Still Here Hollywood

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

August 24, 2026·1h 5m
Episode Description from the Publisher

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 Hollywood01:01 His First Movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark02:17 Alfred Molina Was Completely New to Filmmaking04:52 Why Spielberg Told Him to Stop Watching Dailies07:18 Why Raiders Changed Adventure Movies08:43 Auditioning for Steven Spielberg10:22 Learning From Hollywood's Greatest Directors12:20 The One Director He Couldn't Understand14:33 Regretting Not Paying Attention in School15:08 Classical Acting Training at Guildhall17:08 Did Classical Training Help in Hollywood?19:01 Becoming Doctor Octopus20:00 The Secrets Behind Doc Ock's Tentacles23:10 The Movies Alfred Molina Loves25:34 Why Young Fans Know Him as Doc Ock27:04 Does He Take His Characters Home?29:52 Why He Keeps Returning to the Stage31:31 The Incredible Boogie Nights Firecracker Story34:40 Actors, Directors and Happy Accidents38:32 Film vs. Television vs. Theater40:38 The Roles He Still Wants to Play43:34 Playing Tevye and Diego Rivera44:53 Salma Hayek's Fight to Make Frida47:00 Alfred Molina Gets Candid About Awards50:09 Why He Doesn't Really Watch the Oscars51:24 The Best Acting Advice He Ever Received53:18 He Thought About Quitting Acting, A Lot55:42 Alfred Molina on Therapy56:04 His "Genetic Flaw" Theory About Actors58:00 The Role He Still Dreams About59:59 The Career Moment He'd Love to Relive1:02:06 Inside Hollywood's "CADS" Group1:04:09 Why Their Friendships Matter Show CreditsHost/Producer: Steve KmetkoAll things technical: Justin ZangerleExecutive Producer: Jim LichtensteinMusic by: Brian Sanyshyn  https://stillherehollywood.comhttp://patreon.com/stillherehollywoodSuggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.comAdvertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.comPublicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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