Emmy-winning actor MATTHEW RHYS (The Americans, The Beast in Me) joins Dan to talk about many of his favorite ACTORS and how they’ve influenced the course of his own career.

Their discussion spans eras and covers a vast array of artists and styles: leading men (Burton, O’Toole, Brando, Pacino), leading women (Hepburn, Streep), character actors, scary actors, comic actors, up-and-comers -- as well as the films that contributed to the emergence of those legends, like The Lion in Winter, On the Waterfront, Taxi Driver, and many more.

Dan also asks Matthew about his own approach to acting, how he adapted his natural “Welsh” accent into speaking with an “American” one, and how tough it is to play “seductive” characters. Also: what he learned about acting from John Candy.

And as always, lots of amazing clips, for context and fun.

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It’s the return of FIRSTS, with a fresh roster of Let’s Talk Ten All-Stars:

Dan Persons, Simone Farber, Moosie Drier, Kathleen Fisher, Danny Peary, Roxanne Kincaid, Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Kerry & Lisa Weeks, Kristen Lopez, Dan Riba, Sarah Schmidt, Andrew Laposha, Lori Cardille, and John Ashton – all here to share some of their first meaningful pop cultural experiences.

With fourteen different stories, it’s an epic event that somehow goes by in a flash -- full of lovely memories, plenty of laughs, more than a few life-changing revelations, and even a little bit of childhood fear and pathos. It’s intimate, unguarded, genuine storytelling at its very best.

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Since our listeners have been very, very good this year, Let’s Talk Ten is celebrating the season with a wide-ranging, enthusiastic salute to classic RANKIN/BASS holiday specials. Rudolph, Frosty, the Little Drummer Boy, the Miser Brothers – they’re all here, along with the amazing RICK GOLDSCHMIDT, the official historian/biographer for Rankin/Bass Productions, serving as our expert guide.

Rick fondly remembers the genius of Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass; their extraordinary collaborators Romeo Muller, Johnny Marks, Maury Laws, Jack Davis, Paul Coker Jr.; with show business legends like Burl Ives, Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, and Billie Mae Richards (a.k.a the voice of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer). Meanwhile, Dan chimes in with questions like: Why was the Girl Doll on the Island of Misfit Toys, anyway? And why did Rankin/Bass never do a Hannukah special?

To top it all off, a special seasonal BONUS FEATURE: A musical performance from Kathleen Fisher and Steve Markle that's so delightful, you just might find yourself singing along. And why not? It's the holidays.

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