Back to One
-
Back to One, Episode 166: Jurnee Smollett
When it comes to her characters, Emmy nominee Jurnee Smollett is guided by truth. In this episode, the Lovecraft Country star talks about how painting in the tiny details helps her know how to live in a character, and why she doesn’t need to know what her character doesn’t know. She talks about why actors shouldn’t be afraid to speak up when they are not getting what they need, and why she needs to express herself through acting for her very survival. Plus we go off on a pretty cool Al Pacino tangent, and much more! Back To One can […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Aug 24, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 164: Matthew Rhys
After six seasons, Matthew Rhys won an Emmy for his stellar work on The Americans. Spielberg’s The Post, and A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood (opposite Tom Hanks) followed, and now he’s nominated for another Emmy for his incredible work in Perry Mason on HBO. In this half hour, he compares the experience of building (and “wrestling”) his two major television characters into life. He talks about the humiliating way he learned the acting lesson that listening is just as important as speaking. He shares a few tools he uses when he can’t get in the groove, explains why he’s […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Aug 10, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 163: Jess Weixler
Teeth, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Chained For Life, The Good Wife, are just a few of the great Jess Weixler’s credits. Ten years ago she co-stared in The Lie with Joshua Leonard. They played a couple with a baby and one big problem. He directed. Most of the dialogue came out of improvisation. Now they’ve done it again with Fully Realized Humans. They again play a couple. This time the baby is in utero and the laughs are bigger, the situations more absurd yet also more thought-provoking. Weixler is credited as co-writer. In this episode she details the improv […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Aug 3, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 162: Phillipa Soo
Phillipa Soo’s first time on Broadway was in the unprecedented phenomenon that is Hamilton. She was nominated for a Tony for her portrayal of Eliza, and now she’s nominated for an Emmy for her incredible work in the filmed version. In this episode, she talks about how she managed to not let the superlatives overwhelm her into paralysis during that run, and the surprising way deeper, more playable meanings began to grow out of the text. She details a few specific ways the tools she was given at Juilliard came in handy, particularly in her first New York stage production, […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jul 27, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 160: Frank Mosley
For the past decade, Frank Mosley has been independent cinema’s go-to actor. Upstream Color, Thunder Road, Some Beasts, Chained For Life, Freeland, The Ghost Who Walks are just a few examples of films that benefit from the authenticity, deep-rooted intensity, and “all-in” approach he brings to every performance. His talents extend to the other side of the camera as well. His uncompromising, visionary shorts and features have played around the world, from Slamdance to the Champs-Elysées. In this hour, he informs, inspires, and reflects on this wonderful and insane creative endeavor that he can’t stay away from without getting withdrawal […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jun 29, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 159: William Zabka
It makes sense that Cobra Kai star William Zabka often uses phrases common to musicians, like “find the rhythm” and “in the pocket,” to help describe his acting process. Not only is he a musician himself, but music plays a fascinating part in his process. The phenomenal surprise success of Cobra Kai is due in no small part to the depth and intensity Zabka brings to the role of Johnny, which obviously has deep roots in his career. On this episode he talks about those roots, breaking down the text until it “falls into his belly,” the “rivers” that run […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jun 22, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 158: Ben Rosenfield
Ben Rosenfield has only been at it for 10 years, but he already has an interesting body of work behind him—Boardwalk Empire, 6 Years, Greetings From Tim Buckley (in which he played Buckley), the third season of Twin Peaks, and last year’s Mrs. America, to name just a few. Not to mention the New York stage productions where he performed opposite Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. Maybe this is why the 28 year old speaks with the wisdom of an acting elder. He talks about the “turning of the soil” that has to happen with the text before he builds […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jun 15, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 156: Jean Smart
Jean Smart is the very definition of versatile. The three-time Emmy winner’s first act highlights include Designing Women, Frasier, 24, and now a new act in her career, filled even juicier roles, starting with Fargo, Legion, and Watchmen, has led to current HBO favorites Mare of Easttown, with Kate Winslet, and a starring role in Hacks. In this half-hour she talks about the importance of hearing the character’s voice, why not being an ingenue may have helped her career, frustrating ways the industry has changed for actors, her love for her current co-stars, why studio audiences throw her off her […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jun 1, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 155: Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly from The Nevers
On a very special double episode, Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly sit down for in-depth conversations on their craft and the magic they make together on the new HBO series The Nevers. Donnelly talks about an artistic breakthrough that happened in rehearsal for a play that changed her perception of herself as an artist. Skelly talks about coming to the realization, early on, that she was getting “too technical” and what she did to bring back her “sense of discomfort again.” And they both describe the fascinating ways their approach to the work complement each other, and how their mutual […]
by Peter Rinaldi on May 25, 2021 -
Back to One, Episode 154: Dot-Marie Jones
Fifteen-time arm wrestling champion and three-time Emmy nominee Dot-Marie Jones inspired viewers with her moving portrayal of Coach Beiste on Glee, which was her third time in a Ryan Murphy universe, after Nip/Tuck and Pretty/Handsome. Last year she played “Little Helen” in Greener Grass, and now she’s “Big Sexy” in the hilarious and charming arm wresting comedy Golden Arm. On this episode she tells the story of how, as an athlete who knew nothing about acting, an opportunity propelled her into the business after hearing the words “cold read” and imagining some kind of weather endurance test. She talks about […]
by Peter Rinaldi on May 18, 2021
