Back to One
A podcast about acting -- just the work. by Peter Rinaldi
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“You Are Enough”: Ron Cehpas Jones on Back To One (Expanded Re-Release)
The great actor of the stage and screen, Ron Cephas Jones died on August 19, 2023, at the age of 66. On this episode from 2020, he details the value of a true collaborative relationship with the director, why the script never leaves his side in preproduction, talks about what it was like to slowly build “William” on This Is Us through many seasons of that show, and takes us back to his early days at LAByrinth theater in New York City to explain how Philip Seymour Hoffman forever changed his approach to work, plus much more! This is an expanded version… Read more
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The Adults Special Episode with Michael Cera, Sophia Lillis and Hannah Gross (Back To One, Episode 263)
These interviews were recorded prior to the SAG/AFTRA strike, in June 2023, as part of the Tribeca Festival. On this special episode of Back To One, actors Sophia Lillis, Hannah Gross and Michael Cera talk about their work in writer/director Dustin Guy Defa’s wonderful new film The Adults. We get a glimpse into each of their general preparation processes before doing a deep dive into their work on this actor-centric production. They each talk about how they built the reality of their complex sibling relationship, why the songs and dances that play such a big part in their characters’ past feel… Read more
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“How Many Times Do I Have To Get Lucky To Survive?” Strike: A Special Episode of Back To One
On this special episode, I visit the picket line at each of the four SAG/AFTRA strike sites in New York City, in one continuous, unbroken audio “take.” Actors Michael Gaston, Clarissa Thibeaux, and others talk to me about what’s at stake, and en route to each location I share my own thoughts on the issues at hand, make some predictions, voice concerns, and offer up my total and complete solidarity to the cause, all supported by the loud and never-ending symphony of the New York City streets! Get ready for the strangest, but definitely most sonic-rich, episode of this podcast… Read more
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Back To One, Episode 261: Dierdre Friel
This episode was recorded prior to the SAG/AFTRA strike. Dierdre Friel always finds a way to ground her characters in such a deep reality that you feel like they aren’t written at all, just simply among the living. Two examples of this can be found in “Ella” on New Amsterdam, and “Greta” on Physical, the Apple TV+ hit that enters its third season on August 2nd. On this episode, she details the helpful exercise of laying out the similarities she shares with the character and using Meisner’s “what if” when the differences outweigh them. She talks about her amazing experience training… Read more
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“What I Long For in My Work is Self Revelation”: Chris Messina (Back To One, Episode 260)
Chris Messina is that rare character actor leading man who is the go-to supporting actor in seemingly everything. From The Mindy Project and Newsroom, to She Dies Tomorrow and I Care A Lot, he handles ultra-serious roles (like in Blame, which I loved) or uproarious ones (such as in this year’s hit Air) with what seems like effortlessness, and now he’s starring in the new series Based on a True Story with Kaley Cuoco. In this hour, he generously takes us on an extended tour of his process. He talks about learning to “experience” rather than “act,” why the thought… Read more
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“With the Acting, It’s the One Thing That I Just Don’t Have Time To Prepare For; And I Think It Serves Me Well”: Dave Burd (Back To One, Episode 259)
Dave Burd, known by his stage name Lil Dicky, is a multi-platinum rapper, comedian and actor. For three seasons now, he has been the co-creator, executive producer, writer and star of the critically acclaimed comedy series, Dave. In this hour, he takes us from the beginning, being the laugh machine for his friends, through the discovery of his musical talent and the viral comedy video years, and finding his happy place in pitch meetings, convincing the money people that he could not just make a good TV show, that’s easy, but maybe one of the great shows of all time. He talks about… Read more
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“Part of What We Do as Actors Is Give It Up”: Jon Hamm (Back To One, Episode 258)
Few television show characters are more iconic than Mad Men’s Don Draper. Jon Hamm played him for 7 seasons and just might have changed television forever. Since then Hamm has ventured into film and exercised his funny muscles. Last year’s Confess, Fletch was a wonderful example of what Hamm can do with good material, and so is his latest, Maggie Moore(s), directed by his friend (and Mad Men co-star) John Slattery. In this episode, he talks about how Slattery worked with him to establish the very specific tone of that film, and what he needs from a director in general. He details how his previous television… Read more
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“I’m the Little Boy Believing That There’s a Pony in a Pile of Shit”: Mark Duplass (Back To One, Episode 257)
Mark Duplass is the living patron saint of the indie filmmaker. Honest, simple, modest, positive, affirming about the work, Duplass, first with his brother Jay and now on his own, has become a household name in the film world for producing projects in a DIY style foregrounding authenticity, improvisational humor, and human connection. As an actor, both in his own productions and also series like The Morning Show, he finds a way to keep that homegrown genuineness alive in front of the camera. His latest film, Biosphere, which he co-wrote with director Mel Eslyn, is a true two-hander (with the wonderful Sterling… Read more
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“I Do Not Have an Adult Profession, and So You Need To Maintain Access to Your Childlike Self”: Matthew Maher (Back To One, Episode 256)
In recent movies like Air and Funny Pages, television series like Our Flag Means Death, and plays like Annie Baker’s The Flick, Matthew Maher has made a name for himself as someone who can bring an oddball or weirdo to full life with enough charm, charisma, and genuine gusto to make us love him unconditionally. On this episode, he talks about his acting foundations, the tools formative teachers have given him, and some theories he has developed as a teacher himself. He explains the allure of experimental theater in ’90s New York City, makes a case for embracing contradictions and obstructions in a character and… Read more
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“The Sweat of Desperation Does Not Translate to a Series Regular”: Jeff Hiller (Back To One, Episode 255)
It is extremely hard not to love Jeff Hiller’s character Joel, opposite Bridget Everett’s Sam, on the hit HBO series Somebody Somewhere. Their friendship is sweet, revelatory, and concerningly codependent, all at the same time. On this episode, he talks about how he got good at auditioning while wondering if he’d ever play someone with an inner life, “or a name.” He tells the story of landing “Joel,” the surprising connections he shares with the character, the secret ingredient that makes his chemistry with Everett work so well, and much more. Back To One can be found wherever you get… Read more
