Show Notes
From Raiders of the Lost Ark to Spider-Man 2, Boogie Nights, Frida and Broadway, Alfred Molina has built one of Hollywood's most extraordinary and versatile careers.
In this revealing conversation with Steve Kmetko, Molina looks back at making his movie debut for Steven Spielberg, and admits he was so inexperienced he didn't even understand the marks on the floor. He shares the story behind becoming Doctor Octopus, explains how Doc Ock's famous mechanical arms really worked, and reveals the nickname he and the puppeteers gave themselves.
Molina also takes us behind the scenes of Boogie Nights, including the line he improvised that Paul Thomas Anderson kept in the film, and talks about Salma Hayek's extraordinary fight to get Frida made with the cast she wanted.
Then the conversation gets personal. Molina discusses the times he considered giving up acting, being told he wasn't leading-man material, therapy, his unusual theory about what drives actors, his feelings about awards and the role he'd still love to play.
After five decades on stage and screen, Alfred Molina is very much still here.
00:00 Alfred Molina: Still Here Hollywood 01:01 His First Movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark 02:17 Alfred Molina Was Completely New to Filmmaking 04:52 Why Spielberg Told Him to Stop Watching Dailies 07:18 Why Raiders Changed Adventure Movies 08:43 Auditioning for Steven Spielberg 10:22 Learning From Hollywood's Greatest Directors 12:20 The One Director He Couldn't Understand 14:33 Regretting Not Paying Attention in School 15:08 Classical Acting Training at Guildhall 17:08 Did Classical Training Help in Hollywood? 19:01 Becoming Doctor Octopus 20:00 The Secrets Behind Doc Ock's Tentacles 23:10 The Movies Alfred Molina Loves 25:34 Why Young Fans Know Him as Doc Ock 27:04 Does He Take His Characters Home? 29:52 Why He Keeps Returning to the Stage 31:31 The Incredible Boogie Nights Firecracker Story 34:40 Actors, Directors and Happy Accidents 38:32 Film vs. Television vs. Theater 40:38 The Roles He Still Wants to Play 43:34 Playing Tevye and Diego Rivera 44:53 Salma Hayek's Fight to Make Frida 47:00 Alfred Molina Gets Candid About Awards 50:09 Why He Doesn't Really Watch the Oscars 51:24 The Best Acting Advice He Ever Received 53:18 He Thought About Quitting Acting, A Lot 55:42 Alfred Molina on Therapy 56:04 His "Genetic Flaw" Theory About Actors 58:00 The Role He Still Dreams About 59:59 The Career Moment He'd Love to Relive 1:02:06 Inside Hollywood's "CADS" Group 1:04:09 Why Their Friendships Matter
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