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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 anything worth doing. His approach to life has fueled the Foo Fighters' 20 year,11 album career and garnered him a following of very stoked rock fans, many of who gathered at this year's SXSW music conference to hear Grohl's keynote address. The hipsters, rockers, start-uppers and next-big-thing developers packing the room were no doubt curious to hear how one goes about dropping out of high school, rising to fame as the drummer in Nirvana (a small Northwest act you may have heard of), and then go on to lead one today's few remaining true rock bands? For Grohl, the answer's pretty simple: figure out who you are and what inspires you and don't look back - develop that individuality by working as hard as you can at what you love. That clarity of approach drove not only his Nirvana/Foo Fighters trajectory, but numerous musical side projects like ... Written by Sam Jones IV

As Jim Halpert, John Krasinski embodies The Office's most beloved Everyguy, but his middle-achiever alter ego belies the actor's impressive and accomplished resume. At just 33, he has written, directed and produced both television and feature films with some of the industry's most talented heavy-hitters. Krasinski shares his own version of the waiter-to A-list story and talks about staying true to his artistic path despite periods of self-doubt. An avid and humble student of experience, he discusses what he's learned from his work with industry veterans such as Sam Mendes, Gus Van Sant and George Clooney. Krasinski talks to Off Camera about wrapping the final season of The Office, the value of supportive parents, and about his newest film, Promised Land, which he co-wrote, and co-stars with Matt Damon. At one of the most interesting junctions in his career, an actor who's arguably done it all looks ahead to what he hopes will be next. Written by Sam Jones

Any 7 year-old who inhales 19 ice cream cones in a row for her first movie appearance, arranges a clandestine meeting with an agent at 11 and inflates her age by an improbable 8 years to audition for the role of a 19 year old really wants to be an actress. Maybe Laura Dern never really had a choice anyway. The daughter of acclaimed actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd was assured of her destiny by Martin Scorsese, who saw her future in the fact that she didn't throw up the aforementioned ice cream cones. He was right. Dern gives us complicated personalities whose often baffling behavior we somehow understand due to the firm and uncompromising grip she keeps on their humanity. It's a rare ability to find in any actor. It's a crucial ability for an actor whose carefully-selected projects started and largely remain with directors like David Lynch, Alexander Payne and Martha Coolidge, whose films aren't widely populated by America's sweetheart-type characters. In this interview, she discusses... Written by Sam Jones

Drug dealer, football player, alcoholic, shooting victim. In his first decade of acting, Michael B. Jordan has found ways to humanize characters that, on the page, may seem stereotypically what he dubs the black guy. In The Wire, a young and very sheltered Jordan asked fellow actors to help him understand how to simulate a cocaine high onscreen, and through that surreal experience discovered his unfettered love of acting. In Friday Night Lights, Jordan started journaling as an acting exercise, and amassed a detailed back story for quarterback Vince Howard that made the character seem shockingly real. With Fruitvale Station, Jordan dug even deeper. Playing a real person for the first time, he inserted himself deep into the family of the slain Oscar Grant, who was killed by a police officer on a train platform in Oakland in 2009. Jordan spent time with Oscar's former girlfriend, mother, daughter, and all of his friends. The result was an intensely real portrayal of an innocent young ... Written by Sam Jones

Anyone reading Wikipedia's entry on Will Forte couldn't be blamed for suspecting it's the prank of a fellow jokester. High school class president and football player? College history major? Promising financial broker? Seriously? Entries for his more recent past (That '70s Show writer, The Groundlings, Saturday Night Live) seem more like the real Will Forte - until you watch his subtly astounding turn in Nebraska. Director Alexander Payne considered over 100 actors for role of David, all of who wanted it - badly. It's understandable, given the Oscar buzz and critical acclaim the film and cast have generated since the movie's release. So how does MacGruber wind up as the kind voice of reason in a bleak cinematic landscape populated by bitter, deluded characters? Forte says maybe Alexander Payne had the best answer when he said that directors often choose actors because they think 80% of the character is already you. Indeed, Forte's performance is so genuine, honest and stripped down ... Written by Sam Jones

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 the highest contest win percentage of any sport and a $1 billion video game series, Hawk has arguably given more to the sport than he's received. Watching Hawk skate is testament to creativity and artistry as much as athleticism, as is his autobiography, which required a glossary to catalog the tricks that are his legacy to the skateboarding lexicon. His Tony Hawk Foundation has contributed over $4 million to develop 500 skate parks around the world. He's also been skating's foremost advocate, promoting it through some of its darkest days (though smashing his pelvis while attempting a full loop dressed in a gorilla suit probably doesn't count). Hawk joins Off Camera to talk about the evolution of the sport from its scrappy underground beginnings to X Games behemoth. He shares his thoughts on the vital role of creativity and artistry in ... Written by Sam Jones

What kid tells himself, I know being a high school loner who reads comic books all the time will pay off for me? One who winds up being a loner who reads comic books all the time. Or, one who winds up creating iconic comedies like Knocked Up, Superbad, and most recently, This Is 40. Enamored with comedy and comedians as a grade schooler, Judd Apatow set about interviewing his idols for WKWZ. The first thing he learned is that they're kind - no one kicked him out when they realized WKWZ was a high school radio station. While his comedies and the actors in them are household names, most fans are unaware they're the beneficiaries of a filmmaking approach Apatow is largely credited with developing. Fueled by self-doubt or maybe just any comedian's compulsive search for the ultimate killer line, Apatow shoots and tests multiple versions of almost every scene he films. His true genius may be his knack for identifying new and often unlikely talent, and letting it inform his scripts. This ... Written by Sam Jones

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 living songwriters. It was a well-deserved honor, and put her in the company of artists like Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and Tom Waits. While Aimee Mann is widely acknowledged for her songwriting talent, her lesser-known role as an industry trailblazer is as laudable as it is fascinating. Starting with the sudden and disconcerting fame of her band 'Til Tuesday and spanning eight solo albums, the arc of her career has largely reflected, and in some ways shaped, the music business itself. Much of that career was defined by her struggle and just plain bad luck with record labels that couldn't see past Mann's model looks and the dollar signs in their eyes that she was not the artist they were molding her to be. In her struggle to stay true to herself as an artist, Mann chafed under contracts and finally started her own label in order to put out her... Written by Sam Jones

Whether or not you've heard of Val McCallum, you've undoubtedly heard his work. Val is a supremely talented guitarist, singer, songwriter and studio musician who got his start recording for the legendary songwriter Harry Nilsson at age 18. After 30 years of working with such artists as Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams, The Wallflowers, Bonnie Raitt, and countless others, Val McCallum has released his first solo record. Entitled At the End of the Day, it is a collection of spare, acoustic and grippingly intimate songs. We grabbed Val between stops on his current tour with Jackson Browne and gigs with his own wickedly humorous country band Jackshit, where he performs as alter ego Beau Shit along with bass player Davey Faragher and drummer Pete Thomas, who make their living as Elvis Costello's rhythm section. Val grew up in Los Angeles and is the son of actor David McCallum and actress Jill Ireland, but Ireland raised Val and his brothers Jason and Paul with Charles Bronson, who she ... Written by Sam Jones

Martin Short grew up in a family full of funny people. He staged make-believe talk shows in his attic and absorbed a steady TV diet of comedy masters like Carson, Rickles and Paar, and yet inexplicably dreamed of becoming a doctor. Or a dentist. Always serious about success, Short gave himself a one-year contract to make it in comedy before returning to school for a master's degree in a respectable medical field. Though we all know how things worked out, it's rare to find a budding comic with a backup plan. But Short is a rare comedian - one you'd both want to go out and drink with and who you would allow to watch your kids. Maybe due to his upbringing as the adored baby of a family who never discouraged his comedic pursuits, Short developed a self assurance uncommon to the standard performer's psyche. But it's as hard-earned as it is innate: Short prepares. He practices in mirrors. He plots sketches with index cards. He does his homework. He knows his audience, and when it comes to ... Written by Sam Jones

Sarah Silverman talks to Off Camera about her breakout special Jesus is Magic, the decision to film the more recent We Are Miracles in front of a vast audience of 39, and living the low-overhead dream. Written by Sam Jones

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