[Written on February 23, 2016] This has been a spectacular day for me. I began preparing for it a couple of years ago, when I was able to reconnect with one of the most phenomenal people I’ve met in my career – the acclaimed photographer and director Sam Jones, who is the force behind Off Camera. Sam launched his original on-camera interview series back in 2013 as a website, magazine, TV show and podcast, and when I wrote about it, he sent me a warm response. Knowing that the show is now beginning its fourth season, today I made a plan to look-in on it again. After spending the whole day binge-watching clips from the show’s YouTube channel, here is my takeaway: Sam Jones is profoundly influential to me, and I am certain that everyone else watching his show must feel the same way. Here’s why.
By the time I graduated from film school, I had learned a lot about pursuing my passion, and how – by being determined and doing good work – a lot of doors were likely to open. Back then, I imagined myself writing novels and making movies for a living; now, I celebrate success on many levels every day, although my life has almost nothing to do with filmmaking nor fiction writing. I have a solid sense of what I’m good at, and happily, a lot of people appreciate the things I do. As a result, I am able to continue believing that just about anything is possible, depending on what happens today.
Meanwhile, from within the black-and-white “Off Camera” microcosm, the ultra-talented Mr. Jones continues to represent the incarnation of coolness, humanity, creativity and productivity. He is the brother or neighbor we all want to have, who is able to sit down with illustrious show business achievers and go toe-to-toe with them; in the process, he elicits frank, honest admissions that we viewers would never hear first-hand. To me, the insights uncovered in each episode are always illuminating… and often potentially life-changing.
Many years ago, in his work as an artist photographing celebrities and famous people, Sam realized that “the best conversations happen off-camera.” The man was clearly right. With the fourth season of his show kicking-off, here are just some of the most recent pearls of wisdom his camera has captured for us.
. Will Ferrell reveals a hilarious story about Dustin Hoffman
. Jake Gyllenhaal talks about his relationships with directors
. Tatiana Maslany shares the secret of creating without self-criticism
. Robert Downey Jr. tells the story of his “Iron-Man” audition
. Jack Black: “The f**king scariest things I’ve ever done”
. John Krasinski talks about jumping into the unknown
. Dave Grohl offers a surprising take on Kurt Cobain
. Tim Robbins names the first film that blew his mind
. Aubrey Plaza calls herself the worst talk show guest ever
. Linda Cardellini reveals the most important lesson she’s learned about acting
. Bill Macy tells why he threatened to shoot Ethan Coen’s dog
. Uber-producer Bill Lawrence tells how to pitch a TV show
. Carrie Brownstein exposes herself
. Dax Shepard tells the story behind the film that changed his career
. How did Rashida Jones get handed the keys to “Toy Story”?
More Off Camera: offcamera.com
