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Jamie Lee Curtisis a good friend.
“People trust me,” she tells PEOPLE. That is probably why so many people have asked her to serve as godmother to their children (her list of godchildren includesJake Gyllenhaal). And that trust will serve her well as the host of a new podcast about friendship.Good Friend,premiering July 15 on iHeartRadio, will feature heartfelt conversations with, well, friends.
Curtis, 62, is known for her honesty and it’s helped her over the course of her career as both a successful actress (Knives Out, True Lies, theHalloweenfranchise) and brand spokesperson.
She’s not one to shy away from direct conversations. With the launch ofGood Friend, a few of her equally famous friends are engaging in those conversations to talk about the ups and downs, intricacies and complexities of friendship.
It was the intensity of relationships during the pandemic that inspired the project.
“I have seen tectonic changes in friendships during the pandemic,” Curtis tells PEOPLE. “I know I’m not alone in those feelings and I thought it would be an interesting conversation to start. Friendships, like everything, need to be ever-changing.”
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She says her new podcast will examine that need “as well as the profound mutuality when those relationships are clear.”
Throughout the 15-episode season, Curtis will host conversations with famous friends—likeMichelle WilliamsandJennifer Garner—and public figures—such as SenatorAmy KlobucharandMaria Shriver—about conflict resolution, making new friends and keeping friendships alive during difficult times.
Curtis’s husband, the directorChristopher Guest(Best in Show) will bring on his best friend David Nichtern.
On the premiere episode, Curtis sits down with her new friendLena Dunham. They talk about the intense friendships that inspired Dunham’s showGirlsand when it’s time to move on from a friend group. Dunham gets candid with Curtis about how sobriety gave her perspective on life, career, and her friendships.
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“When I got sober, the drug aspect was gone, the pill aspect was gone,” Dunham tells Curtis. “What wasn’t gone, was my addiction with and preoccupation with people and with my obsession with knowing I was okay with people. Okay in their eyes.”
Dunham adds, “Whether it was praise or people-pleasing or my obsession with being good or worthy or right, which had always lived obsessively in my brain. It had been a huge factor in the noise that made it so hard to tolerate my inner life. Whether it was an obsession with, you know, ‘My friends are mad at me’ or ‘My friends think I’m stupid,’ or ‘How can I convince my friends that I’m worth being their friend.'”
Good Friendpremieres July 15 on iHeartRadio with new episodes available every Thursday.
source: people.com
