Columns
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“It’s the Essence That Does the Job”: Cassandra Freeman, Back To One, Episode 370
Cassandra Freeman has made her mark in everything from drama to laugh out loud comedy across film, television, and the stage. She is best known for her feature roles in Spike Lee’s Inside Man and Chris Rock’s I Think I Love My Wife. She has also starred in The Last O.G., NBC’s The Enemy Within, and Marvel’s Luke Cage. And now she just finished her four-season run as Vivian Banks (Aunt Viv) on the hit Peacock show Bel Air. On this episode, she explains how she came to trust her intuition, how research into African traditions of performance shifted her paradigm, the “thievery” of over-direction and how it robs […]
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“It’s Difficult to Separate the Craft from the Career Sometimes”: Feodor Chin, Back To One, Episode 369
Few actors have been able to consistently make a living dipping their toes in as many different mediums and genres as Feodor Chin has—film, television, theater, gaming, animation, audio books—he’s done it all. He just ended his run as “China” in the remarkable and timely play Kyoto at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York City. We use that experience as a jumping off point to explore his approach to this crazy endeavor called acting. He talks about the importance of knowing exactly how your character serves the story, explains how he got into voiceover work, details the one medium he […]
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“You Are the Character — Stop Questioning That”: Michael Chernus, Back To One, Episode 368
From Orange Is The New Black and Severance to Spider-Man:Homecoming and Inez & Doug & Kira, Michael Chernus has been consistently delivering performances that place him as one of the most cherished character actors working today. His latest happens to be the first time he’s staring in a television series—Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy—and it’s bringing him some of the best reviews of his career. On this epic episode, he talks about the freedom he felt in knowing he would never truly know that character, and why it took every tool in his “toolkit” to depict him. He takes […]
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Steel Blue World: DP Dan Laustsen on “Frankenstein”
Though Guillermo del Toro’s 1997 American studio debut Mimic was a notoriously unpleasant experience, the silver lining of that giant cockroach creature feature was the filmmaker crossing paths with Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen. It took 18 years for them to work together again, but they’ve made up for lost time since by teaming on Crimson Peak, The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley—the latter two brining Laustsen Oscar nominations. Their latest collaboration fulfills del Toro’s lifelong ambition to mount a version of Mary Shelley’s Gothic horror masterpiece Frankenstein, with Oscar Isaac as the titular creator and Jacob Elordi as the […]
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“You Learn to Let Yourself Go Completely”: June Squibb, Back To One, Episode 367
June Squibb has only been acting for about seven decades, so forgive her if she hasn’t figured this whole acting thing out yet. Luckily she isn’t stopping or even slowing down. In fact, at 96 years old, she is more busy than ever before. Since her Oscar nomination for a supporting role in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, Squibb has been in high demand. Her first leading role in a film, Thelma, led to another, Eleanor The Great, directed by Scarlett Johansson. And now she’s about to take the stage in the exciting new Broadway production of Marjorie Prime. On this episode, […]
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“It’s Super Interesting When You Are Given an Opportunity as an Actor To Rummage Around in Parts of You That Can Still Surprise You”: Tom Bateman, Back To One, Episode 366
Tom Bateman has delivered wonderful performances in Thirteen Lives, Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express, and Peacock’s dark comedic thriller series Based on a True Story, alongside Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina, to name a few. For his latest, Hedda, he got to work opposite Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss. On this episode, he explains what made that production special, starting with the 2 weeks of rehearsal that director Nia DeCosta insisted on. He takes us through his beginnings in the theater, how Shakespeare is the gift that keeps on giving, gives examples of direction that ignited […]
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“The Way Tommy Writes…It Sounds Like a Life That I’ve Lived:” “I Wish You All The Best” Star Corey Fogelmanis, Back To One, Episode 365
Corey Fogelmanis’s first big break came as the fan-favorite Farkle on the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World. He later appeared alongside Octavia Spencer in the psychological thriller Ma, and in Netflix’s hit series My Life with the Walter Boys. Now his first lead performance as Ben, a teen who comes out as non-binary, in the refreshingly modern coming-of-age movie I Wish You All the Best, has already garnered glowing early reviews. On this episode, he talks about the “very aligned process” of working with director Tommy Dorfman, how music helps him prepare, learning the difference between naturalism and truthfulness, […]
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Considerations: The Regional Festival Road Trip
Filmmaker‘s Awards Season coverage launches for the Fall with the return of Tyler Coates’s Considerations newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday or find it online here every Friday. — Editor I spend the bulk of my time in September and October driving across Los Angeles to watch movies. It’s not something I feel like I can complain about—I love the movies!!!—but it is a lot of work, particularly for someone who lives on the east side of the city. I’ve spent so many hours in the Wilshire Screening Room in Beverly Hills, and thus just […]
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“One Character Fuels the Next One”: Nina Hoss, Back To One, Episode 364
Nina Hoss is one of our most respected stage, film, and television actors working internationally. She is known for her collaborations with director Christian Petzold in films such as Barbara and Phoenix, as well as Tar opposite Cate Blanchett, the celebrated series Homeland, and her latest Hedda, opposite Tessa Thompson. On this episode, she talks about what drew her to Nia DaCosta’s bold new reimagining of the Ibsen’s classic. She gives us a peek into her process, talks about the “journey of filmmaking” she and Petzold embarked on together, environment as communication, how The Cherry Orchard in Brooklyn “landed at […]
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“I Almost Died and I Promised My Loved Ones that I Will Never Act and Direct Again” Cooper Raiff Returns to Discuss Hal and Harper, Back To One, Episode 363
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, five 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 […]
