Oliver Cooper has one of the greatest stories about breaking into Hollywood, landing his first role in Project X. I’m grateful he takes his time telling it on this episode. It’s a story about hilarious naiveté, unwavering belief in himself, and an unlikely friendship with a person unfairly pushed to the margins of the business who fueled him with the support he needed. That story is so formative that he still wants to tell stories about people who were counted out, but who keep the dream alive. His latest collaboration with filmmaker Joe Burke, Burt, is about that and so much more. Cooper stars opposite real-life roommates Burt Berger and Steven Levy. He talks about working with these two incredible personalities who were basically playing themselves, and the acting challenge he had in serving them, letting them shine properly, while not standing out himself as the “actor.” He succeeds wonderfully, and you can (and should) check out Burt on your favorite streaming service. It was made for $7000 in a few days with an extremely small crew and will make you laugh, cry, and capture your heart so deeply that you’ll wonder why most movies have to waste so much money for so little impact.
Listen here or on your favorite podcast app.
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Back To One is the in-depth, no-nonsense, actors-on-acting podcast. 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.
