Back To One

As a working actor, Ryan Czerwonko’s credits include “The Endgame,” “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” “Cherry,” “Paint,” and “Watchmen,” to name a few. He’s also the artistic director of Adult Film, an exciting Brooklyn theater and film group where he acts, directs, and teaches. His latest project is a year-long exploration of Chekhov’s “Sea Gull” that will culminate in a limited engagement in Manhattan in May and a documentary on the whole process. On this episode, he explains why Chekhov is so important to him and what he set out to do with this ambitious endeavor. He gives us a deep dive into his very specific preparation process and takes us through the various techniques and approaches he has collected and adapted for his own use and combined into a curriculum for his students. He uses his recent time on the set of a movie as an example of being in the present moment and using your current thoughts and feelings as the driving force of your work, which is a major tenet of his approach. He explains why Stella Adler and Nikos Psacharopoulos are so influential to him, why tension is good, “acting” is bad, how he learned to stop worrying and focus on the work, and much much more.

"Sea Gull" Info and Tickets

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.

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(Photo by Matt Street)

Dylan Baker is the definition of a consummate actor. For over three decades he has delivered so many incredible performances in series like “The Good Wife,” “Damages,” “Hunters,” films like “Happiness,” “Selma,” “Spider-Man 2”, and his latest, “LaRoy, Texas”, where he plays a professional killer. He talks about his approach toward playing despicable people, some who other actor’s wouldn’t touch. He takes us back to his beginnings, and the acting instruction that changed his work and which he still uses today. He tells a story about how the legendary theater director Nikos Psacharopoulos had a big impact on his early career, talks about the excitement of working on ultra independent films like Onur Tukel’s “The Misogynists,” explains why minimal direction works so powerfully for him, gives us a run down of his pre-curtain ritual, 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.

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His work in series like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “13 Reasons Why,” and “This Is Us,” has established Brandon Scott as a captivatingly talented actor. His latest is the new MAX series “The Girls on the Bus,” where he plays the jilted ex-lover of Melissa Benoist’s journalist character, who now needs his help because he's the new press secretary to the leading Presidential candidate. He talks about the process of building connection between two people that are supposed to have a past, and how sometimes that can be done in simple ways. He describes the impact Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini had on developing his sense of play while shooting “Dead To Me,” explains why directors showing “collaborative curiosity” is so helpful, why his process starts with stress and fear, 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.

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Colin Burgess and Anthony Oberbeck star in “Dad & Step-Dad,” a indie comedy film they co-wrote with director Tynan DeLong. It follows Jim and Dave, a dad and a step-dad, as they struggle with bonding during a weekend upstate with Branson, the 13 year-old son they share. It’s about family, communication, insecurity, and the fragility of the male ego. On this episode, Burgess and Oberbeck describe the development of their comedy tastes and take us back to the improvised shorts that preceded the feature, where they were able to hone their characters and comedic sensibility before growing the project tofeature-length. They talk about the decision to “not do jokes,” the importance of silence in comedy, the influence of Fredrick Wiseman, the similarities with the other comedy starring Colin Burgess that’s out now—“Free Time,” 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.

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You know the gifted actor George MacKay from films like “1917” or “True History of The Kelly Gang.” Now he has given us two absolutely incredible performances in “Femme” (in select theaters now) and “The Beast” (out on April 5th). On this episode, he takes us into his process of inhabiting these two extremely different characters. He explains why context is becoming more and more important to him in his preparation, talks about the actor as storyteller, the secret to appearing truly menacing, those sex scenes in “Femme,” a lesson about respect that he learned from Eddie Marsan, 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.

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Lukas Gage is on a roll. In shows like “The White Lotus,” “Euphoria,” “You,” and the latest season of “Fargo,” films like “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” “Down Low” (which he also co-wrote), and now the eagerly anticipated “Road House” reboot, he’s been able to display his immense talent and range. He’s even played himself in “Gossip Girl” and “The Other Two.” On this episode, he explains how sometimes doing the opposite of what’s described is beneficial in an audition, why over-directing doesn’t work for him, the importance of creativity for the actor, how he arrived at his current state of not caring about how he’s perceived and only focusing on the work, plus 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

The Brooklyn-based actor Anastasia Olowin stars in Shaun Seneviratne’s “Ben and Suzanne, A Reunion in 4 Parts,” which just had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. She has such a command of the screen and brings so much life to her character, it’s hard to believe this is her first feature film. On this episode, she takes us back to her training at NYU’s Experimental Theater Wing, her 8 years producing and acting in new work for the stage, and the 10 year journey to bring “Ben and Suzanne” to the screen. She talks about the collaborative process at the heart of the production, her fascination with various kinds of stories, what it means to be a “how” not “why” actor, 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.

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As an actor, Hugo De Sousa had breakout leading roles in “We Used to Know Each Other,” “Mister Limbo,” and “Everything in The End.” I was introduced to his work as an actor/filmmaker, with the celebrated shorts he made in collaboration with Frank Mosley—“The Event” and “Good Condition.” On this episode he talks extensively about the making of those films, and his latest, which might be of particular, cathartic interest to listeners of this podcast, the absurdist short “Je Ne Suis Pas Une Star De Cinéma.” Plus he discusses the importance of feeling “out of balance in front of the camera,” why he likes to absorb challenges on set, how independent cinema is “like robbing a bank,” 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.

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“Heartbreak Ridge” put him on the map as an actor, “New Jack City” as a director, and with “Posse,” the 1993 hit Western he directed and stars in, Mario Van Peebles secured his place as a celebrated actor/director with countless credits, over the next 30 years, on the big and small screen. His latest is another star-filled, super fun western called “Outlaw Posse.” On this episode, he talks about the importance of discovering the tone of the project, how his love of learning leads to his desire to make “edutainment,” ways his acting experience informs his work as a director, 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

John Magaro has been delivering consistently stellar performances in films like “Not Fade Away,” “The Big Short,” “Carol,” “First Cow,” and “Showing Up,” to name a few. This past year he played Arthur, husband of Greta Lee’s character Nora, in “Past Lives.” On this episode he talks, spoiler-free, about the last scene of that film, and why it makes people emotional. He explains how receiving books, music, photos from directors helps in his preparation. He makes the case for experience over academia, takes us back to a big breakthrough that came to him from the legendary acting teacher Howard Guskin, and talks about how newfound freedom in the work has changed everything. 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