In this revealing and often hilarious episode of Still Here Hollywood, Alfred Molina sits down with Steve Kmetko to reflect on his incredible journey—from getting impaled in the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark to becoming a fan-favorite villain as Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2 and No Way Home. Molina opens up about working with directors like Spielberg, Sam Raimi, and Julie Taymor, shares behind-the-scenes stories from Boogie Nights and Frida, and explains why the theater still calls him back. Whether you're a film buff, Marvel fan, or just love a great Hollywood story, this episode is packed with heart, humor, and cinematic history. #AlfredMolina #RaidersOfTheLostArk #DocOck #SpiderMan2 #Frida #BoogieNights #StillHereHollywood #SteveKmetko #HollywoodPodcast #MovieLegends #CharacterActor #MarvelMovies
Steve Kmetko:
Yes, I'm Still Here Hollywood and coming up on today's episode. He made his film debut in one of the most iconic adventure movies of all time, only to be impaled by spikes in the opening scene. Since then, he's built one of the most versatile and respected careers in Hollywood, moving seamlessly between stage and screen, indie gems and Superhero Box Office smashes. This is Still Here Hollywood. I'm Steve Kmetko. Join me with today's guest actor Alfred Molina. If this is your first time watching or listening to Still Here Hollywood, what took you so long, even if you're a long-time fan, I have a favorite to ask. If you feel it in your heart, please like and follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to us, or if you watch on YouTube, please subscribe. And with both, it would be great if you rate and commented on your favorite episodes. Thank you so much. And now on with the show. Alfred, thanks for coming in and talking with us today.
Alfred Molina:
Oh, it's my pleasure.
Steve Kmetko:
Sitting down to talk to us. You know, I think if you told some people that you were in that famous death scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, they'd have to go back and look at it again, because they probably didn't know it was you right off the bat.
Alfred Molina:
Yeah, yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Has that stuck with you have people come up to you over the years?
Alfred Molina:
Oh, yeah, yeah. But it's always very pleasant. I mean, what happens often is that people will, particularly people who are of the around the same generation, will say things like, oh, that was the first movie where I noticed you, or I remember you in that movie. But what's really gratifying is when younger people --you know-- young film fans, like in their people who know me, say from the Spider-Man movies, then kind of go, oh my God, you were the guy in rate. Or they'll --you know-- they're doing a deep dive into Spielberg's movies or someone tells them, you've got to watch this movie --you know-- this is what started it all, or whatever. And yeah, there's a lot of surprise because I was, what, 26? Something like that. And it's yeah, I mean, but it's been a, that movie, it was my first film.
Steve Kmetko:
Really?
Alfred Molina:
Oh, yeah. Very first. I'd never stepped in front of a camera before that. So, it was a calling card. It was my introduction to film. It's when I fell in love with movies. So, it's been a great gift --you know-- all these years.
Steve Kmetko:
The first time you saw it, what was your reaction since it was your first film?
Alfred Molina:
Well, I kind loved it. And I sort of --you know-- I was rather proud of myself in a sort of silly way. But it was only, it was when the film was released when as we were shooting it, because I had no experience in film. I didn't really know how films worked. I wasn't really technically --you know-- I wasn't technically sort of you know sort of geared up for it. I didn't understand the technique or cutting or editing. I didn't understand any of the techniques. So, we would shoot a scene and then I would go to dailies the next day to watch that scene, or takes of the scene. And I would see things that I did that I didn't, that I thought, oh, no, that's terrible. You know, I sort of did this too much. That's too much. And then I would come in the next day to work with an attitude that trying to fix what I saw before, which was pointless of course, because I didn't really understand the technique of like --you know-- there are takes, you take the best bits and you put them together. Didn't understand the editing skills. So, I was really learning on the job, and that was kind of a bit difficult because I didn't quite understand what was going on. I mean, I'll give you an example. The focus puller would put tape on the floor --you know-- to give the actor a guide as to where to stand and to keep staying folk. I had no idea what that was for. Nobody explained it to me.
So, I thought it was something to do with what they were doing. I didn't, I thought, well, it doesn't mean, doesn't nothing to do with me. So, I completely ignored them. And I would kind of get, I would be in and out. And now Dougie Slocum, who was the movie's lighting cameraman, who was a legend --you know-- or he was a legend. He could have very easily sent someone to tell me --you know-- hit your marks, these, you know. But he came round from behind the camera, like a real gentleman. He came round behind the camera and he said, we love what you are doing, but it would be absolutely wonderful if we could get it in focus. And then he explained what these tape bits of tape were for, and like, oh, then of course --you know-- the penny dropped. But that's how green I was. You know, that's how naive I was. So, watching dailies was a bit of a torture because it was kind of, I was just seeing myself having to correct. And then eventually, I think after about a few days it was Steven Spielberg who suggested I don't go to dailies.
Steve Kmetko:
Really?
Alfred Molina:
Yeah. Because I think he understood, he could see that I wasn't --you know-- I wasn't getting, I wasn't understanding that dailies are essentially a technical reference. They're all about, did we get the lighting right? Is the makeup, okay? Do the costumes work? You know, the contrast between the actors and the background is all of that stuff. That's all really what, what the dailies are about. But of course, when I saw the film, the finished film, I was delighted --you know-- and the fact that, but the irony is of course, that my character gets his, like, within like 7 minutes or something. But because that little portion of the movie had nothing to do with the rest of the film, they mined that 7 minutes for all the trailers. So, it was me and Harrison all over the trailers. So, people are kind of calling me and saying, Ford got this great big part of this movie. I said, no, no, no. If you go to the bathroom, you are going to miss me. I mean --you know-- make sure you get your popcorn early. But it was, I mean, it was a treat. It was a delight. I was honored to be in it. I was, I still feel like the, as for a young actor for his first film, I mean, I was, it was a blessing, absolute blessing. And not just creatively and in terms of my career, it was it --you know—personally --you know-- my partner at the time, and I were about to have a baby. We were broke. The money that I was working in the theater earning literally union scale. And suddenly this movie comes along and offers me --you know-- for 2 weeks work, what I thought was a huge chunk of money. I mean, it was --you know-- I'd never seen money like it as an actor. And it meant we could have our baby in a --you know-- who's now 45.
Steve Kmetko:
Has it been that long?
Alfred Molina:
Yeah. You know, we had her in a modicum of comfort, which we couldn't have afforded without that movie. So, I've thanked Steven publicly and privately and I will keep on thanking him many times over for that opportunity. Because it really, it set me on a course that has been a great blessing.
Steve Kmetko:
If memory serves that was the first of its kind, the first of it adventure film like that.
Alfred Molina:
Absolutely.
Steve Kmetko:
And it was huge.
Alfred Molina:
Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's why people still get to see it, because it's, people refer to it that way. It's revered in that sense. You know, it was the first, it was the very first kind of, it was in a way, the beginning of this genre that we now call them Tempo movies or but it really was the beginning. And I think to be a small footnote in the history of that development in film is a great thing. And I will always be thankful.
Steve Kmetko:
And then you hear that John Williams score?
Alfred Molina:
Oh my God.
Steve Kmetko:
Immediately conjures a particular kind movie.
Alfred Molina:
Yeah, absolutely. And there's, it was just, the whole thing was just so satisfying in a way. The locations and just the excitement of it, the storytelling, the humor. That's the other thing, of course, that I was, I found really delightful about the film was just even through all the danger and all the action, it still kept this wonderful level of humor and exciting kind of, it was, there was always a laugh, and there was always something delightful about it. And I think it was a, it was one of those movies that was a kind of total, it was like totally satisfying.
Steve Kmetko:
Now, at that time, they were big, Spielberg was big, and Harrelson Ford was big, but they got even bigger as a result of that film.
Alfred Molina:
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, the excitement I felt when my agent --you know-- said, can you, I was on tour at the time. I was doing a tour of a production of Oklahoma, and we were playing sort of, you know theaters around the, and I was up somewhere up in the North of England, and my agent said, is there any chance you could get down over the weekend on your day off? And, you know, to, so you can, so I came down on the Saturday night after the show. Because in England theaters are dark on Sundays. So, I came down Saturday, had Sunday at home, went to an interview, I think on Monday morning, and then got back up North for the show in the evening. And I --you know-- do you want to go and be seen for a movie directed by Steven Spielberg starring Harrison Ford and Karen Allen? It was like, yeah. It was like, there was no question about it. And I was really nervous. I remember the interview it was nerve wracking, but because you suddenly realized, if this works out, I'm going to be working with some great, great film talent. So, I just knew, I wasn't conscious of it in the sense at the time, but I just knew somehow that this would be a great learning experience. This would be something that would really teach me something.
Steve Kmetko:
You've worked with some really great directors Steven Spielberg, Sam Rainey.
Alfred Molina:
Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Early in your career, how has that stayed with you all this time?
Alfred Molina:
Well, every time it's a kind of it's an opportunity every time I think to learn something new, to get a different perspective on the work to get involved in a story that otherwise you wouldn't --you know-- particularly when it's a director who you've worked with for you are working with for the first time. And if the material is very, very varied. And I've been lucky that way that --you know-- I've done adventure films --you know-- that. I mean, the next big film I did after Raiders, I think I went off and did a movie with Mike Lee meantime, which was I think his last TV made for TV movie before he started making features. And look at that cast. We had Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, you know, I mean, it was kind of an amazing, amazing Marion Bailey, an amazing cast. And so, and then after that, the next film I did was with God rest his soul, Dick Donna.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, yeah. Right.
Alfred Molina:
You know, so it was kind of, the variance and the range of people I got a chance to work with was really quite phenomenal. And I was very appreciative of it because I learnt something wonderful from all of them, you know. And the nice thing, of course, is when you go back and you can work with directors more than once --you know-- I've had the joy of working with some directors more than once Julie Taymor --you know-- is a perfect example of that. And it's just a, that, and then of course, you have a rapport. You have a kind of language that you can --you know-- that is wonderfully creative. So, it's been, the range has been phenomenal. And I've --yeah-- as I say, I've been very appreciative of it.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you recognize a certain quality that is similar in each one of those directors?
Alfred Molina:
Well, I've been, I can say hand on heart, I can say that with, well, in all honesty, I've never, I've only once I think worked with a director who I didn't understand. Now I've worked with directors who I didn't quite get on with necessarily, you know, but I've only once worked with a director that I just didn't get what the vision was. I just didn't get it. And that was very, very difficult and, but it was, but I always reckon that was my fault. I would never have blamed the director that was my problem. Whether it was cultural or political, or whether it was, the mood I was in, or where I was in my, I have no idea. But it's only happened the once. And what I have noticed with all the directors that I've worked with it, certainly 95% of them, is that I've always enjoyed the journey. Whether it's been a difficult one or an easy one, or a job that I've loved, or a job that I've not loved quite so much. I mean --you know-- we don't always get to do the perfect gig. You know, sometimes, I've done jobs where, I've really done it for the money, or I've done it for, because I didn't have anything else to do, and I was desperate to work, or --you know-- there's all kinds of reasons why we take on work. But I've always enjoyed the journey, and I've always learned something. And I think that's because I wasted my time at school. I wasted, the years when I was getting educated. I so did, I kind of did. Whoa, then you, you know what I'm talking about. I kind of wasted that time. And I, ever since then, I've always been, I feel there's a gap in my understanding of things. There's a gap in my education. There's a gap in my sort of worldliness, if you like. So, every time I work, I'm trying to learn something --you know-- trying to fill that gap.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you ever have those moments as I do, where you say to yourself, why didn't I pay closer attention?
Alfred Molina:
Oh, yeah. All the time.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, really?
Alfred Molina:
All the time. All the time. You know, I read hardly any fiction. Everything I read is nonfiction, and I read a lot. I mean, I'm a reader, but it's all nonfiction. I read biographies. I read his history. I read books on all kinds of subjects, because I'm just desperate to kind of understand more --you know-- I never, I didn't have that capacity when I was at school or at college. Even at drama school --you know-- when I was --you know-- working training to be an actor.
Steve Kmetko:
Where did you go to drama school?
Alfred Molina:
I went to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama which is a --you know-- which was a --you know-- one of the top schools in the world, actually, you know. And it was a fantastic training. But I was there, I graduated in 1975. I was there from 72 to 75, and we were, I think, I might be wrong, but I think we were the last generation of actors who were trained in what I could call the kind of classical tradition. In the sense that there was no training to do with film or television or any of the modern, any of the new sort of media. The most technologically advanced class we had was called Microphone technique, which was really preparing us for radio drama. But all the training was absolutely geared and focused on theater. The assumption was that you would leave graduate, and then you would go and join a rep company somewhere and work your way through the company. Then maybe you'd go to another rep, and then you'd work your way around the country, then maybe come to London and do a play in the West End. That was the trajectory. That was the standard trajectory for actors for --you know-- a hundred years before us. You know, there was no, because --you know-- cinema and television was rather not looked down on, but it was rather secondary, you know. And so, making films, I mean, now, which of course is very different now, because now young actors, from what I understand, the chances are their first job on grad is going to be a screen job. You know, they're more likely to get a job --you know-- making a commercial or doing a TV show or a movie than they are going into the theater for any length of time.
Steve Kmetko:
Did your classical training help or hinder you in Hollywood?
Alfred Molina:
Well, I think it's helped in a way, because the one thing I did learn and I did understand, was how to read a script. How to break down a script, and how to get a sense of where the character was and where the character was going and what the --you know-- what was needed to kind of bring this --you know-- bring this character to life. And I think that was a, to do a lot to do with the training we had --you know-- sort of working on classical text and so on. And it also gave us a certain level of physical stamina. You know, we used to do this thing where you, you'd have to try and do 6 lines of Iambic pentameter on one breath --you know-- stuff like that. I mean, which, I nowadays, I find impossible to do. But when I was younger, I could do it, but not now. But it'd be things like that. So, there was this, so, there were things that did help. But at the same time, the great thing about our industry is the egalitarianism of it. That --you know-- you can have an actor who's just spent 3 or 4 years getting trained at the best conservatories in the world. And you could have some young kid who's just come off the street, and they can both be just amazing, you know. And they can both come with something so special and so exciting that --you know-- because I mean, and the proof of that is that I don't think I've ever been asked where I did my training. Like, I've never been in an interview or an audition where someone said, by the way did you train? Are you trained? No one's ever asked me that, you know. And I don't think it's, because I think it's in the end, I mean, it was a wonderful 3 years. I loved it. But in the end, it's almost irrelevant, I think.
Steve Kmetko:
One of the things I'd like to ask you about is Dr. Octopus, what was your thought the first time you saw yourself on screen with the arms and --
Alfred Molina:
well, I thought it was brilliant. I thought, I mean, brilliant. I loved it. I mean, see the thing is, Steve, I'm not just an actor that works on film. I'm also a film fan. I mean, I love movies, so I kind of, I can watch those movies. And every now and again, I'll go back and I'll watch them. And I'm not sort of looking at myself. I'm just, I'm kind of looking at the movie. Because the movie's like so much fun. Particularly, I mean, the first iteration when I played Doc Ock in Sam Raimi's --you know-- Spider-Man 2. And the second time I did it when we did Spider-Man --you know-- Far from Home or No Way Home, forgive me. The technology had changed so much in the intervening 16 or 17 years that in the first one, the tentacles were all mechanical. Some of it was CGI, a lot of it was just puppetry. So, each tentacle had a puppeteer who was doing all kinds of things with it --you know-- to keep them alive. And in fact, we had the, sometimes each tentacle had two puppeteers. So, there were scenes where when I was throwing an arm to kind of --you know-- try and get Spidey, that was a, it was all harnessed. It was, they were built, they were on me, and they were kind of up swinging them around. By the time we got to 17 years later, everything was digital. I didn't have anything. I'd have the costume, but I didn't have any arms. You know, I didn't even see the arms --you know-- I hardly ever saw them. And that was all done digitally. So, all I had to do then was I'd go like this, and then they'd put all that on --you know-- afterwards. So, it is a completely different, it was a very, very different experience. And the first time, I had the whole harness with the arms weighed about, I don’t know, about 30, 40 pounds.
Steve Kmetko:
Wow.
Alfred Molina:
So that's why we had puppeteers. Because I couldn't walk around on my own with it. But we had we named them, we named the four tentacles, Harry, Larry, Flo, and Mo. And Flo was the top right-handed one, because that was the one that was very delicate. That was the one that had to kind of pick up the cigar and pick up the glass of scotch and stuff. Like you light the match. That was the one that had the kind of the finesse things to do. So, she was Mo and it was, we had, oh, we had so much fun to the point where I got some the Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire. They had their entourages --you know-- their people that looked after them. And they became known as the Kirsty Crew, Kirsten Crew, and a team Tobey, I think it was. So, I decided I didn't have an under rush. I just think it was just me. So, I got some t-shirts made up for me and the puppeteers and we called ourselves the Octavius and those t-shirts became very popular. Cost me a fortune.
Steve Kmetko:
Back with more in a moment. If you'd like to be more involved with us at Still Here Hollywood, you definitely can just visit patreon.com/stillherehollywood. You can support us for as little as $3 a month. You can get our episodes a day before they post anywhere else. You can see what guests will be coming up and submit questions for them. You can even tell us what stars you want us to have on as guests. You'll see what goes on before and after the episode. Plus, exclusive behind the scenes info picks video and more. Again, that's patreon.com/stillherehollywood. You said you like you as a person, you love movies.
Alfred Molina:
Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you have a favorite, not that you did, but that you enjoyed watching?
Alfred Molina:
Always have --yeah-- have loads of favorites. Loads of favorites. I mean, in the UK when I was growing up, there was always the traditional Christmas Day movie. It was either on BBC or ICV. There was the Christmas Day movie, and it was very often one of two or three. Wizard of Oz was always a popular one. Singing In the Rain was another one. And It's a Wonderful Life. And they would kind of rotate. So, you knew you were going to get to see a really good film on Christmas Day, and I think it was on the BBC, because it was all kind of with that, no, no ads. And that was like a big thing. People would settle down --you know-- you'd time your Christmas lunch or Christmas dinner around the movie, you know. Because you didn't want to get interrupted. And at my house with my parents, it was, we had dinner first. We had a little Christmas lunch. Because then we'd sit down and I remember --you know-- with the movie would be on, I'd be watching it. My dad would probably fall asleep. You know, my mom kind of was doing something, but I was hooked. And I remember seeing those movies and just loving the moment of, of being in a movie. And even now, today, going to a cinema and watching the logo come up --you know-- the 20th century Fox logo or Columbia or whatever it is. Just watching that lovely kind of visuals of the noise, the music, and the color and it's just, it's kind of, it sort of sets you up for an event somehow, you know. And I've never been a great one for eating popcorn and stuff during a film, you know. I know. People love it. I have friends who can't watch a film without popcorn, but --you know-- I'm okay, you know, but I like to just, I love to just kind of be present for it, you know. And it's still a bit of an event for me to go and see a movie. And I think COVID, because COVID denied us the chance to do that for a couple of years. I think now, as people are coming back, it's, we're having to reeducate ourselves and rediscover that. The habit, if you like, of going to see films.
Steve Kmetko:
Do younger fans recognize you from Spider-Man more than anything else?
Alfred Molina:
Yeah, mostly. Mostly. It's an odd, it's young people who, and their dads young kids and their da --you know-- men, young men and women who were like in their 40s, who kind of saw the movies when they were younger. And they've now got young kids and they're kind of --you know-- you want to see, you want to watch this --you know-- I love this film when I was a kid, you are, when I was your age, you're going to watch this. And so, there's that. And the wonderful thing, of course, is that I was very lucky in that I played, I got to play one of the most popular villains. And I think Doc Ock is still --you know-- up there in the --you know-- top five --you know-- of popular villains. And it's, that's been a real privilege.
Steve Kmetko:
Well, I think for audiences, especially younger audiences, it's much easier to grasp a villain and hold onto it.
Alfred Molina:
Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Look at the Wicked Witch of the West.
Alfred Molina:
Oh yeah, absolutely right.
Steve Kmetko:
I think she was voted by the American Film Institute, the number one villain of all time. She was a good one. And she wasn't even on screen that much.
Alfred Molina:
That's right. Yeah. That's right.
Steve Kmetko:
Margaret Hamilton did a number with that role. You've played complex men, some deeply flawed. Do you ever take those emotional residues home with you? Or are you good about leaving them at the studio and picking them up the next day?
Alfred Molina:
Well, it depends who you ask. I like to think that, I leave them at work, but various people in my life have said, you know, well, actually Fred, that's not quite the case. That's not always the case. I think what happens is that you are always, I actually, no, when I can't say we --you know-- I can only speak for myself, but what I find is when I'm working on something, particularly if it's something that's kind of making demands on me in terms of physicality or a lot of lines or --you know-- there's something difficult about the part --you know-- in some way, something challenging. I find myself getting very preoccupied. Like, it's all I can think about. I'm at work and then I'm thinking about the next day, and then I'm at home and I'm getting ready for the next day. I'm looking at my lines for the next day. I'm thinking about what we're going to do. All the stuff that we still owe all --you know-- I'm just in the work all the time, but I don't think I'm kind of like playing the role, sort like coming home and like --you know-- smashing things up or --you know-- whatever the character does. I don't think it's that, but there is, it is a, that's how, that's the best way I can describe it. I think it's a kind of preoccupation --you know-- it's the first thing on my mind. It's the last thing on my mind when I fall asleep. It's the first thing on my mind when I wake up. But I'm still functioning in the world --you know-- I'm still kind of having my breakfast and saying goodbye to my wife and all the rest of it. But it --yeah-- it's in there and I think that's part of the craft in a way. That's part of what keeps it --you know-- you are working on it. I think that's, I can only speak for myself, but I would imagine that's the case for most of us.
Steve Kmetko:
I interviewed Bette Davis once, and I asked her a similar question and she said, no, no, no. I take my role off. I leave it at the studio and I pick it up the next day, you know? Yeah.
Alfred Molina:
Oh, yeah. I mean, I'm sure a lot of people do. A lot of people do. I mean, and people. And of course there's all, I mean, there's lots of examples of actors who go absolutely the other way, you know, and just can't get out of it. You know, they're just in it. And I think all, whatever methodology you are using, I think is, as long as it gets the job done, it's kind of valid, I think.
Steve Kmetko:
Hmm. What keeps bringing you back to the stage age?
Alfred Molina:
It's like someone said, it's like a bad habit. You can't quite give up --you know-- it's sort of like, you should know better, but you just do it. I think what keeps me wanting to do, coming back with this is because ultimately, it's a great place to live. And there's a, and as much as I love movies and making films and working on television, I love screen work. There's something about working in the theater that's so unique that no other medium can give it to you. And I think it's to do with the fact that, you know, and I'm speaking very generally now in general terms, but film is the director's medium. Television is the writer's medium. Because writers are more often than not the showrunners, but theater really belongs to the actor. Once rehearsals are done, once you've opened, the director might be hovering around every now and again, throwing the odd note, but actually getting the job done every night, 8 times a week, that's the actor and the stage crew. It's theirs. It belongs to us. And whatever happens, whatever joy happens, whatever terrible disasters happen, it's our responsibility. And I think that's, it's the only place where we feel that it's the only place that gives us that kind of visceral excitement of the moment. You know, the event, you can get, you can get lines wrong, you can get moves wrong in television and film, and you can just stop and go back or turn it into some kind of happy accident, but you'll always get another chance immediately. You know, you can't do that on stage.
Steve Kmetko:
Can you think of a happy accident you've had?
Alfred Molina:
Yeah. I can give you a perfect example of a happy accident.
Steve Kmetko:
Great.
Alfred Molina:
When we did, because it's one I've quoted before when we did Boogie Nights, the scene where I'm kind of like completely high on Coke, and the three boys are like --you know-- on the sofa trying to do the deal. And we've got the young kid kind of lightening the firecrackers, just lighting them ad-lib, and he's just lighting them any old time. The way that Paul Thomas Anderson set that scene up is that he wanted the young actor who was playing the young kid lighting the firecrackers. Those firecrackers were full bore. They were like --you know-- full capacity sort of explosion, which I think drove the sound, the sound department crazy. But the reason he wanted them like that, and he told that young actor, just like them, whenever you want, don't stick to cues. Just do it whenever you want. Because what he wanted to create was a mood where the three of them, Thomas Jane and Mark, and John --you know-- they were like on the sofa. They didn't know when it was coming. So, all, when, every time they jumped in that scene, those was wonderful moments when they're literally jumping out of this chair out of the sofa, that was absolutely for real. They just didn't know where, when it was coming. But he didn't want me to react that way. So, we plugged up my ears. One was completely plugged up, and the other one just had, was plugged up with an earwig so I could hear the dialogue. So, what I heard when the young guy who's lighting in the fire, what I heard was like a dull thud. Like a, you didn't, I didn't need to react. I didn't have to react to it. It didn't make me react, which created this weird atmosphere in the scene. You know, you have these loud noises and I'm just kind of like floating through it on this kind of sea of like, cocaine and drugs and alcohol. And there's a bit when I start moving out of the frame, when I stand up and I have to refer to the young boy, and I forgot my line, and I ad-libbed a line, and I just went, oh, that's Cosmo. He's Chinese. And then I kind of took my move, and at the time I thought, oh shit --you know-- have to do that again. You know, load up all the firecrackers again. It's going to drive everyone nuts. And eventually, and Paul just kind of went, that was great. That was great. And that was I ad lib, that was my ad lib. And he kept it in the movie. And that was you know, I was delighted by that. That kind of made me very made me very happy.
Steve Kmetko:
How many directors you've worked with are willing to go with the flow and not necessarily stick to the idea or the perception they had going in?
Alfred Molina:
Well, I think as a rule, most directors are open to happy accidents. I think they're open to a nice idea that works. I think, what a lot of directors find difficult is when actors come in and kind of go, I've got another idea. And they haven't even tried what's been prescribed. You know, I think, and that's something I think my training has given me is a very deep respect for the script. Because I know that before I step on a sound stage, a lot of some people, the writer, the director, perhaps more than one writer, have been working very, very hard to get that script, what, to a point where they hope is --you know-- sort of production ready. So, I think the least thing you can do is --you know-- at least try the script --
Steve Kmetko:
Give it a shot.
Alfred Molina:
Give it a shot, at least. And most of the time it works. But rather than coming, like --you know-- I remember one of the things that stuck with me all these years, and I know it may be, it may sound rather pedantic of me, but I don't care. I'm too old, too tired, can't be bothered, is the one thing I can't stand is when I hear actors say, I don't think my character would say this is, and it's something that was drilled into me when I was a young student, which was, no, that's not the statement. The question is, how do I make my character say this? It's, the idea of dragging the character to some favorite version of yourself is absolute anathema to me. You know, my job is to take myself to it, you know. But I've worked with directors who are very strict, you know are very strict about the script, about the final version of the script. Mike Lee for instance --you know-- he works in conjunction with the actors. They devise the script, or they all devise the script together. But the final version is essentially his decision, what with what they arrive at. He's the one that says, okay, this is the version, this is the version we're going with. And that's what you stick to. Other directors can be very loose --you know-- very kind of --yeah-- whatever, try --you know-- whatever, whatever you want to do. I mean, I did a Woody Allen movie. I was cut out of it was called Celebrity. It was the one with Ken Braner. And I was only in two scenes, and there was one little scene. It was very, very nice scene where Ken's character comes to visit me. And I've got a bit of a crisis going on, and I remember Mr. Allen's note was always, well, we'll do a version of the script, but then you do whatever you like. You can say whatever you like --you know-- just get the sense across. Just you can say whatever you like. Which was incredibly kind of, I thought was incredibly kind of like free and easy, very kind of loosey goosey. But in the end, of course, I just stuck to the script because the script was a lot better than anything I could have come up with. So, it depends --you know-- there's certainly, I mean, there are, I find in television, they're a bit more strict. And I think that's because there's a huge time, there's a time component. They've got to get all --you know-- they've got to get everything shot within a certain amount of time and so, but it's usually it's --you know-- it's very collaborative most of the time.
Steve Kmetko:
Film, television stage, how do you prepare differently for each of those?
Alfred Molina:
Hmm. That's an interesting question. Because I think essentially, it's the same in a way. The circumstances are different and the work conditions are different, but the job itself is essentially the same. You reach the point where you've got to make a choice as to how you do this. The nice thing about stage work, of course, is you've got a nice --you know-- you might have like a nice 3, 4-week rehearsal period where you can stop and chat and work things out. And you come to it from a very kind of organic place, but very often on film or television, if you're not playing the lead role and you haven't been involved in the process, I mean, very often I've done the movies where I've just been the hired gun --you know-- I just get hired and I'm there for a week or 5 days, and I just come and do my thing. And then of course, you, what I do then is, is I just look, try and learn my lines as well as I can, and get a chance to have a chat with a director if possible, and get a sense of what they want. And then just do what I think is hopefully the best version of that that I can give, but always to stay open to adjustments and so on. And I think that's why I've always regarded what I do as a craft. You know, it's, there are certain skills and rules and ways of doing things in my view that you have to observe and hopefully --you know-- get the job done.
Steve Kmetko:
Is there anything you haven't done that you'd like to do in terms of roles, genres locations?
Alferd Molina:
There's an old there's an old actor's joke about the perfect part is to play some who's bedridden on a Caribbean cruise. So, it's like, I spent years spend the whole shoot in bed --you know-- in a nice, actually, no. I tell you what, I used to have dreams like that. I used to, you know, when I was younger, I used to have, you know, I want to play this part, I want to play this kind of part. But as I've, you know, I've, I've played a really interesting range of parts and, you know, I've been a lover, I've been a villain. You know, I've been the comedy foil, I've been the, you know, I've been the, the mate next door. You know, I've done all kinds of roles that really, all I'm interested now is if I read a part and it kind of goes, oh yeah, I could do something with this. You know? And it doesn't have to be a leading role or, you know, it can be, it can be a war. I mean, you know, when I when I did first time I worked with Ira Sacks on love is Strange, playing a leading part, opposite John Lithgow. It was a wonderful, wonderful movie.
The next time I worked for Ira, I did, I did a two set, like a literally a four-line role, you know, just, just to, because I wanted to be in his world, you know. And I wanted to kind of, you know, that I wanted that experience again, you know, and, and so, it's whatever comes up. And at the same time, it's always nice to be working. You know, it's I've, I've, I learned that from my dad, you know, sort of my dad I came home one day from school and I had I had a black eye. And my dad saw it, and he said, well, you know, what's, what happened? I said, well, got into a, you know, and I thought he was going to be sympathetic, and he, he wasn't. He just said he said, he said, you know, real men don't get into fights. Real men pay their bills. And I was, what, 11. I didn't know from paying bills, you know? So, at the time, I kind of, I didn't quite get it, but I understood, I understand now, you know, and I understood very early on when I started working, you know, it's that was my only criteria was to stay employed. It always has been. And it's you know, it's not very interesting, but it's, that's what's driven me.
Steve Kmetko:
And we'll be right back.
Let me ask you throw out a couple of characters you've played and, and just give me your impressions Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof.
Alferd Molina:
Yeah. Fantastic year doing that. It was, that was a real bonus. I couldn't believe my luck when I got that. And, and it was a joy, hard work, hard work. And it was, oh, it was so satisfying. And, and, and it's still one of my, it's one of my fondest memories. I'm still friends with people I met on that movie, on that, on that show. And it was just a wonderful, it was a wonderful experience. And it came at just the right time in my life. I was, I felt I was the right age. I felt I was; I came with the right kind of experience, you know? It was just fantastic.
Steve Kmetko:
What about playing Diego Rivera?
Alferd Molina:
Well, that was the first time I worked with Julie Tamil. That was an interesting film, and it a fantastic job. I loved it. It was slightly fraught at the time because you know, we were working under very, we worked under tough conditions. We didn't really have the kind of budget that the film deserved, so people were working long hours and, and trying to get a lot done with, you know, with not, not enough money. But what made it so special was Salma Hayek.
Steve Kmetko:
She was one of the producers on it.
Alferd Molina:
She was. And in order to make sure that we got the budget we did, she had to make a deal with the Weinstein Company to do all these other movies for them. And she was the single most loyal person I think I've ever worked with. She had the cast; she wanted it was like a good year and a half before we shot the f the movie. I was working on a play on Broadway, and she came to the, she came to the theater to see the play, and she came backstage, and she gave me a script, an early version of the script for Frida. And she said, I'd love you to be my Diego. And then she told me that she was going to play Frida. She was producing the film, you know, and I was very touch. I said, yes, of course, I'll read it.
And I read the first version. It was okay. But she did say that, you know, we're still working on it. But, you know, and then for a good, at least a good year, you know, she was trying to raise the money, and she, she had the cast. She wanted me --you know-- Geoffrey Rush, Roger Rees, she wanted Valeria Golino, Saffron Burrows. She absolutely knew the cast she wanted. And of course, the Weinstein Company, they wanted big names. So, they were trying to, you know, they say, oh, we should get De Niro for this, and blah, blah, blah for that, you know? And she dug her heels in and said, no, this is my, this is the film I want to make. These are the people I want to make it with. And I'd never really experienced that kind of loyalty from, from anyone. And, and it was a real, you know, I won't hear a bad word again. I won't hear a negative word about her. The woman is a phenomenon. She's just fantastic. And she just, and she held that whole thing together. You know, we went through more than one possible director, went through all kinds of changes in the script. It was just yeah, she was, it was amazing.
Steve Kmetko:
How do you feel about awards?
Alferd Molina:
Love them. I love them. Try not to think about them. But sometimes that's hard because you know, it's really funny how people, if you give a performance that people are enjoying. That people are, you know, that, that makes a bit of a splash. You know, you, you're doing something in the theater that, you know, sells out. People are buying tickets to go and see it. You make a movie, and, and the movie does really, really well. The first thing, the first thing that comes up is, you know, so you think you might be in, you know, might get a nomination for this or a nomination for that. And it's very hard to stay separate from that circus, you know? And, and of course, there, you know, awards are lovely. There's no doubt. I mean, anyone who kind of goes, oh, I don't want any awards.
They're lying through their teeth. Of course, they're lovely. They're lovely, great parties. People make a fuss of you. You get dressed up, everyone tells you, you're brilliant. You know, it's great. They, they're great fun. But if that's the reason that you're doing it, if that's the reason that you are working, if that's the reason that's driving you, you know, the thing I remember being, I remember an actor getting really upset when he said that, you know, he was offered this role and he wasn't sure about it. And he said that he ended up, I mean, I won't name any names, it's not fair, but he ended up doing it because he felt pressured. But in the doing of it, he was very unhappy because the way he was pressured was that he was kept on being told by people, this could be this will, this could be your Oscar, this is your Oscar, this is an Oscar.
This, this is an Oscar winning role. And the pressure from his agent, man, you know? So, in the end, he ended up doing it and didn't get the Oscar. And it was, and so he went into this job with the worst, what, what he felt was the worst kind of, you know, frame of mind. And, you know, and I think there's, there's you know, it's, there's no point being kind of precious about them. You know? I mean, you know, I've been nominated for a few things over the years, you know, I've won a couple of little gongs here and there, you know, and that's, it's great. It's lovely. It's a really nice thing, you know, but it's not the be all and end all. And also, you know, it’s, I mean, I can't name people who won their prizes from three, four years ago. I can't remember. You know? And I think that's the same for most of us. Unless you are, you know, unless you're a student of the fact. But it, it's, so in the end, the importance of awards, I think is not some, apart from the parties and, you know, getting, getting your kicked, kissed a few times, you know, apart from that. And when the swag bags, oh yeah, the swag bags are great. But apart from that, I think the whole award industry is really for other people. I don't think it's for the performers at all.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you watch the shows?
Alferd Molina:
Not much. Not much. And I was, you know, and I was on the board of Governors of the Academy for three years, you know, and I'm very proud of that. But I don't, you know, and I've been to a couple of Oscar ceremonies, but I don't watch the Oscar show itself very often.
Steve Kmetko:
Any particular reason?
Alferd Molina:
Because I don’t know. I've, you know, it's kind of, I don’t know, why.
Steve Kmetko:
Don't offend anyone?
Alferd Molina:
Well, it's not, no, it's, I know, I certainly wouldn't want to do that, but it's not out of any it's not out of any sense of like, oh, you know, this is all nonsense. It's not that It's very important. It's a, you know, if you're in there, if you're in that moment, it's a huge, and I certainly wouldn't take any of that away from people. But you know, I wait till the next day and I'll go through the, I'll read the list in the papers, and I'll be cheering for people. And of course I'll have, there'll be friends or maybe colleagues involved. And I'll kind of say, yeah, you know, I'm rooting for you, you know?
Steve Kmetko:
What's the best piece of acting advice you ever received?
Alferd Molina:
I think there's quite a few bits of advice I've received over the years that I've, I remember, but I do remember one, one piece of advice about auditioning and because I may, I used, as a very young actor, I used to make the terrible mistake of hoping that in the moment of that audition, like the moment that I finished doing my scene, or done doing my piece that I've prepared, that I'm suddenly going to get, yes, you are. It's you, we want you. Like, there was going to be some wonderful moment of revelation, and they were all going to sit their kind of going, that's it. That you are our guy in my dreams. That would be, you know, and I found myself kind of, I would do the audition and I would kind of hope for some kind of response, which you very rarely get. And of course, it would always leave me a little deflated. And I was saying this to, to another, I mean, to one of my, one of my old teachers. And I remember him saying, no, no, no, no, no. You go in there, you do your bit and you get out of there. Like you've got somewhere better to be.
And I, that completely revolutionized my, my attitude. And the other bit of advice he gave me was go to the audition with a nice shirt on, and a jacket. Don't do all this nonsense about dressing up like the character, like some idea of what you think the character might look like. You know, you're getting caught. You're up for, you're up for a part of some unhoused guy. So you turn up looking like crap. No, no, no. You said no. You turn up, you've got something, you know. So you do. Thank you very much and get out of there. And I'll tell you, that was, that's a good bit of, I passed that bit on, I passed that bit of advice on,
Steve Kmetko:
Was there ever a moment when you thought about giving up the profession?
Alferd Molina:
Loads.
Steve Kmetko:
Really?
Alferd Molina:
Yeah. Loads.
Steve Kmetko:
That surprises me.
Alferd Molina:
Yeah. There are times when, you know, things don't go right or you feel, you know, sort of, I don’t know. Like it's not working. And, I've always been very I've always been a bit impulsive like that, you know, I've, but also whenever I've had those thoughts, I've thought about giving up. I've thought about quitting, but I've never done it. I think because it's an impulse, it's a reaction to something, you know? And I have to, the what I learned from it is trying to understand why that happened. You know, what was it about this particular moment that made me feel that way? And it's usually to do with some inadequacy of mine, you know? It, it is usually to do with some kind of lack of understanding about something. You know, I remember, you know, I remember right from the start, you know, when I left drama school we had, we all had to go in for a one-on-one with the dean who would give us his last bit of kind of, you know, advice. And he said to, he said to me, don't be surprised if you don't start working until you're well into your thirties, you know.
And, that was his bit of advice, you know, you know, you're not, and he was basically saying, you're not, you know, you're not leading man material. That was something else that I heard at one point. And your kind of, and that stuff sticks, you know, its kind of, it can hurt and it can stick. And you kind of go, oh, you know, and, and there, and there's always, I've noticed that my, the moments when I've thought, oh, maybe this is too much, has usually been when I've been trying to deal with a sense of failure. Like, I've failed, or I haven't quite done as well as I should. And maybe it's time to, but then, you know, something else will come up and, you know, it's a lot of yeah, I've thought about it, but never done it.
Steve Kmetko:
I may be overstepping my bounds, but have you ever thought about seeing a therapist?
Alferd Molina:
Oh, yeah. I'm seeing a therapist.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, good for you. I strongly believe in that.
Alferd Molina:
Oh, yeah. I mean, there's no I think it's, you know, I'm, I'm not, I'm not trying to say, oh, you know, I'm a special case in any way. No, but I think the, the, these sorts of anxieties are all part of, they're all part of an actor's DNAi think, you know.
Steve Kmetko:
All actors.
Alferd Molina:
I think. So, I think there's a, I've got this theory, I don’t know if, you know, not completely non-scientific, but I've got this theory that acting, being an actor is the result of a genetic flaw that we have a gene missing. And the, the process of wanting to be an actor is an attempt somehow to fill that moment, to fill that gap, to find that gene that completes the circle. And so, we are starting, you know, who know, I could be talking complete, I don't know, but I feel like we're starting from a point of trying to kind of fix it, trying to fix something.
Steve Kmetko:
You recognize your flaws and you want to.
Alferd Molina:
And we're trying to, and we're trying to deal with them. We're trying to fix them. And I mean, look at it this way. All the best stories, all the, you know, you've, I'm sure you've heard actors getting together and chatting about the work and their careers and blah, blah, all the best stories. All the best tales from the trenches, you know? Oh, I remember the time. None of them, the best ones, none of them end with lines. Like, and then I got a great review. None of them, they're all about disasters, humiliations, betrayals, you know, failures. It's all about that. And I think that's, that's part of our, that's part of why we do it. I think it's part of our, you know, it's part of this need that we have.
Steve Kmetko:
You know, I'm going to have to reexamine myself. What's a role you never got to play, but still dream about?
Alferd Molina:
Oof. I still, I dream about maybe one day playing King Lear. But to be honest, I don't think I've quite got what it takes. What I would love to do, I would love to do something really silly, like a really kind of all out silly kind of broad comedy in the kind of--
Steve Kmetko:
You mean like Monty Python type, broad.
Alferd Molina:
Yeah. Kind of, you know, sort of I, you know, one of my favorites, one of my favorite actors from the old days is well, there are two actually that I absolutely adore. One was Anthony Quinn, who for me was like, just one of the great, great character actors of all time. And to see him in what the, the role he played in Lawrence of Arabia, you know, I don't mean that kind of ethnic role. I don't mean that, but that kind of scale of role, you know, that kind of character would be a wonderful thing to play. But, you know, it's at the same time, you know, we dream and, but the thing is, the next job that comes up will probably be just as exciting. You know, the, the next job that comes up will hopefully, you know, be the one that keeps me awake at night that, you know, that I'll be dreaming about. It's an almost impossible question to answer.
Steve Kmetko:
Well, then, let me ask you this. Is there a moment in your career that you would like to relive?
Alferd Molina:
Well, I tell you what the feeling I got. It's interesting, the feeling I got when I first walked onto the set of Raiders, when I realized that I was actually, I was actually a, I was going to be a professional actor in films. I was actually going to make a film. That singular moment was intoxicating. It was absolutely intoxicating. And I've never forgotten it, just standing on the, I came onto the set at L Street Studios, and, you know, and it was the first day we, we did the scene with all the spiders, and it was full of wonder and anxiety. And I was spiders, you know, I was kind of just completely you know, just completely sort of in it. And that feeling of just giving yourself to it without any judgment, without any constraint, without any, you know, resistance. Just, yes, this is, you know, and, and that was, that was a really powerful moment. And, and it still, I still get that little buzz when I walk onto a set. I still get that little, that little tickle that tells you, you know, we're in for something.
Steve Kmetko:
This is going to be fun.
Alferd Molina:
Yeah. This is going to be, exactly, yeah. This is going to be fun.
Steve Kmetko:
Yeah. Thank you. I've had a good time. I've really enjoyed this.
Alferd Molina:
Oh, thank you.
Steve Kmetko:
You gathered with the CADs guys, don't you, for dinner?
Alferd Molina:
Oh, yeah, yeah. You know about the CADs. Oh, well--
Steve Kmetko:
We've had almost every one of them on the show.
Alferd Molina:
Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, it all started as a very loose thing, you know, it, that there was, I mean, I've got a photo of the, the very first dinner that we had, it was, I think it was either at the Smokehouse, or I think it was The Smokehouse, or maybe that was the second one. And it was just a group of chums, you know, that we all sort of knew each other in various ways. And it really was just a, a chance to kind of have a dinner and just, you know, shoot the, you know, have some fun. And then it kind of grew and, and there's a sort of hardcore of maybe 10 or 12 of us. And it's been a wonderful, it's just a group of colleagues and chums and, you know, and, and because all the, there's all sorts of interconnected relationships.
No one's kind of on the outside, you know, everyone's got, everybody belongs to someone else in some way, or, you know, so we have a lot of things in common, and it's a wonderful moment. You know, the, the dinners we have or the lunches we get together. I mean, sometimes, we'll, some, it might just be four of, of us, you know, somebody might say, hey, you know, I'm in LA you know for breakfast, you know, are you free? And then, you know, four or five people might turn up, you know, or it might be 10 of us, you know, around a big table at some swanky place. But it's always a joy because we're all, there's a great deal of love and mutual respect and admiration and understanding within the group. You know, we, we, we, we, we've all been around a while, you know, we've been around the block. We've all had good times and bad times. You know, it's, you know, that's great song, isn't it, from Foley's.
Steve Kmetko:
Good Times and Bum Times. Yeah. I've seen them all, and my dear.
Alferd Molina:
I'm Still Here.
Steve Kmetko:
I'm Still Here.
Alferd Molina:
Yeah. And that's, I think that's it. That’s, I think that should be our, you know, if it hadn't been taken by someone else, that that would be our ethos, you know. It's and I think that gives us all, you know, and also, you know, there've been times when some among us have had, have gone through something personal, something difficult, and we're always there to help and support and you know, it's a lovely, it's a beautiful thing. It's a big, big part of our lives, I think. And I, and I'm sure I'm speaking for all of us, you know, it's become a very important element in our lives.
Steve Kmetko:
Thank you, Alfred.
Alferd Molina:
My pleasure.
Steve Kmetko:
I really appreciate you coming in to sit down and talk with us.
Alferd Molina:
Oh, this has been fun.
Steve Kmetko:
Thank you. It's been very entertaining.
Alferd Molina:
Thank you.
Steve Kmetko:
Still Here Hollywood is a production of the Still Here Network, all things technical run by Justin Zangerle. Theme music by Brian Sanyshyn and executive producer is Jim Lichtenstein.