Episode Details

Actor and author Stephen Tobolowsky, beloved for his roles in Groundhog Day, The Goldbergs, and Silicon Valley, delivers a profound and surprisingly spiritual conversation about his new book "My Adventures with God." Tobolowsky shares the harrowing story of breaking his neck while horseback riding on an active volcano in Iceland in 2008, an accident his doctor called "fatal" while speaking to his living patient. During his months-long recovery in a hard brace, Tobolowsky contemplated what he would want his two sons to know if he had actually died on that mountain, leading him to write true stories from his life. What emerged was not just a memoir, but a spiritual journey structured around the five books of the Old Testament, tracing how one's relationship with God evolves through different life stages.
Throughout the interview, Tobolowsky offers remarkable insights drawn from biblical stories and personal experience, including his philosophy that "everything is a doorway and everything is a prison"—a concept he derives from the Book of Exodus. He discusses experiencing what he genuinely believes was a miracle during his recovery, something that defied scientific explanation and fundamentally changed his worldview. Tobolowsky also reflects on the difference between theater and film as "holy places," shares stories from working on current projects including One Day at a Time and Silicon Valley, and reveals how his wife has saved his life three times, including during his broken neck and open heart surgery. The conversation balances profound spiritual reflection with humor and humility, as Tobolowsky acknowledges the many "amazing mistakes" he's made while also celebrating the good choices that have sustained his decades-long career.