In a rare interview, the man often described as the greatest actor of his generation reflects on how his blacklisted father, brilliant acting teacher and early theater director set him on his path; why he grew less attracted to working in front of the camera and more attracted to working behind it; and how he came to be cast in — and approached playing — some of the most memorable roles of his career, including his most recent, as a chatty cab driver probing Dakota Johnson's mysterious passenger in Christy Hall's directorial debut.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices