Bryan Safi on ‘Working Girl,’ 80s Bangs & Harrison Ford as Eye Candy

What happens when an eight-year-old kid sees the opening shot of Mike Nichols’ 1988 classic Working Girl for the very first time? If that kid is Emmy-winning comedian, actor, and podcast host Bryan Safi (9-1-1, Ask Ronna, Attitudes!), it sparks a lifelong dream to move to New York City and a career built on unapologetic, sharp comedy.

In this episode of The Spark Parade, host Adam Unze sits down with Bryan Safi to chat about his Spark: the iconic 80s romantic comedy Working Girl, starring Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver and Harrison Ford.

They gush about the genius of Mike Nichols, the cultural impact of Carly Simon’s Oscar-winning anthem "Let the River Run" and the absolute madness of late-80s hair styling.

🎧 In this episode, we cover:

• The Iconic Opening: Why the Statue of Liberty opening sequence remains one of the greatest movie intros in cinema history.
• 80s Aesthetics & Staten Island Hair: The outrageous bangs, crimping and fashion that defined an era of film.
• Sigourney Weaver vs. Melanie Griffith: How Working Girl subverted corporate tropes and delivered two masterclasses in comedic performance.
• The Power of Creative Authenticity: Bryan on overcoming early industry homophobia in comedy and learning to lean into his signature camp sensibility as his greatest strength.
• Behind-the-Scenes Movie Trivia: Why the studio almost replaced Carly Simon with The Eagles' "Witchy Woman" and how Harrison Ford took a back seat to let the women shine.

Catch Bryan live in NYC in Are You Mad At Me? at the HERE Arts Center, watch him on ABC's 9-1-1, and listen to his hit podcasts Ask Ronna and Attitudes!.

The Spark Parade is a podcast that dives deep into the films and albums that have inspired today’s creative icons. Hosted by Adam Unze, each episode features a unique conversation with an artist about their chosen film or album, and how it sparked their artistic journey.

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