Out Of The Darkness | With Mark Duplass

Imagine if your spouse suddenly became a different person--if the words coming out of their mouth made them seem like a total stranger.

Mark Lukach has been there--and back.

Filmmaker and actor Mark Duplass reads for this essay. You may know him from his roles in HBO's "Togetherness" and the new film "Blue Jay."

Voices in this Episode

Mark Duplass is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, and actor who is a force to be reckoned with in the world of film and television, after having burst onto the scene with the Independent Spirit Award-nominated "The Puffy Chair" (2005). Other films written, directed and produced by Mark and his brother Jay include "Baghead" (2008), "Cyrus" (2010) and "Jeff Who Lives At Home" (2011).

Mark has starred in a number of films including Lynn Shelton's "Your Sister's Sister" (for which he won a Gotham Award), Charlie McDowell's sci-fi romancer "The One I Love," and Patrick Brice's horror comedy "Creep." Other notable acting credits include wide-ranging roles in "Zero Dark Thirty," "Tammy" (opposite Melissa McCarthy), "Safety Not Guaranteed" (which he also produced), and the indie-sensation "Humpday." Mark has also been seen in a recurring role on "The Mindy Project" and was a regular on the hit FX show "The League" for seven seasons.

Mark and Jay also helm the production company Duplass Brothers Productions. The duo wrote, directed and produced the acclaimed HBO series "Togetherness," which co-starred Mark, and are currently producing the second season of the animated HBO show "Animals" as well as in pre-production on the new anthology comedy show "Room 104." Notable films the Duplass Brothers have produced include Patrick Brice's sex comedy "The Overnight," Sean Baker's award-winning "Tangerine," "The Skeleton Twins" starring Bill Hader & Kristen Wiig, Katie Aselton's "Black Rock," among many others.

Mark can currently be seen opposite Sarah Paulson in the new romantic drama "Blue Jay," which he also wrote and produced.

Mark Lukach is a teacher and freelance writer. His work has been published in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Pacific Standard, Wired, and other publications. He is currently the Ninth Grade Dean at The Athenian School, where he also teaches history. He lives with his wife, Giulia, and their son, Jonas, in the San Francisco Bay area.

Mark first wrote about Giulia in a New York Times "Modern Love" column and again in a piece for Pacific Standard Magazine, which was the magazine's most-read article in 2015.

My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward, his new memoir, is a heart-wrenching yet hopeful story about a young marriage that is redefined by mental illness and affirms the power of love.  It is available now for presale and will be published in May of 2017.