Tell Me More With Kelly Corrigan

Michael Lewis

In this episode of Tell Me More, Kelly Corrigan speaks with financial journalist and best-selling author Michael Lewis. Michael looks back at his past work and recalls all of the incredible characters he's met along the way. From Michael Oher in The Blind Side to Billy Bean in Moneyball, various real-life individuals he's portrayed in his nonfiction work are now household names. His most recent character, who yet to be seen on the big screen, is Dr. Charity Dean from his book "The Premonition: A Pandemic Story." Charity is the Co-Founder and CEO of Public Health Company, working as a no-holds-barred health hero in Santa Barbara County. Elaborating on his process, Michael notes that the best characters don't even know that they're worth the story. He also shares his reflection on society's interest in expertise and definitive answers, saying it's misguided. From his experience with The Big Short, Michael believes that most so-called experts are really just people with narrow obsessions and little knowledge of the big picture. Real experts think carefully, he says, and rarely refer to their answers as definitive. In the final part of this episode, Michael reflects on the death of his daughter Dixie Lewis, sharing that not even experts can give you comfort during deeply personal hardships like grief.