Movies and TV can make us laugh, cry and even shape who we are. Our watchlists can be surprisingly revealing. We’re teaming up with entertainers, artists and cultural icons on a new Watch With Meseries on Google TV to share their top picks and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the TV and movies that inspired them.

Remember waking up on Saturday morning and catching up on the latest episode of your favorite show before it ended? Chris Paul does. Before being crowned the king of the basketball court, Chris was just another kid from North Carolina who loved watching TV with his brother. “Back then, you couldn’t record your show or get it on demand to watch later,” he says. “You had to watch it when it came on.”

TV and movies were a way for him to learn about the world. “Growing up without social media made a lot of things different,” he says. “My brother and I used to get home from school and watch movies four, five days in a row. TV gave us a fresh perspective and a way to see what our dreams could be. As I got older, I looked back and saw how these shows and movies shaped my life.”

What does your watchlist say about you?

Chris Paul: My watchlist says that I’m someone who has watched a lot of different things, and has a pretty diverse taste. I like the stories being told and the impact that TV and movies have on you.

What’s your favorite genre?

Chris Paul: My favorite genre would be comedy. I love to laugh. The stuff that makes a good comedy are the punchlines, the characters and the storyline. I think you can naturally tell when things are sort of off the cuff… a good comedy can’t be predictable.

What are some must-watches in your household?

Chris Paul: At home, we love getting together with the kids to watch TV, whether it be movies or shows. But I had a few movies that my wife had to see before we got married – like I asked her if she had seen them and she said no. We weren't going to get married until she saw “The Last Dragon” because that movie is a staple in just culture.

What’s something you love watching that might be unexpected?

Chris Paul: I don’t just love watching comedies, I like watching horrors too. But, something that I really liked to watch, probably nobody would expect is “Below Deck.” It’s interesting to watch a reality show about people working on yachts and what their life is like.

Do you like watching TV with the captions on or off?

Chris Paul: I’m a captions-off person, but now I watch with captions on. My wife likes having the captions on and always grabs the remote to turn them on to listen and read at the same time.

Who’s your favorite person to nerd out about shows and movies with?

Chris Paul: I love talking to my brother CJ about shows and movies more than anything. And I think people probably hate when me and my brother are around because all we do is quote lines from shows and movies on the regular. No matter what it is, that's all me and my brother do.

Check out Chris’s watchlist and catch some of his favorite lines on Google TV, rolling out over the next few days. Tell us your favorites using #WatchWithMe!

Movies and TV can make us laugh, cry and even shape who we are. Our watchlists can be surprisingly revealing. We’re teaming up with entertainers, artists and cultural icons on a newWatch With Meseries on Google TV to share their top picks and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the TV and movies that inspired them.

You may know Taraji P. Henson from her iconic roles in “Baby Boy,” “Empire,” “Hustle & Flow,” “Hidden Figures” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” While she dominates the big screen, she’s been using her platform to promote representation. “I didn’t get into acting for fame. I do it for the lives that I can touch because representation is very important and helps build empathy for others.”

Taraji is also passionate about eradicating stigmas around mental health and believes entertainment can help bring awareness to the pain that people may be facing silently. “When I found myself doing work in the mental health field, I realized how much movies and TV help depict the struggles that others go through for us to relate to and how we should all be a little more empathetic when we’re dealing with others.”

We sat down with Taraji to learn more about her work and what she watches.

What does your watchlist say about you?

Taraji P. Henson: My watchlist says that I’m someone who loves to laugh and I’m always rooting for the underdog. My picks should hopefully give you insight into people’s lives and how we should open up our hearts and minds.

What’s your favorite holiday ritual?

Taraji P. Henson:My holiday ritual is watching “The Christmas Story” on repeat.

What’s your top choice genre?

Taraji P. Henson:Comedy is my top choice. I always want to laugh! And I think the best way to teach is through Comedy because you get to laugh, but you also don’t feel like you’re being preached to.

Do you have a favorite guilty pleasure?

Taraji P. Henson:I love watching reality TV, especially any of the Real Housewives franchises!

What’s one rule you have for watching TV or movies with a group?

Taraji P. Henson:Shut up and be quiet! I don't want to hear you next to me talking or crunching on your popcorn.

Who’s your favorite person to nerd out about shows and movies with?

Taraji P. Henson:My best friend since the seventh grade. She was also an art student with me, and we grew up watching the movies on my watchlist together like “Sixteen Candles” and “Beaches.”

What’s the best way to watch your watchlist?

Taraji P. Henson:Wear some comfy sweats or PJs on the sofa with the lights off. Be sure to turn the sound on loud!

So get comfy and settle into Taraji’s watchlist on Google TV, rolling out over the next few days. Be sure to share with us your favorites using #WatchWithMe!

Movies and TV can make us laugh, cry and even shape who we are. Our watchlists can be surprisingly revealing. We’re teaming up with entertainers, artists and cultural icons on a new Watch With Meseries on Google TV to share their top picks and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the TV and movies that inspired them.

Actor and writer Simu Liu loved movies and TV from a young age -- he liked losing himself in a story. He loved it so much, he wanted to pursue acting, and he broke new ground when he was cast as the first Asian American Super Hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing the title character in Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.” Even after playing a superhero himself, he still enjoys watching epic tales. “I’m someone who loves escaping into completely new and different worlds through watching movies and TV. Whether it’s a world of wizards, orcs or Greco-Roman gods, I’m just somebody that loves being whisked away.”

Also important to Simu Liu is seeing Asian representation on the big screen. We recently sat down with Simu Liu to learn about his Google TV watchlist and what his top picks mean to him. “My watchlist says I’m somebody who cares deeply about Asian representation and telling our stories, because they haven't been told yet in Hollywood in a deep and meaningful way or they are just starting to be told,” he says. “All these films have deeply impacted me in some personal way, and I'm so excited to share them with you.”

Before diving into his top picks, we asked Simu a few questions to get to know him and his love for movies and TV.

What’s your go-to movie snack?

Simu Liu:Essential movie snack is the butter popcorn with the liquid butter drizzle topping. How many pumps of butter is best? That's a very good question that I think about. There's basically two schools of thought: One is to pump all the butter at the top and let it seep down. And the other one is to pump as you fill the bucket to evenly distribute.

What’s your favorite genre?

Simu Liu:My favorite genre is superhero movies. I mean, come on. It’s the best.

What makes a great date-night movie?

Simu Liu:A great date night movie needs a fantastic “meet cute” moment. We all know that moment in the romantic movie where the main characters chases the other down and professes their feelings in this beautiful, perfect monologue.

Do you love watching movies at home or in the theaters?

Simu Liu:I like watching at home, but there's nothing better than sitting at a theater in a dark room, experiencing a movie on a massive screen with a bunch of strangers and just munching on popcorn.

You come from the world of sitcoms and love watching them. What makes a good sitcom for you?

Simu Liu:The characters are really what makes a great sitcom. You have to have a balanced cast of wacky characters that you love to love and love to hate... it's got to have the perfect balance.

Why are movies and TV important to you?

Simu Liu:I believe in the transformative power of storytelling. Movies and TV have the capacity to change people's lives or at the very least, show them something about their lives that is relatable, that is poignant and that makes them think. My life was so affected by the movies and TV that I saw, and was how I taught myself language and culture when my family immigrated to Canada when I was a young child.

Explore Simu’s watchlist and uncover more fun facts about Simu, like his love for musicals, on Google TV, rolling out over the next few days. Tell us your favorites using #WatchWithMe.