Asa Butterfield
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...
info_outline
Jordan Hull
Back To One
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...
info_outline
Matthew Shear
Back To One
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...
info_outline
Robert Longstreet
Back To One
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...
info_outline
David Krumholtz
Back To One
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...
info_outline
Stellan Skarsgård
Back To One
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...
info_outline
Samantha Smart
Back To One
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...
info_outline
Sarah Coffey
Back To One
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...
info_outline
Ben Mehl
Back To One
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...
info_outline
Astrid Rotenberry
Back To One
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...
info_outlineJune Squibb has only been acting for about seven decades, so forgive her if she hasn’t figured this whole acting thing out yet. Luckily she isn’t stopping or even slowing down. In fact, at 96 years old, she is more busy than ever before. Since her Oscar nomination for a supporting role in Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska,” Squibb has been in high demand. Her first leading role in a film, “Thelma,” led to another, “Eleanor The Great,” directed by Scarlett Johansson. And now she’s about to take the stage in the exciting new Broadway production of “Marjorie Prime.” On this episode, she talks about what she’s anticipating with her return to New York theater. She explains how her acting teacher second husband gave her the tools to go deeper in the work, why the script is so important to her, what she learned from the great Ethel Merman, why she turns down most of the roles offered to her, 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