Actor and author John Lithgow: America is ‘at a tipping point’

Award-winning actor and best-selling author John Lithgow sits down with host Margaret Hoover in New York City to discuss the third book in his trilogy of poetry satirizing America’s “scoundrels.”

After taking direct aim at the Trump White House in the first two, Lithgow now shifts his focus to some of history’s earlier rogues, leveling them with limericks and illustrations.

Lithgow also reflects on his storied career on stage and screen, unpacking what he calls “the most interesting thing about acting” — the mingling of comedy and tragedy in characters.

To get past the “two-dimensional villain,” Lithgow says he tries to find empathy in the iconic roles he has played, including Winston Churchill in “The Crown” and Roger Ailes in “Bombshell.”

He also fears the Trump era may not be over, warning that America is “at a tipping point as a nation, as a culture, as a political organization.”

Support for “Firing Line for Margaret Hoover” is provided by The Margaret and Daniel Loeb Foundation, Robert Granieri, Charles R. Schwab, The David Tepper Charitable Foundation Inc., The Fairweather Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, and Rosalind P. Walter. Corporate funding is provided by Stephens Inc.