Jennifer Beals is something of a rara avis. She’s an old soul who can still delight in the wonders of life that so often disappear further into the mist with each passing year of adulthood. Her keen curiosity about the people and world around her lend the characters she plays an openness and authenticity that take “acting” largely out of her performances. The triathlete and “honorary gay lady” talks about going from Yale college student to headlining one of the highest-grossing films of its time, her start in the ice cream industry and how her audition for the upcoming Proof caused producer Kyra Sedgwick to break a cardinal rule of the casting process. Beals reveals the benefits of not fitting in and following your own path, as well as a musical talent and subsequent missed photo opportunity our host will regret for years to come.
Lake Bell first attempted comedy at age two (she bombed), hosted her first talk show at age 10 (she couldn’t book guests), dreamed of being an actor (her dad discouraged it) and then a writer (her first screenplay fell apart shortly before being produced). And it all worked out great, mainly due to her redoubtable determination to understand and learn about anything that separates her from what she wants to do. So how could she not end up writing, directing and starring in In A World…, her first feature film, which not only grossed $3 million on a $1 million budget, but showcased a uniquely modern voice in classic comedy? The auteur and former host of The Late Lake Show talks about her development as a professional storyteller, the films and directors that inspire her most, and the importance of expressing her femininity and sexuality without selling herself short as an artist. Bell is so humble and kooky, it’s hard to envy the talent and smarts that come in the same package. Really, you get the feeling she could take on almost any job you give her. Except tattoo artistry. That, we strongly advise against.
Lake Bell first attempted comedy at age two (she bombed), hosted her first talk show at age 10 (she couldn’t book guests), dreamed of being an actor (her dad discouraged it) and then a writer (her first screenplay fell apart shortly before being produced). And it all worked out great, mainly due to her redoubtable determination to understand and learn about anything that separates her from what she wants to do. So how could she not end up writing, directing and starring in In A World…, her first feature film, which not only grossed $3 million on a $1 million budget, but showcased a uniquely modern voice in classic comedy? The auteur and former host of The Late Lake Show talks about her development as a professional storyteller, the films and directors that inspire her most, and the importance of expressing her femininity and sexuality without selling herself short as an artist. Bell is so humble and kooky, it’s hard to envy the talent and smarts that come in the same package. Really, you get the feeling she could take on almost any job you give her. Except tattoo artistry. That, we strongly advise against.
Lake Bell first attempted comedy at age two (she bombed), hosted her first talk show at age 10 (she couldn’t book guests), dreamed of being an actor (her dad discouraged it) and then a writer (her first screenplay fell apart shortly before being produced). And it all worked out great, mainly due to her redoubtable determination to understand and learn about anything that separates her from what she wants to do. So how could she not end up writing, directing and starring in In A World…, her first feature film, which not only grossed $3 million on a $1 million budget, but showcased a uniquely modern voice in classic comedy? The auteur and former host of The Late Lake Show talks about her development as a professional storyteller, the films and directors that inspire her most, and the importance of expressing her femininity and sexuality without selling herself short as an artist. Bell is so humble and kooky, it’s hard to envy the talent and smarts that come in the same package. Really, you get the feeling she could take on almost any job you give her. Except tattoo artistry. That, we strongly advise against.
In possibly our most meta issue to date, we talk to Jon Hamm about the end of a show that chronicles the end of an era whose themes still echo throughout our current era. Choosing the uncertainty of Hollywood over a promising athletic career, he struggled to be part of an industry that just didn’t have parts for him. With that part of his journey now wood-paneled, moodily-lit history, he talks about the responsibility he felt as a leading man, why AMC’s ground-breaking show about a bygone time struck such a multi-generational cultural nerve, and the prospect of being forever defined by the most defining role of his career. An astute and articulate observer of people, the evolution of television and boy bands, Hamm offers insights on infantilization of Hollywood, and what he’s learned from working in front and behind the camera. And for you aspiring actors out there, some sage advice on successful auditions from a guy who’s bombed more than his share.
If Ethan Hawke’s career has a recurring theme, it’s the passage of time. The actor’s exceptional films with director Richard Linklater – particularly the critically acclaimed “Boyhood” and the “Before Sunrise” trilogy – are celebrations of the shifting perspectives, ever-evolving characters and the years-long accumulation of small joys and sorrows that give depth and dimension to the life of the common man. Hawke was branded for years, even by himself, as the personification of youthful promise. Today, at 44, he has segued into middle age with a voracious curiosity to find out what it all means, what is essential to happiness and what can be cast aside. In conversation with Off Camera, Hawke ponders the joys and follies of youth, the lessons of aging and the invaluable wisdom learned from an uncommonly happy old man.
What’s so funny about Will Ferrell? Almost everything, yes, but why? Why do we love his parade of odd, yet universally engaging characters and movies? Don’t ask him. We tried, and got the most un-definitive, but probably most honest answer: We don’t know. No one ever truly knows what makes a movie or a sketch or a character work. So why not just have fun with them? Ferrell talks to Off Camera about his path from standup to Saturday Night Live to film, and the haphazard beginning of Funny or Die – arguably the first successful sketch comedy on the Internet (you know you’ve started something when Michelle Obama asks you “Where’s my money, bitch?”)
We talk to him about the self-inflicted weirdest moment of his career…en español, why the best SNL sketches are the ones you’ve probably never seen and breaking the rules of comedy – assuming you believe there are any. It’s all good stuff, but what’s most fascinating is how no matter what personae he pulls from his grab bag of inventions, they all manage to connect a believable, engaging way. Perhaps it’s his penchant for being naked. Perhaps he’s so willing to bare all and be vulnerable in service to his art. Or maybe he just likes it.
