Hello, beautiful humans.

I am Bob Mata.

I'm your host.

This is Defense Diaries.

I'm really excited about today's guest.

I've been just waiting patiently to be able to talk to them.

We had met briefly during an interview on my buddy,

Tony Bruske's show prior to Devil in Disguise dropping. And we had kind of reached out to one

another and Insta. And he agreed to do this. And I was just thrilled. And our guest today is an actor whose face you've almost certainly seen, even if you didn't know his name.

Though after his latest role, I have a sneaking suspicion that's about the change.

Michael Churness is a Juilliard trained actor who spent two decades building one of the most impressive and varied careers in film, television, and theater.

He shared the screen with Tom Hanks and Captain Phillips, Will Smith, and Men in Black Three, and he's worked with incredible directors ranging from Paul Greengrass to Ben Stiller. He's also one in Black 3. And he's worked with incredible directors, ranging from Paul Greengrass to Ben Stiller.

He's also one in Obie, which if you don't know what that is, that is for off-Broadway shows,

for his stage work at the public theater.

And The New York Times named a play in which he starred, which was Annie Baker's The Aliens,

The Best Play of 2010.

Television audiences, you may know him as Cal Chapman, and he was Piper's off-the-grid brother

on Orange's The New Black and also quickly became a fan favorite.

He was one of my favorite characters on Severance,

where he played Rick and Hale,

the hilariously pompous,

yet oddly profound self-help author on that show.

...