The Well

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Ethan was afraid to live his life until he almost lost it.

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The first of four Star Trek episodes, Ethan Peck shares with us the story of auditioning for one of the most iconic characters in film and television history, and how he overcame his own misgivings. When the shoes look way too big, we think only of feet.

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Anson and Branan each share a story about an awkward brush with fame.

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What would you think if someone told you that you were about to meet your idol? How would you prepare? What would you wear? What would you say? Illeana shares a hilarious and heartwarming story about finding herself in exactly this situation when, one day, she realized she would be meeting Marlon Brando. And Branan shares a story about his own (rather embarrassing) brush with fame.

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Illeana Douglas wasn’t always a movie star, but her life has always been strangely intertwined with the American cinema. In fact, long before she knew she wanted to act, her life was forever changed when her parents saw the 1969’s indie “Easy Rider” and decided it was time to become hippies. Join us as we hear Illeana explain how her conservative, Connecticut childhood was ruined, how her father drove goats around town in a station wagon, and how her life was set on a course of creativity that will leave you astounded, perhaps asking yourself if there really is a design to our lives.

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Mac knew he wanted to be a children’s book author. But how does one go about that? Join us to find out how Mac carved his way through a conventional education in an unconventional way, studied life and art with literary giant David Foster Wallace, and managed to land his first book deal.

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As a child, Mac desperately wanted to believe that there was a magical world in which anything was possible. Later, when he began working with children, he began to realize that world was real, and that he could help to shape it. Join us as we venture deep into the heart of The Chocolate Factory.

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Branan shares a story of guilt and conscience from his own family history. And it’s a doozy.

Extra music for this episode was provided by Jason Shaw under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution license. To hear the track “Hoedown” go here.

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In 2002, Xzibit was offered a role in a movie which he accepted. And then reality hit: he wasn’t an actor. Yet. Join us for this short, but entertaining story of how Alvin Joiner made the transition from rapping to acting.

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When Alvin Joiner was sixteen, he lost his home, his family, and his direction in life. Eventually, after living a life of violence and anger, he decided to make a change. But his past would come back to haunt him in a strange but familiar voice, the one that had been implanted in him by his long deceased mother: his conscience.