‘Casual’ actress Michaela Watkins gets Beastie for Guest DJ Project

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Host Anne Litt and Michaela Watkins
Host Anne Litt and Michaela Watkins (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

Actress/comedian Michaela Watkins is practically omnipresent these days, with roles in big projects including Emmy-winning series like Veep and Transparent, and the recent revamp of cult favorite Wet Hot American Summer. All the while, she manages to steals every single scene she’s in.

Watkins currently stars in the acclaimed dark comedy series Casual on Hulu (from executive producer Jason Reitman, also a Guest DJ Project alum!) and dropped by KCRW to share a meaningful song from each decade of her life.

Watkins’ first pick for the Project was a song from the musical “Bugsy Malone” – the 1976 gangster film with an all-kid cast portraying its menacing adults. That casting, to her child’s heart, is “a dream come true.” (A fellow Groundling alum once called her a “70-year-old in a hot girl’s body.”)

She also marveled at the Beastie Boys “whimsical free form” sense of humor in the song “Egg Man” and tells us how she turned to the uplifting sounds of Mavis Staples in her 30s, a time when “the armor has to come off — it gets real.”

Check out the full song list below.

Michaela Watkins Guest DJ Project Set List:

Bugsy Malone soundtrack – “You Give A Little Love”
Prince – “Baby I’m A Star”
Beastie Boys – “Egg Man”
Mavis Stapes – “You’re Not Alone”
Jason Anderson – “So Long”