Off Camera with Sam Jones

Ep. 6 Tony Hawk

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If pro skateboarders have resumes, Tony Hawk’s is undoubtedly among the longest and most envied. Though he’s the most decorated skater ever with t...

Ep. 5 Robert Downey Jr.

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Moral certainty is always a sign of cultural inferiority. The more uncivilized the man, the surer he is that he knows precisely what is right and w...

Ep. 4 Aimee Mann

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Aimee Mann, the Boston born singer/songwriter, Grammy winner and self-described Oscar loser, was recently named to NPR’s list of the ten finest livi...

Ep. 3 Blake Mills

19 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After releasing two records with his former band Simon Dawes (now Dawes), guitarist/producer/songwriter Blake Mills went on to become a go-to touring ...

Ep. 2 John Krasinski

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Jim Halpert, John Krasinski embodies The Office’s most beloved Everyguy, but his middle-achiever alter ego belies the actor’s impressive and ac...

Ep 1. Val McCallum

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Whether or not you’ve heard of Val McCallum, you’ve undoubtedly heard his work. Val is a supremely talented guitarist, singer, songwriter and stud...

Ep 52.5. Sam Jones 1

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Producer Chris Moore puts Sam Jones in the hot seat!

Ep 133. Danai Gurira

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The talented and worldly Danai Gurira has been bridging the gap between disparate worlds ever since her family moved from Grinnell, IA to Africa when ...

Ep 7. Dave Grohl

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Being a bona fide badass is the price of entry for a career in rock and roll; and if you ask Dave Grohl, it’s the key ingredient for just about anyt...

Ep 156. Awkwafina

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Awkwafina (also known as Nora Lum) is having quite a moment. She’s a part of the impressive cast of female icons (Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, Cate Blan...

Ep 140. John Goodman

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Goodman wasn’t always the imposing presence he is today, but he’s always had his charisma. As an eighth grader in Missouri, John charmed the ...

Ep 50. Aubrey Plaza

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When the notoriously poker-faced Aubrey Plaza says that she’s wanted to be an actor since she was 13 and thus isn’t surprised it’s happening, or...

Ep 134. Common

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Common is a man who is anything but, and he’s been evolving as an artist since the start of his three-decade-and-counting career when he was a young...

Ep 25. Jessica Chastain

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to feel confident that you’ve made it in Hollywood? “Coming from nowhere with no connections” and going almost overnight to A-...

Ep 46. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of best ways to enter and appreciate the original, prolific brain of Joseph Gordon-Levitt is through the lens of hitRECord, the open, collaborativ...

Ep 72. Mindy Kaling

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Much has been made–justifiably so–about the anemic diversity represented in film and television, most problematically when roles originally writte...

Ep 96. Courteney Cox

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

So no one told her life was going to be this way. Except Friends director Jimmy Burrows, who took Courteney Cox and her fellow cast members to dinner ...

Ep 168. Matt Damon 2

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For those of you watching this week’s Off Camera episode, do not adjust your sets…that is me sitting across from Matt, humiliatingly dressed head ...

Ep 164. Mary Elizabeth Winstead

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s first true love was the ballet, but her body had other plans, and she grew a bit too tall for the grande jeté. Luckily, h...

Ep 89. David Oyelowo

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

David Oyelowo has a favorite phrase from St. Francis of Assisi. “Preach the gospel, and every now and again use words.” You could see why. One of ...

Ep 138. Bill Hader

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a high school kid growing up in Oklahoma, Bill Hader received a progress report from his French teacher that had remarkable foresight: “Bill is v...

Ep 160. Elizabeth Olsen

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It’s safe to say that Elizabeth Olsen didn’t have a normal childhood. As the other sister to the Olsen twins, Elizabeth Olsen had a front row se...

Ep 76. Mark Duplass

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our talk with Mark Duplass will take you about an hour to absorb, and we sincerely hope you will. But say you only have about seven minutes, 13 se...

Ep 127. Octavia Spencer

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You can almost time it. When a hometown kid arrives, the “we knew her when” pieces aren’t far behind. Shortly after The Help made Octavia Spence...

Ep 167. Rosamund Pike

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Early on, the stage was set for Rosamund Pike to pursue a career in the performing arts. Born to two opera singers, Rosamund had a front row seat to f...

Ep 51. Tim Robbins

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At 6’ 5”, Tim Robbins is the tallest actor ever to win an Academy Award, but until they start handing out statuettes for height alone, he’ll ha...

Ep 65. Kathryn Hahn

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Who is my character? Why does she say this line? What’s my motivation? These are valid, if not typical, Acting 101 probings. But as a certain act...

Ep 84. Greta Gerwig

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In “No Method to Her Madness,” a review of the Noah Baumbach film Greenberg that could’ve also been titled “Ode to Greta Gerwig,” A.O. Scott...

Ep 64. Keagan-Michael Key

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Did you see the 2013 comedy-horror movie Hell Baby? No? Well, film critic Devin Faraci did, and what stood out for him about the otherwise “silly”...

Ep 95. Hank Azaria

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hank Azaria’s relationship to the most iconic cartoon of a generation is a question of prepositions. He is indisputably on The Simpsons (his voice w...

Ep 137. Andie MacDowell

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Andie MacDowell was a curious and wide-eyed 8-year-old, a trip to the university theater with her mother planted a seed. The adults on stage were...

Ep 61. Glen Hansard

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

All artists are essentially storytellers, and the Irish are legendary storytellers (if you disagree, go immerse yourself in some Oscar Wilde, Samuel B...

Ep 36. Dax Shepard

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Philip Larkin drolly made parents the scapegoats of our generation with his observation “They f*** you up, your mum and dad…” And true enough, b...

Ep 34. Rashida Jones

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Our news feeds these days are pretty reliably littered with examples of how easily kids of celebrities can be overshadowed, crushed or otherwise damag...

Ep 119. Chadwick Boseman

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Not much in Chadwick Boseman’s early life would lead you to think he would become an actor. Not his birthplace (Anderson, South Carolina), not his f...

Ep 23. Jason Sudeikis

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a high school sophomore, Jason Sudeikis switched schools in pursuit of serious basketball dreams and, of course, a girl. Instead, he discovered cla...

Ep 100. Ron Howard

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When a 16-year old Ron Howard was hanging out on set with Henry Fonda (as one does), Fonda gave the young actor a bit of advice: If he loved acting, h...

Ep 162. Javier Bardem

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Acclaimed Spanish actor Javier Bardem comes from a long line of artists and filmmakers, but his love of cinema officially took shape when his mother, ...

Ep 82. Riz Ahmed

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

You keep up on things. You know what’s going on in arts and culture. Then inevitably, it happens. Someone who wasn’t even on your radar is suddenl...

Ep 149. Sarah Paulson

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

From the outside, it would appear that Sarah Paulson, after her Emmy award-winning performance as prosecutor Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J. Simps...

Ep 67. Thomas Middleditch

23 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If your impression of Thomas Middleditch is that of a somewhat befuddled, bumbling, awkward-bordering-on-geeky misfit, we won’t blame you... yet. He...

Ep 81. Michael Shannon

16 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re an actor who’s signed on to share scenes with Michael Shannon, you’ve got yourself a bit of a dilemma. On one hand, you can count on p...

Ep 108. Kumail Nanjiani

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 2009 The New York Times ran a story about the New York Comedy Festival and the independent standup community that had become a hunting ground for l...

Ep 170. Carey Mulligan

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When Carey Mulligan first stepped foot on set of 2005’s Pride & Prejudice, she was convinced she won the lottery. It was her first professional job ...

Ep 42. Jack Black

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to movie posters and pull-quote “reviews”, we’ve heard “electric” used to describe a performance so often that it barely registers as...

Ep 13. Michael B. Jordan

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

     Drug dealer, football player, alcoholic, shooting victim. In his first decade of acting, Michael B. Jordan has found ways to humanize characte...

Ep 102. Elisabeth Moss

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Watching Elisabeth Moss as Mad Men’s sec-turned-exec Peggy Olson (as millions did for 88 addictive episodes) and in recent projects like Top of the ...

Ep 37. Jake Gyllenhaal

26 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jake Gyllenhaal has become somewhat synonymous with beyond-brutal physical transformations for movies like Nightcrawler, and more recently (and even m...

Ep 26. Will Ferrell

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Just mention Will Ferrell’s name or glance at a picture of him and chances are you’re already smiling (or smirking or laughing out loud). But the ...

Ep 56. Don Cheadle

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We expect actors to dramatize a range of emotions as the characters they play; even, to some extent, when they’re playing a version of themselves on...

Ep 57. Kristen Bell

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If souls or psyches can be compared to houses, Kristen Bell’s would be one with few dark corners. It would probably also be lavender scented, with a...

Ep 27. Ethan Hawke

29 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Success came to Ethan Hawke when he was young, and across a wide spectrum. He landed a major motion picture, “The Explorers,” at 13, off his first...

The Off Camera Call-In Show #3

10 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Jones does it again. Listen in as he fields some burning questions from Off Camera fans.

Year End Holiday Special

26 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Liz Phair

19 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Liz Phair introduced herself to the music industry in the 1990s with her bold first record Exile in Guyville. Rock and roll was traditionally dominat...

Mike McGill and Steve Caballero

12 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Well folks, you are in for a treat this week, especially if you are a skateboarder. Mike McGill and Steve Caballero were two of the founding members o...

Jenny Slate 2

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I’m really happy to have Jenny Slate back again. She’s smart, funny, and charming, and she’s refreshingly honest about her struggles as an artis...

Tracy Letts

28 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The first time Tracy Letts participated in a community theater play, he knew he found something special. At school, Tracy was shy and had a hard time ...

Josh Gad

21 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Josh Gad was drawn to acting ever since he took the stage as The Simcha Machine in Beth Shalom Academy’s kindergarten play. Onstage, Josh felt eupho...

Noomi Rapace

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Swedish born Noomi Rapace booked the lead in the original film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, it changed her life, both personall...

Lance Reddick

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Lance Reddick was growing up, he was a shy and introverted kid. He was one of a handful of African-Americans at his school, so he never felt like...

Edward Norton

31 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For the past 25 years, Edward Norton has established himself as one of the greatest actors in his generation. His legacy includes roles in films like ...

Jeff Bridges 2

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Bridges is back again, and this time, the legendary multi-hyphenate is joining me because he’s just released a new photography book titled Jef...

Jake Johnson

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jake Johnson’s made a career out of acting next to some of the top names in the business, and that’s exactly how he likes it. From his vantage poi...

Adam Devine

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Adam Devine was in fourth grade, a bully turned the entire class against him, and it took Adam nailing his performance in that year’s school pl...

Beth Behrs

03 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since three-year-old Beth Behrs saw Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, she knew she wanted to become an actor. Beth’s perfectionist nature...

Zach Galifianakis

26 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Zach Galifianakis had his big moment of success a bit later than most. Zach was a stand-up comedian with a small but loyal following, but when the mas...

Scott Aukerman

19 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Writer, director, comedian and podcast host Scott Aukerman is a very busy man. He is perhaps best known for his hit podcast Comedy Bang! Bang! which ...

Andrea Savage

12 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you haven’t seen Andrea Savage’s comedy series I’m Sorry, you should…just be prepared to laugh your butt off. As the creator, writer, and ...

Constance Wu

05 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Before she became a household name from her work in projects like Fresh Off the Boat and Crazy Rich Asians, Constance Wu was a full-time waitress i...

Wyatt Russell

29 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Wyatt Russell was born into the film business as the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, which can be a difficult way to grow up. But despite their m...

Sam Jones 2

22 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Off Camera is back after a short summer break with all new episodes, and we’re kicking off the new season with a game of musical chairs. Writer, ac...

Robert Downey Jr. 2

18 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Good old Robert Downey Jr. is back for a second time, and his career has gone quite well since his last appearance, on episode 5 of Off Camera. It is ...

Scoot McNairy

11 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If Scoot McNairy hadn’t found acting, it’s possible he’d be mowing lawns for a living. Scoot grew up relishing the outdoors of his native Texas,...

Ramy Youssef

02 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

As the child of first-generation Muslim immigrants, Ramy Youssef grew up with a sense of practicality about his future. He was drawn to comedy and per...

David Tennant

27 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When David Tennant was a child in Scotland, he spent his free time running around the back garden pretending to be characters from the TV shows he lov...

Sienna Miller

20 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Sienna Miller got her first big acting job on the short-lived FOX television show Keen Eddie, she had no grand plans for her career. Surrounded b...

Olivia Wilde 2

13 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been four years since Olivia Wilde last visited Off Camera, and a lot has changed—she’s had another child, taken a step back from acting, ...

Fred Armisen

06 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fred Armisen is known as one of the funniest and most memorable Saturday Night Live cast members, but surprisingly, a career in comedy wasn’t some...

Ian McShane

30 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Acting wasn’t really on the radar of young Ian McShane, who grew up in Manchester, England in the 1950s. Even though his father was a professional f...

Andrew Bird

23 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Bird grew up no stranger to music, and he started playing the violin was he was four, using the Suzuki method. But Andrew argues he wasn’t “...

Jason Mantzoukas

16 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up on a little island off the coast of Massachusetts didn’t afford Jason Mantzoukas, an aspiring performer, much room to interact with the o...

Sarah Goldberg

09 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

All it took for Canadian-born actress Sarah Goldberg to realize she wanted to become an actor was a preschool production of The Owl and the Pussycat....

'Weird Al' Yankovic

02 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For years, Weird Al Yankovic was dismissed as a novelty musician—here today, gone tomorrow—but it’s been 40 years, and his weird and wonderful c...

Seth Rogen

25 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Believe it or not, the origin of Seth Rogen’s incredible acting, writing, and producing career traces all the way back to Bar Mitzvah class in Vanco...

Busy Philipps

18 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For over 20 years, Busy Philipps has been navigating the highs and lows of a being an actress in Hollywood. With unrivaled determination and a strong ...

David Harbour

11 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When David Harbour was growing up in the suburbs of Westchester County, he was an outcast. A self-described nerdy and intense weirdo who preferred to ...

Joey King

04 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Joey King went to the premiere of her upcoming Hulu show The Act, she didn’t anticipate watching the entire thing through her fingers, but the...

Brit Marling

28 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Brit Marling has created one of the most original, mind-bending, and creative shows on television with Netflix’s The OA; an exploration of near dea...

Lauren Cohan

21 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

If you look at Lauren Cohan’s acting career, it’s clear she has a knack for playing strong and feisty women. She’s played a zombie killing badas...

Ray Romano

14 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Before Ray Romano graced our television sets with Everybody Loves Raymond, he was a hustling stand-up comedian, hoping to break into television like ...

Patton Oswalt

07 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I was excited to have Patton Oswalt on the show, because I have been following his career ever since I first saw him on stage at the legendary Los Ang...

Norman Reedus

28 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last ten years, Norman Reedus has been kicking zombie butt and endearing himself to audiences around the world in the massively successful AM...

Daniel Radcliffe

21 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Before Daniel Radcliffe became the face of the global phenomenon that was Harry Potter, he was just a typical kid struggling to get through his schoo...

Stephen Merchant

14 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When Stephen Merchant grew to 6’7” as a teenager, he had a hard time blending in with the crowd, which was something he longed for. “Lots of kid...

Regina Hall

07 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since Regina Hall showed up on screen as the hilarious, sex-craven Brenda in Scary Movie, she’s never had to worry about getting work. But wha...

Dax Shepard 2

31 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been 140 episodes since Dax Shepard last sat down with me, and a lot has changed since—he directed a film (ChiPs), started Armchair Expert,...

D'Arcy Carden

24 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You may know D’Arcy Carden as the lovable, all-knowing, not-quite-robot-not-quite-human entity Janet on The Good Place, and while she may not know ...