James Badge Dale on ‘King Ivory’ & ‘Mean Streets’

Episode 201

11th December 2025

Letting go of the answers in pursuit of a great performance

Episode notes

Another one of those magical Feeling Seen manifestations this week: just a few episodes after discussing a film he starred in with director James Michael Powell (ep 196), James Badge Dale himself is with us to talk about his perspective on acting and how it was shaped by Martin Scorsese’s MEAN STREETS. Dale, who has been in countless films, and blurs the line between leading man and character actor, would eventually go on to work with Scorsese in THE DEPARTED. Now, he’s starring in a new film alongside Ben Foster, KING IVORY.

Then, Jordan has one quick thing about Sam Wineman’s debut feature, Hag.

Jordan references a Vulture piece about the movies of the 2010s, which has a James Badge Dale section.

Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.

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In this episode...

Guests

  • James Badge Dale

About the show

On Feeling Seen, writer and general enthusiast Jordan Crucchiola invites filmmakers, writers, comedians, and artists to discuss the movie characters that made them “feel seen.” It’s about that instant when a person connects to a piece of art so deeply that they see themselves reflected in it. Every week Jordan gabs it up with a guest about those magical moments when they were watching a film and realized, “That’s me!” It’s an informative, funny, and comforting show about our intimate relationship with movies, the impact they have on our lives, and how they influence our art.

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