In these last 10 years, stage and screen veteran Peter Friedman has enjoyed a steady flow of work, more than the first 30 years of his career. Recently, he got raves for his Polonius in Sam Gold’s production of “Hamlet” at the Public Theater, had a recurring role on the Hulu series “The Path,” and now plays Frank Vernon on the hit HBO show “Succession.” On this episode, he talks about how being the “new kid in class” as a day-player on set makes him nervous, why it’s ok to dismiss work that does...
Jun 03, 2020•37 min•Ep. 110
He was an acting legend before “Succession,” but Brian Cox’s brilliant portrayal of Logan Roy on the smash hit HBO series just might put him in the pantheon. He gets deep into the psychology of that iconic character on this episode, and takes us back to his early days of discovering Shakespeare, creating the role of Hannibal Lecter in “Manhunter,” learning the importance of cultivating mystery in a character, freeing himself in the work, and not taking his characters home with him. Plus much mor...
May 26, 2020•46 min•Ep. 109
You might know Hong Chau from “Watchmen,” or maybe “Downsizing,” where her astounding performance opposite Matt Damon was recognized with a Golden Globe nomination. I first took note of her in “Inherent Vice,” where she left an indelible impression as “Jade.” Now she stars in Andrew Ahn’s delicate and touching new film “Driveways,” which is currently in “virtual” theaters. I ask her about her very first play, Annie Baker’s masterpiece “John.” She gives fascinating examples of just how much her b...
May 05, 2020•36 min•Ep. 108
She had never even attempted acting before Eliza Hittman cast her in “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” but Sidney Flanigan’s quietly devastating performance feels like a revelation, something truly miraculous. On this episode she talks about bravely stepping into the role, giving herself over to instinct, and dipping into the well of her own emotional life to power Autumn’s journey. Hers is a heroic story of release and acceptance all actors can find inspiration in.
Apr 23, 2020•24 min•Ep. 107
Talia Ryder gives a remarkable performance opposite Sidney Flanigan in her very first feature film, Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” It’s the kind of subtle, assured, measured work you wouldn’t expect from a teenager. She talks about the benefits of getting vulnerable with Flanigan before shooting, and how being deliriously tired actually came in handy when shooting all night in Port Authority. Plus she explains what’s up with that suitcase, and much more! Later this year you can...
Apr 21, 2020•22 min•Ep. 106
Mega-talented multi-hyphenate Hannah Marks started writing “Banana Split” when she was still a teenager. It was loosely based on her real life. She rewrote it with her writing partner Joey Power as her acting credits piled up in stuff like “The Runaways,” “The Amazing Spider-Man,” and “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.” Then, after she co-directed her first feature (with Power), “After Everything,” she was able to get “Banana Split” made with herself in the staring role, directed by Benja...
Mar 31, 2020•25 min•Ep. 105
Miriam Shor is unrecognizable as Lorraine Ela in the powerful new Netflix film “Lost Girls.” It’s the kind of performance that doesn’t feel performed, that doesn’t get recognized often because it’s invisible. We talk about that phenomenon this half hour, and break down a hilarious moment from the show “Younger,” where Shor played the beloved character Diana Trout. She talks about the importance of feeling like she is in collaboration with a director, and how being cast in a role you don’t think ...
Mar 24, 2020•30 min•Ep. 104
Haley Bennett has given us some great work in films like “The Woman On The Train” and “The Magnificent Seven,” but her performance in Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ “Swallow” is so fully-realized, so ground-shaking, so important, it feels like an artistic re-birth. In this half-hour, she talks about facing the doubts and fears she had with revealing herself in the role of Hunter, the importance of the fruitful and freeing collaboration process with Mirabella-Davis, and how this truly emancipating experi...
Mar 13, 2020•30 min•Ep. 103
He got his big Hollywood break with “Pitch Perfect,” but Skylar Astin had already made it to Broadway in the musical sensation “Spring Awakening.” Lately, it seems he's been in every television show that features people breaking into song -- “Glee,” “My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and now the NBC hit “Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist” where he plays Max, Zoey's best friend who is secretly in love with her. On this episode, he talks about the hard work that goes into making that show, being bribed into hi...
Mar 12, 2020•36 min•Ep. 102
I remember when I first saw Zach Woods. It was in the Armando Iannucci film "In The Loop.” His comedic sensibilities matched so perfectly with what I demanded as a consumer of comedy—bold choices, molded in subtlety, grounded in reality. He has continued to morph and advance his style with unforgettable roles on “The Office,” “Silicon Valley,” and now again for Iannucci on “Avenue 5,” where he plays cheerful nihilist Matt Spencer, Head of Customer Relations. In this episode we have a far-reachin...
Mar 11, 2020•43 min•Ep. 101
It’s time we stop taking the preternaturally gifted British actor Andrea Riseborough for granted. She transforms so completely into her characters (appearance, accent, posture, mannerisms) that it’s easy to just believe she is the character and hard to measure her talents because we don’t know what “default Andrea Riseborough” is like. One thing is crystal clear though—she’s simply one of the best we have. On this, the 100th episode of “Back To One,” she talks about being surprised by the reacti...
Mar 10, 2020•32 min•Ep. 100
The brilliant British actor Lesley Manville has given us two of the truly great cinematic performances of the last decade, Mary in “Another Year” and Cyril in “Phantom Thread” (which landed her an Oscar Nomination). But those are just two in a long list of living, breathing characters she has inhabited with subtlety, nuance and depth, both on the stage and screen. In this episode, she talks about her latest--Joan in “Ordinary Love,” her formative years with Mike Leigh, the necessity of director ...
Mar 03, 2020•27 min•Ep. 99
Zora Howard is a juggernaut. She stars in “Premature” and co-wrote the script with director Rashaad Ernesto Green. Her performance has an assured authenticity and a new brand of quiet desperation that is remarkable for a first feature. She’s been an award-winning creator for years though. Plays, poems, spoken word performances. Her play “Stew” just closed off-broadway to great acclaim. I gush about it and ask where her love of words began, and which of these various paths of creation she’s anxio...
Feb 25, 2020•22 min•Ep. 98
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! Fo...
Feb 18, 2020•39 min•Ep. 97
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 ...
Feb 11, 2020•43 min•Ep. 96
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.
Feb 04, 2020•33 min•Ep. 95
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 ...
Jan 28, 2020•51 min•Ep. 94
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...
Jan 23, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 93
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 ps...
Jan 14, 2020•38 min•Ep. 92
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 produc...
Jan 07, 2020•42 min•Ep. 91
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 th...
Dec 31, 2019•45 min•Ep. 90
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 othe...
Dec 24, 2019•41 min•Ep. 89
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 ...
Dec 17, 2019•45 min•Ep. 88
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 “Nowhe...
Dec 10, 2019•34 min•Ep. 87
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...
Dec 03, 2019•25 min•Ep. 86
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 ...
Nov 26, 2019•31 min•Ep. 85
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...
Nov 19, 2019•50 min•Ep. 84
“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...
Nov 12, 2019•47 min•Ep. 83
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 eac...
Nov 05, 2019•56 min•Ep. 82
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 ...
Oct 29, 2019•28 min•Ep. 81
