Off Camera with Sam Jones

Despite his promising start as a vendor of illegal fireworks, there was never much question that Glen Hansard's street trade would be anything but busking music-a practice, it's safe to bet, would never be outlawed in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, where it's also apparently not illegal to leave school at 13 to take it up. He rose to decent acclaim in his rock band The Frames, but it was a no-budget, quickly shot little film called Once that changed the trajectory of his life and fame. At height of that success, he began work on his latest and most deeply felt album, only to be told his songs were essentially no good. If there's one cliche we're happy Hansard perpetuates, it's that the Irish are delightful storytellers. The singer, songwriter, and reluctant actor talks about his complicated family life, the folly of courting the muse, and the risk of tunnel-career-vision. He also divulges how you can sell the same piano four times and improve your songwriting by replacing words like "heart" and "love" with... something a bit less romantic.

Despite his promising start as a vendor of illegal fireworks, there was never much question that Glen Hansard's street trade would be anything but busking music-a practice, it's safe to bet, would never be outlawed in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, where it's also apparently not illegal to leave school at 13 to take it up. He rose to decent acclaim in his rock band The Frames, but it was a no-budget, quickly shot little film called Once that changed the trajectory of his life and fame. At height of that success, he began work on his latest and most deeply felt album, only to be told his songs were essentially no good. If there's one cliche we're happy Hansard perpetuates, it's that the Irish are delightful storytellers. The singer, songwriter, and reluctant actor talks about his complicated family life, the folly of courting the muse, and the risk of tunnel-career-vision. He also divulges how you can sell the same piano four times and improve your songwriting by replacing words like "heart" and "love" with... something a bit less romantic.

To quote noir crime master Raymond Chandler, "When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand." Given that Titus Welliver was once put on a "Nastiest Villains of All Time" list, we weren't sure what to expect when the Bosch star stopped by for a visit. Turns out he's a lot less ominous than you might think, not to mention a lovely and intelligent guy. Above all, he's a keen observer of internal and external environments and the people who inhabit them-a trait common to great detectives, and great actors. Luckily he's a bit less stoic than his alter ego, and offered up a fascinating, honest conversation on the lessons of his challenging childhood, how he approached the delicate business of inhabiting a character that already lived in the imagination of thousands of fans, and how picking up a paintbrush after 25 years changed his relationship with his father, a well-known artist. He also offered up some impressions that are hilariously spot on-just ask Christopher Walken. Or maybe, don't.

To quote noir crime master Raymond Chandler, "When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand." Given that Titus Welliver was once put on a "Nastiest Villains of All Time" list, we weren't sure what to expect when the Bosch star stopped by for a visit. Turns out he's a lot less ominous than you might think, not to mention a lovely and intelligent guy. Above all, he's a keen observer of internal and external environments and the people who inhabit them-a trait common to great detectives, and great actors. Luckily he's a bit less stoic than his alter ego, and offered up a fascinating, honest conversation on the lessons of his challenging childhood, how he approached the delicate business of inhabiting a character that already lived in the imagination of thousands of fans, and how picking up a paintbrush after 25 years changed his relationship with his father, a well-known artist. He also offered up some impressions that are hilariously spot on-just ask Christopher Walken. Or maybe, don't.

It's hard to believe now that Breaking Bad was clinging to life for its first two seasons, but that was just long enough for Bob Odenkirk to be offered a turn as its lawyer-to-the-shady, Saul Goodman. Odenkirk didn't see fit to memorize his lines before starting; he just requested that Saul sport a comb-over. If that seems a flippant approach to a role that wound up changing his career, you can't blame him. Years of "getting my ass kicked in Hollywood" have gifted him with remarkable sangfroid. He just does what he's always done - work hard and write funny stuff. Simple, right? Well, anyone can work hard, but very few can distill all existence into absurdly, exquisitely true moments. We talk to the co-creator of "the most influential flop on TV" (i.e., Mr. Show) about the turn his career has taken, what Bryan Cranston taught him about taking on a series lead, and how not to dress for an audition. He also reveals his never-ending source of comic fodder: "People are fucking ridiculous." Be insulted if you want, but be honest - you're laughing right along with him.

It's hard to believe now that Breaking Bad was clinging to life for its first two seasons, but that was just long enough for Bob Odenkirk to be offered a turn as its lawyer-to-the-shady, Saul Goodman. Odenkirk didn't see fit to memorize his lines before starting; he just requested that Saul sport a comb-over. If that seems a flippant approach to a role that wound up changing his career, you can't blame him. Years of "getting my ass kicked in Hollywood" have gifted him with remarkable sangfroid. He just does what he's always done - work hard and write funny stuff. Simple, right? Well, anyone can work hard, but very few can distill all existence into absurdly, exquisitely true moments. We talk to the co-creator of "the most influential flop on TV" (i.e., Mr. Show) about the turn his career has taken, what Bryan Cranston taught him about taking on a series lead, and how not to dress for an audition. He also reveals his never-ending source of comic fodder: "People are fucking ridiculous." Be insulted if you want, but be honest - you're laughing right along with him.

Richard Linklater’s films have been said to carry “the shock of the real.” Funny, when you think about it. Why should we be jolted to see ourselves reflected in the profoundly mundane moments he’s become a master of capturing? Maybe it’s because he distills them so beautifully and honestly that watching them, we suddenly remember having lived them. Linklater didn’t go to film school, but it never crossed his mind that he couldn’t make movies. Blind confidence helped, especially in standing up to people who questioned his choices, which were often based on “just a feeling.” Sometimes, that’s all you have to go on; a lot of the time, it’s the best thing to go on. We talk to the director about sinking 12 years into a movie that made absolutely no sense, and Everybody Wants Some!!, its incongruous follow up. He lets us in on how he makes natural, spontaneous conversation actually sound that way, and why people who want to be directors might want to start at the library. Or the baseball field.

Kristen Bell’s early career dream was not singing or acting. She wanted to be a Disney princess. So tread carefully, karma-deniers. We put her self-described mix of “bubbles and rainbows and sunshine” at a good 90 percent of her DNA, but it’s that little ten percent that may reveal the most about her. A lifelong struggle with depression and anxiety will either stunt you, or help you take a good look at yourself and make some life-defining decisions. It can make you a good actor, too. Coming up, the emotions Bell felt she couldn’t express in real life lent nuance and believability to characters across the good-to-bitchy spectrum. In a candid and funny conversation, Bell shares personal and professional challenges, the surprising things that bring her joy now, and why everyone needs Veronica Mars as their imaginary friend. She also explains why she married a hillbilly from Michigan. That would be Dax Shepard, who wasn’t with us. . .or was he?

We’ll let Judith Martin and Martha Stewart debate the merits of starting a poker game at a wedding; but we will argue, however, that any kid who picks “actor” as a profession with “musician” as a backup is already a gambler. Luckily for Don Cheadle, he was really, really good at both. Lucky for us, too, because his work offers increasing proof that his is a voice we sorely need in cinema. We talked to Don about art, music, rodent psychology, and the long and winding road that led to his writing, directing, and starring in Miles Ahead, a film he hoped would be preceded by the apocalypse. It wasn’t, so check your preconceptions at the popcorn counter and see just what pushing against constraints and definitions can yield. And because he is a bit of a shark (who uses his skills largely for charity purposes), we had to request some poker tips. He obliged: “Great cards only come around every 40 hands. If you’re just sitting around waiting to bet, you’re not really playing poker.” In other words, you only lose by holding back.

Michelle Monaghan’s is not a face you want to cover up, though that’s exactly what she was once asked to do. In the 10 years since, she’s learned a lot about her craft. Having no formal training, she gained that knowledge largely on the job, feeling in over her head and questioning her abilities, but persevering anyway. The result is a combination of humility and confidence that’s as rare as it is enviable in an actress—or human. Watch her work sequentially—try Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Gone Baby Gone, Trucker, and True Detective for starters—and you can see her coming into her own on screen. And what of the people who’ve questioned the decision of someone so genuinely nice and unnervingly beautiful to take on a string of less-than-likeable characters? With all due respect, she’d like to punch them in the face. “I don’t need you to like them, I just need you to spend a moment in their shoes.” Michelle and our host discuss her path, The Path, how sex is rarely just sex, and learning the meaning of “improv” the hard way. And after all these years, they lift the veil on their past.