Back To One

As an actor, Peter Vack is known for his work in television series such as “I Just Want My Pants Back (series lead),” “Mozart In The Jungle,” and “Love Life,” and recent independent films like “PVT Chat,” Eugene Kotlyarenko’s “The Code” and his virtuoso turn as an evil version of “Peter Vack” in “Actors” (written, directed, and co-staring his sister Betsey Brown). As a filmmaker, he has gotten a reputation for demanding an “all in” approach from his performers. His first feature, “Assholes” (called “the most disgusting movie ever”), won a jury prize at SXSW, and his latest, “www.RachelOrmont.com,” described as a “psychedelic techno-satire about growing up in captivity,” just premiered in September and is already on the fast track toward “cult hit” status. On this episode, he describes his belief that an actor has to develop a pure, almost religious faith in their ability, fueled by positivity and joy. He explains why “intellectual homework” doesn’t help him at all anymore, how incorporating a “toxic method” approach when playing a toxic “method actor” actually worked for him, what being “a player on the field” and “embodying the energy” mean for him as a director, why the best practice an actor can do is actually outside the work, 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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(Photo by  Marcus Maddox)

Jack Dunphy is a writer, filmmaker, animator, actor and podcaster. His shorts have played in festivals around the world and his latest, “Bob’s Funeral,” won Best Nonfiction Short Film at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. As an actor, he starred in Peter Vack’s “Assholes” and Caveh Zahedi’s legendary, unfinished, 24-hour retelling of Joyce’s “Ulysses.” He can soon be seen in “Paradise and Lunch,” the new film from Jordan Tetwesky and Joshua Pikovsky, and "Anything That Moves” from Alex Phillips. His wonderful new podcast, “Revelations with Jack Dunphy,” in which he talks about his struggles with addiction and mental illness with fellow artists, is out now on the Talkhouse network.

Even though he draws on his real life so much in his work, Jack talks about his difficulty with playing a version of himself. He explains why authenticity shouldn’t be a brand but a necessity, what it means to be a “three chord” actor, how fame would negatively impact his addiction management, and much more.

Listen to "Revelations with Jack Dunphy" here. It's fast becoming one of my favorite podcasts. 

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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Jaclyn Bethany is an Emmy award winning filmmaker, writer and actor based in New Orleans, Louisiana. She has been committed to creating art and telling stories exploring complex women, the intimacy of female friendship, sisterhood and queerness from the female perspective. Some upcoming film projects include "Delusion “- a short film in collaboration with Adult Film NYC, “In Transit,” written by Alex Sarrigeorgiou and featuring Jennifer Ehle and Francois Arnaud, and “All Five Eyes,” which she co-wrote with Greta Bellamacina, featuring Bellamacina and Honor Swinton-Byrne. In this episode she talks about her role as the Co-Artistic Director of The Fire Weeds, a female driven immersive theater company based in New Orleans, and her endeavor to present new theater, and new approaches to old theater, in a place where “new” takes some getting used to. She also discusses what she learned as an actor that helps her directing, why she’s so fascinated by Tennessee Williams, the importance of a “child-like” approach to the work, 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

Daisy Ridley shot to global fame for her portrayal of Rey in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. Since then, she has been choosing diverse roles that showcase her talents in films with wide ranging budgets that prove her north star is the quality of the work and nothing else. She has three films that have come out in this year alone—“Sometimes I think About Dying,” “Young Woman and The Sea”, and her latest, “Magpie.” On this episode, she explains how coming up with the idea for “Magpie” and building her character from the ground up was an interesting exercise in multiple ways. She makes a compelling case for why not all actors can be objective enough to give notes on a film, talks about the ways her process changes when she has to do an accent, ponders the healthy amount of worry and uncertainty that surround her return to the character of Rey, 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

Actor, director, coach, teacher, Maria Dizzia is a perpetual student of the craft of acting, which makes her celebrated and in-demand for all those jobs. The movie “My Old  Ass” and the play “Pre-Existing Condition” are a couple of her most recent projects. On this incredibly dense and gold-filled  episode, she generously gives us a peek into the aspects of the work that she deems important to focus on, worth struggling with, or where she simply finds the most fruit. She talks about the huge importance of those first subconscious “offerings,” how to use the discoveries made when “alive” to fuel the work in times when you’re not, learning gentleness is much more affective than being hard on yourself, the value of “I don’t know,”  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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“There are practical paths and intuitive paths with each character,” says Cory Michael Smith at the start of this episode, and it’s a recurring theme throughout. The talented actor was Riddler on the series “Gotham,” a standout in three Todd Haynes films, and now plays Chevy Chase in "Saturday Night.” On this episode he details the careful process of studying Chevy clips for months before diving into the script. He talks about the importance of “ridding myself of any hint of fraudulence,” why it’s so important for him to show up with lots of ideas, how being intentional with his career choices allows him to better serve the work, 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 Urie is one of those mega-talented actors who seems to jump effortlessly from theater (like "Torch Song," "Spamalot," and, currently, the revival of "Once Upon A Mattress") to television (like "Ugly Betty," "Younger," and, currently, "Shrinking"), with a genuine love for both. On this episode, he talks in-depth about his acting process with a humility and a humor that is infectious. He explains why he decided to always be off-book on day one, how he came to believe in himself as an actor after starting out wanting to be a director, tells an interesting story about the temptation to mold a joke based on the audience’s response, lays out what makes "Shrinking" such a special show, reminisces on the "Hamlet" experience, takes us through his pre-show ritual, 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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Straddling the line between outsider artist and full fledged Hollywood sellout, Will Janowitz has always found solace working both sides of the industry. With work ranging from Troma films to Ang Lee's “Taking Woodstock” to “The Sopranos,” he’s made a career of always doing the unpredictable. This year two films he produced, and one he wrote, will make their festival run; “Bang Bang” starring Tim Blake Nelson and the later, “Train Dreams,” starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones directed by Clint Bently. On this episode he talks about his improvisational sweet spot and how it rests in the heart of danger and risk, brings us back to his beginnings at UNCSA and the reasons why that school didn’t work so well for him, charts his own journey discovering his way into the craft, tells some hilarious and relatable audition stories, plus an eye opening one from the other side of the table, 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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His breakout role in Netflix’s “Outer Banks” catapulted Chase Stokes to fame. In the series, he portrays the charismatic and determined John B, the leader of a group of young outcasts on a treasure hunt in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The show’s blend of adventure, mystery, and coming-of-age drama quickly gained a massive fanbase, establishing Stokes as a rising star. Since then he’s been in “Tell Me Your Secrets,” this year’s “The Uglies,” opposite Joey King, and next year’s “Valiant One,” not to mention Season 4 of “Outer Banks,” which is dropping in October. On this episode, he tells the story of his struggle to break in to the business. It’s an epic, sometimes hilarious, saga of “failing forward,” an inspiring tale of determination and perseverance. He talks about why his process starts with “the newspaper read,” the importance of the “f*ck it” mindset, how Nick Cassavetes made him fall in love with making movies, 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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The mega-talented Canadian multi-hyphenate Grace Glowicki gives an incredible performance in Mary Dauterman’s debut feature “Booger.” On this episode, she reveals why she was interested in the project before even opening the script, and how she could just tell Dauterman was going to be the kind of director that would give her the support she needs. She talks about her current focus on examining issues dealing with authority, her love of bodily fluids in film, her struggle with emotional scenes, how directing herself as an actor actually helped her acting career, differences between the Canadian and American indie film scene, 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