‘What Matters With Liz’ Episode 14: Elizabeth Perkins Talks Roles, Reboots and Joys of Life
Elizabeth Perkins opens up about aging, health struggles, Hollywood and finding peace offscreen
Key Takeaways
- Elizabeth Perkins reflects on aging, authenticity and four decades in Hollywood.
- The actress shares her difficult journey to a latent autoimmune diabetes diagnosis.
- Elizabeth Perkins opens up about Weeds, Tom Hanks and finding peace on a farm.
Actress Elizabeth Perkins has built a career bringing complex, unforgettable women to life—from her breakout role opposite Tom Hanks in Big to her Emmy-nominated turn on Weeds to her current role on the Netflix series Big Mistakes.
In this episode of What Matters with Liz, she reflects on her messiest and most memorable roles, the lessons she’s learned over four decades in Hollywood (including some from Elizabeth Tayor!) and how aging has strengthened her as an actress and a woman.
But this isn’t a conversation just about Hollywood. It’s about being human—the frustrating, three-years that led to being diagnosed with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and the importance of advocating for yourself, the burnout that led to moving to a farm and the joy found in nature, the grief of an empty nest and the freedom to pursue what makes you feel alive.
Watch What Matters with Liz Episode 14 here or listen on Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts.
Watch Episode 14 right here! ‘What Matters with Elizabeth Perkins: Art, Authenticity & Self-Acceptance’
In this episode, Elizabeth Perkins shares:
- Why she’s drawn to characters with secrets, flaws, and hidden vulnerabilities
- How “faking it till you make it” helped launch her Hollywood career
- What she misses about Celia Hodes – and if she thinks a Weeds reboot will happen
- How a “fangirling” moment led to working with Dan Levy on Big Mistakes
- What she learned from Elizabeth Taylor
- What she’s learned about aging
- Why she’s grateful to Jean Smart
- What it was like working with Tom Hanks on Big
- Her new series, Cry Wolf, with Olivia Colman – and their surprising bonds
- Her journey to being diagnosed with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and why women must advocate for their health
- Why she moved from Los Angeles to a farm
- How art, yoga, meditation and nature bring her peace
- How the lessons we learn about being likeable can keep us from being authentic
- Why fame and awards were never her motivation
- What she loves about true crime – especially Snapped
- The importance of working with people who lead with integrity and kindness
- Why self-acceptance matters more to her now ever
The roles, the reboots and the joy
Throughout her career, Perkins has gravitated toward characters with secrets, flaws and hidden vulnerabilities. It’s what made her portrayal of Celia Hodes on Weeds so memorable—a suburban mother whose polished exterior masked layers of resentment, ambition and pain.
In the conversation, she reflects on what she misses about Celia and shares her thoughts on whether a Weeds reboot might ever happen. She also talks about how a “fangirling” moment led to her working with Dan Levy on Big Mistakes, and what it’s like to share scenes with Olivia Colman in her upcoming series Cry Wolf—including the surprising bonds the two actresses discovered they share.
She looks back, too, on the early days of her career, when “faking it till you make it” helped launch her in Hollywood, and recalls what she learned from working with Tom Hanks on Big.
The episode closes on lighter notes, too. Perkins talks about her love of true crime—especially the long-running show Snapped—and emphasizes the importance of working with people who lead with integrity and kindness. It’s a wide-ranging, deeply human conversation about what happens when women stop performing and start living on their own terms.
What Matters with Liz airs every Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts, with highlights and behind-the-scenes clips shared on Instagram and Facebook.
Also, be sure to subscribe to the What Matters With Liz free newsletter from Woman’s World Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello. Every week, you’ll get real talk about health, money and entertainment, plus uplifting stories, practical tips and exclusive updates on Vaccariello’s new video podcast.
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