Back To One

Acting wunderkind Zoey Deutch returns to the podcast on the occasion of the release of “Buffaloed,” the raucous indie she stars in (and produced) where she gets to flex her high octane comedy chops. We get into the weeds discussing comedy performance, she talks about striving to make her characters relatable, and about her love for auditioning (despite the hiccups). I delicately ask her what makes up the bulk of her now legendary script binder and she graciously explains. Plus much much more! Follow Back To One on Instagram

Scottish actor Richard Rankin plays Roger Mackenzie Wakefield on the Starz hit series “Outlander” (Season 5 premieres on Sunday, February 16th). On this episode, he talks about the process of stepping back into playing Roger after being on hiatus. We have a very clinical discussion about sex scenes, chemistry, and the importance of genuine depth in on-screen romance. I ask if he’s looking for roles where he can use his American accent. A listener question leads to a discussion about the effects of time travel. Plus he (very objectively) talks about why he's the reason season 5 of “Outlander” is the best yet.

On a very special episode, the stars of "Portrait Of A Lady On Fire," Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, and their director, Céline Sciamma, sit down with Peter Rinaldi to discuss gazes, play, Noh, breathing, joy, and the collaboration process at the heart of the French cinematic masterwork. 

Deirdre O’Connell is a legend of the New York stage and brings true depth and authenticity to every moment she has in front of the camera, but make no mistake, she doesn’t have this “down” yet. In this hour, she talks about why she likes to travel to the place her character resides and why it’s important that she believes her character is smarter than her. I ask about her incredible performance in “Diane,” one scene in particular, and how on earth she's able to lip sync every single line in the brand new production "Dana H" at the Vineyard theater in New York City. Plus she muses on the “real” reason why she pursued this whole acting endeavor in the first place, what happened when that reason went away, and what, if anything, replaces it. (Photo by Maria Baranova) Back To One on Instagram  

Marsha Stephanie Blake destroyed me. Not just once, a few times. Her devastating portrayal of Linda McCray in “When They See Us” was justifiably recognized with an Emmy nomination last year. She talks extensively about one line in particular that really got to me in that incredible limited series. She also “kills” with comedy too. Like in “The Merchant Of Venice” on Broadway. She talks about obsessively studying Al Pacino during that run, and relishing her time with Viola Davis in this season of "How To Get Away With Murder.” She was on her way toward a career in medicine when she got into acting, but she doesn’t remember getting bitten by any bug. The world lost a doctor but we gained something more precious—a great actor.

He's been called the "sidekick to the stars," but a more apt, yet slightly less elegant description of Adrian Martinez is "scene-stealer from the stars." Some recent thefts occur in "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," "Focus," and "Casa De Mi Padre." You can also see him in the hit ABC show “Stumptown.” Now he wrote, produced, directed and stars in the brilliant, timely, and deeply impacting new film “iGilbert.”  On this episode, he talks about going “all in” to make that labor of love, how the psychological gesture plays a big part in his craft, the work ethic Philip Seymore Hoffman instilled in him that he still thinks about when the curtain goes up, and he gives us a Sesame Street-like lesson in the importance of the letter ‘R’ in acting: Reveal, Relax, Remember, Rip, and Risk. Plus much more!

On this special episode, I spend a few days with the cast of “A City Of Refuge” as they rehearse this powerful new play by Evan Cuyler-Louison for Primitive Grace Theater Ensemble in New York City. Having had no experience with theatrical rehearsal, I pose lots of questions to Louison (who also directed the production) and his incredible actors, Ylfa Edelstein, Wilton Guzman, Miah Kane, Hailey Marmolejo, Gregg Prosser, and Luke Edward Smith. If, like me, your experience is limited to film production or you just have gaps in your knowledge regarding rehearsal in general, or you're just curious about specific approaches, I think you’ll get a lot out of this fly-on-the-wall-style episode. New York theater legends Paul Calderon and David Zayas are the co-artistic directors of Primitive Grace. Check out their episodes of Back To One from last year, and go to primitivegrace.org for more info.

The incomparable Chris Eigeman is probably best known for the three films he made with Whit Stillman—“Metropolitan” (which was his very first film), “Barcelona,” and “The Last Days of Disco.” The singular style of performance he delivered in those films led to great work with filmmakers and showrunners such as Noah Baumbach, Amy Sherman-Palladino, and John Frankenheimer. Lately he’s been writing and directing his own films. In this episode he talks about the importance of knowing your role in the story, the harmful effects of the disappearing table read, loving those monologues, the freedom of it NOT being game day, and much more. Recently he’s put acting on the back burner to  raise a family, but he talks about getting back in front of the camera soon. Oh and, no, he still won’t play Robert Chambers.

Mary Kay Place’s long career is filled with memorable supporting parts in films like “The Big Chill,” “The Rainmaker,” “Being John Malkovich,” and television shows such as "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," for which she won an Emmy. “Diane” is her first starring role. Kent Jones wrote it with her in mind. In this episode, Place unpacks and let's us examine the DNA of that vulnerable and subtly devastating performance. She talks about the importance of “building a bridge to the unconscious” (and other Jungian approaches) in her work, finding the rhythm in a scene, not being afraid to be “bad,” and much much more.

When I first took notice of Miles Robbins he was a stand-out among stand-outs in the surprisingly satisfying teen comedy “Blockers.” Now he presents another level of his talent in the very thoughtful psychological horror film “Daniel Isn't Real.” In this episode he talks about the intense, emotionally taxing experience he had creating that performance, how not being scared is a key ingredient in his work, and the importance of connecting with the duality within himself and the universe. Plus he generously shares his feelings and frustrations with this "weird" endeavor called acting and all the hoopla that surrounds it.

To say Aaron Taylor-Johnson puts 100% into every role is actually a bit of an understatement. He starts to live as the character months before filming begins. Then, when it's over, it takes him months to "shed the layers" of the character before returning to himself. This might sound like a bunch of hooey, until you actually see the brilliance of the work and the fullness of transformation. He got his big break with “Kick-Ass,”  spent some time in the Marvel universe, played John Lennon in “Nowhere Boy,” then won a Golden Globe for playing a psychopath in “Nocturnal Animals.” Now he stars in “A Million Little Pieces,” a film he and his wife, director Sam Taylor-Johnson, co-wrote together based on the James Frey book. In this episode he talks about his intense inhabiting process, its benefits and some of its ramifications on other aspects of his life, plus much more!

Emily Beecham won the best actress award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her brilliantly nuanced and tightly focused performance in Jessica Hausner's art house science fiction film “Little Joe.” Recently she played The Widow in the AMC series “Into The Badlands,” starred in “Daphne,” and had a memorable supporting role in “Hail Caesar.” In this episode she talks about the importance of connection, avoiding “attractive acting,” Mike Leigh, the strenuousness of intense physical performance, her “Little Joe” hair, and much more!

Stephanie Kurtzuba plays Irene, wife of Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro), in “The Irishman.” It's her second film with Martin Scorsese. She played stockbroker Kimmie Belzer in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” She talks about working with the legendary filmmaker and what sets him apart as an actor's director. She also explains her process of extracting preconceptions made in the audition, and she gushes about her first love--the rehearsal room, but tells us why, despite her heart being on the stage, she wouldn't give up working for the camera if she could. Plus much more!

Tracy Letts has parallel successful careers as an actor and a playwright. He won a Tony Award for his performance in the Steppenwolf revival of “Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf” and a Pulitzer Prize for his play “August: Osage County.” His screen credits include “Lady Bird,” “The Lovers,” and the new movie :”Ford v Ferrari,” in which he plays Henry Ford II. In this episode, he talks about "pretending with authority," making friends with the camera, the "responsibility" of the leading role, and how he's preparing to do something he's never done--act in a play he wrote (The Minutes) on Broadway. Plus he takes us back to a leaner time, and talks about why he stopped chasing empty acting jobs in LA and took "a vow of poverty" to return to Chicago for more satisfying work at Steppenwolf. It paid off. 

“The Warrior Queen of Jhansi” is the first Hollywood action film to have a female Indian lead. Devika Bhise not only stars in the film (opening Friday November 15th), she co-wrote it with her mother, Swati Bhise, who also directed it. In this episode, she talks about performing under stressful time restraints, how not having “the leisure to lose it" actually helped her play such a powerful leader, and the physical work required (including some “illegal" horseplay!), plus how her intense training in classical Indian dance helps her prepare for every role, and much more! 

I’ve wanted to sit down with Dorian Missick for some time. The seasoned actor has six dozen credits in television shows like “Southland,” “Luke Cage,” “Tell Me A Story,” and movies spanning from “Two Weeks Notice” to this year's “Brian Banks.” In this hour, he passes on pearls of wisdom acquired from his many years in the business, like his new radical approach to auditions, why he aims for 100 reads of a script before first day of production, how he and his actor wife Simone Missick support each other’s journeys, and the importance of a "team sport" mentality, plus much more!

He's only 21, but going by the depth of his work and the eloquent way he talks about it, Alex Wolff feels like a seasoned veteran. "I’ve basically been on camera since the sonogram," he says, joking about his childhood in "The Naked Brothers Band” with his brother, Nat, on Nickelodeon. Since then he's knocked out a handful of impressive performances in films like "Patriots Day," "My Friend Dahmer," and "Hereditary." Now he's written, directed and stars in a labor of love called "The Cat and The Moon." He talks about treating his actors like kings and queens on that film, stealing from the greats, letting prep work flow through the bloodstream, and much more.

Australian actor Jason Clarke is a rare breed—the character actor leading man. He gives a virtuoso performance as Grigory Potemkin, opposite Helen Mirren, in the new HBO mini-series “Catherine The Great.” He also stars in “Pet Cemetery,” “Dawn of the Planet of The Apes,” “Terminator Genysis,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” and won accolades for his portrayal of Ted Kennedy in “Chappaquiddick.” In this half hour he talks about his love of research, his dedication to the text, being there for the other actor, and the uselessness of fame. Plus much more!

I didn’t know if Tim Heidecker was going to show up for this interview, or if I was going to get his boorish, abusive, dim alter ego, Tim Heidecker. Luckily Tim Heidecker leaves Tim Heidecker in the “On Cinema” universe. That project he started with Gregg Turkington is comprised of an ongoing series called “On Cinema at the Cinema,” various spin-off series including “The Trial of Tim Heidecker,” special episodes, segments, tweets, songs, and now the feature film “Mister America.” In this half hour I ask Heidecker to lift the hood on his performance style and the evolution of his comedy from the brilliantly absurd “Awesome Show” with Eric Wareheim, to the super subtle realism of “Mister America.”    

The wise and talented Cassidy Freeman plays Amber, wife of Danny McBride's character Jesse, on the hilarious new HBO comedy series “The Righteous Gemstones.” She talks about the wonderful troupe mentality on that show, what acting in 60+ episodes of “Smallville” did to build her craft early in her career, the importance of creativity for the actor, plus much more!