Ep. 406 — Jeff Daniels
The Axe Files with David Axelrod
CNN
4.6 • 7.7K Ratings
🗓️ 24 September 2020
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Growing up in small-town Michigan, Jeff Daniels seemed destined to join the family lumber business. But after a teacher spotted his acting talent, his life took a turn down a different path. Jeff’s award-winning career has spanned nearly three decades and more than 80 films and television appearances, as well as highly acclaimed Broadway roles. Through it all, he’s made Chelsea, Michigan his home base, proving he could be a Hollywood success outside of the limelight. Jeff spoke with David about his early theater days in New York City, why Aaron Sorkin’s writing in The Newsroom on the hope and optimism of America still resonates today, and his latest role playing former FBI director James Comey in the Showtime miniseries The Comey Rule.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Music |
| 0:06.0 | And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN Audio, the Axfiles with |
| 0:12.5 | your host, David Axelrod. |
| 0:16.8 | You know, I've had 405 conversations for the Axfiles. |
| 0:23.9 | I think this is the 406th, and I can honestly say there are a few that I enjoyed more than |
| 0:29.1 | this conversation with Jeff Daniels, the brilliant actor who is the star of the Comey |
| 0:35.1 | rule, a special series on Showtime, Sunday, and Monday based on the memoir of former FBI |
| 0:41.0 | director Jim Comey. |
| 0:43.0 | Jeff Daniels is not only great at his craft, but it's just a delightful, thoughtful person |
| 0:49.0 | who has lived his life not in Hollywood or New York, but the center of the country in |
| 0:53.4 | Chelsea, Michigan, where he is a pillar of the community. |
| 0:57.2 | And I just really, really relished my conversation with him about a range of things, including |
| 1:03.1 | the state of politics today, and what Hollywood's proper role is in commenting on these issues. |
| 1:10.4 | I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. |
| 1:20.6 | Jeff Daniels, it's great to see you. |
| 1:23.8 | The occasion being the imminent rollout on Showtime of your film in two parts, the Comey |
| 1:32.2 | rule, timely, and we will discuss that in detail as we bear down on the first presidential |
| 1:39.6 | debates and an election in which the Russians are once again players. |
| 1:44.2 | So we will get to that, but I want to talk a little bit more than a little bit about you, |
| 1:49.6 | because you are kind of a mystery to me. |
| 1:53.3 | You seem like aberrationally normal for a movie star and an actor, and I'm curious about |
| 2:01.8 | your journey, because you live where you grew up in Michigan, in a small town of Michigan, |
... |
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