Drama

East of Eden: James Dean, Part 2

Stanislavski! Strasberg! Stella! This week, Caroline and Ned go deep on the history of method acting as they look at James Dean's leading man debut in Elia Kazan's 1955 family drama, East of Eden. The hosts explore what it means to be an "actor's director," share some of their own experiences with acting and directing, and try to figure out why this movie is so goddamn stressful.
As mentioned in the episode, you can watch James Dean act opposite Ronald Reagan in the 1954 TV drama " The Dark Dark Hours" (youtu.be/wzVdx-HTPDI). And you can also check out this really great collection of photos from Dean's life (medium.com/everythings-interesting/james-dean-a-life-in-pictures-5c0e0877472).
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Rebel Without A Cause: James Dean, Part 1

Role Calling takes a swerve into the 1950s this week, as Caroline and Ned kick off their brand new series on James Dean. The Hollywood legend and famed method actor only made three movies before his untimely death at the age of 24. And this series will cover them all, starting with his iconic turn as Jim Stark in 1955's Rebel Without A Cause. It's a conversation for fans and novices alike as the hosts dig into Dean's biography, talk through the film's unique plot structure, and share their favorite moments of Dean's stellar performance.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

The Green Knight: Dev Patel, Part 5

The Summer of Dev is finally here! This week, Caroline and Ned try to make sense of David Lowery's transfixingly ambiguous medieval epic The Green Knight. Plus they share some final thoughts on Dev's career, introduce the star of their next retrospective series, and ponder "What does the fox say?"
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

The Personal History of David Copperfield: Dev Patel, Part 4

Released mid-pandemic, The Personal History of David Copperfield got a little lost in the shuffle last year. But Caroline and Ned are here to tell you why Armando Iannucci's whimsical Dickens adaptation is worth seeking out! Plus they look at how casting Dev Patel as an icon of British literature just might be the key to unlocking his full range of skills as an actor—which is hopefully good news for the upcoming Green Knight.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Lion: Dev Patel, Part 3

Eight years after Slumdog Millionaire introduced Dev Patel to the world, Lion finally made him an Oscar-nominated leading man. Caroline and Ned are joined by special guest Adarsh Shah to break down this incredibly moving 2016 family drama that changed the entire course of Dev’s career. 
[Just a heads up that Lion includes themes of potential sexual abuse and human trafficking, and we briefly discuss those topics in the episode as well.]
You can follow Adarsh on Instagram (instagram.com/adarshofsalt) and Twitter (twitter.com/adarshofsalt), and get a glimpse of his Hrithik Roshan hair goals here (https://static.toiimg.com/photo/msid-66473059/66473059.jpg?132351).
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Slumdog Millionaire: Dev Patel, Part 1

The era of Dev Patel is here! Caroline and Ned are thrilled to be joined by special guest Manish Mathur to kick off this brand new miniseries. The trio travel back to the halcyon days of 2008 to look at Dev's breakthrough debut in Slumdog Millionaire. And they attempt to figure out how this movie has aged, and the career path it set up (or didn't) for dear Dev.
You can follow Manish Mathur on Twitter (twitter.com/TheManish89) and read his wonderful writing about Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! on The Spool (https://tinyurl.com/7ss9v6tr) as well as with the BFI's Blu-ray release (https://tinyurl.com/4zumnxfa). You can also listen to his podcasts It Pod To Be You (https://tinyurl.com/ym7uv33d) and Queer And Now (https://tinyurl.com/4tvxuzh6).
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Sicario: Emily Blunt, Part 3

Things take a turn for the morally ambiguous this week, as Ned and Caroline wade into the dark waters of Sicario. The 2015 Denis Villeneuve thriller stars Emily Blunt as a principled FBI agent who gets roped into some shady dealings for the U.S. government. It's easily the heaviest film the podcast has covered yet, and Ned and Caroline parse what to make of its suspenseful look at the Mexican drug war. Plus they sing the praises of Blunt's impressively restrained performance, and debate what makes a B-movie a B-movie.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

The Prestige: Christian Bale, Part 5

Are you watching closely? In the final episode of their Christian Bale retrospective series, Caroline and Ned dive into one of their favorites: Christopher Nolan's 2006 dueling magician drama, The Prestige. A movie that might just inadvertently sum up Christian Bale's entire movie star persona. But what makes The Prestige so great? How do its many twists hold up on a rewatch? And how did Christian prepare for a role that has a whole lot going on beneath the surface? Ned and Caroline dive into all that and more, with just the bare minimum of terrible British accent impressions. Plus they introduce the star of their next retrospective series!
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

The Fighter: Christian Bale, Part 4

From Batman to BAFTAs, Christian Bale has grown into one of our most acclaimed actors. And this week, Ned and Caroline look at the movie that won him his Oscar: The 2010 David O. Russell boxing drama, The Fighter. But the hosts don't actually have that much to say about the movie itself, so they mostly try to dig into Christian's acting process instead! Just what does it mean to be a method actor? And is Christian actually one? Plus some thoughts on how Christian's movie star persona has changed over the years, his penchant for quirky awards speeches, and a really weird Esquire interview (esquire.com/entertainment/a8920/christian-bale-interview-1210/). And always remember: "Head, body, head, body."
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.

Little Women (1994): Christian Bale, Part 2

It's the big one! Caroline and Ned dive into Christian Bale's early career, and dig into where Caroline's obsession actually started. That's right, it's time to talk about thespian club movie nights, Newsies dance numbers, and DVD bootlegs of "Blood Drips Heavily on Newsies Square." All that plus more Little Women chat than you could ever want or need from a movie podcast! Which March sisters do the hosts relate to most? Why was Ned in a secret book club? And just how many versions of Little Women can Caroline manage to discuss in a single episode? Listen to find out, as Role Calling examines Christian Bale's performance as Laurie in Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's iconic novel.
Our theme music was created by Patrick Budde, and our logo was designed by Nick Wanserski. You can get in touch on Twitter (twitter.com/rolecalling) or email us at rolecalling@gmail.com.