When Dominic Burgess is not stealing scenes as a guest star, he’s getting raves as Jerry Summers in “Dr. Death,” Ember in “The Magicians,” and Victor Buono in the Ryan Murphy miniseries “Feud.” On this episode, he talks about why the vibe on a set is a big factor in his work, his struggles lately gauging exactly what “gay” means as a descriptor in heteronormative projects, why he appreciates when actors don’t let their unsettling methods infect others on the set, and how nearly every golden oppo...
Sep 14, 2021•39 min•Ep. 169
John Pollono is a playwright, screenwriter, and actor. You know him from “Mob City” and “This is Us.” He wrote the film “Stronger” and the play “Small Engine Repair," which had successful runs in Los Angeles and New York. The filmed version, which he also stars in and directs, is about to open after Covid delayed its release. It co-stars Jon Bernthal and Shea Whigham. In this episode, he talks in-depth about working with those guys, the changes that needed to be made from stage to screen that se...
Sep 07, 2021•43 min•Ep. 168
Her riveting and revelatory performance in Kazik Radwanski’s “Anne At 13,000 Ft.” is the latest in a run of risky work by the Canadian indie phenom Deragh Campbell. In this hour, she talks about the process of sinking into Anne as the production went on and the great benefits and humorous backfires of immersing with non-professional actors in some scenes. Blending non-fiction into her performances is something she does often, particularly in collaboration with director Sofia Bohdanowicz. She tal...
Aug 31, 2021•52 min•Ep. 167
A Q&A with Dylan and Sean Penn on the opening night of their film "Flag Day" at the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn, moderated by Back To One host Peter Rinaldi. August 20, 2021 Follow Back To One on Instagram
Aug 26, 2021•39 min
When it comes to her characters, Emmy nominee Jurnee Smollett is guided by truth. In this episode, the “Lovecraft Country” star talks about how painting in the tiny details helps her know how to live in a character, and why she doesn’t need to know what her character doesn’t know. She talks about why actors shouldn’t be afraid to speak up when they are not getting what they need, and why she needs to express herself through acting for her very survival. Plus we go off on a pretty cool Al Pacino ...
Aug 24, 2021•28 min•Ep. 166
Actor, rapper, writer, producer, Daveed Diggs loves wearing many hats, often at the same time. “Hamilton” made him a star. He won a Tony for it. Now he’s nominated for an Emmy for his incredible work in the filmed version of the musical. In this episode, he talks about his need to find the character somewhere in his body, and why attending editing sessions for his new show “Blindspotting” on breaks from acting in the television series “Snowpiercer” was the opposite of overwhelming. He paints us ...
Aug 17, 2021•41 min•Ep. 165
After six seasons, Matthew Rhys won an Emmy for his stellar work on “The Americans.” Spielberg’s "The Post,” and “A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood” (opposite Tom Hanks) followed, and now he’s nominated for another Emmy for his incredible work in “Perry Mason” on HBO. In this half hour, he compares the experience of building (and “wrestling”) his two major television characters into life. He talks about the humiliating way he learned the acting lesson that listening is just as important as spe...
Aug 10, 2021•30 min•Ep. 164
“Teeth,” “Somebody Up There Likes Me,” “Chained For Life,” “The Good Wife,” are just a few of the great Jess Weixler’s credits. Ten years ago she co-stared in “The Lie” with Joshua Leonard. They played a couple with a baby and one big problem. He directed. Most of the dialogue came out of improvisation. Now they’ve done it again with “Fully Realized Humans.” They again play a couple. This time the baby is in utero and the laughs are bigger, the situations more absurd yet also more thought-provok...
Aug 03, 2021•30 min•Ep. 163
Phillipa Soo’s first time on Broadway was in the unprecedented phenomenon that is “Hamilton.” She was nominated for a Tony for her portrayal of Eliza, and now she’s nominated for an Emmy for her incredible work in the filmed version. In this episode, she talks about how she managed to not let the superlatives overwhelm her into paralysis during that run, and the surprising way deeper, more playable meanings began to grow out of the text. She details a few specific ways the tools she was given at...
Jul 27, 2021•46 min•Ep. 162
Jon Huertas is the first actor on the podcast to talk extensively about the “BMS Technique” for preparation. He plays Miguel on “This Is Us.” His past credits include “Castle,” “Generation Kill,” and the new film “Initiation.” He tells an amazing story about botching an audition so badly that he felt a formal apology was necessary (of course he landed the role). He talks about the importance of making different choices with every take, his mission, on the other side of the camera, to create cont...
Jul 06, 2021•43 min•Ep. 161
For the past decade, Frank Mosley has been independent cinema’s go-to actor. “Upstream Color,” “Thunder Road,” “Some Beasts,” “Chained For Life,” “Freeland,” “The Ghost Who Walks,” are just a few examples of films that benefit from the authenticity, deep-rooted intensity, and “all-in” approach he brings to every performance. His talents extend to the other side of the camera as well. His uncompromising, visionary shorts and features have played around the world, from Slamdance to the Champs-Elys...
Jun 29, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 160
It makes sense that “Cobra Kai” star William Zabka often uses phrases common to musicians, like “find the rhythm” and “in the pocket,” to help describe his acting process. Not only is he a musician himself, but music plays a fascinating part in his process. The phenomenal surprise success of "Cobra Kai” is due in no small part to the depth and intensity Zabka brings to the role of Johnny, which obviously has deep roots in his career. On this episode he talks about those roots, breaking down the ...
Jun 22, 2021•34 min•Ep. 159
Ben Rosenfield has only been at it for 10 years, but he already has an interesting body of work behind him—“Boardwalk Empire,” “6 Years,” “Greetings From Tim Buckley” (in which he played Buckley), the third season of “Twin Peaks,” and last year’s “Mrs. America,” to name just a few. Not to mention the New York stage productions where he performed opposite Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. Maybe this is why the 28 year old speaks with the wisdom of an acting elder. He talks about the “turning of the s...
Jun 15, 2021•36 min•Ep. 158
We’re catching the super talented Susan Kelechi Watson at an interesting moment. She plays Beth Pearson on the network television phenomenon “This Is Us,” which just finished its fifth season and announced that the sixth will be its last. On this episode, she talks about what makes a performance “leave the screen,” learning the power of minimalism from watching Sade, how sometimes being a little lost “in the wilderness” is an important part of her process, why she started building her post-“This...
Jun 08, 2021•39 min•Ep. 157
Jean Smart is the very definition of versatile. The three-time Emmy winner’s first act highlights include “Designing Women," “Frasier,” “24,” and now a new act in her career, filled with even juicier roles, starting with “Fargo,” “Legion,” and “Watchmen,” has led to current HBO favorites “Mare of Easttown,” with Kate Winslet, and a staring role in “Hacks.” In this half-hour she talks about the importance of hearing the character’s voice, why not being an ingenue may have helped her career, frust...
Jun 01, 2021•28 min•Ep. 156
On a very special DOUBLE EPISODE, Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly sit down for in-depth conversations on their craft and the magic they make together on the new HBO series “The Nevers.” Donnelly talks about an artistic breakthrough that happened in rehearsal for a play that changed her perception of herself as an artist. Skelly talks about coming to the realization, early on, that she was getting “too technical” and what she did to bring back her “sense of discomfort again.” And they both talk abo...
May 25, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 155
Fifteen-time arm wrestling champion and three-time Emmy nominee Dot-Marie Jones inspired viewers with her moving portrayal of Coach Beiste on “Glee,” which was her third time in a Ryan Murphy universe, after “Nip/Tuck” and “Pretty/Handsome.” Last year she played “Little Helen” in “Greener Grass,” and now she’s “Big Sexy” in the hilarious and charming arm wresting comedy “Golden Arm.” On this episode she tells the story of how, as an athlete who knew nothing about acting, an opportunity propelled...
May 18, 2021•31 min•Ep. 154
With remarkable performances in films like “Hacksaw Ridge,” “The Social Network,” “Under The Silver Lake,” and “Silence,” Andrew Garfield has established himself as one of the great actors of his generation. And now a virtuoso performance in Gia Coppola’s new film “Mainstream” solidifies that. On this episode, he talks about two transformative experiences in the theater (“Death of A Salesman” and “Angels In America”) that changed him in deep ways, and what he did on the nights when he felt so em...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 153
I first came in contact with the juggernaut that is Shannon DeVido in her hilarious portrayal of Andrea Mumford on “Difficult People.” Another recurring role on the Netflix series “Insatiable” followed, and now the actor/singer/comedian gets to combine it all in the smile-inducing new movie musical “Best Summer Ever.” On this episode, she talks about the passionate, super-positive, love-filled environment that fueled that ambitious production, and the ways she adjusted to a starring role after y...
May 04, 2021•35 min•Ep. 152
Julian Kostov is a multilingual Bulgarian actor, producer, and advocate for slavic representation. He plays Fedyor on the new hit Netflix fantasy series “Shadow and Bone.” On this episode, he takes us from his depressed student years, when it was folly to even dream of working as an actor, through the difficult period of the growth of his craft, recovering from big auditions, strengthened by personal breakthroughs that fuel the work, all the way through the harnessing of his ability to bring his...
Apr 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 151
Clancy Brown is a living legend of actor’s actors. With nearly 300 credits, from “Highlander" and “The Shawshank Redemption” to “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Promising Young Woman,” he’s morphed and adapted in this business and made it work for him. On this episode, I ask him how his approach to preparation has changed over the years. He talks about the importance of knowing the narrative purpose of your character, why “faster, funnier, louder” are directorial notes that work for him, and how he ...
Apr 13, 2021•40 min•Ep. 150
In this epic episode, we really get to know the talented actor Danny Deferrari, who plays Max in Emma Seligman’s brilliant and hilarious new film "Shiva Baby," and I’m eternally grateful for it. He talks about appreciating the “emotional language” that Seligman speaks and the heavy life situation that was weighing on him during that movie. He takes us through his early training as an actor, his formative and important seasons at the Williamstown Theater Festival, and the trials and tribulations ...
Apr 06, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 149
Billy Magnussen is a Tony nominated actor who you know from “Game Night,” “Into The Woods,” “Ingrid Goes West,” and “Maniac.” On this episode, he talks about the foundational benefits of his early stint on a soap opera, the importance of showing up for your career, his fondness for Cristin Milioti, his co-star on the wonderful new HBO Max series “Made for Love” (with stories of pestering her mercilessly when they both performed on Broadway in theaters next door to each other), and he makes an im...
Mar 30, 2021•32 min•Ep. 148
Lily Rabe is probably best know for inhabiting a half-dozen characters over many seasons on Ryan Murphy’s hugely popular “American Horror Story” series, and recently her supporting performance in “The Undoing” had a lot of people talking, but in New York City, she’s theater royalty. I pinpoint my first encounter with her greatness. It was as Portia in “The Merchant of Venice” for Shakespeare in the Park. The court scene. She details the lengths director Daniel Sullivan went to avoid rehearsing t...
Mar 23, 2021•33 min•Ep. 147
“Westworld” star Leonardo Nam didn’t know that I saw him perform a scene in an acting class in New York City way back when. An inventiveness and creativity were on display there that I still see in his work. In this hour, he tells an amazing story of literally coming to a crossroad in his young life, and how he boldly chose what felt right, and turned toward the pursuit of acting. He talks about the importance of finding the “play” in every role, why the costuming days are his favorite in pre-pr...
Mar 16, 2021•54 min•Ep. 146
You’re about to hear the name Julia Sarah Stone quite a bit. The young Canadian acting phenom is turning Hollywood heads with a focused talent and poise well beyond her years. Her latest movie, the unique sci-fi thriller “Come True,” which has been wowing audiences at festivals, is opening Friday March 12th from IFC Midnight. In this episode, she talks about the “playable” characteristic that helped her performance in that film, the traps actors easily fall into when they lay in the emotion whil...
Mar 09, 2021•32 min•Ep. 145
Since playing Lau in “The Dark Knight,” Chin Han has been on a Hollywood run, acting in blockbuster action movies like “Ghost in a Shell,” “Skyscraper,” and “Captain American: Winter Soldier,” as well as work on a less grand scale for Steven Soderbergh, Gus Van Sant, and the celebrated Netflix series “Marco Polo.” Now he stars in the eagerly anticipated new “Mortal Kombat” movie as the shape-shifting villain Shang Tsung. I asked him how he dealt with the history, fan passion and anticipation for...
Mar 02, 2021•28 min•Ep. 144
She’s probably best known for her Emmy-Nominated performance as FBI secretary Martha Hanson on FX’s critically acclaimed series “The Americans,” and now Alison Wright has breathed life into another complex character in yet another hit series—Ruth Wardle on TNT’s “Snowpiercer.” In this hour, she gives us a peek under the hood of her craft and we get closer to understanding how she’s able to bring such naturalism and depth to all her performances. She talks about her early fascination with “The Me...
Feb 23, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 143
Olivia Cooke had no formal training and claims to have no real process. Is she just a natural? A freak of nature? How else to explain the incredible range and astounding talent of this rising star? I first took note of her work in the black comedy “Thoroughbreds,” and then Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” and the British mini-series “Vanity Fair.” She is on fire now with three new films, “Little Fish,” “Pixie,” and last year’s “Sound of Metal.” I ask her to break down one amazing scene in t...
Feb 16, 2021•23 min•Ep. 142
There are several moments in Delroy Lindo’s performance as Paul in “Da 5 Bloods” where I believe the voiceless (Black solders who never came back from Vietnam?) speak through him. Sure that might be hooey, but the very idea that I believe it says something about his incredible work in Spike Lee’s celebrated Netflix film. On this episode, I ask Lindo to break down the filming of the gripping monologue that is the centerpiece of that performance, and about his initial apprehension and ultimate acc...
Feb 09, 2021•33 min•Ep. 141
