Ariella Mastroianni is an actor from New Jersey by way of Ontario, Canada. With director Ryan J. Sloan, she co-wrote and co-produced "Gazer," which she also stars in. The film, which the duo shot on weekends over the course of two years, brings the paranoid thriller genre into wildly original new territory. On this episode, Mastroianni tells the story of deciding to shoot on film, using their own money, with no formal support, no connections, just a deep desire to make the film they were both dying to see. She talks about the tools her acting teachers (like Brad Fleischer and Kyle Donnelly) provided that still serve her, how "mapping" her character's physical journey grounded her on the set, the trick she used to stop worrying and love her marks, the "desperate love" it took to see this film through, and much more. "Gazer" open in New York on April 4th and LA on April 11th.

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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