The Treat: Actor Greg Kinnear

6 Dec 2025 · 5 min

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In short

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Podcast Episode Notes

The Treat - Actor Greg Kinnear

Podcast Overview Title: The Treatment Description: The Treatment is a podcast that delves into vital conversations surrounding creative inspiration. It features notable creators from various fields, including entertainment, fashion, sports, and the arts, discussing their experiences and influences that shape popular culture.

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Episode Details Episode Title: The Treat: Actor Greg Kinnear Episode Description: In this episode, actor Greg Kinnear reflects on his extensive film and TV career, from his breakout role in *Sabrina* to his Oscar-nominated performance in *As Good as It Gets*. He shares insights from his early days in broadcasting and pays tribute to influential figures who guided him.

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Episode Summary

  • Host: Elvis Mitchell
  • Guest: Greg Kinnear

Key Discussion Points

  • Background in Broadcasting:
  • Greg Kinnear recounts his early experiences as a broadcaster while living in Athens, Greece during the 1970s.
  • He initially got involved in radio at a military station, AFRTS, where he was encouraged by a peer, Tanner Parsons, to take on the role of DJ.
  • Mentorship and Learning:
  • Kinnear emphasizes the importance of mentorship in his development, specifically mentioning Kevin Andall, an officer who guided him in his early broadcasting career.
  • He describes his initial struggles and the process of learning how to entertain on air, balancing different music genres to please diverse audiences.
  • Influence of the 70s Culture:
  • Kinnear reflects on the cultural landscape of the 1970s, such as the popularity of disco and artists like the Bee Gees and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, shaping his early experiences in radio.
  • Career Progression:
  • His experiences in Greece laid a foundation that ultimately led to significant opportunities in television, including hosting *Talk Soup* and *Later with Greg Kinnear*.

Notable Quotes

  • “I was always not great. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I needed a little help.”
  • “Big shout out to Kevin Andall. It was a treat to work with him.”

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Conclusion Greg Kinnear's journey from a high school DJ in Greece to an accomplished actor underscores the impact of mentorship and early experiences in shaping one's career. The episode not only highlights his personal growth but also pays homage to those who helped guide him along the way.

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Additional Information

  • Production Credits:
  • Produced and edited by Rebecca Mooney.
  • Mixed by Katie Gilchrist.
  • Archive Access: Explore previous treats at [kcrw.com](http://kcrw.com).

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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00Greece is a cradle of the arts and creativity, even for actor Greg Kinnear. I'm Elvis Mitchell, and this is The Treat. And for his treat, Kinnear reflects on an experience as a young man in Greece that helped him find his voice, literally. I'm Greg Kinnear, and this is The Treat.

0:30I'm taking you back to the 1970s, and we are in Athens, Greece. That's right. I lived in Athens, Greece. And on Saturday mornings, I would go down on bus 18A from Kifisia, That's north of Athens. And I would take the bus down to Glefada. If you've ever been to Greece, there's beautiful Glefada. It used to be an Air Force base. And on that Air Force base was a small 50 ,000 megawatt radio station called AFRTS.

1:12Tanner Parsons graduated high school from ACS and he came up to me one day and said, hey, you should be the new DJ because we do a show once a week here from ACS on the radio and you get to play records and talk crap about the school and have fun and I was like, me? Why is he asking me? So first and foremost, thank you, Tanner Parsons.

1:44So I go down and I start doing this show, which follows American Top 40. And while I was in there, I did this show and I was always not great. I didn't know what I was doing, and I needed a little help. And the guys who worked there were, you know, they were officers on the base. And there was a guy named Kevin Andall, and he was very helpful to me. He was super cool. He came in, he'd say, Kinnear, this is how you do it. It's just your Jack talking. I'm telling the lines. Jack talking. I'm right on this cast. Jack talking. You had Bee Gees, you had a lot of disco happening. You know, we'd have Bachman-Turner overdrive to kind of offset the Bee Gees crowd.

2:41I tried to please everybody.

2:47I finally figured it out, and this guy, Kevin Andall, was always kind of walking me through the job and managed to keep me around for a couple of years and do School Days with Greg Kinnear. Days spelled D-A-Z-E to let you know how cutting edge the show was. And that was my 70s experience. Big shout out to Kevin Andall. It was a treat to work with him, and he took care of a high school kid back in the old days.

3:28Actor and Oscar nominee Greg Kinnear on his school days learning how to broadcast, which carried him far, including hosting Talk Soup and on NBC later with Greg Kinnear. Explore previous treats at the archive, kcrw.com. It is produced and edited by Rebecca Mooney and mixed by Katie Gilchrist. I'm Elvis Mitchell. It's the treat.

From the publisher

Actor Greg Kinnear has starred in dozens of roles on film and TV from his breakout role in 1995’s Sabrina, to his Oscar nominated role in As Good as It Gets alongside Jack Nicholson, but he actually got his start in broadcasting. Kinnear hosted E!’s Talk Soup and the late-night talk show Later with Greg Kinnear. For his Treat, Kinnear pays tribute to the people who showed him the ropes for his first on-air gig.

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