SEASON 2 - EPISODE 108 - TIM BLAKE NELSON - ACTOR / WRITER / DIRECTOR

On this episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, we speak with actor, writer, and director Tim Blake Nelson (LEAVES OF GRASS, THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS, LINCOLN) about a wide range of topics. We had the pleasure of working with him on O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, and we had a wonderful time catching up with him. We learn all about his journey from Oklahoma to his first breaks as an actor, and we discuss the artistic and academic foundation that informs his choices as a filmmaker. James and Tim both studied the classics in college, and they compare their Latin and Greek syllabi and reflect on how they still draw from what they learned during their education. Picking the subject back up later in the episode, we also learn the truth behind the apocryphal myth as to whether anyone actually read Homer's Odyssey before shooting O BROTHER. Tim later reflects on his parallel career as a playwright, and we learn why he doesn’t direct his own plays as he muses on the different demands of conceptualizing a story for the stage versus one for the screen. Later, we discuss his career as a director, and Tim shares his increasingly difficult experiences funding his independent films. Towards the end, we discuss his recent role as the star of his son’s feature debut, ASLEEP IN MY PALM, and we ask Tim about his recent novel, CITY OF BLOWS, and learn how the story was inspired by Tim’s real experiences in Hollywood during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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This episode is sponsored by Aputure