Hadi Tabbal

The incredible Lebanese actor Hadi Tabbal just finished the monumental Broadway run of Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “English.” He originated the role of Omid, and performed in various iterations of this powerful and transformative play over the last few years. On this episode, he talks about the fascinatingly unique aspect of “English” that is unlike any other play he’s performed, and what he means when he says it is “alive” every night and “very delicate,” and he has to “take care” not to “derail” it. He explains the difference between “discovery” and “deciding,” talks about the “saddest” part of acting, describes his pre-show ritual, how it all comes down to “learning people,” 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

Jonathan Majors is an actor. His latest film is "Magazine Dreams." He sat down with Peter Rinaldi to talk about the work.  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    

Ariella Mastroianni is an actor from New Jersey by way of Ontario, Canada. With director Ryan J. Sloan, she co-wrote and co-produced "Gazer," which she also stars in. The film, which the duo shot on weekends over the course of two years, brings the paranoid thriller genre into wildly original new territory. On this episode, Mastroianni tells the story of deciding to shoot on film, using their own money, with no formal support, no connections, just a deep desire to make the film they were both dying to see. She talks about the tools her acting teachers (like Brad Fleischer and Kyle Donnelly) provided that still serve her, how “mapping” her character’s physical journey grounded her on the set, the trick she used to stop worrying and love her marks, the “desperate love” it took to see this film through, and much more. "Gazer" open in New York on April 4th and LA on April 11th. 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  

An actor’s actor of the first order, Vincent D’Ononfrio has been delivering “all in” performances, usually in supporting roles, for  nearly four decades—“Full Metal Jacket,” “Men In Black,” “Household Saints,” “Steal This Movie!,” “The Cell,” “The Magnificent Seven,” to name just a few, not to mention 10 audience-loving seasons of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” He’s getting more accolades for his latest performance as Wilson Fisk in “Daredevil: Born Again.” On this episode he talks about the “emotional event” that he has to summon to bring about Fisk’s voice in that series and its predecessor. He takes us all the way back to his introduction to Stanislavsky through Sonia Moore and Method work through Sharon Chatten, talks about renting camera equipment to make an early self-tape to send to Stanley Kubrick, explains why script analysis is the best way to serve the story, how “Law & Order” made him a better actor, the fundamental importance of failure, 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

The celebrated period drama "Belle" marked the arrival of Gugu Mbatha-Raw and since then she hasn’t stopped impressing audiences in films like “Motherless Brooklyn," “Misbehaviour” and series like “Doctor Who,” “Black Mirror” (San Junipero episode), “Loki," “The Morning Show,” and “Surface,” which is now releasing episodes from its second season. On that Apple TV+ series, Gugu plays Sophie, a woman who has lost her recent memories and must piece them together. She talks about the “liberating” feeling she got playing someone with a missing back story and how it forced her to be present. She explains how she utilizes her sense of smell in her preparation process, how she learned to claim her space on set and not be “crushed by the technicalities,” how taking on the leadership role of EP expanded all aspects of her work, 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

Caveh Zahedi is one of the most influential independent filmmakers of our time. Jay Duplass, Lena Dunham, Richard Linklater, Greta Gerwig, are all big fans of his 30+ years worth of ultra-autobiographical work (five features, “I am A Sex Addict” perhaps being the most popular). His magnum opus, “The Show About The Show,” started out as a “self-reflexive TV show about its own making” for BRIC TV and has continued despite lawsuits, loss of distribution, re-castings, and many more obstacles, thanks to Zahedi’s dogged determination to simply tell the story, mostly through re-enactments using the actual people in his orbit playing themselves, of what happened in his life. He gets a small, but passionate amount of support from his loyal fanbase who want him to see this now decade long journey come to an end in the final season, which is about to be released. Zahedi has done a lot of interviews about his filmmaking, but rarely any, like this one, that focuses on his work as an actor for other filmmakers and in front of his own camera, where he plays a version of himself. He talks about the tonal fine line he has to walk when addressing the camera, nudity (his and others’), actors who work well with his directorial approach (like Emmy Harrington and Jim Fletcher), the rigors of auditioning to play a pedophile rabbi, striving for “non-acting,” and much more. Creative Nonfiction Film Weekend is bringing Zahedi's work (and the man himself) on a UK tour in March 2025. Check here for more info 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

Lucy Boynton is known for delivering exceptional performances in films like “Sing Street,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Chevalier,” and “The Greatest Hits.” Her latest is the BritBox’s limited series “A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story,” about a woman convicted of killing her abusive lover who then became the last woman to be hanged in the UK. On this episode, she talks about why the challenge she faced portraying Ellis “wasn’t an actor issue,” but more about facing the traumas women are still dealing with decades later. She ponders how acting as a child served her into adulthood, explains why over-direction is never a problem for her, why “turning the dials” on micro-facial acting excites her, makes a plea for more women screenwriters, 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

Griffin Dunne has balanced acting, directing, and producing for over 40 years in this business. “Chilly Scenes of Winter,” “An American Werewolf in London,” “After Hours,” “Practical Magic,” “This is Us,” to name just a small handful of his credits. For his latest, “Ex-Husbands,” he delivers a performance revelatory in its ease, miraculously blending lightness and dread. It’s so much fun, and even inspirational, to simply watch him walk around as this character, carrying this load. Hopefully, this is the start of a new chapter: Dunne as the contemplative man of a certain age who has seen it all. On this episode, he shares his favorite piece of direction, talks about how producing affected his acting work, tells the story of discovering he’s a Chekhovian actor, explains why it all comes down to listening and being in the moment, 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

In movies like “Million Dollar Baby,” "August: Osage County,” “Blow The Man Down,” and series like "The Americans,” “Justified,” and “Sneaky Pete,” “esteemed character actress Margo Martindale” loves to play people much different from herself. And she’s been so good at it for so long that she only started to get truly recognized for her work in her 60s. Three Emmys later, she’s able to pick and choose what she wants to do. Her latest, the Amazon series “The Sticky,” finds her number one on the call sheet and having a blast playing the bombastic maple syrup farmer Ruth Landry. On this episode she explains why the first step in her preparation process is knowing where a character was born and raised. She talks about feeling most free when she’s able to “play” like she did in her backyard, what makes Alexander Payne and Robert Benton great directors, why it took some time for her to settle in to sit-com acting, 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

Brad Fleischer is an actor, teacher, coach, filmmaker, producer, and founding partner of GhostLight Media. He originated the role of Doug in “Gruesome Playground Injuries” alongside Selma Blair. On Broadway, he starred opposite Robin Williams in “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” opposite Tony Schaloub in “Golden Boy,” and played the title character in the Olivier award winning “Coram Boy.” On the screen, Brad has worked with Robert De Niro in “The Good Shepherd,” Scott Frank and Liam Neeson in “Walk Among the Tombstones”, Greg Nicotero on “The Walking Dead”, among many others. For 17 years and counting, he continues to run his own professional acting class in New York and Los Angeles, strictly through word of mouth. On this episode, he tells the story of how he came to a level of dedication similar to what athletics required, which he now passes on to his students. He talks about the difference between the visceral and the intellectual; the importance of finding and working with good actors that you can learn from; why it all comes down to focus, specificity, and commitment. Plus much more!