Greta Lee
Episode of Good Hang with Amy Poehler · June 23, 2026 · 1 h 14 min
Amy Poehler talks with actress Greta Lee about restaurant work, her immigrant parents, Russian Doll, Past Lives, and Toy Story 5, after a chat with Alison Roman.
Summary
Amy Poehler opened the episode with chef Alison Roman, who described her Catskills grocery store First Bloom and a planned Brooklyn location. She recalled meeting Greta Lee when both worked in Momofuku kitchens and praised Lee's work ethic, kindness, and hospitality. Roman offered a question about what Lee retained from restaurant work, and the two discussed how to prepare artichokes.
Lee arrived with produce from her Los Angeles garden and talked about her Korean immigrant parents, including taking them to the Dior cruise show at LACMA. She covered her upbringing in Brooklyn, classical singing as a child, her first job on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Broadway's Putnam County Spelling Bee, and a West End play with Mark Rylance. She described working as a powerful hostess at Momofuku during the era when chefs were rock stars, and said the multitasking of restaurant work carried over into acting. She also described exhausting physical scenes, including a drowning sequence and running for Tron that halted production.
The two recalled collaborations on the unaired pilot Old Soul, the film Sisters, and Russian Doll. Lee defended her nail technician role in Sisters, arguing that the scene inverted status, and credited her friendship with Natasha Lyonne for Russian Doll's chemistry. She discussed learning to stay still on camera for Celine Song's Past Lives, her villain role as the iPad Lily Pad in Toy Story 5, YouTube stain-removal videos, and gardening. Poehler closed by recommending Joan Cusack's work, particularly Broadcast News.
Chapters
- 0:05
Introduction
Poehler introduces Greta Lee and previews the episode's topics.
- 1:54
Alison Roman on First Bloom and Greta
Chef Alison Roman discusses her grocery store and her friendship with Lee, praising her kindness and hospitality.
- 8:11
Roman's question and artichokes
Roman poses a question about Lee's restaurant days and explains how she prepares artichokes.
- 13:12
Garden gifts
Lee arrives with produce and flowers from her Los Angeles garden, and Poehler admits she dislikes eggplant.
- 16:02
Family and early life
Lee describes her immigrant parents, the Dior show, growing up in Brooklyn, and classical singing competitions.
- 24:43
First acting jobs
Lee recalls Law & Order: SVU, the Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway, and a West End play with Mark Rylance.
- 29:48
Restaurant days at Momofuku
Lee describes being a hostess at David Chang's restaurants and how restaurant work shaped her acting.
- 35:25
Drowning and running on camera
Lee describes the difficulty of filming a drowning scene and running for Tron.
- 37:32
Raising boys
Lee and Poehler compare notes on being mothers of boys.
- 44:12
Old Soul and Sisters
They recall the unaired pilot Old Soul, Rita Moreno's advice, the long Sisters shoot, and Lee's nail salon scene.
- 51:56
Russian Doll
Lee discusses repeating her signature line and her chemistry with Natasha Lyonne.
- 57:33
Past Lives and being watched
Lee discusses working with Celine Song, acting in Korean, stillness on camera, and posing on red carpets.
- 1:04:56
Toy Story 5
Lee describes voicing the villain Lily Pad, an iPad, and praises Joan Cusack.
- 1:06:29
Recommendations and gardening
Lee shares YouTube stain removal videos, they discuss growing lettuce, and Poehler recommends Broadcast News.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
Linked moment · 0:05Skip to 0:05 using a listen link in the info box.
Alison RomanRoman says she opened a small grocery store in 2023 without a full plan.
“I started a little grocery store in 2023 we opened. Sort of like a... And I didn't, I didn't really have like a full plan”
- Alison Roman
Roman describes Greta Lee as among the hardest-working and kindest people she has met.
“she is one of the hardest working and also kindest people that I've ever met”
- Alison Roman
Roman believes that restaurant work permanently shapes a person and teaches valuable lessons.
“I have a belief that like once you're a restaurant person, you're always a restaurant person and it teaches you a lot”
- Alison Roman
Roman recommends steaming whole artichokes and eating the stem, which she says is as tender as the heart.
“The stem is basically like an extension of the heart. So it's just as tender. It's just as edible”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler describes Lee as someone who takes her work seriously but not herself.
“you are a person who takes their work seriously, but not themselves seriously”
- Greta Lee
Lee recounts that her mother invited herself to the Dior show by texting a screenshot of the LACMA announcement.
“I got a text from my mom that was a screen grab of a picture of LACMA”
- Greta Lee
Lee recalls that during her Momofuku years chefs were treated like rock stars, which made the work exciting.
“it's just it's like chefs were rock stars. And being a part of that was really exciting for all of us”
- Greta Lee
Lee says she was a powerful hostess who was encouraged to be mean to customers.
“I was a hostess. I was, like, basically encouraged to be mean”
- Greta Lee
Lee says the intensity and extreme multitasking of being in the weeds at restaurants relates to acting work.
“the expression being in the weeds, what that can feel like and like the crush of it and how exhausting it is”
- Greta Lee
Lee says a convincing on-camera drowning is indistinguishable from actually drowning.
“when it's really good, they don't know if you're acting or if you're dying”
- Greta Lee
Lee says running repeated takes for Tron left her unable to walk, and production shut down the next day.
“we shut down production because the next day I took one step and I couldn't, I couldn't walk”
- Greta Lee
Lee recalls Rita Moreno telling her on the Old Soul set that she used her phone too much.
“I remember Rita Moreno told me I was on my phone too much”
- Greta Lee
Lee argues that her nail technician scene in Sisters works because status is inverted and her character is in control.
“I think when you're looking at people and for me in that moment, she is in total control”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler argues that comedy strikes a chord only when it contains truth.
“then there's something that's striking the right chord, but you can't always figure out what it is. And it's not funny unless it's true”
- Greta Lee
Lee says she initially turned down Russian Doll and asked whether her line could be shot once and reused.
“I asked you, I said, can we just shoot it once and you can reuse that?”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler credits Russian Doll's success to the genuine chemistry between Lee and Natasha Lyonne.
“what anchored that show was the genuine chemistry between the two of you”
- Greta Lee
Lee says Past Lives was a risk for her because she was unsure she could act in Korean and had to suppress her instinct to improvise.
“I had no idea if I was going to be able to act in korean”
- Greta Lee
Lee says she plays the main new villain in Toy Story 5, an iPad named Lily Pad.
“I play the villain, the main new villain. Oh my God, exciting. I play an iPad”
- Amy Poehler
Poehler recommends watching Broadcast News, calling it film and comedy at its best.
“open up a bottle of wine and watch broadcast news tonight. Albert Brooks, Holly Hunter, Joan Cusack, just film and comedy at its best”
People
In the conversation
- Amy PoehlerAmerican actress, comedian and podcast host, formerly of Saturday Night Live
- Greta LeeAmerican actress known for Past Lives, Russian Doll, and The Morning Show
- Alison RomanAmerican chef, cookbook author, podcaster, and grocery store owner
Discussed
- David ChangAmerican chef and founder of Momofuku
- Natasha LyonneAmerican actress and co-creator of Russian Doll
- Rita MorenoPuerto Rican actress, star of West Side Story and Lopez's childhood inspiration
- Celine SongDirector of Past Lives
- Joan CusackAmerican actress, voice of Jessie in Toy Story
- Mariska HargitayAmerican actress and Knicks fan
- Mark RylanceEnglish actor who starred with Lee in La Bête on the West End
- Paula PellAmerican comedy writer who wrote Sisters
Topics
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From the publisher
Greta Lee lives in L.A. and grows vegetables now. Amy hangs with the 'Toy Story 5' star and talks about taking her parents to a Dior fashion show, being the most powerful hostess in New York City, and being really good at acting like she's drowning.Host: Amy PoehlerGuests: Alison Roman and Greta LeeExecutive producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-BermanFor Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel LovellFor The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson and Aleya Zenieris; audio producer Kaya McMullen; social producer Bridget Geerlings; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and bookers Kat Spillane and Paige GarbariniOriginal music: Amy Miles Get up to 40% off your beauty favorites from Ulta Beauty on Uber Eats through July 11th! https://www.ubereats.com/brand/ulta-beauty Switch today at https//:www.Visible.com for just 25/mo. Or get premium Visible+ pro plan and save $10 on your first month with code HANG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 29, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.