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.

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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.

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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

Jordan Lage is an award-winning actor, writer, director and founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company, which celebrates its 41st anniversary this year. He studied acting at New York University under the tutelage of playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy and then taught acting and playwriting at the Atlantic Theater Acting School for nearly 30 years. Best known for his work performing the plays of David Mamet's, he has acted in multiple productions of the author's works on Broadway, off-Broadway & regionally, including "American Buffalo," "Glengarry Glen Ross," "Speed-The-Plow," and "Oleanna," among others. On this episode, he talks about how his early exposure to great films of the 70s led to a fascination with New York and a desire to be a working actor there. He breaks down the freedom Mamet's approach to acting gave him, tells a story about having to reach outside his technique to hit a moment a role required, explains why practical direction is most effective, 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

Carolyn Michelle is an actress, producer, educator, and entrepreneur. Her credits include: "Brilliant Minds", "And Just Like That", "The Chi", "Russian Doll", "House of Cards", and the role of Vanessa, opposite Kathleen Chalfant's Ruth, in Sarah Friedland's celebrated indie film "Familiar Touch." On this episode she talks about her deeps roots with that project, and what she told Friendland she needed to bring that character to life. She takes us back to her earliest days as an actor, and the mentor whose influence is still felt today. Carolyn has served as Co-Director of Lena Waithe's Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab, and is a former visiting lecturer at Cornell University and Fordham University. She talks about how teaching feeds her acting, the power of sound frequencies in prep work, the importance of empowering the actor, why great production design and being able to stay in character on set are so important to her, plus 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

Kimball Farley is the future. His breakthrough role in "Hippo," the critically acclaimed dark comedy that RogerEbert.com called "an unholy fusion of A Clockwork Orange and Napoleon Dynamite" established him as a talented, chameleon-like actor to watch, then his performance in "The Righteous Gemstones," opposite Bradley Cooper, displayed his range. And now 2026 is shaping up to be a big year for him, with upcoming releases from filmmakers like Tim Sutton, Mark H. Rapaport, and Henry Chaisson showcasing more of what he can do. On this episode, he details his "outside-in" approach to character work, and why changing his appearance is of prime importance with each role. He talks about how writing contributes to his preparation process in beneficial ways, why he believes in the law of attraction, what makes Al Warren and Bradley Cooper great scene partners, why following in the footsteps of his heroes is so important to 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.

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Michael Imperioli is best known for his Emmy-winning portrayal of Christopher Moltisanti on "The Sopranos," a role that made him one of the most recognizable faces of prestige television. Some of his other credits include "Goodfellas," "Jungle Fever," "Summer of Sam" (which he also co-wrote), "The White Lotus," and his latest, "Song Sung Blue," the real-life story behind Neil Diamond tribute performers, where he plays Mark Shrilla, opposite Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. On this episode he talks about the technical mountain he had to climb before he allowed himself to take on that role. Then he takes us back to his early days and two giant, back-to-back acting disappointments that somehow didn't break his drive; talks about how welcoming encouragement from directors like Martin Scorsese helped bring out the best in him; explains what's special about the New York acting community; 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