Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen : Friends Helen Hunt & Helen Slater Tell Jay Why He’s Not Friend Material.
SHOW NOTES
Actor/Director Helen Hunt & Actor singer/songwriter psych/mythology PHD phd Helen Slater discuss a deep friendship and love, growing up in art, the beginning of their friendship on a trip to russia, Winnie The Pooh,, growing beyond your first dream, parenting, parenting artists, Helen H. introducing Helen S. to her husband, improv, acting styles, baseball, French Fries, & clown school.
Bio: Helen Hunt has enjoyed a distinguished career not only as an award-winning actor, but as an accomplished writer, director, and producer. As an actress, her extensive and diverse body of work includes roles in film, theater, and television. Hunt enjoyed a residency at The Old Vic Theatre in EUREKA DAY, a story about parents on the Executive Committee of a progressive private school in Berkeley, California. While taking pride in their ability to accept everyone, a public health scare erupts, testing their tolerance and revealing their true colors. Written by Jonathan Spector and directed by Katy Rudd. It was the European premiere of a multi award-winning story. Hunt performed alongside Kirsten Foster, Mark McKinney, Ben Schnetzer and Susan Kelechi Watson. In television, Hunt can most recently be seen as Winnie Landell in HACKS, created by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky. She can also be seen as Rainey in Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal’s BLINDSPOTTING, a show based on the film with the same title. In 2022 it was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best New Scripted Series. The second season was released in April 2023. Hunt returned to the stage this February in Susan V. Booth’s major revival of Pinter’s famed masterwork BETRAYAL at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. The Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award winner currently stars in the play alongside Tony nominee and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Ian Barford, respectively playing Emma and Robert. In 2019, Hunt revived her role as Jamie Buchman for another season of the hit show MAD ABOUT YOU opposite Paul Reiser. The show returned as a limited series on Spectrum Originals with all episodes available on demand. In 2012 Hunt’s performance in THE SESSIONS earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and notations in the same category by the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, SAG Awards, Broadcast Film Critics’ Awards and the BAFTA Awards. The film premiered in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and took home the Audience Award as well as the jury prize for Best Ensemble. Other film credits include: Netflix’s Comedy CANDY JAR, RIDE (which Hunt also co-wrote, produced, and directed), DECODING ANNIE PARKER, SOUL SURFER, EVERY DAY, BOBBY, THEN SHE FOUND ME (which Hunt again also co-wrote, produced, and directed), AS GOOD AS IT GETS, WHAT WOMEN WANT, CASTAWAY, A GOOD WOMAN, Woody Allen’s THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION, Robert Altman’s DR. T AND THE WOMEN, PAY IT FORWARD, and TWISTER. Hunt can last be seen in HOW IT ENDS, Michael Cristopher’s THE NIGHT CLERK and Adam Randall’s thriller I SEE YOU. Early career film credits are: THE WATERDANCE, KISS OF DEATH, MR. SATURDAY NIGHT, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, NEXT OF KIN, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, PROJECT X. and MILES FROM HOME. Additional television credits include “MAD ABOUT YOU” and the critically acclaimed HBO Miniseries EMPIRE FALLS. For her role as Jamie Buchman in MAD ABOUT YOU, Hunt garnered four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards (three as lead actress and one as Producer for Best Comedy), and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was also named “Best Actress” for her role in the film AS GOOD AS IT GETS for which Hunt won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Oscar.
Helen Slater is an American actress and singer-songwriter. In 1982 she was cast in the title role of the film Supergirl (1984) opposite Peter O'Toole and Faye Dunaway. Other credits include The Legend of Billie Jean (1985), Ruthless People (1986), The Secret of My Success (1987), City Slickers (1991), Sticky Fingers (1988), Lassie (1994), No Way Back (1995), The Steal (1995), Seeing Other People (2004) and most recently, Confetti (2021). Slater starred in the Fox original movie 12:01 (1993), Hallmark Hall of Fame's Best Friends for Life (1998), Toothless (1997) and Lifetime's The Good Mother (2013). She was also a part of the all-star ensemble cast of Showtimes guided improvisational films Chantilly Lace (1993), Parallel Lives (1994) and most recently completed filming the sequel Chantilly Bridge (2021). In series television, Helen starred in ABC's The Lying Game (2011-2013), Gigantic (2010-2011) and the CW series Supergirl (2015-2022). As a guest star, she has appeared on such series as Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, HBO's Dream On, CBS' Michael Hayes, Will and Grace, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Supernatural, Smallville and the series finale episode of Madmen. Slater appeared in the off-Broadway plays Almost Romance (1987), Responsible Parties (1988), and starred in the Pasadena Playhouse's world premiere production of The Big Day (1990). She is a co-founder of the theatre group The Naked Angels and one of the founding members of the Los Angeles improvisational group, The Bubalaires, and SHPLOTZ! She is also a member of Turbine Arts Collective (https://www.turbine-arts.org/), a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the exploration of creativity.
Bio: Helen Hunt has enjoyed a distinguished career not only as an award-winning actor, but as an accomplished writer, director, and producer. As an actress, her extensive and diverse body of work includes roles in film, theater, and television. Hunt enjoyed a residency at The Old Vic Theatre in EUREKA DAY, a story about parents on the Executive Committee of a progressive private school in Berkeley, California. While taking pride in their ability to accept everyone, a public health scare erupts, testing their tolerance and revealing their true colors. Written by Jonathan Spector and directed by Katy Rudd. It was the European premiere of a multi award-winning story. Hunt performed alongside Kirsten Foster, Mark McKinney, Ben Schnetzer and Susan Kelechi Watson. In television, Hunt can most recently be seen as Winnie Landell in HACKS, created by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky. She can also be seen as Rainey in Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal’s BLINDSPOTTING, a show based on the film with the same title. In 2022 it was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best New Scripted Series. The second season was released in April 2023. Hunt returned to the stage this February in Susan V. Booth’s major revival of Pinter’s famed masterwork BETRAYAL at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. The Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe Award winner currently stars in the play alongside Tony nominee and Outer Critics Circle Award winner Ian Barford, respectively playing Emma and Robert. In 2019, Hunt revived her role as Jamie Buchman for another season of the hit show MAD ABOUT YOU opposite Paul Reiser. The show returned as a limited series on Spectrum Originals with all episodes available on demand. In 2012 Hunt’s performance in THE SESSIONS earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female and notations in the same category by the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, SAG Awards, Broadcast Film Critics’ Awards and the BAFTA Awards. The film premiered in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and took home the Audience Award as well as the jury prize for Best Ensemble. Other film credits include: Netflix’s Comedy CANDY JAR, RIDE (which Hunt also co-wrote, produced, and directed), DECODING ANNIE PARKER, SOUL SURFER, EVERY DAY, BOBBY, THEN SHE FOUND ME (which Hunt again also co-wrote, produced, and directed), AS GOOD AS IT GETS, WHAT WOMEN WANT, CASTAWAY, A GOOD WOMAN, Woody Allen’s THE CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION, Robert Altman’s DR. T AND THE WOMEN, PAY IT FORWARD, and TWISTER. Hunt can last be seen in HOW IT ENDS, Michael Cristopher’s THE NIGHT CLERK and Adam Randall’s thriller I SEE YOU. Early career film credits are: THE WATERDANCE, KISS OF DEATH, MR. SATURDAY NIGHT, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, NEXT OF KIN, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, PROJECT X. and MILES FROM HOME. Additional television credits include “MAD ABOUT YOU” and the critically acclaimed HBO Miniseries EMPIRE FALLS. For her role as Jamie Buchman in MAD ABOUT YOU, Hunt garnered four Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards (three as lead actress and one as Producer for Best Comedy), and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was also named “Best Actress” for her role in the film AS GOOD AS IT GETS for which Hunt won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Oscar.
Helen Slater is an American actress and singer-songwriter. In 1982 she was cast in the title role of the film Supergirl (1984) opposite Peter O'Toole and Faye Dunaway. Other credits include The Legend of Billie Jean (1985), Ruthless People (1986), The Secret of My Success (1987), City Slickers (1991), Sticky Fingers (1988), Lassie (1994), No Way Back (1995), The Steal (1995), Seeing Other People (2004) and most recently, Confetti (2021). Slater starred in the Fox original movie 12:01 (1993), Hallmark Hall of Fame's Best Friends for Life (1998), Toothless (1997) and Lifetime's The Good Mother (2013). She was also a part of the all-star ensemble cast of Showtimes guided improvisational films Chantilly Lace (1993), Parallel Lives (1994) and most recently completed filming the sequel Chantilly Bridge (2021). In series television, Helen starred in ABC's The Lying Game (2011-2013), Gigantic (2010-2011) and the CW series Supergirl (2015-2022). As a guest star, she has appeared on such series as Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, HBO's Dream On, CBS' Michael Hayes, Will and Grace, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Supernatural, Smallville and the series finale episode of Madmen. Slater appeared in the off-Broadway plays Almost Romance (1987), Responsible Parties (1988), and starred in the Pasadena Playhouse's world premiere production of The Big Day (1990). She is a co-founder of the theatre group The Naked Angels and one of the founding members of the Los Angeles improvisational group, The Bubalaires, and SHPLOTZ! She is also a member of Turbine Arts Collective (https://www.turbine-arts.org/), a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the exploration of creativity.

Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen
Join Jay Kogen, former stand-up actor and award-winning comedy writer, as he shares his great stories from his decades in show business on his podcast, "Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen." With a mission to fight disconnection in modern life, Jay invites funny, smart, and interesting guests to tackle life issues he's dealing with. From stand-ups to actors, writers to artists, Jay's guests are always entertaining. Tune in to Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere you get your podcasts to listen to "Don't Be Alone with Jay Kogen" and be prepared for some awkward but nice conversations.