actor
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“…As Long as You’re Telling the Truth”: Jordan Lage, Back To One, Episode 376
Jordan Lage is an award-winning actor, writer, director and founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company, which celebrates its 41st anniversary this year. He studied acting at New York University under the tutelage of playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy and then taught acting and playwriting at the Atlantic Theater Acting School for nearly 30 years. Best known for his work performing the plays of David Mamet’s, he has acted in multiple productions of the author’s works on Broadway, off-Broadway & regionally, including American Buffalo, Glengarry Glen Ross, Speed-The-Plow, and Oleanna, among others. On this episode, he talks about how his […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jan 20, 2026 -
“Everyone Should Be After Greatness”: Kimball Farley, Back To One, Episode 374
Kimball Farley is the future. His breakthrough role in Hippo, the critically acclaimed dark comedy that RogerEbert.com called “an unholy fusion of A Clockwork Orange and Napoleon Dynamite” established him as a talented, chameleon-like actor to watch, then his performance in The Righteous Gemstones, opposite Bradley Cooper, displayed his range. And now 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for him, with upcoming releases from filmmakers like Tim Sutton, Mark H. Rapaport, and Henry Chaisson showcasing more of what he can do. On this episode, he details his “outside-in” approach to character work, and why changing his appearance […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jan 6, 2026 -
“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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Dec 9, 2025 -
“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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Dec 2, 2025 -
“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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Dec 1, 2025 -
“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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Nov 11, 2025 -
“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, […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Nov 4, 2025 -
“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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Oct 30, 2025 -
“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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Oct 21, 2025 -
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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Oct 17, 2025
