The actress, author and Great Ones Podcast host discusses authenticity, human connection, and the stories that lie beyond the headlines.
Photographer: Storm Santos
Glam: Kimberly Bragalon
What does it mean to be great? It’s a question Susie Abromeit has spent years exploring — first as a competitive athlete, later as an actress, writer and musician, and now as the host of great peopleHis long-running interview podcast. The answers he discovers are rarely as straightforward as they appear.
Known for roles in jessica jones, The Forever Purge, king richard, chicago medand numerous other film and television projects, Abromit has spent much of his career stepping into the lives of fictional characters. “I always wanted to uncover the truth and the shadows,” she explains. That desire became the foundation great people.
“I love this podcast just because I get to explore the complexity and vulnerability that every artist and every human being can connect to and share,” she explains. Via the podcast, Abromit sat down with an impressive list of guests, including Baz Luhrmann, Erin Moriarty, Ian Somerhalder, Ron Howard, Spike Lee, Joe Wright, and many more. For Abromit, those conversations are rarely just about success.
“There is always a price on the other side of success,” she says, an answer that comes up often in her interviews. There is usually a less visible story behind every accomplishment – one that involves sacrifice, time, frustration, perseverance, or some combination of these four. Having spent years pursuing her ambitious goals first as an athlete and later as an artist, Abromit understands that success rarely tells the whole story.
Long before Hollywood entered the picture, Abromit had tennis. After moving to Florida at the age of 12 to train full-time at the Evert Tennis Academy, he found himself competing against some of the top junior players in the world. A professional career was never out of reach, but as his ambitions on the court grew, so did his interest in storytelling.
There were always acting camps, school plays, writing, musical-creative activities. Eventually, Abromeit realized that tennis could be a career, but it was not something she wanted to spend the rest of her life doing. “I felt in my soul that I was an artist,” she says. That instinct eventually led him to television, film, music and, years later, podcasting. But the most important experience that shaped his outlook came much later.
In late 2024, shortly after Abromite moved to New York to be closer to family, his mother unexpectedly died of a heart attack. “I was literally texting my mom the day before,” she recalls. “And then just like that, she was gone. It completely tears you apart – I thought my heart was going to stop.”
loss will ultimately motivate death and friendsA dark comedy short film co-written by Abromite and starring Alok Vaid-Menon, Anthony Lee Medina (hamilton), and Lily Mirojnik (clover field). Directed by Alona Tal (cross)The project has been compared girls And Fleabag For the mix of humor and heartbreak.
Taking inspiration from Abromit’s own experience, the short explores grief through humor, friendship, and human connection. “It’s not just about what you go through, but also who you go through it with,” says Abromit. This short film, shot just a few months after his mother’s death, will soon be making waves at film festivals.
“If you alchemize everything that comes your way, you can use it to your advantage,” she says. “You can work with it and paint with it.” connection between death and friends And great people Seems obvious, both are rooted in what lies beneath the polished version of the story.
“I think people want authenticity,” she says, smiling. “Really we’re all contradictions. We’re all messy – that’s the trick of it all.” It’s a philosophy that feels less like a mission statement and more like a way of moving through the world—a philosophy that continues to shape both the questions Abromet asks and the stories he sets out to tell.
pay attention great people Wherever you get your podcasts, follow @greatonespodcast and @susieabromeit for updates on the show. death and friendsAnd upcoming projects.