actor
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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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Oct 9, 2025 -
“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 […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Sep 30, 2025 -
“Acceptance Is What It’s About”: Ruby Cruz, Back To One, Episode 358
Watching Ruby Cruz’s remarkable and seemingly effortless performance in her latest film, The Threesome, I got a hunch that she was engaging with the work on some kind of intuitive level where connection was paramount. I also sensed that this might not be easy to talk about. In one sense I was right, the gifted young actor, who’s credits include Bottoms, Willow, Mare of Easttown and The Sex Lives of College Girls, approaches the work in an elusive way, but, lucky for us, she still manages to speak about the intangible and slippery aspects with an eloquence that is inspiring. […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Sep 16, 2025 -
“The More I Ingest the More Latitude I Have in What I Put Out Creatively”: Tim Blake Nelson, Back To One, Episode 357
Tim Blake Nelson is a celebrated actor, writer, and director. His nearly 100 screen credits include The Thin Red Line, Lincoln, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Watchmen, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? For his latest, the independent film Bang Bang, he plays an aging boxer whose glory days are long past. On this episode, he details how his process has changed by comparing the patience he has now to his approach for O Brother, Where Art Thou? where “fear inspired hubris” fueled him. He explains why it’s the actor’s job to retranslate poor direction, how his thirst for knowledge […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Sep 9, 2025 -
“The Entire Process is About Discovery and Surprise and Not About a Theory or a Thesis”: John Carroll Lynch, Back To One, Episode 356
John Carroll Lynch has delivered so many performances, on so many sets, for both the big and small screen, that it is almost ridiculous. Just a few highlights of his hundreds of credits include: The Drew Carey Show, Fargo, Zodiac, Big Sky, American Horror Story, The Trial of The Chicago 7, and his latest, Sorry Baby. On this episode, he gives us a deep dive into his approach to the work, and how it has evolved over the years. He explains the benefits of highlighting the text based on lexical categories, how directing his first feature Lucky (with Harry Dean […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Aug 26, 2025 -
“It Was Just that Kind of Movie…We’re Just Going to Figure Out How To Do It No Matter What”: Or Something star Mary Neely, Back To One, Episode 354
Mary Neely first came to the world’s attention during the pandemic with her viral videos, earning praise from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as being named “Best Theater of 2020” by The New York Times and The Washington Post. Since then, she has been delivering great work on both sides of the camera, such as the TV pilot Stars Diner which premiered at SXSW this year, Valley Girl, Lyle Lyle Crocodile and Netflix’s Happiness For Beginners. Now, she and Kareem Rahma (“Subway Takes”) co-wrote and co-star in the true New York low-budget indie film Or Something. On […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Aug 13, 2025 -
“It Was Some Kind of a Dance That We Had Together That Was a Lot of Fun”To Kill A Wolf Star Ivan Martin, Back To One, Episode 353
You can see Ivan Martin’s work in Billions, The Sopranos, Suits, Ozark, Gaslit, What We Do In The Shadows, and much more. Currently, he stars in the exceptional indie film To Kill A Wolf, writer/director Kelsey Taylor’s modern take on Little Red Riding Hood. On this episode, he talks about the circumstances that brought that role his way, the connection he has with the character that made him feel like he could bring him to life, and the environment on set that made it all possible. He explains the roundabout way he got interested in acting when he was young, […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Aug 5, 2025 -
“We Gave Space for Each Other to Breathe”: Unicorns Star Jason Patel, Back To One, Episode 351
Jason Patel is an emerging actor and artist. He plays the lead role of “Aysha” in Unicorns, opposite Ben Hardy. It’s his feature film debut. The film is co-directed by Sally El-Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd, who also wrote the screenplay. Unicorns also features Patel’s music, a true fusion of both art forms. On this episode, he talks about how he approaches everything in life with creativity and love, and why his life goal is to make people happy even when he’s not there. He describes the giant role music plays in his preparation, the importance of staying in the […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jul 22, 2025 -
“If Every Art is Sacred, That Means the Act of Making Art is Itself a Sacred Thing”: David Malinsky, Back To One, Episode 350
For the 350th episode of Back To One, I sat down with an actor who brings me great joy when he’s on the screen, the one and only David Malinsky. He wrote the blurb himself for this episode. It follows: Peter has only met David three times in person before. His filmography includes Onur Tukel’s Abbey Singer/Songwriter, Black Magic for White Boys, Poundcake, Theodore Collatos’ Tormenting the Hen, MG Cinecraft’s A Moderate Folly and more. Dave has also done standup comedy, cabaret singing, and YouTube Video Essays. But Dave thinks it’s vital to situate acting within art and human history, […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jul 15, 2025 -
“It was Physicalizing the Words That Became the Goal”: Erik Jensen, Back To One, Episode 349
Erik Jensen is a multipyphenate who, along with his wife and creative partner Jessica Blank have been called “the foremost practitioners of documentary theater in the U.S.” Their genre-defining plays The Exonerated, Aftermath, Coal Country, and The Line were all critically acclaimed. As an actor, Jensen’s credits include The Walking Dead, Mindhunter, Mr. Robot, The Americans, not to mention his praised portrayal of legendary NY Yankee Thurman Munson in The Bronx is Burning. On this episode he details his approach toward playing that beloved figure, and finding out that “almost the entire body of that character was an emotional word-gesture.” […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jul 8, 2025
