Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.

It's Bullseye and Jesse Thorn. Alfred Malina started his acting career almost 40 years

ago. First on British television, then he did some movies. His first big part came in

1981's Laders of the Lost Ark. He's right at the very beginning. He's the guy who steals

the idol from Indiana, then abandons him. Not a bad first gig. Since then, he's played

over 150 roles on screen. He's responsible for a bunch of other unforgettable scenes in movies

like Boogie Knight's Shokalot, Magnolia. He played Dr. Octopus in Spider-Man 2, and guess what?

Doc Oxbach, baby. Alfred reprised his role for Spider-Man No Way Home, which is out now.

When I talked with Alfred Malina in 2017, he just starred in the first season of the FX series

Fyud. It's said in 1962, and it tells the story of the rivalry between Betty Davis and Joan

Crawford that took place when they filmed the movie Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Malina plays

Robert Aldrich, the movie's director. He is, as always, great. And in this clip from the pilot

episode, Malina's character is on the phone trying to convince a reluctant Betty Davis played by

Susan Sarandon to team up with Joan Crawford and take the part. Betty Listeners, the deal.

Crawford's name on the marquee gets us distribution. I need her to get the picture made, but I need

you to make the picture great. Keep talking. Betty Listen, I've made my share of steaming piles of

shit, but every now and again, I get a chance to work with an artist like you, someone who isn't

afraid to leap off a cliff. Most people are terrified to go anywhere near the edge. Now that gets me

excited. I'm a kid again. Everything's possible. Betty, I promise you, this is going to be the greatest

horror movie ever made. And Baby Jane's the greatest part you'll place since Margot Channing.

I'd answer this question and don't lie. Why this picture?

Honestly, I'm not being offered anything else.

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