Back to One
A podcast about acting -- just the work. by Peter Rinaldi
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Back to One, Episode 199: Wunmi Mosaku
Wunmi Mosaku won a BAFTA award for Damilola, Our Loved Boy. She was only the second Black actress to win one in 62 years. You might know her from her incredible work as Ruby in Lovecraft Country, Rial in His House, or B-15 in the Marvel series Loki. Her latest is We Own This City, from the makers of The Wire, which premiered Monday on HBO Max. On this episode, she talks about her early days of learning the ropes of screen acting, how rehearsal makes a big difference in her process, why connecting to people is so important to… Read more
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Back to One, Episode 198: Fiona Glascott
In the new HBO Max series Julia, talented Irish actor Fiona Glascott plays Judith Jones, the real life editor who pulled Julia Child’s book Mastering the Art of French Cooking from the reject pile and turned it into a bestseller. In this episode, Glascott talks about the joy of inhabiting that trailblazer and playing opposite the great Judith Light in a pivotal scene. She also details the unique preparation process she employs when she takes on the young Professor McGonagall in the Fantastic Beasts films, shares an inspiring reason why she doesn’t obsess over landing some ideal role, and much… Read more
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Back to One, Episode 197: Eddie Marsan
Eddie Marsan first came to my attention with his now legendary performance in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky. He has so many layers at play under Scott’s anger, gives so much depth to that character; It is a wonder to behold. He kept doing it in films like Tyrannosaur, Still Life, Sherlock Holmes, as Terry in the Showtime series Ray Donovan, and now in his newest film, The Contractor, opposite Chris Pine. In this half hour, Marsan talks about the formative influence of Leigh on his work and the meaning of the command “dig a hole and sit in it.” He shares… Read more
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Back to One, Episode 196: Dominique Fishback
Dominique Fishback talks about the characters she plays as if they inhabit her rather than the other way around. This begins to explain the immense, yet subtle, and always authentic power on display in performances such as Darlene in The Deuce, Kenya in The Hate You Give, and Deborah Johnson in Judas and the Black Messiah. Now she stars with Samuel L. Jackson in the Apple+ series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey. She talks about the interesting way her character, Robyn, disrupted her usual psychological preparation process; where she gets the courage to fiercely advocate for her characters; repairing… Read more
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Back To One Episode 195: Kelly AuCoin
You know him as Pastor Tim on The Americans, or “Dollar” Bill Stearn on Billions, or maybe Kelly AuCoin has wowed you as a regular on the New York stage for many years. In this episode he lifts the hood and lets us peek in on what keeps his acting engine running, or (because he prefers sports metaphors) what keeps him in the game. He talks about how his wife made him realize he actually does have a preparation process, the differences between his hours leading up to “action” as apposed to “curtain up,” the importance of the often overlooked… Read more
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Back to One, Episode 194: Ani Mesa and Alessandra Mesa
Alessandra Mesa and Ani Mesa are the stars of Erin Vassilopoulos’ debut feature Superior, a fascinating, fun, and suspenseful genre-blending exploration of identity. The three collaborated on a short of the same name six years earlier, and the feature functions almost like a sequel. In this episode they talk about the benefits of having the “real memories” of the short as a kind of backstory to use in the feature, how they made the anxiety of shooting on film work to their advantage, the interesting way Ani helped Alessandra (who co-wrote the script) take off the writer’s hat and put… Read more
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Back to One, Episode 193: Adrian Holmes
He played Captain Pike on Arrow, Basqat on Smallville, and Nick Barron on the acclaimed Canadian drama 19-2, and now Adrian Holmes has stepped into the biggest role of his career—Uncle Phil on Bel-Air, Peacock’s dramatic reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In this half hour, Holmes talks about the process of finding his own version of that iconic character, the theatrical trick he plays on himself in auditions that keeps him dropped in, why telling positive black stories is so important, and much more. Back To One can be found wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts,… Read more
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Back to One, Episode 192: Franz Rogowski
In films such as Transit, In The Aisles, and Undine, German actor Franz Rogowski has quickly established himself as one of the most respected and sought after actors in international cinema. But now, with his transformative and revelatory performance in Great Freedom, it is hard to even find words to properly describe his astounding work, except maybe outer-worldly. On this episode we get a detailed glimpse into his unique preparation process, which involves using drawings and word graphics to move motivations and dialogue onto another plane of accessibility. He talks about “the exchange” that needs to take place for a… Read more
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Back to One, Episode 191: Emory Cohen
Emory Cohen’s past credits include Brooklyn, The Place Beyond The Pines, Lords of Chaos, and the short-lived but much-loved series The OA. Now he stars as Samuel in Brian Petsos’ wildly unique comedy Big Gold Brick and delivers a performance so full of mania, big humor and bold choices it will have you continuously rapt. On this episode, he talks about the aspects of his process that he relies on with every role, the walk down “the gallery” of past great performances, sometimes “silly” animal work, focused rehearsal with a coach, and he explains why he actually enjoys the restrictions… Read more
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Back to One, Episode 190: Chukwudi Iwuji
Chukwudi Iwuji has been celebrated for his stage work (particularly Shakespeare) on both sides of the pond. He got raves for his Henvy VI at RSC, Othello and Hamlet at The Public, to names just a few. The raves continued for his performances in The Low Road (Obie win) and Ivo van Hove’s Hedda Gabler. He has only recently been transitioning, in a concerted way, to film work. James Gunn rewrote Clemson Murn in Peacemaker after seeing Iwuji’s audition, then put him in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and called him one of the greatest actors who has graced his… Read more
