Cooper Raiff Returns

Cooper Raiff returns to the podcast (first time was Ep. 128) to discuss his latest project, the eight-episode, independently-made, decades-spanning series “Hal & Harper.” He picks up right where we left off in the first interview, 5 years ago, taking us through the process of getting “Cha Cha Real Smooth” made, and how that green light helped him avoid compromising “Hal & Harper.” He explains why no matter what success you’ve had (like winning top prizes at the biggest festivals for his previous two films) the industry makes you start over and prove each new project’s worth. He talks about how the grueling shooting schedule took a toll on his health, what makes Lili Reinhard the perfect Harper, how ignoring good advice paid off, and much more. “Hal & Harper” is streaming now on Mubi. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram

This is the second part of my interview with Crispin Glover where we dive deep into his latest film “No! You’re Wrong or Spooky Action At A Distance,” which he spent the better part of the last 18 years making, completely independently. He touches on many of the technical aspects of the film, such as shooting ratio, color correction, music scores, film vs. digital, why he’s bad at sound mixing, what “spooky action at a distance” actually means, and much much more. Go to CrispinGlover.com to find out where you can catch him on tour.  

Crispin Glover is best known for playing George McFly in “Back To The Future,” but for the past three decades he’s been very thoughtful, patient, and selective about his acting roles and even more thoughtful and patient as a true independent filmmaker, self-financing and self-distributing three films — “What is it?”, “It is Fine! Everything is Fine,” and his latest, “No! You’re Wrong Or: Spooky Action at a Distance.” On this episode, which is the first part of a two-part conversation, he talks about a characteristic in certain directors that usually spells trouble for him as an actor, the importance of surrealism in his work, why he became obsessed with “The Hero’s Journey” and structure in general, his latest role in Tallulah H. Schwab’s film “Mr. K,” and much more. Glover is at IFC Center in New York City through October 14th at both “Mr. K”. and “No! You’re Wrong” screenings, the latter will also include his “Big Slide Show” and book signings. Sign up at CrispinGlover.com for info on his upcoming tour. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram

Catherine LeFrere plays Isabella Blow in the inventive off-Broadway production “House of McQueen" at The Mansion At Hudson Yards in New York City. The play depicts the life of the brilliant fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who was discovered by Blow. On this episode, LeFrere takes us on a deep dive into the creation of her version of Isabella. She talks about starting with the voice, why she doesn’t want to be off-book in first rehearsals, the importance of playing off the audience, and much more. “House of McQueen” has been extending into November. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram

Josh Pais returns to the podcast (first time was Ep. 77). Aside from being one of the most respected actors in the game, with over 150 credits in film and TV, Pais is the founder of “Committed Impulse,” a groundbreaking training born from his own acting process that has since become a “secret weapon” for thousands of top entrepreneurs, artists, doctors, lawyers, public speakers, and creators of all kinds. His work helps people break free from the tyranny of overthinking and drop into a state of embodied, spontaneous brilliance. And now—he has written a book! In “Lose Your Mind: The Path to Creative Invincibility,” he shows us how to stop letting fear and anxiety run the show, and start trusting the moment. On this episode, he takes us on a deep dive into many of the most helpful aspects of the book—the 4-step system to activate “peak presence,” the hidden advantage of nervousness, the importance of “breathing to feel,” and much more—giving everyone (but especially actors)  the tools to step out of the limiting paradigm of the mind and embrace a level of aliveness and spontaneity that we didn’t know was possible. “Lose Your Mind” is available on September 30th. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram    

Watching Ruby Cruz’s remarkable and seemingly effortless performance in her latest film, “The Threesome,” I got a hunch that she was engaging with the work on some kind of intuitive level where connection was paramount. I also sensed that this might not be easy to talk about. In one sense I was right, the gifted young actor, who’s credits include “Bottoms,” “Willow,” “Mare of Easttown” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” approaches the work in an elusive way, but, lucky for us, she still manages to speak about the intangible and slippery aspects with an eloquence that is inspiring. She talks about always knowing she wanted to act, how she turns insecurity into fuel, the joys of working with Zoey Deutch, why she likes to treat auditioning as “an opportunity to make something,” how it all comes down to acceptance, plus much more! Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram  

Tim Blake Nelson is a celebrated actor, writer, and director. His nearly 100 screen credits include “The Thin Red Line,” “Lincoln,” “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” “Watchmen,” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” For his latest, the independent film “Bang Bang,” he plays an aging boxer whose glory days are long past. On this episode, he details how his process has changed by comparing the patience he has now to his approach for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” where “fear inspired hubris” fueled him. He explains why it’s the actor’s job to retranslate poor direction, how his thirst for knowledge benefits his work, why he shows up on day one knowing the entire script inside and out. Plus he tells a few interesting stories about the Coen Brothers, hilarious ones about Terrence Malick, inspiring ones about directing Amanda Seyfried, and much much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram

John Carroll Lynch has delivered so many performances, on so many sets, for both the big and small screen, that it is almost ridiculous. Just a few highlights of his hundreds of credits include: “The Drew Carey Show,” “Fargo,” “Zodiac,” “Big Sky,” “American Horror Story,” “The Trial of The Chicago 7”, and his latest, “Sorry Baby”. On this episode, he gives us a deep dive into his approach to the work, and how it has evolved over the years. He explains the benefits of highlighting the text based on lexical categories, how directing his first feature “Lucky” (with Harry Dean Stanton) changed his approach to acting, why he no longer believes his first impressions of a character holds as much significance, the importance of incorporating (and not erasing) everything and everyone on set into the process, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram

You know the multitalented Sunita Mani from “Glow,” “Spirited,” “Mr. Robot,” or “Save Yourselves!” And now, just this year, she has roles in so many projects (like “The Wild,” “Death of a Unicorn,” “A Nice Indian Boy,” “Government Cheese,” “His and Hers,” “The Roses”) that one wonders how she has to time to do it all. On this episode, she takes us back to where it all started, improv comedy, and explains how being willing to fall down and get back up has served her work. She details the “emptying out” process that she needs to do before a new role, the benefits and drawbacks of learning on sets rather than in a classroom, the lack of regret in turning things down, why new underwear is so important for her latest role, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram

Mary Neely first came to the world’s attention during the pandemic with her viral videos, earning praise from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as being named "Best Theater of 2020" by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Since then, she has been delivering  great work on both sides of the camera, such as the tv pilot “Stars Diner” which premiered at SXSW this year, “Valley Girl,” “Lyle Lyle Crocodile,” and Netflix's “Happiness For Beginners.” Now, she and Kareem Rahma (“Subway Takes”) co-wrote and co-star in the true New York low budget indie film “Or Something.” On this episode she tells the story of meeting Kareem, how that film came together, and the “endurance test” of shooting a feature in 6 days. She talks about growing up an “acting nerd,” what she learned from performing different jobs on a set, the difficulty in accepting herself as more than an actor, why it all starts (and ends) with memorizing the text, and much more. "Or Something" opens in New York on August 22nd and in LA in September Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from  Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft.  Follow Back To One on Instagram