Back To One

The “stay positive and keep it simple” approach Ann Dowd has toward her work is truly inspiring. A go-to character-actor-extraordinaire for 30 years, she has now received wide acclaim (and an Emmy) for her portrayal of the terrifyingly devout Aunt Lydia in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” And her pitch perfect performance in Craig Zobel’s “Compliance” is, in my opinion, a tour de force for the ages. In this half hour, she talks about the nuts and bolts of playing these roles and generously lets us peek “under the hood” at the inner workings of her craft. Inspiration is guaranteed.

Grace Rex has been a series regular on the British sitcom “High and Dry,” a recurring guest star on “The Good Wife,” and had roles in “Master of None”, “Mindhunter" and “Boardwalk Empire,” among many other TV shows and films.  For me, her finespun and hilarious work in Ingrid Jungermann’s “Women Who Kill” solidified her place among the uniquely talented comedic actors to watch. We talk about one special moment in that film, the “bizarre” endeavor of auditioning, and NOT getting into a co-dependent relationship with acting.

We really get to know the brilliant actor Theodore Bouloukos in this hour. He lets us peek in on him as a child fascinated, perhaps to a peculiar degree, with design, typography, and channel logos. And then what led him to performance art with Brock Enright and others, and  the "self training" of student film parts that led to feature roles and works exhibited and staged the world over. We learn the components that now make him a unique talent in the New York film world. I am thrilled and privileged that we get to take a journey inside the gifted mind of this one-of-a-kind performer, and I think you will be as well. 

John Christopher Jones is a veteran “actor’s actor” with many Broadway shows including Simon Gray's “Otherwise Engaged” (directed by Harold Pinter), “Hurlyburly” (directed by Mike Nichols), “The Iceman Cometh” (with Jason Robards), and Shaw’s “Heartbreak House.” He is the subject of a documentary film, “The Endgame Project,” which follows him in his tenth year with Parkinson's as he rehearses and performs Beckett's masterpiece. A “text-lover” through and through, he continues to translate the major plays of Chekov (he received a Lortel Award for his version of “The Cherry Orchard”) and work on his memoir. I’ve often heard the word “craftsman” used in relation to an actor, but not until talking to Mr. Jones did its full meaning sink in. 

There is, perhaps, no actor at the moment more synonymous with New York indie filmmaking than Keith Poulson. His uncanny comedic sensibilities first caught my attention in Bob Byington’s “Somebody Up There Likes Me.” He’s since honed his mastery of the low key “throw away” in dozens of low budget gems and appeared in nearly everything made recently by the prolific Brooklyn filmmakers Alex Ross Perry and Nathan Silver. He got to stretch his wings a bit in Zach Clark’s “Little Sister,” where he played a severely disfigured Iraq War veteran. We talk about the incestuous world of independent film acting in New York City, why he can’t do sit-coms, and the beauty of Ctrl-F. 

Not every ingénue is deserving of the attention Zoey Deutch is about to get. But this 23 year old already has the miraculous and mysterious skill of a veteran actor. Since her brilliantly nuanced performance in “Flower,” I have wanted to find out the secret to her magic. Her natural talent shines equally bright in heart-wrenching dramas such as “Before I Fall” and wild comedies like “The Year of Spectacular Men.” And now she has delivered a rom-com-pantheon-worthy performance opposite Glen Powell in the Netflix film “Set It Up.” We talk about “process and not outcome," being “right for a part and not just liking it,” and the “miracle” (my word) of The Pizza Scene. To say Zoey Deutch is about to be a giant star somehow belittles the power and artistry I believe she possesses. Instead, allow me to introduce her with one word I use sparingly: Maestro.

Glen Powell gives me hope for the future of the movie industry. He crushed the role of legendary astronaut John Glenn in “Hidden Figures,” and donned some 80s duds in Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some,” but he really grabbed my attention in the brand new Netflix rom-com “Set It Up,” where, in my humble opinion, he has crafted a classic, for-all-time, romantic lead performance opposite the incomparable Zoey Deutch. We talk about his process in general and do a deep dive into his work in “Set It Up” in particular. And by the end, I come closer to understanding why this movie works so well. Hint number one: Glen Powell.

Lea Thompson has a lot of wisdom to share. Her work as an actor spans three decades with hit films like the “Back To The Future”  trilogy and “Some Kind of Wonderful” to successful television shows like “Caroline in the City” and “Switched at Birth.” She recently started a second chapter as a director. Her first feature film “The Year of Spectacular Men” (opening Friday June 15th) stars her daughters Madelyn and Zoey Deutch and was written by Madelyn. We talk about how this true family affair was stitched together with nothing but love, and how actors need to be “director-proof” & “writer-proof,” and why, only now, she finally considers herself deserving of a place at the table as an artist.

The brilliant J. Smith-Cameron blew us away in “Margaret” (written and directed by her husband, Kenneth Lonergan) and in the acclaimed series “Rectify.” Currently she’s starring in the new play “Peace For Mary Frances” (with Lois Smith), and the praiseworthy film “Nancy” (written and directed by Christina Choe and co-staring Andrea Riseborough and Steve Buscemi), which opens Friday June 8th. We talk extensively about her work in the latest two pieces and how her desire for rehearsal is sometimes satisfied in a roundabout way on a TV shoot. She also shares what she does right before she steps on the stage and how she feeds her “inner actor” when she’s not working.

Sami Gayle has played Nicky Reagan on the hit CBS drama “Blue Bloods” for eight seasons, performed on Broadway a few times, acted opposite Adrien Brody in her first film, and she’s only 22. She now stars in “Candy Jar,” a fun and smart new Netflix film set in the world of high school debate, which was written by her brother Chad. We talk about the unique way the work deepens when you have played a character over a period of time, and why “quality over quantity” is the approach she’s taking with her career.

I finished Lee Grant's incredible autobiography "I Said Yes To Everything" right before sitting down with her and that was a huge mistake, only because it was frustrating to have such a limited time with the legendary actress after reading her extraordinary story. Consider this episode a tiny drop in the ocean of this astounding life. She was nominated for an Oscar for her first screen role in William Wyler's "Detective Story" and then was blacklisted by HUAC for 12 long, painful years. She rebuilt her career with roles in "Peyton Place," "In The Heat Of The Night," and "Shampoo" (which earned her an Academy Award), then had a second career as a successful director (she was the first woman to win a DGA award). She talks about Lee Strasberg vs. Sanford Meisner, mentions an amazing bit of direction from Mike Nichols, and paints a vivid picture of the incident that ended her stage career. If this episode sends you running out to buy her book, I would be very happy. 

At the moment, Harry Lennix is perhaps best known for his portrayal of FBI agent Harold Cooper on NBC’s “The Blacklist.” The breadth and depth of his work on the stage and screen go well beyond that hit show, however, with film roles spanning from Robert Townsend’s “The Five Heartbeats” and Julie Taymor’s “Titus,” to General Swanwick in both “Man of Steel” and “Batman vs. Superman,” and on Broadway in August Wilson’s final play “Radio Golf," and “Cymbeline” at The Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2014 Lennix created Exponent Media Group and began producing his own content such as “H4,” a fresh interpretation of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” featuring an all black cast filmed onstage and in the streets of South Central LA, and the ambitious “Revival!,” an epic musical re-imagining of the Gospel of John. In this episode, Harry generously shares his vast knowledge of the classic foundations of the acting craft while skillfully placing a few perfect sports metaphors, but if you’re here just to listen to his beautiful voi

In this hour, Sheila Vand gifts us with a glimpse into the inner life of an incredibly talented young actor on the verge of harnessing her art and reaching new heights. She first captured our attention in Ana Lily Amirpour’s noir vampire western A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, and in the small but pivotal role of Sahar, the Iranian housekeeper, in ARGO. Co-starring stints on NBC’s STATE OF AFFAIRS and FOX’s 24 LEGACY followed, and by the end of this episode she’ll make you anxious to see two of her upcoming projects, Jeremiah Zagar’s festival hit WE THE ANIMALS and the TV adaption of SNOWPIERCER. She’ll also make you optimistic for the future of the entertainment business, so long as she is in it.

Joshua Leonard first came onto the scene with the lo-fi sensation The Blair Witch Project, then went on to receive rave reviews for his performance in Lynn Shelton's Independent Spirit Award-winning Humpday. His narrative feature debut as director, The Lie, premiered at Sundance in 2011 and he just wrapped production on his sophomore feature Behold My Heart which stars Marisa Tomei. Currently he co-stars in Steven Soderbergh's thriller Unsane, which was famously shot on an iPhone. Leonard talks about how freeing that was and how he’s dismayed, now that he’s a dad, at all the bad guy parts he’s being offered.

Emily Mortimer is perhaps best known for her role as MacKenzie McHale in Aaron Sorkin’s beloved HBO series “The Newsroom.” Some of her other memorable performances are in Woody Allen’s “March Point,” Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” and “Hugo” and as Phoebe, Jack Donaghy’s love interest, on the NBC series “30 Rock.” In this hour she talks extensively about one particular, powerful scene in her breakout film, Nicole Holofcener’s “Lovely & Amazing” (which earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress), and about what it was like to play a character named “Emily Mortimer” in her HBO series “Doll & Em.” Plus, of course, we talk SORKIN. And before you run to see Ms. Mortimer in the eagerly anticipated “Mary Popins Returns” at the end of the year, be sure to catch her in the charming Isabelle Coixet film “The Bookshop,” opposite Bill Nighy and Patricia Clarkson, this Summer.

We could not have a more perfect guest for the first episode of a podcast about “the work” of acting if we build one. The TV guest star extraordinaire, the go-to indie comedy player of our time, the actor's actor--Kevin Corrigan seems to be in everything. From nearly 30 years of experience in front of the camera in indies like Buffalo 66 and Results, studio films like Goodfellas and The Departed and television shows such as Grounded for Life, Community, and The Get Down, he has developed a poignant and often hilarious wisdom about this craft he loves. And in this hour he generously shares it with us. Presented by Filmmaker Magazine, a publication of IFP, the Independent Filmmaker Project Producer and Host: Peter Rinaldi Executive Producer:  Scott Macaulay