Episode 238. Actor J.K. Simmons

Published by austin on

JK SimmonsOscar-winning character actor (and not famous author) J.K. Simmons discusses his incredibly varied and interesting career, including fascinating backstage glimpses from the sets of Oz, Juno, The Closer, and a little movie called Spiderman (the Tobey Maguire one). Featuring the relationship between music and acting, the value of interpreting the script and working with great directors, the sweetest job ever (no pun intended), questionable advice for young actors, and a reduced “Trouble”-off. (Pictured, above: Simmons as the two Howard Silks in the Starz series Counterpart. To hear an interview with his Counterpart co-star Olivia Williams, click here.) (UPDATE: On February 22, 2015, J.K. won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in Whiplash. It couldn’t have happened to nicer guy playing a meaner guy.) (MP3. Length 32:19)

Podcast: Download (29.7MB)

Subscribe: Spotify | RSS | More

Categories: Reduced Shakespeare Company Podcast
Tags:

0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Avatar placeholder

Related Posts

Hot Santa Extravaganza

Artist and author Gary Andrews (Finding Joy; Daisy the Littlest Zombie) has created the new holiday classic Hot Santa and the Twelve Days of Christmas, his “sumptuously illustrated novella” which sends his incredibly buff St. Nick on a time-traveling quest to gather all the items mentioned in the famous song. Gary reveals the origins of his Hot Santa character via his #DoodleADay diary; the benefits of finding sleep incredibly overrated; his brilliant contribution to the canon (which explains how Santa’s able to get around the world in just one night; a possible crossover sequel; and how making the most of our one crack at life is an wonderfully meaningful holiday message. (Length 19:04)

Holiday Murder Mystery

In a delightfully macabre bit of counter-programming, Northlight Theatre is producing the classic Dial M For Murder, which has already been extended into 2024 and whose director Georgette Verdin talks about why it's the perfect kind of play for the holiday season. Georgette reveals the fantastic run of mystery-thrillers she's been on; the opportunity and payoff of leaning into genre programming; the fundamental need for catharsis; how the theatre industry struggles to market new work and reach new audiences (and sometimes succeeds); and the powerful beauty of finding light in the darkness. (Length 17:47)

Scrooge To Scrooge

Larry Yando (left, above) discusses playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre production of A Christmas Carol with his "Alternate Scrooge," the Reduced Shakespeare Company's own Austin Tichenor. The two actors talk about the challenge of being haunted by the Ghost of Productions Past; how Dickens’s story continues to percolate in the off-season; how they navigate script changes, especially the little annoying ones; how Scrooge compares to some of the other great roles Yando’s played (such as Scar in The Lion King, Prospero, Roy Cohn in Angels in America); how seeing another actor play “your” role can sometimes act like “an undigested bit of beef;” why the story stays relevant year after year; the value of staying on your toes; how and why Scrooge chooses Marley over Belle; and how if A Christmas Carol ended 20 minutes earlier, it’d be King Lear. (Length 21:48)