Paul Calderon is New York acting royalty. A list of his collaborators and co-stars, in numerous plays, films and television, reads like a who’s who of legends: Pacino, De Niro, Scorsese, Lumet, Burstyn, Tarantino, to name a few. Not to mention Abel Ferrara, whose many films he’s graced (he also co-wrote Bad Lieutenant). He was made a member of the Actors Studio in 1984, and eight years later was one of the founding members of LAByrinth Theater Co., where as writer/director he helped mentor such talent as Philip Seymour Hoffman, David Zayas, and Sam Rockwell. For many years he’s been […]
by Peter Rinaldi on May 7, 2019Dominic West is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty on The Wire, Noah Solloway on The Affair, and gay activist Jonathan Blake in the film Pride. Now he’s taken on the classic role of Jean Valjean in the new 6-episode BBC version of Les Misèrables, currently on PBS. He also happens to be British, which seems to continually surprise people, probably because he’s mastered his American accents. He talks about that and many other nuts and bolts in his impressive approach to the craft. Back To One can be found wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes, Google Play, and […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Apr 30, 2019She’s wonderful in comedies like Man Up and dramas like No Escape, but Lake Bell shines brightest in material she writes and directs herself, like her indie hit In A World. Now the mega-talented multi-hyphenate has joined forces with Liz Meriwether (New Girl) on the ABC sit-com Bless This Mess. We talk about the benefits and challenges of writing, directing and starring in a network show; knowing when to land the joke slightly off the landing pad; and doing it all as a mom. Back To One can be found wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes, Google Play, and […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Apr 23, 2019The actor Michael K. Williams died yesterday at the age of 54. We are revisiting here his 2019 interview with Peter Rinaldi, in which he spoke about many things, including his first time auditioning for The Wire and the role of Omar. R.I.P. Michael K. Williams. — Editor He brought to life one of the most iconic TV characters this century, Omar Little on the acclaimed series The Wire. Then Michael K. Williams went on to work with some of the great directors of our day (Steve McQueen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ava DuVernay, Todd Solondz) and turned in powerful work […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Apr 9, 2019I first took note of Caitlin FitzGerald in one of the great showcases of incredible acting in recent indie film — Sophia Takal’s Always Shine. You might know her from Masters of Sex where she played Libby Masters, or the third season of the cult hit series Unreal. Her latest film, just released on DVD and Blu Ray, is The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot. In this half hour she generously opens up about the epiphanies and frustrations she’s experienced as a working actor in this business, how good directors help her process, and how she deals […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Apr 2, 2019Shea Whigham could easily be in the running for the hardest working actor in show business. In just this past year, he was in First Man, Beirut, Vice, and brilliantly played Thomas Carrasco, the Department of Defense bureaucrat tasked to investigate Julia Roberts’ character, in the series Homecoming. He’s worked with Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, David O. Russell, Terrence Malick, and is probably best known for playing corrupt mob brother Eli Thompson on Boardwalk Empire. In this half hour he talks extensively about his preparation process, what he’s learned from the greats, and much more. The constant room noise you […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Feb 26, 2019If I ever need to cry on cue, I can just picture the expression on Josh Hamilton’s face, in Eighth Grade, when Elsie Fisher hugs him. It’s a beautiful, wordless culmination of his incredible performance, which landed him a Spirit Award nomination this year. We discuss that scene, and he shares some of what he’s learned from jumping from the New York stage to the big and small screens and back again over the past 25 years. He talks about the importance of syncing with the director’s vision, being off-book before rehearsals, and why he’s a self described “take whore.” […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Feb 12, 2019Mads Mikkelsen is perhaps best known for playing villains in Casino Royale, Doctor Strange, and the television series Hannibal, but he’s also been called the “face of the resurgent Danish cinema,” culminating with his Best Actor win at Cannes for his work in Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt. In this half hour, he talks about performing some physically and emotionally wrenching scenes in two new movies he currently stars in, the pure survival film Arctic, and the live action adaptation of the popular graphic novel Polar. Warning: Spoilers abound. Arctic is in select theaters now. Polar is on Netflix. Back To […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Feb 5, 2019Noomi Rapace became an international sensation playing Lisbeth Salander in the original, Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and its sequels. Hollywood beckoned, and leading roles in such films as Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Brian DePalma’s Passion followed. Now she stars in Vicky Jewson’s Netflix nail-biter Close, in a role based on real-life female bodyguard Jacquie Davis. In this half hour, Rapace talks about the intense training she went through to prepare for the part, and how that awareness expands to all aspects of her life. Plus she explains how “kicking ass” is more a mental exercise […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jan 29, 2019If you didn’t know Imogen Poots was British, it is understandable. Few young actors transform so chameleon-like, role-to-role, applying accents so skillfully. I was first wowed by her in Peter Bogdanovich’s She’s Funny That Way and then I actually didn’t even know it was her in Green Room until I saw the credits. She floored me again in Frank and Lola opposite Michael Shannon, in an entirely different kind of role. Now she plays a drifter with questionable parenting skills, who steers into escalating trouble in Mobile Homes, and by the end of the movie her performance wrecked me. In […]
by Peter Rinaldi on Jan 22, 2019