Alfred Molina "Spiderman" / "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

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

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

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