Dierdre Friel

Back To One

(This episode was recorded prior to the SAG/AFTRA strike)

Dierdre Friel always finds a way to ground her characters in such a deep reality that you feel like they aren’t written at all, just simply among the living. Two examples of this can be found in “Ella” on the NBC show “New Amsterdam,” and “Greta” on “Physical,” the Apple TV+ hit that enters its third season on August 2nd. On this episode, she details the helpful exercise of laying out the similarities she shares with the character, and using Meisner’s “what if” when the differences outweigh them. She talks about her amazing experience training at the Globe Theater, the “detective work” that is so integral to her process, the risky decision to take a part in a play that continues to pay dividends, 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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