Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum
I’m Michael Rosenbaum, I’ve spent the better part of the last two decades in and out of film and television - mostly known for playing the bald dude on the show Smallville. I’m the guy that you probably don’t know by name, but when you see my face you might say “oh, that guy from that thing.” I’ve befriended some of the most talented people in the business, but it wasn’t until I started inviting them into my home that I realized, I didn’t really know these people. What started as me having some fun, quickly evolved into something I’ve fallen in love with. What I’ve discovered is that all these people aren’t that different from you and me. They have the same insecurities and flaws that we all deal with every day. In a dark, yet enlightening way... I find a lot of comfort in that. I invite you all to join me while I get inside each of these fascinating people.
351
Ep 27: Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler (Happy Days, Barry, Arrested Development) tells me about his parents escaping Nazi Germany during WWII with jewelry smuggled in chocolate, how uncool and nervous he was as a kid, and getting his big break in a repertory group at Yale. Henry discusses his amazing career - how he got cast at the Fonz, dating Shirley from Laverne & Shirley, and his new show with Bill Hader.
53 min
352
Ep 26: Jana Kramer
Jana Kramer (Country music star, One Tree Hill, Dancing with the Stars) discusses growing up in Detroit, catching her dad cheating when she was a teenager, and the daddy issues she deals with. Jana opens up about her ex-husband that tried to kill her and the PTSD she suffers from it, the drama on the set of One Tree Hill, and how her country music career started on a CMT reality show.
54 min
353
Ep 25: Dave Bautista
Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, WWE, Final Score) discusses his tough childhood - being raised by a single lesbian, what it was like to not have a father in his life, and seeing a dead body in his front yard. Dave opens up about the day that he made a conscious decision to change his life, his career in the WWE, and landing the role as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy.
69 min
354
Ep 24: Michael Rooker
Michael Rooker (Walking Dead, Guardians of the Galaxy, Cliffhanger) discusses his childhood - how he got paddled in 1st grade and refused to speak the rest of the year, how he’d get run over by his cousins on their bikes, and how he realized acting was the creative outlet his artistry needed. Rooker tells me about blacking out all his mirrors as he went method for a role, how he almost didn’t get the role on the Walking Dead over a dispute with a producer, and how his cousins used to hit each other with rattlesnake whips.
89 min
355
Ep 23: Erika Christensen
Erika Christensen (Traffic, Parenthood, Swimfan) discusses getting into showbiz at an early age, how she was able to book commercials are twelve years old, and the different ways she’s learned to deal with her nerves. Erika opens up about the role religion and Scientology plays in her life, her long run on the hit show Parenthood, and the time she tried to kiss me at a Foreigner concert and I apparently turned her down.
66 min
356
Ep 22: Zachary Levi
Known for his roles in Chuck, Tangled, Thor, and upcoming DC Comics Shazam...Zachary Levi joins me on the podcast this week. Zachary opens up about his tragic relationship with his mother (which I relate to very much), how getting cast in Shazam is started to reshape his life, and how he tested for Lex Luthor on Smallville - find out who got the role. Oh, and while I’m inside him, he sings a very beautiful song
69 min
357
Ep 21: Stephen Amell
Stephen Amell (Arrow, The Flash, Hung) discusses the beginning of his career, the surreal experience of getting cast on Arrow, and his experience with crossover episodes. Stephen opens up about his first marriage, what went wrong, and dealing with depression towards the end of their relationship. We end the episode on a high note, Stephen tells the fairy tale story of meeting his now wife and becoming a father.
86 min
358
Ep 20: Michael Gervais (Sports Psychologist, Se...
Michael Gervais (Sports Psychologist, Seattle Seahawks, Finding Mastery) enlightens me on his philosophies, how he’s learned to condition people’s mind so they can be more present, and his studies of how the most exceptional people in the world work. Michael discusses working with Felix Baumgartner for the Red Bull space jump, walking into the locker room after the Seahawks lost the Super Bowl, and how he’s impacted 1 in 5 people at Microsoft to be more present.
85 min
359
Ep 19: Dax Shepard
Dax Shepard (CHiPs, Parenthood, Hit and Run, Idiocracy, Armchair Expert) opens up about his rough past - the domestic violence he had to deal with as a kid, his run-in with gang members in his neighborhood, and how he used to try and fill a void in his life by sleeping with lots and lots of really attractive women. Dax talks me through his journey to getting clean...quitting drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and meeting a special lady, getting married, and having kids. He tells me the secrets of maintaining his relationship with Kristen and how he’s learned patience with his family over the years.
103 min
360
Ep 18: Topher Grace
Topher Grace (That ‘70s Show, Spider-Man 3, BlacKkKlansman) joins me to talk about landing the role as Eric Forman on his first ever audition, the events that led up to him signing his contract without an agent, and how there was no sweeter first than that whole first year of the show. Topher discusses hanging out with Tom Welling before his wedding, gives me an amazing Michael J. Fox impersonation, and discusses auditioning for one of the most hated characters in US history in BlacKkKlansman.
80 min
361
Ep 17: Seth Green
Seth Green (Can’t Buy Me Love, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Austin Powers, Family Guy, The Italian Job) started acting at 7 years old and he’s the genius behind Robot Chicken. Seth tells me the best things he learned growing up in show business around all levels of celebrity, how he met his wife at the grand reopening of Golden Apple Comics, and why he chooses acting over everything else he does.
80 min
362
Ep 16: Katherine McNamara
Katherine McNamara (Shadowhunters, Maze Runner, Monsterville) discusses graduating high school at fourteen years old, the moment she knew she wanted to do with her life (hint: it’s acting), and how she likes to make up curse words. Katherine talks about what it was like to work alongside Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones, how scotch makes her feisty and Irish, and we bond over her love of horror films.
68 min
363
Ep 15: Karen Gillan
Karen Gillan (Jumanji, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Who) discusses growing up in Scotland next to Loch Ness, writing a play called Scream: the Musical at ten years old, and where her self-confidence stemmed from. Then we bond over scary movies - she tells me about how everything she creates ends up being really dark and scary, the horror movie she just directed, and she sings me a traditional Scottish Gaelic song.
70 min
364
Ep 14: Rob McElhenney
Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo, Lost) sits down and talks to me about his childhood, growing up in a broken family, how he adjusted as a kid to his mom coming out of the closet, and how he lost his virginity at sixteen. Then, we get into It’s Always Sunny - the first night Kaitlin made a pass at him and the biggest fight he’s had on set with Charlie and Glenn.
85 min
365
Ep 13: Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt (Heartbreakers, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ghost Whisperer) discusses her descent into show business at an early age and living in the Oakwood Apartments around the likes of Elijah Wood, Neil Patrick Harris, and Johnny Galecki. Jennifer opens up for the first time publicly about the passing of her mother...how catastrophic and devastating it was to lose the most important person in her life and what she’s done to deal with the pain since.
79 min
366
Ep 12: James Gunn
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn joins me to talk me about the filthy commercials he used to make with his friends when he was a kid, how he used to think sex was just putting a penis in the vagina to help the baby come out at birth, and the start of his miraculous and inspiring career. James opens up about his insecurities in relationships and how hard it is for him to be vulnerable, his marriage with Jenna Fischer, and how he’s finally found a way to juggle his career and personal life.
89 min
367
Ep 11: Jeanie Buss (Los Angeles Lakers owner)
Controlling Owner and President of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie Buss sits down and talks about her childhood - how she dealt with her parents’ divorce, how she used to sneak away by the horses at the racetrack, and what living at the Pickfair Mansion was like. Jeanie gets into her life with the Lakers...what it was like when her dad bought the team in ‘72, her dad bringing Magic Johnson to the team and they became great friends, and the tough decision she had to make in firing her brother as the executive vice president of basketball operations.
79 min
368
Ep 10: Colin Hanks
Colin Hanks (Dexter, Fargo, Life in Pieces) discusses what it was like growing up as Tom Hanks son, his mom finding Jesus after her divorce, and the time Madonna sat on his lap when he was 13 years old. Colin talks to me about leaving Roswell to do the Orange County movie, the emotions he dealt with while making the Eagles of Death Metal documentary about the Bataclan shooting, and how he was able to learn to handle his depression.
87 min
369
Ep 9: Chris Hardwick
Chris Hardwick (Nerdist, ID10T, Talking Dead, @midnight) opens up about his alcoholism, his anxiety attacks and how he copes with them, and how he got his start in the 90s with MTV. Chris tells the story of meeting his wife, and how he thought she was blowing him off when they first started dating...about doing Talking Dead episode after episode and how he really feels about the show, and how he really, really wants to direct a horror movie.
84 min
370
Ep 8: Justin Hartley
Justin Hartley (This Is Us, Smallville, The Young and The Restless) and I discuss growing up in a small midwest town, the effect his parents’ divorce had on him as a kid, and moving to LA with nothing to his name. Justin talks about the panic attack he had underwater filming Aquaman, going through a devastating divorce of his own, and what it’s like being a part of one of the biggest shows in the world.
82 min
371
Ep 7: Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell (The Good Place, Veronica Mars, Frozen, Bad Moms) is one half of Hollywood’s most powerful couple. Kristen talks to me about her relationship with Dax, and the time he drop kicked a guy after he threw a big gulp at their car. Then she opens up about her depression and anxiety - how she recommends trying to change your physical regimen before going right to medicine. She also explains to me that Rob is actually my boss and how lost I’d be without him.
83 min
372
Ep 6: Tara Lipinski
Olympic figure skating gold medalist Tara Lipinski joins me on the podcast this week. We get inside what it was like to grow up in the spotlight as a young superstar, how she actually got into the sport, and when she realized the Olympics were actually a possibility for her. Then hear the story about her infamous 1998 Olympic run...going head-to-head against Michelle Kwan, the mind games she’d play with her competitors, and what her career has been like after she stopped competing.
75 min
373
Ep 5: Bobby Lee
Bobby Lee (MadTV Alumni, TigerBelly, Splitting Up Together) joins me on the podcast...most people know Bobby from his wildly inappropriate sense of humor, but on this week’s episode, Bobby opens up about his childhood - from drug use to inappropriate masturbation and everything else he’s overcome. He gets into the time he shit in his executive producer’s office, 69’ing while standing up in some girl’s closet, and how his penis looks like the finger of the alien from ET.
69 min
374
Ep 4: Danielle Panabaker
The Flash’s Danielle Panabaker joins me this week on the podcast. Danielle tells me her amazing story...growing up without a lot of friends and how important schooling was to her even when her acting career was taking off. Then we get into her career - auditioning for Mean Girls and being crushed when she didn’t get it, working with the legendary Kevin Costner in Mr. Brooks, and how much fun she has working with everyone on The Flash.
56 min
375
Ep 3: Emily Kinney
Walking Dead star Emily Kinney is our guest on the podcast this week. You know Emily from her role as Beth Greene on the biggest show in the world, The Walking Dead, and for her beautiful music. We start off by discussing what it was like growing up in Nebraska, her big break, how Steven Yeun invited her to brunch the first weekend to help her feel like a part of the family, plus stories from Masters of Sex and The Knick.
77 min