Columns
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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 […]
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Crispin Glover Returns To Do a Deep Dive Into “No! You’re Wrong or Spooky Action at a Distance,” Back To One, Episode 362
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. Back To One can be […]
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“Problem-Solving Is Different as an Actor Than It Is as a Filmmaker” Crispin Glover, Back To One Episode 361
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 […]
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“If You Really Want to Ground Something in Reality, You Have to Somehow Find a Way in Through Your Own Lens”: Catherine LeFrere, Back To One, Episode 360
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 can be found wherever […]
