Sam Elliott & Nick Offerman – an odd couple, that on paper maybe you think twice about; but put them together in a scene and somehow it all makes perfect sense, Elliot’s laconic wit bouncing naturally off Offerman’s droll sarcasm. The two previously co-starred together on Parks and Recreation, and since then have developed a personal friendship – to the point where Elliott specifically asked Offerman to co-star in the indie drama The Hero.

In the film, Offerman co-stars as Jeremy, a former child-star-turned-weed-dealer, who serves as a confidante to Lee Hayden (Sam Elliott). Hayden, a fading Western actor, comes to Jeremy to reminisce and pass away the time in a smoke-filled haze. Offerman & Elliott have a number of terrific bits together, arguing over the merits of sharing your dreams and later practicing audition-sides – a scene that quickly turns from ridiculous to emotionally devastating. It’s a secondary subplot but in their brief screen-time together, Offerman & Elliott ably convey the camaraderie and shorthand only two real-life friends could share.

In the following interview with Nick Offerman, he discusses working opposite Sam Elliott, prepping for the role and his recent transition into producing. For the full interview, read below.

Collider: I really enjoyed the scene between you & Sam [Elliott], where you’re debating whether it’s appropriate to share your dreams. Where do you stand on this [pressing issue]?

Nick Offerman: I guess it depends on the context. My wife [Megan Mullally] has this photographic ability… She'll wake up and tell me about a dream that has seventeen chapters and they all, in an ephemeral way, have to do with her well-being – so I'm invested in hearing and analyzing them; but they're also fascinating, because for myself I really don't remember dreams well at all. But I think there’s some truth generally to what Jeremy [Offerman’s character] says – that your dreams are always going to seem much more profound to you then they are to your friend.

To be fair – with your wife, listening to her dreams makes sense, but a stranger or a casual acquaintance may be a bit too much...

Offerman: Yeah -- it depends on your investment in the dreamer's journey.

…And if the dream’s an actual story that's dramatic, then I understand…

Offerman: Yeah - her dreams are crazy. She'll have a dozen characters. I'm just amazed about how her brain works versus mine.

Going back to the beginning – what was it about The Hero that made you want to co-star in it?

Offerman: It came to me through Sam. We were friends, having worked together on Parks and Rec. So he pitched me the movie before I read it. He said, ‘This young guy - Brett Haley – he’s real sharp. He wrote me this movie and I would love for you to play my buddy and weed dealer.’  Once Sam Elliott says that, you say, ‘Yes, when, and where please.’ But then I read it – and it's good writing. I'm a character actor. I've done lots of small roles and I'm just glad to be part of the team. [This role] allowed me to show some colors I hadn't really displayed, but more importantly I was just so grateful that [Brett] wrote this movie for Sam. I'm so happy I got to be a part of it because Sam's incredible in it and it's not the kind of thing we've ever got to see him do. After such a huge career, to have a revelatory experience like this, I think we should all buy Brett Haley a pony.

Is it humbling that Sam thinks of you to play his best friend?

Offerman: Yeah – it's pretty freaky. I have to really keep my cool and mind my manners because I don't understand how this happened. But life is like that. I feel the same way about my marriage. It doesn't really add up on paper, but there I am nonetheless.

So much of the film is about an actor being pigeonholed into a certain role. Was that ever a concern for you as a comedic actor?

Offerman: Not really. In the Chicago Theater, where I started, you just do whatever's on the season, so it may be a crazy comedy, might be a Shakespeare, might be an O'Neil tragedy... Only when you get into TV and film, do people really want you to be a ‘specialist’. If you're big break is as a tennis player, then they don't want to cast you in a basketball movie. It's funny – I worked mostly in television drama for my first few years. I just kept guesting on NYPD Blues and CSI-like stuff, so when I started getting work in comedy, a lot of people in the business would say, ‘Oh – I didn't know you did comedy.’ I don't. I'm just an actor. I'm just thrilled if I get a job. I don't worry too much about what medium it is or if it's funny or sad. I just hope it's good writing. It seems like Ron Swanson could very well have pigeonholed me for the rest of my life but it makes me grateful that I'm still being allowed to pursue other roles.

When you get a script, like say for The Hero, what tends to be the first thing you do to prep for the role?

Offerman: The first thing I do, after I talk with the director and we agree that I'm going to do the part… My jumping off point is I get a picture of what my ‘look’ will be. My wardrobe style, my facial hair, glasses and all that kind of stuff. I clear that with the director. It's usually very collaborative. My wife has a much more discerning taste where she says, ‘OK – I'm going to wear a blue Gucci jacket.’ She knows everything down to the last detail; but mines more of a sensibility. Like I see this guy – his knees are dirty on his jeans. I come at it with more of a feel than specifics.

Are you looking to particular people for the look?

Offerman: It's mostly just intuition. I'm not a big ‘vision-board’ guy. It has to do with… if I'm playing a lawyer, what level of lawyer is he? Is he a very tailored, expensive suit guy? Or is he a shitty JC Penny suit guy? Is his stuff threadbare? Is his tie choice charismatic or is it offensive? It's always just a feel and what I feel will add a little more flavor.

This obviously isn't the first time you've worked with Sam [Elliott]. Do you notice a difference in how he approaches comedy vs. drama?

Offerman: No – he said it to me. It's all acting. The one difference – when [Sam] came to Parks and Rec, he's such a consummate film actor that he had a little bit of a hard time, at the beginning, getting used to the fact that you don't burn film on every take. So if he messed up a line or wanted to try something different, he'd get really upset with himself and say ‘Goddamnit, I'm sorry everybody.’ And we would say, ‘No, no… Sam it's not like that anymore. We're still rolling right now. You can literally do whatever you want.’ Once he got comfortable with that, he approaches [the scene] with the same level of gravity as I do. Comedy is the same as playing tragedy… it's just harder.

Have you learned anything from watching Sam work?

Offerman: I learned a lot just from watching him in his life, watching how he deals with people both in the public eye and in private. Those are some of the greatest lessons I pick up from people like Sam or my wife or Michael Keaton. You watch how these very successful people deal with the world around them and you take notes so that hopefully one day you can be successful in that way. Sam's also a guy who is naturally gorgeous, so for a lot of his career, they put the camera in a lot of close ups on him. I pay a lot of attention to the way he addresses the camera or not, just in case anybody ever decides to shoot a close up of me.

I know you’ve begun to branch into producing. What motivated you to move in that direction?

[Offerman produced the indie Infinity Baby, which premiered at SXSW early this year; he and Mullally have also just snagged the rights to produce George Saunders’ novel Lincoln in the Bardo.]

Offerman: Well – it's not something I really aspire to but I've produced and directed a couple episodes of Park And Rec. Both of those job titles are just things that if the collective group thinks I can do some good in that capacity, then I'm absolutely happy to wear that hat. Usually on smaller films, I have enough experience and enough relationships in the business that I can behoove the film in some way to make me a producer. I can help collect the cast. The movie before Infinity Baby that I did with Bob Byington was called Somebody Up There Likes Me and that one I produced in a very hands on way. I drove my truck full of tools to Austin from LA and built a bunch of apple boxes. We were shooting in an airport and I built a make shift camera dolly. So the label of producer is always different from film to film. Megan and I are producing a film adaptation of George Saunders amazing novel Lincoln in the Bardo and that's going to be a wonderful, daunting challenge to make a movie out of that huge work of art.

How far into development on Lincoln in the Bardo are you?

Offerman: We're just assembling the team of champions. Megan and I have both been hustling with some other endeavors. George, the writer, is a very dear friend so there's a lot of affection for the three of us producing it together. We're taking our time and making sure that we get the right people on board. So we’re assembling the super friends and then once we get our team in place we'll start rolling full steam.

The Hero is currently playing in select theaters.