Show Notes
Actor and director Paul McCrane joins Still Here Hollywood with Steve Kmetko for a funny, honest, and surprisingly deep conversation about building a career by leaning into the roles people remember most.
Paul talks about intentionally pivoting into “bad guy” parts, his first reaction to reading RoboCop, and the night a massive explosion on set got a little too real. He also looks back on ER and what it was like joining the biggest show on television, plus how the stability of a long-running series can change your life outside the job.
The conversation goes beyond credits and into craft. Paul breaks down why self-tape auditions can feel like sending your work into a void, why in-person collaboration matters, and what directing taught him about managing pressure, people, and performance. He also shares one of the most valuable lessons of his career: how a brutal review early on forced him to learn how to truly do the work, and how Jason Robards showed him real generosity in the process.
If you love behind-the-scenes stories, acting talk that’s actually useful, and Hollywood history with some bite, this one’s for you.
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00:00 Intro, Paul McCrane from ER and RoboCop 00:42 What Paul would be doing if he wasn’t acting today 01:09 Songwriting, music, and creative curiosity 01:19 Becoming “the bad guy” on purpose 02:41 First reaction to the RoboCop script 03:18 The infamous RoboCop explosion story 06:11 Did he expect RoboCop to become iconic 06:28 How RoboCop reshaped his career 07:55 Why he became an actor, his father and backstage magic 08:27 Other careers he could have pursued 09:06 Turning the interview back on Steve 10:10 Fame, the movie, and early terror on set 11:44 Shooting Fame on the streets of New York 12:33 Did he ever consider quitting acting 14:03 Patreon break, then critics and insecurity 16:30 Retirement, insecurity, and why actors do this 18:38 Chevy Chase, SNL, and success myths 19:03 ER and staying close with the cast 20:43 Why Paul hates self-tape auditions 22:07 The danger of isolation in modern acting 28:33 How ER changed his life and stability 29:29 Fame, perspective, and avoiding distortion 31:20 Philadelphia roots and football fandom 31:37 “Paul McCrane dies at the end” reel 32:15 What the ER set was really like 34:33 Is he happy with his career 36:11 What fans recognize him for most 37:27 Directing vs acting, what he loves more 43:04 Overthinking, directing pressure, and communication 44:06 The role that taught him the most 46:38 The New York Times review that crushed him 50:00 Jason Robards’ advice and generosity 55:21 Learning to survive criticism 56:50 Memorizing ER medical dialogue 57:01 The origin of the famous RoboCop line 58:25 Final thoughts and wrap
Paul McCrane interview Paul McCrane podcast Paul McCrane Still Here Hollywood Paul McCrane Steve Kmetko Paul McCrane actor interview
Paul McCrane RoboCop RoboCop behind the scenes Paul McCrane RoboCop explosion scene story Paul McCrane villain RoboCop Paul Verhoeven RoboCop cast stories
Paul McCrane ER Dr Robert Romano ER Paul McCrane ER helicopter scene ER behind the scenes Paul McCrane ER cast reflections
Paul McCrane Fame movie Fame 1980 behind the scenes Paul McCrane Fame audition story Fame movie cast interview
Paul McCrane acting advice Paul McCrane directing career Actors on self tape auditions Why actors hate self tapes Directing vs acting Paul McCrane
Career longevity themes
Character actor Hollywood career Villain roles in Hollywood How actors survive bad reviews Jason Robards acting advice Broadway failure lessons
Culture + philosophy hooks
Why actors feel insecure Human connection vs technology acting Why collaboration matters in film Modern acting industry problems Show Credits
Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko
All things technical: Justin Zangerle
Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein
Music by: Brian Sanyshyn
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