Creative Spark

Hernan Diaz’s goal as a writer is to “never have a voice.” He believes the idea of identity and selfhood is played up to “pathological extents” in our modern condition. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist returns with a new book, “Ply,” that explores this concept and more. “Ply” imagines a world on the cusp of profound transformation, where familiar ideas about identity, freedom, science, and technology are called into question. Diaz writes of a world at the end of a historical period and the beginning of a new one. “What I wanted to come through in the novel is that this world is cracked, and fissured, not broken, but something is hatching through those cracks.” In this expansive interview, we discuss the institution of language, the beauty of the sentence, post-punk and electronic artists like Cluster and Bill Nace, the texture of this music and how it informs Diaz’ writing, the joyfulness of art-making in a capitalist society, and the ways in which America dreams about itself.

For Mike Faist, acting is about finding freedom in the unknown and staying curious. In this interview, we explore the preparation and process behind his performance as Charles Trask in the new limited television series, East of Eden. Faist explains how he used everything from painful boots to solitary weekends on the show’s New Zealand set to inhabit John Steinbeck’s world. He reflects on what he learned from his scene partners Christopher Abbott and Florence Pugh, the acting exercises devised by director Garth Davis, the creative community that shaped him in New York, inspiring moments with colleagues like Michael Shannon and Steven Spielberg, and the spark that keeps him going.

Matteo Lane is a stand-up comedian, painter, singer, and now a Broadway performer. In this interview, we talk about how all of these skills come together in his impassioned creative process. To Matteo, all art comes from “the base of a tree and then it grows out in different places.” You never know how one artistic pursuit is going to feed into another. We discuss his performance as Billy Flynn in Broadway’s “Chicago,” how he develops a comedy special from bar shows to international tours, the history of gay representation in comedy, the creative spark that led him to pursue painting and illustration at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, his passion for Maria Callas, and why he believes in “working towards the masterpiece, not on the masterpiece.”

Taylor Rooks has built her career asking athletes the questions that reveal who they are beyond the game. As a journalist and the host of NBA on Prime, she’s become known for her curious approach to her work. For Taylor, “everyone is more than one story.” In this episode, we talk about how Taylor prepares for interviews and builds connections with stars like Anthony Edwards. She describes the warmth and empathy she brings to her work, what it’s like to play metaphorical point guard as the host of NBA on Prime, the creative spark that led her down this path, and the universal power of sports.

Filmmaker Michael Sarnoski (“Pig” and “A Quiet Place: Day One”) takes on a revisionist version of the Robin Hood story with his new film, “The Death of Robin Hood.” When you hear Robin Hood, you probably think of the man who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. But what if he was just an outlaw? A violent outlaw who has to reckon with his past. In this episode, Sarnoski reflects on adapting one of history's greatest legends and how we can all relate to Robin Hood’s internal struggle with his sense of identity and self-mythology. We talk about the delicate balance of historical authenticity and emotional truth, why audiences are so interested in modern retellings of folklore right now, and the stories we tell about ourselves that come to define us. “Storytelling is how we understand ourselves. Storytelling is religion. Storytelling is how we place ourselves in the cosmos.”