The Beast in Me is the buzzy new Netflix thriller everyone’s talking about, so this week we’re sharing our (spoiler-free!) review and the standout moments from its star Claire Danes’ latest interviews. First, though, we dive into Jennifer Lawrence’s career-defining performance in Die My Love, also starring Robert Pattinson, and her personal reflections on postpartum life, as well as Charli XCX’s fab Substack on the realities of being a pop star and the celeb newsletter boom more generally. Plus: the brilliant new sci-fi about a romantasy writer, Pluribus; the Guardian’s viral investigation into ‘free birth’ influencers; and Ambika Mod’s latest role as a porn-addicted academic. Enjoy hunnies! Get 10% off our fave sofa brand Swyft with the code straightup10 at swyfthome.com, and the code works on top of Black Friday sales! Stylish, comfy, flat-packed and no tools required.We love hearing from you, DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, email at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠ and follow us on TikTok @straightuppod too!Recs/reviews:Pluribus, AppleTVThe Lost Bus, AppleTVDie My Love, in cinemas now ‘Die My Love’ and the savage truth about the postpartum experience, Gillian Orr, SubstackInfluencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world, GuardianThe realities of being a pop star, Charli XCX’s substack Why is Everybody Losing Weight and What do we do Sincerely? A person who's lost weight, Lizzo’s SubstackLizzo Starts Over The pop star’s success once felt radical. Can she capture the Zeitgeist again?, VultureThe Beast In Me, Netflix ‘I’d barely kissed a boy, but was making out with Adonis’: Claire Danes on sex, spy camp and teen stardom, Guardian Porn Play, Royal CourtThe 31-Year-Old Creator Of Porn Play Wanted To “Do Something Provocative”, Vogue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related