We present: Peter Rinaldi, our most prepared guest to date.

Peter — filmmaker, sometimes actor, and host of the @backtoonepodcast — came with a list of questions, critiques, and concerns.

Once he’s done grilling us, it turns into one of our most acting-process-heavy episode ever.

Is the smoke in the basement immersive or obnoxious? What is the difference between an actor imagining vs pretending? And Ryan’s absolute disgust for people who seek his approval.IWe talk about how teaching has changed us as actors. Ryan and David have very different answers.

Also:

• Peter’s transcendent night doing The Seagull and trying to recreate it.

• Ryan’s upcoming dream play in Boston with @arlekhinplayers

• The critical reception of AF productions

Friend of the pod. Interrogator of the pod. Peter Rinaldi, ladies and gentlemen.

Mike and Josh from Creative Risk really got us talking. About acting process, and building a community at AF, and so many other things we dont necessarily get to talk about when its just us. This is a good one.

We commemorate the legendary Dame Maggie Smith.  Ryan draws a wild artistic parallel between Maggie Smith and Carrie Coon.  Honestly, he’s got something.  We talk acting styles, outlooks on life, and the 4 year period they both took of playing great roles in great plays without any possibility of acclaim or exposure.  Also.  Ryan saw Carrie Coon at Steppenwolf in ‘The March’ and ‘Three Sisters’ long before he knew who she was.  And now she’s his favorite contemporary actress. 

Ryan learned of some not so nice things being said.  We have an open conversation about something that some of our peers might be struggling with in private.  Non sexual, career related.  

There’s a lot more in there.   

Xo 

We present the testiest episode in the AF Pod’s history!

W/ our friend Cynthia Robinson.

Hear David get very defensive while proclaiming his lack of defensiveness! Is he afraid of his own sensitivity? Is his accent shtick a layer of defensiveness?

Hear Ryan defend his strong opinions, intensity of his texting style, and gnawing need for validation.

Who’s at fault for the pods inconsistency? Why doesn’t David ever bring guests onto the pod?

We discuss the Kim Kardashian and Chloe Sevigny Actors on Actors interview. Is David.. Kim?

What roles are Ryan and David playing on the pod, and how’s that working for them?

Cynthia Robinson, our resident psychoanalyst brings it all out of us.

Friendships have ended over much less.

We had a surreal conversation with the legendary Austin Pendleton.

Austin’s credits would never fit in a caption. He’s been in over 250 movies and worked with Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Elia Kazan.

His recent Broadway credits include acting in Choir Boy in 2016 and The Minutes in 2022, and directing Between Riverside and Crazy, also in 2022.

We talked Williamstown, receiving reviews bad enough to make you quit acting, mic dropping acting advice, and stories from the short lived Lincoln Center Repertory Theater (headed by Elia Kazan).

Oh. Austin saw Adult Film’s production of the Seagull, and Ryan offers him a role in AF’s production of The Cherry Orchard.

We got a little drunk, and discussed two of the most iconic actors to have ever walked this earth. 😔

Gena Rowlands was Ryan’s greatest acting inspiration. What’s made her work mean so much to him? And what’s he learned from watching her that he’s worked to integrate into his own work. We discuss ‘Opening Night’ and the rawness of it. As well as the evolution of independent film as a result of her working relationship with her husband John Cassavetes.

We wonder out loud if Gena Rowlands and Alain Delon were stylistic opposites?

And then if Alain Delon’s unsavory past before becoming an actor contributed to the relaxed menace the he was able to portray so effortlessly on screen. We discuss his work in ‘Purple Moon’, and the new era of male on screen sexuality this his emergence as a star ushered in.

Enjoy.

We’re talking all things Faye Dunaway.  The ‘Faye’ documentary just came out on HBO MAX and boy is it a crazy one.

We get into her iconic performances in ‘Chinatown’, ‘Network’, ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and the context around them.  And also her widely perceived misfire of ‘Mommie Dearest’.   Was it her performance, or the script, or what?  We get into it.  

Why are there so many Faye Dunaway memes, and is this deserved?  Is she severe and cruel, or just one of the best actresses of all time?

Ryan provides context around how she was perceived before and after ‘Mommie Dearest’, and what made her as iconic as she was.  

ALSO.  What is talent?  Does it grow like a pearl or is it porous?

Enjoy.

We breakdown the Brian De Palma classic... 'Scarface' and then a whole lot of acting process talk.

Is Al Pacino's performance as Tony Montana a masterclass in transformational acting or... demonic? Who's to say? Us. thats who.

We break down this iconic movie-film and many of the performances.

Ryan just took Lindy Davies workshop. We get into lessons learned, Ryan's take aways as an actor and as a director.

We discuss moving slowly, and building the capacity to understand what we're actually feeling. And using it in our work.

Then we get into acting goals and areas of focus.

Enjoy.

ex oh

Warning: High drama very personal big stakes episode!!
Great week for us seeing theater…
We both saw PRE-EXISTING CONDITION Now up at The Connelly, directed by Maria Dizzia and written by Marin Ireland.  It’s a wild play.  We Discuss.
Ryan saw Joey Merlo’s MIDNIGHT COLESLAW running at The Tank till June 23rd, and David saw INVASIVE SPECIES at The Vineyard.  We get into it baby.
Then…
David works through a big insecure, kinda resentful acting related breakdown :(
Ryan and David debate what playing a character means and how to do it.
And the dynamics of working through acting blocks while teaching classes filled with terrific actors. 
Ryan discusses his expectations and hopes vs outcomes with The Seagull and what it means for his career and Adult Film going forward. 
Also.  Do you guys know who Mike Alfreds is?
Mark Rylance says “If I was allowed to train again to be an actor, but I was only allowed one teacher, it would have to be Mike Alfreds.”
Ps.  He’s Michelle William’s coach too. 
Perhaps this is worth investigating hmmm?
Enjoy :)

Ross Shenker!!  Ross is an incredible New York Casting director, Chekhov teacher, scholar, writer and big friend of AF.  And he’s definitely gonna get mad at me for calling him a scholar.  But it’s true!

We discuss Joanna Arrow’s ‘The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something has Passed’.  It’s a fucking wild ride.  See it while it’s still in theaters. 

Ross and David have both scene Adult Film’s production of the Seagull.  We give thoughts (very honest).

We talk about success.  What makes a film successful? How do we define it?  And what are any of us really chasing after?

Listen please.   Please.  We're desperate.

Ha ha. just kidding. We're cool baby (our space is in Bushwick).

K love you. Bye.