Back To One

Asa Butterfield is a British actor who may be best known for starring as Otis Milburn in the worldwide phenomenon "Sex Education," for Netflix, and Hugo Gabret in Martin Scorsese's "Hugo." He first received critical acclaim, as a pre-teen, for his work in "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," a film adaptation of John Bayne's novel by the same name. Now he has taken on his bravest role yet, Solomon Jackson in Oscar Boyson's "Our Hero, Balthazar," a coming-of-age story that defies all conventions with pitch-black humor and daring, timely storytelling. On this episode, he describes what it took to skirt the line of "unlikeable" with that character while still reaching for relatability. He talks about his love for accents and why he takes them very seriously, how working with Scorsese made his love for movies grow, what recently made him want to get on the stage for the first time and why he enjoyed the frightening challenge, plus much more! "Our Hero, Balthazar" is in select theaters now. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast. 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. Subscribe to Back To One on Substack Follow Back To One on Instagram

Jordan Hull is an actress, writer, and producer based in New York City. She won a LADCC Award for her performance as Clare in the world premiere of "Poor Clare" by Chiara Atik at the Echo Theater Company. Her screen credits include "The L Word: Generation Q" and "Hustle," alongside Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, and Robert DuVall. She produced and starred in the Tribeca Festival-winning audio drama "Red for Revolution." Upcoming, she just wrapped production on "Caity," directed by Lindsay Calleran and "The Plan," directed by Jess Barr, premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in February. On this episode she talks about being unfazed by the "entire movie is one-shot" aspect of Barr's film, and how improvisation was used to create authenticity. She talks about why she hates reading scripts to herself, what it means to be the "curator of [her] own experience" that she wants to have with the character, why she's obsessed with career trajectories, loves to be surprised, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast. 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. Subscribe to Back To One on Substack Follow Back To One on Instagram

Matthew Shear is a filmmaker and actor based in New York. He starred in Noah Baumbach's "Mistress America," as well as the limited series "The Alienist." His other credits include Baumbach's "The Meyerowitz Stories," M. Night Shyamalan's "Old," and Nathan Silver's "Between the Temples." He makes his debut feature as a writer/director with "Fantasy Life," (opening on March 27th) which he stars in opposite Amanda Peet, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, and Bob Balaban. It world premiered at SXSW '25 and won the Narrative Feature Audience Award. On this episode he talks about writing that script, never thinking he'd star in it, nor direct it, and what had to change to make him see those possibilities. He explains why he wanted to tell a story about "mental health embedded in a normal world," why The Barrow Group suited him well in his younger days, how he learned to "not get in the way" of the scene, and much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast. 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. Subscribe to Back To One on Substack Follow Back To One on Instagram

Robert Longstreet is a respected actor who moves fluidly between indie films and genre work, showing a gift for playing complex, wounded, or morally ambiguous characters. He gained broader recognition recently for his performance as a grieving father in "The Haunting of Hill House," created by Mike Flanagan. Longstreet has since become a regular collaborator with Flanagan, appearing in projects like "Midnight Mass," where his portrayal of the troubled but deeply humane Joe Collie became one of the show's most poignant characters. On this episode, he talks about the psychological effects of some of the dark roles he's done and ponders if leaving "a pound of flesh" is necessary for the work. He calls directors not knowing how to talk to actors "a sin beyond measure," explains why good writing is so easy to memorize, why he'd rather do a zoom audition than a self-tape, why he didn't want to play a psychopathic octogenarian woman in Todd Rohal's instant cult classic "Fuck My Son!" and struggled all the way through it, plus much more. Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast. 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. Subscribe to Back To One on Substack Follow Back To One on Instagram

David Krumholtz is a beloved actor to every actor he works with, and on this episode we get to see why. From "The Santa Clause" to "Oppenheimer," with more than three decades of experience in all facets of this business, you can believe he has things to say, opinions to share, and stories to tell. His latest is "Forelock," the hilarious buddy comedy film he stars in with writer/director Caleb Alexander Smith. He talks about how helping out as a producer on that film was actually fulfilling for him in a real way. He tells a story about a struggle he had to overcome on the Broadway production of Tom Stoppard's "Leopoldstadt," explains how an episode of "Extras" helped him appreciate his television series gig, illustrates why going a little crazy can actual help an actor, and much, much more! Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast. 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. Subscribe to Back To One on Substack Follow Back To One on Instagram

Stellan Skarsgård is a celebrated Swedish actor whose career spans more than five decades across European and Hollywood cinema. He first gained attention in Scandinavia before becoming an international screen presence in films such as "Breaking the Waves" and "Good Will Hunting." He went on to deliver acclaimed performances in movies like "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "Dune," "Dune Part 2," and television series like "Andor" and "Chernobyl." In his latest, Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value," Skarsgård gifts us with perhaps his most robust and richest work in the form of Gustav, a once-prominent filmmaker struggling to mend fractured ties with his daughters. On this episode, he details the environment Trier created, through love, attention, and enthusiasm, that laid the tracks for that work to travel. He talks about the importance of "sabotaging your tools," why he's careful not to infect a director's vision, the emotional agility necessary for working with David Fincher, why relief from being an "acting addict" doesn't interest him, 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 Substack and Instagram

Samantha Smart is the lead actress, writer and producer of "Charliebird," the feature debut of director Libby Ewing, which won the top prize at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, calling it "a deeply affecting portrait featuring grounded and complex performances." On this episode, Smart describes the process of writing it, getting to a crisis point of wondering if she could still play the character she was creating for herself, and miraculously finding young Gabriela Ochoa Perez who skillfully plays Charlie. She details the fine-tuning that needed to happen with the central scene, how the camera operator's energy affects actors, talks about her role as "Labinia" in the hilarious Oscar Nominated live acton short "Jane Austin's Period Drama," and much more! "Charliebird" opens in NYC on February 27th, and more select cities after that. 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

Sarah Coffey starred as Eva Shapiro in the feature film "31 Candles," and instantly made her an iconic romanic comedy character. She can also be seen in "Queens Of The Dead," which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. And her viral success as a comedian led to a role in "Stapleview," the first-ever fully produced live sketch show on TikTok. On this episode, she talks about the blessings and drawbacks of finding a spotlight through her own online content. She takes us back to her early days, discovering an early love of singing, and talks about how that ties in to a knack for impressions, accents, and the melding of comedy and music. She talks about what she gleaned from people like Terry Knickerbocker and Bob Krakower, the importance of "building a muscle memory of experience," why she likes to get immediately off-book, gets us excited about her upcoming film "Mouse," 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

Ben Mehl is most recognized for his role as Dante on the hit Netflix show "You." Other TV credits include "The Good Wife," "Supernatural Investigator" and films like "My Christmas Guide" and "Viral Beauty." On stage he has performed with The Public Theater and Williamstown Theatre Festival. He's also a passionate acting teacher and volunteer at the 52nd Street Project. On this episode he tells us the story of finding out he had Stargardt disease, coming to the decision to go ahead with his dream of being an actor despite being legally blind, and the piece of advice a teacher gave him that miraculously made this mountain much easier to climb. Plus we talk about why telling the truth in your life fuels your acting, how teaching has informed his craft, the importance of "trusting the work that you're doing," 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

Astrid Rotenberry has had roles on "Law & Order SVU," "The Four Seasons," and "American Sports Story." Now she plays Catherine Kelly in the Netflix limited series "His and Hers," and her performance is so authentic and affecting it runs the risk of being taken for granted. On this episode, she details what excited her about the role, and why trust is so important to her. She takes us back to her childhood and how parental encouragement impacted her, talks about some of the valuable nuggets she learned as an intern in a casting office, expounds on ways she combats self doubt, 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