Back To One

Samantha Smart is the lead actress, writer and producer of "Charliebird," the feature debut of director Libby Ewing, which won the top prize at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, calling it "a deeply affecting portrait featuring grounded and complex performances." On this episode, Smart describes the process of writing it, getting to a crisis point of wondering if she could still play the character she was creating for herself, and miraculously finding young Gabriela Ochoa Perez who skillfully plays Charlie. She details the fine-tuning that needed to happen with the central scene, how the camera operator's energy affects actors, talks about her role as "Labinia" in the hilarious Oscar Nominated live acton short "Jane Austin's Period Drama," and much more! "Charliebird" opens in NYC on February 27th, and more select cities after that. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

Sarah Coffey starred as Eva Shapiro in the feature film "31 Candles," and instantly made her an iconic romanic comedy character. She can also be seen in "Queens Of The Dead," which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. And her viral success as a comedian led to a role in "Stapleview," the first-ever fully produced live sketch show on TikTok. On this episode, she talks about the blessings and drawbacks of finding a spotlight through her own online content. She takes us back to her early days, discovering an early love of singing, and talks about how that ties in to a knack for impressions, accents, and the melding of comedy and music. She talks about what she gleaned from people like Terry Knickerbocker and Bob Krakower, the importance of "building a muscle memory of experience," why she likes to get immediately off-book, gets us excited about her upcoming film "Mouse," and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

Ben Mehl is most recognized for his role as Dante on the hit Netflix show "You." Other TV credits include "The Good Wife," "Supernatural Investigator" and films like "My Christmas Guide" and "Viral Beauty." On stage he has performed with The Public Theater and Williamstown Theatre Festival. He's also a passionate acting teacher and volunteer at the 52nd Street Project. On this episode he tells us the story of finding out he had Stargardt disease, coming to the decision to go ahead with his dream of being an actor despite being legally blind, and the piece of advice a teacher gave him that miraculously made this mountain much easier to climb. Plus we talk about why telling the truth in your life fuels your acting, how teaching has informed his craft, the importance of "trusting the work that you're doing," and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

Astrid Rotenberry has had roles on "Law & Order SVU," "The Four Seasons," and "American Sports Story." Now she plays Catherine Kelly in the Netflix limited series "His and Hers," and her performance is so authentic and affecting it runs the risk of being taken for granted. On this episode, she details what excited her about the role, and why trust is so important to her. She takes us back to her childhood and how parental encouragement impacted her, talks about some of the valuable nuggets she learned as an intern in a casting office, expounds on ways she combats self doubt, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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 early exposure to great films of the 70s led to a fascination with New York and a desire to be a working actor there. He breaks down the freedom Mamet's approach to acting gave him, tells a story about having to reach outside his technique to hit a moment a role required, explains why practical direction is most effective, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

Carolyn Michelle is an actress, producer, educator, and entrepreneur. Her credits include: "Brilliant Minds", "And Just Like That", "The Chi", "Russian Doll", "House of Cards", and the role of Vanessa, opposite Kathleen Chalfant's Ruth, in Sarah Friedland's celebrated indie film "Familiar Touch." On this episode she talks about her deeps roots with that project, and what she told Friendland she needed to bring that character to life. She takes us back to her earliest days as an actor, and the mentor whose influence is still felt today. Carolyn has served as Co-Director of Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab, and is a former visiting lecturer at Cornell University and Fordham University. She talks about how teaching feeds her acting, the power of sound frequencies in prep work, the importance of empowering the actor, why great production design and being able to stay in character on set are so important to her, plus much more! Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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 is of prime importance with each role. He talks about how writing contributes to his preparation process in beneficial ways, why he believes in the law of attraction, what makes Al Warren and Bradley Cooper great scene partners, why following in the footsteps of his heroes is so important to him, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

Michael Imperioli is best known for his Emmy-winning portrayal of Christopher Moltisanti on "The Sopranos," a role that made him one of the most recognizable faces of prestige television. Some of his other credits include "Goodfellas," "Jungle Fever," "Summer of Sam" (which he also co-wrote), "The White Lotus," and his latest, "Song Sung Blue," the real-life story behind Neil Diamond tribute performers, where he plays Mark Shrilla, opposite Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. On this episode he talks about the technical mountain he had to climb before he allowed himself to take on that role. Then he takes us back to his early days and two giant, back-to-back acting disappointments that somehow didn't break his drive; talks about how welcoming encouragement from directors like Martin Scorsese helped bring out the best in him; explains what's special about the New York acting community; and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

Kevin Corrigan, the consummate actor, true student of the craft, friend of all actors, the best friend of Back To One, the very first guest of this podcast, returns for the 8th time in what might be his most vulnerable and relatable episode yet. He generously details a crisis he had acting on a series this past year, ponders what he would do with power, asks the question he thinks every actor should ask themselves, reads a moving instagram tribute to Diane Keaton by Jarrod Allan, shares his own wonderful memories of working with Keaton, delivers a couple wonderful impersonations, and much, much more. Past Kevin Corrigan Episodes: Ep. 1, Ep. 67, Ep. 133, Ep.185 Ep. 234 Ep. 268 Ep. 319 Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

Diane Kruger is a German actress known for her verticality in roles and languages, from Hollywood blockbusters like "Troy" and "National Treasure," to Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" and international gems like "In the Fade," for which she won Best Actress at Cannes. Currently she stars in two television series, "The Seduction," a French-language period drama for HBO MAX, in which she plays Madame de Rosemonde, and "Little Disasters," a psychological thriller for Paramount+ where she plays a complex, fiercely devoted new mother whose world collapses around her. On this episode, she gives us a peek inside her acting process and the ingredients in the "sauce" that help her do her work, like why she's not fond of rehearsal, the importance of trust and collaboration, how a detailed backstory helps her, why she wouldn't want to play the same character for dozens of episodes, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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 4-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 her of "discovery," the words that every actor should hear from their director, why it all starts with a prayer, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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 hasn't worked in but would love to try, and much more! Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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 us back to his early days at Juilliard, generously dives deep into the roots of his acting process, gives us an honest depiction of the lessons he's learned about what it takes to do this work well, talks about the importance of being in service of the larger production, explains why he likes being directed, lays out the problem with "denying what's happening in the room," makes a case for making bold choices, and much much more! Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

June Squibb has only been acting for about seven decades, so forgive her if she hasn't figured this whole acting thing out yet. Luckily she isn't stopping or even slowing down. In fact, at 96 years old, she is more busy than ever before. Since her Oscar nomination for a supporting role in Alexander Payne's "Nebraska," Squibb has been in high demand. Her first leading role in a film, "Thelma," led to another, "Eleanor The Great," directed by Scarlett Johansson. And now she's about to take the stage in the exciting new Broadway production of "Marjorie Prime." On this episode, she talks about what she's anticipating with her return to New York theater. She explains how her acting teacher second husband gave her the tools to go deeper in the work, why the script is so important to her, what she learned from the great Ethel Merman, why she turns down most of the roles offered to her, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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 discoveries, hard lessons learned in younger days, the curious phenomena of finding similarities in his characters the further he gets away from himself, and much more! Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

Corey Fogelmanis' 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, the difficulties of shaking off old childhood sit-com methods, and much more! Plus he just got done acting in the sequel to "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," helmed by David Fincher, so he gives us a slight peak into that production! "I Wish You All The Best" opens in select theaters on Friday November 7th. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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 the right time,” finding enjoyment in “checking out the possibilities,” why she sometimes rehearses in German when she’s acting in English, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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, 5 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 how the grueling shooting schedule took a toll on his health, what makes Lili Reinhard the perfect Harper, how ignoring good advice paid off, and much more. “Hal & Harper” is streaming now on Mubi. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram

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.

Crispin Glover is best known for playing George McFly in “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 “The Hero’s Journey” and structure in general, his latest role in Tallulah H. Schwab’s film “Mr. K,” and much more. Glover is at IFC Center in New York City through October 14th at both “Mr. K”. and “No! You’re Wrong” screenings, the latter will also include his “Big Slide Show” and book signings. Sign up at CrispinGlover.com for info on his upcoming tour. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast from Filmmaker Magazine. In each episode, host Peter Rinaldi invites one working actor to do a deep dive into their unique process, psychology, and approach to the craft. Follow Back To One on Instagram