Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard Mae Whitman
Jun 25, 2018
Mae Whitman, an actress and singer known for her roles in Parenthood and Good Girls, shares insights from her 28-year career. She discusses the challenges of balancing childhood and acting, her love for Taylor Swift, and performing full nudity on stage. Mae reminisces about her early days on set and how her hippie parents influenced her outlook. She reflects on the emotional connections formed in her projects and the importance of maintaining a normal life. The conversation is peppered with humor, heartfelt stories, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
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Meeting On Parenthood Sparked A Lifelong Bond
- Mae and Dax met on Parenthood; Dax assumed Mae was a child because she played a 12-year-old, then learned she'd been acting since infancy.
- Their on-set rapport produced long-term playful nicknames and close friendship.
Use Pauses To Teach Emotional Regulation
- When kids struggle emotionally, offer a short pause rather than punish; teach them to step away and process.
- Model pausing for yourself frequently so children learn self-regulation by example.
Playful Training Builds Honest Acting
- Mae credits an acting coach who taught metaphorical games that built craft without self-consciousness.
- That playful training let her be present on set and react truthfully rather than perform for the camera.
