© 2025 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Fresh Air Weekend: Ben Stiller on his showbiz family; 'Wicked' star Cynthia Erivo

Ben Stiller (bottom center) describes growing up with comedian parents Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller as "a lot of fun times and more interesting to my sister and I than school, for sure."
Apple TV+
Ben Stiller (bottom center) describes growing up with comedian parents Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller as "a lot of fun times and more interesting to my sister and I than school, for sure."

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, as well as new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and it often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

In Ben Stiller's showbiz family, there was little separation between home and stage: After his parents died, Stiller found a stash of their audio recordings. Those tapes of comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara are at the center of the documentary Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost.

"What you see is really me," says Wicked star Cynthia Erivo: Erivo says she found parallels between her life and the experience of her Wicked character, Elphaba. Her new memoir is called Simply More: A Book for Anyone who Has Been Told They're Too Much.

You can listen to the original interviews here:

Copyright 2025 NPR

Recent cuts to federal funding are challenging our mission to serve central and upstate New York with trusted journalism, vital local coverage, and the diverse programming that informs and connects our communities. This is the moment to join our community of supporters and help keep journalists on the ground, asking hard questions that matter to our region.

Stand with public media and make your gift today—not just for yourself, but for all who depend on WRVO as a trusted resource and civic cornerstone in central and upstate New York.