country music called My Church, that became a top-10 hit, won a Grammy, and launched her career. Since then, she has become one of the biggest stars in country music and beyond. In this week's Sunday Sitdown, Maren and Willie Geist got together at a Texas barbecue spot in New York.

After founding Mumford & Sons nearly 15 years ago, Marcus Mumford has stepped out on his own with a deeply personal new solo album. Willie Geist got together with Marcus in New York for a "Sunday Sitdown."

Before he became a larger-than-life hero of the Marvel cinematic universe, Chris Hemsworth was a young Australian soap opera star. When not wielding the hammer of Thor, the 39-year-old has starred in movies like The Huntsman, the Formula 1 driving film Rush, and, in a memorable turn to comedy, Ghostbusters. Now, the father of three who lives with his family far from Hollywood in Australia, is playing himself in a heart-stopping new series called Limitless. Chris and Willie Geist got together in New York for a Sunday Sitdown.

Daniel Radcliffe was 11 years old when he answered a call to audition for a movie based on the wildly successful Harry Potter books. By the next year, he was the most famous 12-year-old on earth. That first movie made a billion dollars at the box office, setting off a worldwide craze that led to seven more films with Radcliffe starring as Harry. He came out the other side of that 10-year run intact, at just 22 years old, and with the freedom, earned from the success of Harry Potter, to take on only the projects that strike him, like his latest, playing Weird Al Yankovic. Willie Geist got together with the actor in New York City as Radcliffe prepares for his next role, starring in a Stephen Sondheim musical.

In 1995, Emma Thompson took on the challenge of adapting Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility into a successful movie. She was rewarded with an Academy Award for her writing as well as a Best Actress nomination for her performance in that film, capping a run of five Oscar nominations and two wins in just four years. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist gets together with the British star to talk about cementing her place as one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors and her latest, most revealing role yet in the buzzed about film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. (Original broadcast date: June 19, 2022)

Comedian Hasan Minhaj got his big break when he became a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at the helm. Since then he's had an award-winning series along with stand-up specials on Netflix. Minhaj and Willie Geist got together in New York for a "Sunday Sitdown." 

Eddie Redmayne always knew he wanted a life on stage so he began acting lessons at age 10. By his early 20s, London theater had recognized him as an Outstanding Newcomer to the West End. Soon he made his way to Broadway and Hollywood. Now, the 40-year-old Redmayne is starring in  the chilling Netflix crime drama The Good Nurse  with Jessica Chastain, based on a little known, horrific, true story. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist got together with the actor in New York. 

Jack Harlow has known his life's purpose since he was a 12-year-old sixth grader rhyming into a microphone from the video game Guitar Hero: He was going to be rapper. His first solo mixtape was a hot-seller in the halls of his Kentucky middle school. Now, the 24-year-old Grammy-nominated star is selling-out venues across the country and around the world. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist gets together with the rapper in between his two Boston shows, where fans were packed shoulder-to-shoulder singing along to every word.

Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell and Elton John count among Brandi Carlile's heroes. With eight acclaimed albums and six Grammys under her belt, the singer-songwriter can now count them among her fans. On this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist gets together with Brandi Carlile to talk about her path from rural Washington to selling out Madison Square Garden and to the IMAX stage for her latest album In The Canyon Haze.   

Mila Kunis landed her first regular acting gig at 14-years old by fibbing a bit about her age. She would go on to star for eight seasons in That 70s Show across from her future husband, Ashton Kutcher. Since then, the versatile actress has played roles ranging from Meg Griffin on Family Guy to a ballerina with a dark side in Black Swan, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination. Now, she leads the intense new Netflix movie Luckiest Girl Alive based on the bestselling book. Willie Geist and Kunis got together in New York for a Sunday Sitdown.

John Legend's famous voice first began to draw a crowd when he sang in his church choir in Springfield, Ohio. After graduating with honors from the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania, Legend kept a steady day-job while pursuing his dream in music. His debut 2004 album Get Lifted won three Grammy awards, including one for Best New Artist. Since then, he has won nine more Grammys, adding two Emmys, a Tony and an Oscar. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist and Legend got together in New York to talk about his latest album and much more.

In the movie Blonde, Ana De Armas is in every scene playing the lead role of Marilyn Monroe. Director Andrew Dominik has been developing the fictionalized movie, based on a novel, for more than a decade. He cast De Armas as the lead seven years ago when he saw the actress in her first-ever English language film. In the time since, she caught the attention of wider audiences and critics especially with her performance in the popular 2019 movie Knives Out.In this week's "Sunday Sitdown" Willie Geist gets together with De Armas just before the premiere of her latest film to talk about what it took to play Monroe and the path that got her here. 

In the decade since signing with a modeling agency at 17 years old, Gigi Hadid has become one of the most famous faces on the planet. Memorable ad campaigns, countless magazine covers and runways around the world have made Gigi a global icon. Now she is realizing a dream of becoming a designer herself with the launch of her new clothing line Guest in Residence. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist sits down with Gigi to talk about her latest venture and how she hopes it will disrupt fashion.

In 2017, Girls Trip the movie brought in a staggering $140 million at the box office. It was a star-making moment for Regina Hall, two decades in the making. She has played memorable roles in The Best Man, Scary Movie, Think Like A Man, and last year's Nine Perfect Strangers. Now she is starring in an acclaimed new movie Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul. in the same year she co-hosted those unforgettable Academy Awards. In this week's "Sunday Sitdown," Willie Geist sits down with the actress to talk about her latest role and the path that got her here.