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This week, the wonderfulModern Lovepodcast celebrated its 100th episode.
Modern Lovedebuted in January 2016, and has since built out a gorgeous library of recordings.
When asked if I could do it, I of course answered yes.
But did I reallyknowif I could do it?
Cue the laughter here.
I had hope and a seriously beautiful product behind me who can say no to these essays?
The amount of nos I received were staggering but we always responded: No forever?
or No for now?
Some days were really hard and I wasnt sure if we were going to pull this whole thing off.
But we just didnt give up.
When Judd Apatow said Sure!
I loved it because it deals with how we cope with our most profound losses.
It felt like someone grabbing me and saying, We ALL have to face this.
Our approach in regards to sound design was to simply accentuate that writing make it sing.
We did punctuate some sections with visceral sounds.
It destroys me every time.
And his performance was kind of breathtaking.
Nearly everyone reads through twice and spends an hour; he spent 20 minutes because he had another appointment.
I love how honest and raw it is and how effortlessly funny and self-deprecating.
When a fellow producer suggested Tony Hale as the reader, I knew we were going to nail it.
Tony Hale is such a lovely, professional actor.
I had to mute my laughing when he was recording this for us.
He literally inhabits every character he plays, and you felt he knew this guy and knew him well.
The actor Ruth Negga does a beautiful job, really making this her own.
I love hearing a comedic actor take on a dramatic essay and hearing them do it so well.
There are so many dimensions to these talented people even if most of us never get to see them.
But when someone else gets it, it feels so validating.
The story spirals into unexpected places and becomes an odd, intimate dance with danger.
The essay rocketed to the top of theNYTmost-read list at the time.
A profound reminder to me that true love is an act of giving, and that giving is immortal.
