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

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

From Still Here Hollywood by Steve Kmetko, Still Here Network

August 24, 2026 · 1h 5m · Episode 158

About this episode

Alfred Molina reflects on his diverse career in Hollywood, sharing insights from his early roles and personal experiences in acting.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Steve Kmetko

Guest: Alfred Molina

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spider-Man 2, Boogie Nights, Frida

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