JK Simmons: ‘I still get emotional – how could the universe be so unfair?’

As Hollywood’s go-to character actor for kindly dads and stoic cops, Simmons was used to being overlooked for the big roles. But since winning an Oscar, he finally gets to play the lead – twice

Sofie Gråbøl: ‘Lars von Trier is a very caring person… he’s not like his films’

The Danish actor on her role in the director’s new serial killer movie, being mesmerised by Suranne Jones, and Christmas hygge-style

From Beyoncé to Sorry to Bother You: the new age of Afro-surrealism

From psychedelic sketch shows to far-out satire, black artists are expressing the absurdity of life in a racist society by embracing the disturbing and bizarre

George A Cooper obituary

Character actor who played countless roles as shadowy figures in television series over 40 years

Michel Gondry: ‘I wanted to bring out Jim Carrey’s sadness’

He’s made a secret video with Beyoncé, a documentary with Noam Chomsky and a cult classic with Kate Winslet. Now, the director has turned his wild imagination to TV in bittersweet comedy Kidding

Breaking Bad: The Movie? Why it could be Vince Gilligan’s worst idea

Deadwood, The Walking Dead and now Breaking Bad have all announced possible movie spin-offs, but history shows they’re a terrible, cynical ploy

Cary Fukunaga: exclusive interview with the new James Bond director

He is replacing Danny Boyle, but the Californian may not be the safest pair of hands – he’s no stranger to walking from projects and his latest series, Maniac, is a mind-bending trip into psychotropic drugs

Move over Bodyguard: how crime drama Shiro’s Story became a YouTube hit

Written in freestyle rap, this story of love, betrayal and drug violence is what kids watched while their parents tuned into Bodyguard. We meet the ex-gang member behind the online sensation

Danny Boyle urges British film-makers to ‘build around’ Brexit

Director says filming TV series Trust has cemented his drive to work with European producers

Reboot no more: the overused characters who should be retired

The release of Amazon’s Jack Ryan marks the fifth time the character has been brought to the screen, one of many who need to be swiftly retired

Is Toni Collette really the first woman to orgasm on BBC One?

The Australian actor claims she has broken new ground, in BBC One’s drama Wanderlust. But what about Joely Richardson in Lady Chatterley? Then there’s BBC Two …

Lee Child set to adapt Jack Reacher novels for TV (but with a taller star)

As he prepares to make his archive public, the thriller writer explains why fans didn’t like Tom Cruise’s role on the big screen

‘Everybody feels fragile’: Guy Pearce on fame, family pressures and fatherhood at 50

The actor went from Ramsay Street to Hollywood – but he’s still close friends with Jason Donovan. He talks humility, hype and why he can’t discuss ‘handsy’ co-stars