In this episode of Voices On Art, I talk with film and entertainment producer Larry Kasanoff about creativity, risk, fear – and what he calls “A Touch of the Madness", which is also the title of his recently published book about creativity, asking, creating, playing – and having the courage to act on an idea.
Larry has worked on films including Platoon, Terminator 2, True Lies, Dirty Dancing and the Mortal Kombat franchise, and has spent decades moving between film, games and other forms of entertainment. Although our worlds are different, art and film production have a lot in common: both begin with an idea and depend on vision, collaboration, risk and the courage to bring something new into the world.
We talk about what a producer actually does – not simply financing a film, but developing an idea and keeping hundreds of people on one creative path. Larry tells me how taking a major risk on Platoon early in his career shaped his philosophy: exceptional work often begins where the safe choice ends.
From there, our conversation moves into why fear can be such a powerful obstacle to creativity, why audiences still want the new and unexpected, and why Larry believes cinema has a future precisely because people still want shared experiences and human stories.
We also talk about AI and new technologies, the difference between using technology as a tool and allowing it to replace the human element, the importance of fun and playfulness in art, and how Larry decides whether an idea is worth pursuing.
Later in the conversation, Larry speaks about his friendship with Zen Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh and how mindfulness changed the way he works: doing one thing at a time instead of constantly multitasking.
A conversation about making things, staying curious, taking chances – and keeping a little madness alive. And finally, we talk about age, experience and courage – and why, for Larry, getting older has made him more willing rather than less willing to take creative risks.
My book pick for this episode, besides Larry's own book, is Siri Hustvedt’s Ghost Stories. Written in the wake of the death of her husband Paul Auster, it is a deeply personal book about love, loss, memory and creating. For me, it also offers an important counterpoint to the idea that creativity is always about pushing forward: sometimes it begins with listening, openness and allowing something to come to you.
Links:
https://van-horn.net/podcast/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Kasanoff
https://www.larrykasanoff.com/
VOICES ON ART
Conversations about Art & Life
hosted by Daniela Steinfeld
A Van Horn Gallery x Studio Steinfeld Production
©Daniela Steinfeld 2026
