Transcript

Anthony Hopkins | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

From Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 39 min · 18,730 words · 526 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Anthony Hopkins | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard", an episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard published November 10, 2025 (1 h 39 min, about 18,730 words). It mentions 73 people, works and ideas, including Apple Pay, Silence of the Lambs, We Did Okay, Kid, Richard Burton, Royal Academy.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Apple Pay, Apple Pay, Dak Shepard, Fracture
  2. – 20:00: Battle of the Bulge, Blitzed, Drugs in the Third Reich, Richard Burton, Royal Academy
  3. – 30:00: Apple Pay, Apple Pay, Richard Burton, Anthony Perkins
  4. – 40:00: Lawrence Olivier, Silence of the Lambs, Three Sisters, Young Winston
  5. – 50:00: Jack Bailey, Steven Barton, The Elephant Man
  6. – 1:00:00: We Did Okay, Kid, Cardiff, National Service
  7. – 1:10:00: Lane Norton, Justin's, Nordic Naturals
  8. – 1:20:00: Ellen Pompeo
  9. – 1:30:00: JK Simmons, MAOA gene
  10. – 1:38:40: Empire State Building, Mike Nichols, Nicholas Cage, Silence of the Lambs

Notable quotes from "Anthony Hopkins | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard"

  • Anthony Hopkins. Academy Awardwinning actor. The silence of the lambs.
    about Silence of the Lambs · at
  • Please enjoy Tony Hopkins. This episode of Armchair Expert is presented by Apple Pay. holiday shopping can be a hassle, but Apple Pay makes it so much easier. Whether you're shopping online or in store, look for the Apple Pay.
    about Apple Pay · at
  • And I remember I was at the Royal Academy and I had a perspective. I thought, well, it's happened before.
    about Royal Academy · at
  • Yeah. And then the other crazy thing that happens to you is you know a girl who's dating Richard Burton.
    about Richard Burton · at
  • They'd cut out an advert in the local Welsh paper. the scholarship auditions for court of college cardiff college of music and drama. My mother sent an application for me.
    about Cardiff · at
  • But then I went in the army and after two years what you called the draft over here. Yeah. Called it national service.
    about National Service · at
  • Okay. Right. And by the way, guys, Lane Norton has been saying this for years. Protein and fiber, you look at all these different studies, huge. The big thing they all have in common for longevity is like you got to.
    about Lane Norton · at
  • You can go on. You want? was Afraid of Virginia Wolf Mike Nichols first film? Yes.
    about Mike Nichols · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Richard Burton — Person · 3 mentions · first at
  • Mike Nichols — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • Lane Norton — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • Dak Shepard — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert. I'm Dan Shepard and I'm joined by Mrs. Padman.
  • Lily Padman — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert. I'm Dan Shepard and I'm joined by Mrs. Padman.
  • James Mason — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Paints. She said my boyfriend's taking me to the cinema to see Odd Man Out with James Mason. So anyway, [clears throat] I sat there and I heard the doorbell ring and she come…
  • Anthony Perkins — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Room in New York that I'd occupied in equis and he' taken over from Anthony Perkins took over from me when I left after in 197475 and then Burton took over from Tony Perkins. So I was in New York 76 early 76 doing publicity for a film TV.
  • Elizabeth Taylor — Person · 1 mention · first at
    And coming in to see his performance that night through the stage door because the crowds outside was Elizabeth Taylor.
  • Cheryl Hines — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Interview and I went into this big grand room with a table with some head gest Dr. Hines who's the principal, Raymond Edwards, who's the head of the drama. And they asked me some question. One question they asked me which.
  • Raymond Edwards — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Room with a table with some head gest Dr. Hines who's the principal, Raymond Edwards, who's the head of the drama. And they asked me some question. One question they asked me which really I thought that's it. She said,.
  • Sandra Sheffield — Person · 1 mention · first at
    There these two young girls out there and Holmes and Sandra Sheffield. And Raymond came out. He said, Well, the scholarship goes to the mail. I thought we'd send the post in the mail.
  • Lawrence Olivier — Person · 1 mention · first at
    When does Lawrence Olivier first see you act? Is it while you're a student there?
  • Jack Bailey — Person · 1 mention · first at
    What I was told by an old guy who'd been around for many years. His name was Jack Bailey and he's a comedian and you know well-known personality and he took an interest in me…
  • Steven Barton — Person · 1 mention · first at
    To me improvise on the piano and I improvise and then I got a friend Steven Barton who has a student the where the Beatles were Abby Road.
  • Ellen Pompeo — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • JK Simmons — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Nicholas Cage — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Nicholas Cage from Vampires Kiss.
  • Will and Ariel Durant — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Misattribution and a popular misunderstanding of a philosophy expressed by Will Durant.
  • Dr. Frederick Treves — Person · 1 mention
  • Edward Albee — Person · 1 mention
  • Ian McKellen — Person · 1 mention
  • Jonathan Demme — Person · 1 mention
  • Michael Morell — Person · 1 mention
  • Nikita Khrushchev — Person · 1 mention
  • Norman Ohler — Person · 1 mention
  • Richard Attenborough — Person · 1 mention
  • Stella Hopkins — Person · 1 mention
  • William Landay — Person · 1 mention

Books & papers

  • Silence of the Lambs — Book · 3 mentions · first at
  • We Did Okay, Kid — Book · 3 mentions · first at
    Thank you. Ding, ding, ding. His book is called We Did Okay, Kid.
  • Hannibal — Book · 1 mention · first at
    Hannibal the father. Meet Joe Black.
  • Blitzed, Drugs in the Third Reich — Book · 1 mention · first at
    And two questions about that. One is well, first of all, have you read the book Blitzed by Chance?
  • Three Sisters — Book · 1 mention · first at
    Anyway, so that's what happened. Then he gave me a part in his production of the three sisters by check.
  • Dance of Death — Book · 1 mention
  • Equus — Book · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

Products & tech

  • Apple Pay — Product · 5 mentions · first at
  • Meet Joe Black — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Hannibal the father. Meet Joe Black.
  • The Father — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Hannibal the father. Meet Joe Black.
  • Fracture — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Fracture. And he has a new memoir out.
  • The Christmas Angels — Product · 1 mention · first at
    YMCA, you're you wander to this room, you find out they're putting on this play, The Christmas Angels, Easter.
  • Odd Man Out — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Pirates on [clears throat] poster paints. She said my boyfriend's taking me to the cinema to see Odd Man Out with James Mason. So anyway, [clears throat] I sat there and I…
  • The Graduate — Product · 1 mention · first at
    Yeah. He did the graduate after and he said they were magnificent. Yeah.
  • Young Winston — Product · 1 mention · first at
    A very big movie that came next was Young Winston. And it's the first of five times you and Richard Atenboroough collaborated. And I'm just curious what do you think was your guys' unique connection that.
  • The Elephant Man — Product · 1 mention · first at
    But why did you choose me? [clears throat] he said, I saw you in the elephant man playing Dr. Trees. I said, What's that got to do with elect? He said, Well, there's something…
  • Armchair Expert Merch — Product · 1 mention
  • Knott's Scary Farm — Product · 1 mention
  • Universal Horror Nights — Product · 1 mention
  • Vampire's Kiss — Product · 1 mention
  • Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

Places & events

  • Cardiff — Place · 2 mentions · first at
  • Empire State Building — Place · 2 mentions · first at
    How tall is the Empire State Building?
  • Swansea — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Swansea was not just down the road that was bombed flat. And I remember the sort of strange excite it was exciting.

Sponsors

  • Apple Pay — Sponsor · 5 mentions · first at
    Please enjoy Tony Hopkins. This episode of Armchair Expert is presented by Apple Pay. holiday shopping can be a hassle, but Apple Pay makes it so much easier. Whether you're shopping online or in store, look for the Apple Pay.

Full transcript with timestamps

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert. I'm Dan Shepard and I'm joined by Mrs. Padman.

Hello. Today we have a nightmar on guard. Draw your sword. Mie sir. Sir Antony Hopkins.

Yeah. Legend. Anthony Hopkins. Academy Awardwinning actor. The silence of the lambs. Hannibal the father. Meet Joe Black. Fracture. And he has a new memoir out. Trickiest word in the biz. You did a great job.

Thank you. Ding, ding, ding. His book is called We Did Okay, Kid. Oh, yeah. And um I mean, again, what a surreal joy to sit down with Sir Anthony Hopkins and mostly his memory, and we've met a lot of good memories. This one is like

off the charts. Needs to be studied perhaps. Yes. Dates, people. You can see him visualizing like he he will give details that you're like, "What?" And as you pointed out, like he remembered the names of two little girls he was auditioning against to get into an acting school as a kid that he certainly never saw again.

What? I know. Really amazing. Please enjoy Tony Hopkins. This episode of Armchair Expert is presented by Apple Pay. You know, holiday shopping can be a hassle, but Apple Pay makes it so much easier. Whether you're shopping online or in store, look for the Apple Pay button or contactless symbol at checkout. No more digging for your wallet or filling out long online checkout forms. It works at millions of places, including stores, websites, and apps. This means you can spend less time at checkout and more time finding the perfect gifts. Pay the Apple way. Terms apply.

He's an object. He's an object. How are you, sir? Great to meet you, Dad. Beautiful outfit.

I don't care. No, you stay. You stay. Please stay. Sing. Let them. Oh, we just had her on.

I could sum up for you. What? Let them is in our vernacular. It's acceptance. That's it.

It's acceptance. It's um it has a lot of parallels. Yeah. Don't fight. Don't fight.

There's a wonderful quote by someone Greek philosopher and he talks about whatever we can do to avoid making people uncomfortable and all the little problems in daily life accept them.

Yeah. He said because when you look in the mirror behind you is death. That's Yeah.

Well, you know what else her thing is? Let them. So, yeah. They're doing something that you don't approve of that is uncomfortable for you. Uh people, places, and things.

I'm powerless over people, places, and things. And then let me. It's let them, then let me.

And the let me part is the fourth step. It's well, what am I doing in this scenario?

Program. Yes. Oh, he's a That's why I'm so excited to meet you. I have a lot of friends who have heard you speak over the years and I've never gotten that opportunity. So, I've always felt left out of that and I'm very happy to meet you.

Coming up in 50 years. Christmas. Right after Christmas. Yeah. December 29th. Incredible.

Congratulations. 50 years. 50 years. Changed my life. I knew I was in big trouble.

Uh-huh. And uh I checked in at an intergroup in Westwood. In Westwood? Yeah. Westwood Boulevard. little office up the stairs and I thought maybe I'm making too much of a deal of this but I knew I was in big trouble

and I was about to turn back and the voice in my head said just get there do something

the voice in said it's all over now you can start living and it's all been for a purpose

wow still forget powerful can we start with what prompted you to write the memoir

um my wife Stella encouraged me to do it she did and many people well some people over the years have said why don't you write a book so I have one of those weird memories that remembers a lot of details I don't want to write a book who wants to read about an actor and uh years went by and I I I started writing bits and pieces of notes and threw them away I just thought oh this is unnecessary and said just do it okay and um but suddenly occurred to me a few years ago that my life has been beyond my explanation. I think it was actually Ed Gano who said that if we think about it our lives has been written by some other author

because when I look at my life I think how you couldn't have written it right. Yeah.

The reason I asked why you write it is I think the book will be will be a bit of a shock for people as it was for me as always.

Did you enjoy the book? Yes, immensely. And so opposite of the fantasy I would have filled in for you of your backstory and your charmed life. And I think anytime someone with a voice people listen to uh acknowledge how challenging it's been, it I think it's very helpful.

As you and I would know very well, I don't learn from people's successes. I kind of learn from people's failures. And I learned from mine and it's very helpful when I when I find out people I admire uh had a rough start or they had challenges along the way. I find that very I find that more inspiring than you holding a [ __ ] trophy on a stage. I can't really relate to that.

Yeah. But feeling other your whole life. Oh, I relate to that so deeply. And I think that would surprise people. I think people would look at you and go, "Well, this guy's had it as good as one can have it. He must always feel loved and must always feel celebrated and connected. But that's not that wasn't the story, was it?

Not at all. Feel mostly disconnected most of my life. But in a way, it was all good cuz there's a part in the book where I'd had enough of my the game I was playing the role of being stupid,

being a dummy at school and all that. And my God bless my mother and father who worked hard and it's a a dedication to their memory. They worked really hard to do something for me and I felt sorry for when my school report arrived. I was 17. My school report arrived on Easter 19 55 and the dreaded moment they opened the school report. Beautiful summery evening, spring, late afternoon. We were going off to the cinema and my father read the portrait and it said Hanthony is way below the standard of this school. my father's, you know, he meant well. He didn't mean any harm, but he said, "I know what's going to happen to you. It's hopeless. I mean, what's the matter with you? I mean, do you care?" And I suddenly I remember it was so clear. It's like I took a step back. I said, "One day I'll show you. I'll show both of you." My father said, "God, well, hope you do.

I'm Muslim. I'm sure you will." Now that moment I think triggered something deep inside me which was a power of whatever subconse okay well fasten your seat belts what I was going to show them I had no idea

right but within 3 months I got a scholarship as an actor wow never acted before in my life except I'd been that very evening we were walking up to to see the film and we passed the YMCA and then that the Easter player something had ch shifted did just slightly.

Everything looked brighter. Well, to that point, you had not I mean, I I I I want to put a fine point on it. You were called a dunce. You were made fun of endlessly. Your dad was disappointed quite often. You had been in many different schools. All the schools thought you were terrible.

They thought you were dumb. And by the way, I can relate and I had a big chip on my shoulder about it. But

you were a real outsider. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. You didn't like sports. Couldn't stand it. I mean, playing rugby or chasing a ball around the field. I mean, or cricket. I mean, to me, what are you doing here?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. One thing I I've learned out of this, I was never a victim. [clears throat] In fact, all my um debits inside me were the greatest power I could have had because it made me angry and all that. I went three years of that.

Yeah. But I I look back now, I think, but now I've no room for all that anger. Yeah. But you were also kind of um you were a bit of a dichotomy, right? Because you were doing pretty terrible in school, underwhelming, yet your father had gotten you this encyclopedia set and you had read this thing from beginning to end. So that you had these moments where people would ask you about something and then you could just pontificate, right? You could you you had that kind of memory where you could recall and kind of blow their mind, but for whatever reason you felt more comfortable playing dumb. Yeah. [clears throat]

But I remember the afternoon I'd been to the dentist. I was seven just after the war and there was a bit of a painful operation. I had a needle and all that and I resented being in that dentist chair. Got back and um there was a box outside the house. My father came over. He's a baker. He came home, took the box upstairs, unpacked it and there were 10 volumes of this encyclopedia and I was so fascinated full of pictures and all that. It was me children's encyclopedia, simplified versions of biographies like Beethoven and me god knows what and uh all kinds of subjects, geography, history, potted history for kids to pick up. But I learned from that and I learned I learned odd facts like I I I remember I I knew how tall the Empire State was building was all useless information.

Do you remember like that? It's hard to know, right? You're reflecting back and you know what you know today, but then you try to imagine what you knew then.

Do you think it was a conscious decision as like some kind of protection? I'm just gonna play dumb and they're gonna leave me alone and I can isolate and be by myself, which was what I want.

Yeah. Was it conscious? Oh, yes. It was protective. Yeah. Um, it was protective because I had a very bright cousin, Bobby.

He's dead now, but um Bob was one of the brilliant kids in school. Brilliant. And I was in school with kids who were way ahead of me.

Yeah. And uh I just felt like a dodo and I was told I was a dodo. I was told I was hopeless, you know. Yeah, they said pretty cruel things to you. I mean, I recognize this is in 1936 and seven and eight, but still by today's standards, I'm reading some of the things that were told to you and it's pretty hurtful.

Yeah. But life is tough. Yeah. Life is tougher then. Yeah. Oh. Oh, it's tough for everyone. I mean, you just come down the street, homeless people, and and you see kids struggling. I mean all of you know kids are bullies, kids are vicious and that's a form of defense because life is rough

for everyone. Yeah. I've gone past that stage of being resentful or angry about it. But I look around and life was tough and is tough today this very moment.

What do you think growing up? You were in Wales uh for seven years of World War II before it ended.

Yeah. Do you think that had any ho how did that affect you and the people around you?

I was fascinated by it because I remember the bombings and you know we were going down into the garden shelter. Yeah.

And uh I think the local dock was bombed you know because there's a harbor town. Swansea was not just down the road that was bombed flat. And um I I remember the sort of strange excite

it was exciting. The the sirens would go off and you'd hear them overhead. I could just M [cough] [clears throat] yeah and my father said it's Liverpool tonight

and they bomb Liverpool and you look at all the hardship of warfare terrible losses of terrible appalling losses of life and then towards the end of the war in 1944 we had two American soldiers who came to visit us and they were stationed there Captain D and Lieutenant Cooney and I remember they brought back cookies and chewing gum and all that and the Americans they were all over South Wales waiting for the big day. They didn't know what it was, but it was D-Day.

Yeah. And then they came to the house to say goodbye. We got in the jeep. We stood on the corner and of the of the gate and we waved and at the top of the street they turned and they waved and boom. We both killed in the forest. Yeah.

It was the battle of the bulge. The general vonstead. My grandfather was in the battle of the bulge.

Yeah. Thousands of Americans killed. Yeah. stringy petition shouldn't I mean a polling losses was a surprise attack

well without being melodramatic I'm sure you're resistant to that but I would have been excited as a little boy bombs are exciting that stuff's excites are exciting but do you think growing up where literally the world was at war shaped your world view and that oh this is a dangerous place and who knows what's going to happen do you think you had a little uh insec purity of just about the world you were in.

I think it came to a point where as I become an adult, I um I remember the Cuba crisis. Everyone sort of remembers that was the deadly time. You thought, well, this could be it. Krushe and Kennedy facing each other.

Yeah. And I remember I was at the Royal Academy and I had a perspective. I thought, well, it's happened before.

And um I visited Wales about a week later, I think. I started posting and he said, "Yeah." He said, "But in 1939," he said, "we declared a war great the biggest military machine in Europe." And he said, "And the thousand-y year,

the odds were much worse then against and he said within six years, the guy had blown his brains out in the bunker in Berlin. So much of history, you know, we go through crisis and crisis,

but finally we come through it or we don't. But there's nothing we can do, but we extraordinary how how the human animal is so vile. how we how we can why I mean to build bombs to bomb each other why do we do it who knows

yeah we can't stop we can't stop it's crazy we can't stop I have a strange a strange theory that probably useless theory but the um maybe some 100 thousand years ago even longer we the homo sapiens suddenly may may have realized that we're pretty savage therefore we must destroy ourselves course of the planet.

Yeah, but maybe at some deep level. You played Hitler in and in and it was uh the bunker

in Bunker and it was uh it was a confusing performance for people. Some of the reviews I read were people were like he's so good that unfortunately you do see the logic a bit in him.

Right. And two questions about that. One is um well, first of all, have you have you read the book Blitzed by Chance?

No. Okay. It's great. I read it four years ago and it details Hitler's drug use, which is incredibly well documented because his doctor that was with him at all times,

God, was writing down meticulous notes of everything he gave him. Yeah. And towards the last few years, he was on speedballs all day long. He was on methamphetamine and oxycodone direct intervenience and was going, you know, you map his addiction. The walls of the bunker get thicker. It's it's addiction. One of the American producers done said Tony said, "Great. We saw the Daily. So fantastic. Could you make him less likable?"

Yeah. Can you make him less human? I said I said he was human. Yes. Which is hard.

I said he was human. So, go figure. And that's actually scarier. It's scarier that they're human and they're not just evil.

I think it's hard. It's buried in deep in all of us. Yeah. Exactly. And that scares us because what are we capable of?

And uh for goodness knows what reason. So, you had a you had a very challenging start, but then you you also had these little glimpses of pretty good fortune, right? And you mentioned [clears throat] one of them, which is you're at the YMCA, you're you wander to this room, you find out they're putting on this play, The Christmas Angels,

Easter. Easter. Yeah. And um the the director says just basically, would you like a would you like a line? Would you like to do a line?

I was my father said to a neighbor, a friend of his, God's YMCA, get him out of the he's always on his own. never bothers with. Get some friends. I've got sick playing the piano all day.

Yeah. And I went to the YMCA. I remember it all clearly. And I went into this room and the kids playing table tennis and snooker or whatever. And uh I thought, "God, I don't want to be part of any of this." And so I wandered down the stairs and up this hall and there was heard some voices through a double doors open and there's a stage. And I crept in and this man turned to me. said, "Uh, what do you want?" "What can I watch?" He said, "Yes." Be quiet. He was very authoritative. He said, "Um, what's your name?" I said, "Anthony Hopkins." Oh, you're Dick Hopkins's boy the baker. I said, "Yeah." Oh, I said, "Would you like to have a part in this?" And they gave me a part of a saint. I didn't say it was, but I had one line. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

And good line. I thought, well, I like the feeling of being on stage, but I didn't take it seriously. But being hopeless at school, I thought, well, maybe there's a chance cuz my my parents

they came every show though. This is what's very sweet about three nights. And my father's well, you never know. Maybe Hollywood next. He was making a joke.

But you did good. That was maybe the fir I mean you were good at playing piano and stuff but that was the first time maybe you had some real acceptance of having put yourself out there and it went as good as it could go. Very encouraging. Yeah.

Looking back and have a laugh about it all. Yeah. And then the other crazy thing that happens to you is um you know a girl who's dating uh Richard Burton.

Oh Bernice Evans. Yes. This is so random, right? I mean, not random in that he's also Welsh, but how do you meet Richard Burton?

Well, she was um Denise was about when I was a boy, uh she was I think about 18, much older than me, but she'd been to the Slate Art School, you know, and she lived up the bottom end of the house of uh in the house just over the Garden Wall.

Uhhuh. uh with her parents and uh my mother took a liking to her. She's a nice nice young girl, you know. I was on the floor sketching and she say I can give him some lessons and she did a sketch of me which is in the book and one night she's like I I can only give you half an hour and I' been painting a pirates on [clears throat] poster paints. She said my boyfriend's taking me to the cinema to see Odd Man Out with James Mason. So anyway, [clears throat] I sat there and I heard the doorbell ring and she come up and he came up the stairs and he came into the room and she said, "This is Richard. He's an actor."

Richard Burton. Wow. He looked he said well I like the boots on the little did I know that many years later I'd meet him again in the same dressing room in New York that I'd occupied in equis and he' taken over from Anthony Perkins took over from me when I left after in 197475 and then Burton took over from Tony Perkins. So I was in New York 76 early 76 doing publicity for a film TV thing. So I asked the stage director I said can I come and see him? He said yeah. So went up the stairs and in the same dressing room was Richard Burton and we shook hands and he said well he said why haven't we worked together? So, we must do it one day. And uh thank you very much. And walked down the stairs.

And uh coming in to see his performance that night through the stage door because the crowds outside was Elizabeth Taylor.

Oh my goodness. Looking a bit wobbly. And uh she did that well. She did that. But they were they were magnificent. She was a wonderful actress.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I just recently watched for the first time who's afraid of Virginia Wolf. I cannot believe how funny she is in it. Both of them.

Oh, they're incredible. And then I Yeah, I read uh uh the director's the book about the director and what how he managed those two at that time.

Mike Nichols. Yes. Mike Mike Nichols. I asked him I suppose like he said he said I didn't direct it at all. He said they were George and Martha.

I think it was Mike's first job. I said first film, right? Yeah. He did the graduate after

and he said they were magnificent. Yeah. Because they were George Martin. Incredible.

My favorite line is at the end when they all get up and leave and they've had their fight.

Uhhuh. And there's one moment when there just deep digs deep into me when Sandy Dennis and George Seagull gone and she's devastated. It's Sunday tomorrow all day.

The depression. Yeah. the horrifying emptiness of their lives. Yeah. Who's afraid of Virginia?

Yeah, I am. So, based though on this this little experience you had at the YMCA, it kind of opens up uh you know, potentially a new path. And you said also meeting Richard when he left, you were like, "Okay, that's I want to be him."

Yeah. How about the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama? How do you then get into there?

They'd cut out an advert in the local Welsh paper. the scholarship auditions for uh court of college cardiff college of music and drama. My mother sent an application for me. So I've been at the YMCA playing now blessed the meek for they shall inherit the earth. So I learned a bit of Shakespeare the fellow speech and I went up to Cardiff and uh went into the audition Edward in the castle that's where the college was and I went met this man called Raymond Edward. what you going to do? I said, "Uh, uh, Shakespeare." He said, "I fell." All right. Go ahead. And I did that scene.

And he said, "Oh, good. I mean, I was hamming it up, you know." He says, "Very good." Well, he says, "I'll let you know." We got your address and we'll let you know. So, two weeks later, got a an information in the mail that I was on the short list of three people.

Oh, wow. Two girls and a boy. Yeah. and I went up to Carter from my father to the city hall to final interview and I went into this big grand room with a table with some head gest Dr. Hines who's the uh principal, Raymond Edwards, who's the head of the drama. And they asked me some question. One question they asked me which really I thought that's it. She said, "You didn't have a very good school report." No. Oh, well. All right. I thought, well, that's it. Curtains. There these two young girls out there and Holmes and Sandra Sheffield. And Raymond came out. He said, "Well, the uh scholarship goes to the mail." I thought we'd send the post in the mail.

Here's this weird Yeah. He's locked into this being He's a dunce. Yeah. Yeah. He can't see outside.

I sent the mail. My father said, "No, the mail. You're the male." Oh. Yes. In the mail. You've got the scholarship.

Oh, I have. That's right. Yes. Yes. And you are going to this school now. And you were in the paper for it.

This was a real turnaround. Yeah. It was announced in the local paper night in western mail. My parents have been to the pub.

They came back and my father said, "Look at this. You're famous." And in the western mail said, um, Anthony Hopkins, son of Ber received this Prince Little scholarship.

My mother says, "Now wonderful." She look at this here. Sad, isn't it? James Dean was killed.

Same same day on the Friday night, Thursday. Wow. 70 years ago. Wow. What kind of um joy did you allow yourself to experience in that? Did it feel good to have your dad get to read about you in the paper after how

well there was some hope pessimistic he was. There was some hope for me. Yeah. But then I went in the army and after two years what you called the draft over here. Yeah. Called it national service. Did two years and came out in 1960.

You were Gunner Hopkins the Royal Artillery. What was that experience like? Did it feel like school again or did you feel more capable there?

Well, I became a clerk. God knows how. Okay. I was useless as that. Okay. I got

I mean, you really hardly made it. I mean, I don't know. I just fell on my feet. I was like a cat with nine lives.

Yeah. And yet I survived. I think because I isolated in a way because that don't let them get you.

Yeah. It's called nil carundum. Don't let the bastards get you down. Yeah. Yeah.

And that's how I played my whole life. that did you feel lonely or did it not bother you to be so isolated?

No, I didn't feel lonely. I just felt I felt uniquely myself. I didn't need anyone. I never wanted to be part of anything.

Stay tuned for more armchair expert if you dare. This message is brought to you by Apple Pay. Bonnie, I can't believe it's almost the holidays. You know what that means, right?

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Pay the Apple way. Terms apply. Now I'm going to fast forward 55 years. In 2014, you were diagnosed with Asperers.

Hello. My wife was convinced I was as I don't know what I believe, you know, because labels are ADDH. I don't know what the hell they're talking about.

I was only wondering if just being human, you know. Yes. You heard that though and went back and went like, "Oh, that's why I didn't mind being alone or something." But that's not even that didn't

I don't even know what it is. Yeah. Um, you know, I just feel like everyone else, confused as we all are.

I mean, we, you know, we're all sitting here think we got answers, got labels for everything.

Mhm. Dyslexia or whatever. I don't know. Yeah. Just human. But I'm comforted by the fact that you weren't feeling lonely and isolated. You were fine.

No. Yeah. Exactly. I I've never felt never felt like a victim and I've got that attitude today. Get on with it. Stop complaining.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I like it. So, in 1963, you go to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Now, this is serious. This is very this is this is big leagues. Yeah. If you're going to go to school and you're on that side of the world, that's the spot. Yeah.

Yeah. I did an audition and I walked on stage and um this rather grally voice said, "What you going to do?" I said, "Uh, Yago from Buffalo." So I did the scene and uh I had an uncanny understanding of what Yago was and I finished the scene and um the last line was I shall make a net that shall en mesh them all. So I said thank you and I was about to walk up stage hold on hold on this woman's voice hold on where you going I said finish now well can we talk a moment

I'd rather not. Yeah. And then now to this this grally voice ga. Hello, my name's John Fold. I'm from Very good. Very very good. Yes.

Oh my god. And um never seen it played that way, but it's wonderful. I saw Thank you. And uh well, wait till we got your address and so two weeks later got messages I was in.

Yeah. I joined September 1961. When does Lawrence Olivier first see you act? Is it while you're a student there?

No. No. That was the National Theater. Uh that was a different story. I um I went off into repetitive company. So Leicester

after you graduated from the I got a an invitation to go to the National Theater to audition.

Yeah. And Olivia was running the the National Theater. It was then at the Old Vic theater. This is 1965. I went in and there was a man. He looked like a bank president. This is Lawrence Olivia. So I did the audition. He said good. He said, "Well, well done." About a week later, got a call to join the National Dead in his production of Athell and I had a messenger scene in it. Um, I had to run on and say the Ottomites, Reverend and Gracious with due course steering towards the aisle of roads of the So, I went on and spoke Yago's lunch instead.

Oh, oops. And suddenly changed and I thought that's it. I'm fired. I knocked at his door to apologize and somebody said you saw was very annoyed. He was taking his makeup off. I said, "I'm sorry about that line." Oh, you went on and spoke. I said, "I thought we got to start the whole bloody play all over again." He said, "By the way, that speech, the messenger speech, let me do it. You must really hit it hard." I said, "Oh, yeah. Like that?" Yes. Yeah. To counteract this sleeping ghost that was in me that I was incompetent and I was going to be a victim. I thought no one will ever touch me if I learn the entire role before we even start. I learn it and and and it paid because nobody could touch me. I mean, you could have some sadistic director and if they did, I would warn them.

Yeah. But what I would do, I get up and walk out. Yeah. And um I because I wouldn't put up with it.

Yeah. Uh being bullied. Yeah. I'd rather that than school and any chance of that I know I was a bit paranoid a little nuts and I would walk away.

Yeah. I said where you going to hell with you. Anyway, so that's what happened. Then he gave me a a part in uh his production of the three sisters by check.

Well, you understudied him. I understood him in dance to death. And he said, "A new young actor in the company of exceptional promise named Anthony Hopkins was underststudying me and walked away with the part of Edgar like a cat with a mouse between its teeth.

That's pretty great. I was told that night that I was going on stage and I thought, my god, and uh couldn't believe it. But for goodness, probably fear, I just got through it." and uh probably overacted but anyway the audience came in big ovation

and I got a call from him next morning he'd snuck out of hospital he put a over coat on something and he said I saw you last night you did yeah he said you're very good well done and um he was very softspoken he said do you have any problems any fears I said no but I went through two shirts you have a sweat that's called tension

I how long does it stay together with that about 20 years. 20 years. Do you agree now?

He said another thing to you. Maybe it's apocryphal, but he also said to you, "Nerves is vanity. You're worried about what the audience will think."

Yeah. I think that's incredible advice to hear. You don't have time to be nervous. Get on there and do it.

Yeah. And he said, you know, you may make a mistake. Who cares? Yeah. He said one thing. He said, "It's not important." It is important, but it's not important.

Get on there, do it, and if it fails, it fails. And so on. Who cares? Yeah. That takes a while to learn, though, don't you think?

Well, vanity, ego. You know, when you're young, you think everyone's talking about you. Nobody Nobody cares.

Right. Right. No. No, they don't. Um, have you, when you look back, have there been some performances where you're like, I [ __ ] the bed on that one. That was not good.

Oh, yeah. I've done films and things like that. And that you do, you thought you personally didn't rise to that challenge.

Oh, yeah. It may sound weird but uh blasphemous but it's only acting. I think it's I think you have to get there for your survival or you can't do it for a long time. Like I'll stupid example but I'll be asked I got asked to come honor my rheumatologist right and then the audience is I don't know there's a few hundred people and they're much older than me and I make a couple jokes and they do not like them. they don't either get them or they just didn't like them. And I was riding home on my motorcycle. I was like, "Yeah, you didn't do well and that's you'll live and you'll go to somewhere else and you might be fine the next time." And like, but I had to learn to just be able to like let that go.

Yeah, please. And finally, no big gifts of time anyway. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

But it's important to hear you say that as like the best that's ever done it cuz so many people do sit with, oh, I need to do better. I need to do better or I'm not good enough. So to hear you say it I think is helpful.

Well also but I I do at the same time as a dichotomy I do try to be cautious about what I say because you know people have different values and for some people things are very important. I mean some people find

their job is acting important. I don't find I don't want to bring on their parade.

Sure. So what I say is the degree of caution. I'm dispassionate about it but I don't want to offend anyone

and you know rub people up there because there's a lot of pain in the world. Yeah,

but what I say is finally maybe approaching 88. I've no idea how much long I've got, but I just think I'll don't take it all so seriously. Yeah.

And when I was um working with uh 1967, 50 years, 60 years ago almost uh with uh Po and uh Katherine Dean. Yeah, I was taken back when knock on my door the theater and it was Peter who told I want you to do an audition of film test. So anyway, I ended up in Ireland doing this in interior scenes in with Katherine Epan and

Tul and I couldn't I was think I thought my dreaming she was she she was great to work [clears throat] with she knew everyone on the crew she was that old style Hollywood actress you know she she my god how may lucky we're getting a suntan in the middle of January and be smoking for a living

and I yeah she yeah I always remember this moment. Beats working. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is the line and winner.

M. Yeah. And I thought and she said she said this exactly said same thing that Olivia said. This is very important and at the same time it's not important at all.

Yeah. You were nominated for a BAFTA for that. Yeah. Which is your first movie. Yeah.

And did it shock you or did you feel like okay this this makes sense? It's it it surprised me to much better actors than me around. Much more accomplished. But for some reason, I think it was the burlininess. So I was strong.

Uhhuh. And uh I you know I was tough. Yeah. And um arrogant and all that stuff, I guess.

But I was sure of myself inside. A very big movie that came next was Young Winston. And it's the first of five times you and Richard Atenboroough collaborated. And

I'm just curious what what do you think was your guys' unique connection that allowed you guys to keep coming back together?

I think he saw something in me that was rebellious and you know I was slightly mad. I've always been that you know something that's not to be trusted in a way something that's unpredictable and maybe that's in our nature. Maybe it's in my nature. I have no idea. Yeah,

I'm not a psychotherapist or anything, but I think there's something unpredictable in my very nature which comes from the past. Not that I'm crazy in any sense. I don't believe that. But um maybe that's a sense and I remember thinking something uh dangerous about you.

And uh I remember Jonathan Demi when when my agent phoned um me one afternoon 1989 was in a play in West End. He said um I'm sending a script over called Silence of the Lambs. I said, "Was a kid story?" He said, "No, no." He said, "Would you what you play the part of Lex?" He says, "Not a very big part, but would you like to?" He's with Jonie Foster. I said, "Oh, she just won an Oscar." And he said, "Yeah." Um, but you really I Yeah. So, I started reading the script and I phoned him. I said, "This is the best part." He a very small part.

I said, "I know it. I know how to play it." Yeah. He phoned back. He said, "Jonathan is coming. Demi is coming to see you uh tomorrow on Saturday from New York. It's an offer. I said, "Okay." So, Jonathan arrived on the Saturday, came backstage, and we went off the little round to a local restaurant and um I was curious why why me? He said, "Don't you want to play?" "Yes, but why did you choose me?" Um [clears throat] he said, "I saw you in the elephant man playing Dr. Trees." I said, "What's that got to do with elect?" He said, "Well, there's something in you that's I think you can do it." I said, "Well, okay." He said, "You have any idea?" I said, "I know exactly what I'm going to do." She said, "Like what?" I said, "Like how the computer in 2001." But anyway, so we got to we I left the theater and uh few months later was in Pittsburgh where we'll be filming the cell scene and um Jonathan was very nice. I met Jod and

she was very nice. I quote him that Jod never spoke to him. That's not true. She was We were quite friendly. There's nothing spooky about it.

That's publicly crappy. Yeah. Yeah. But we did the first reading and I knew how to play it and um it was the first reading around a table in New York of all places. So we finished the script and uh Kenny out one of the producers says, "Holy Moses, Tony, what is that?" I said "No."

And Jod said, "You're scary." But uh the scene when she comes down the corridor to meet Lecter and um John said so he was very flexible easy director. He said how do you want Jody to see you? He said we'll have the camera. It'll be her point of view. Would you be sitting down or lying down or asleep or reading a book or something? He said no. I'd like to stand in the stand in the middle of the cell. I see I can smell her coming down the corner. He said "Yo the right."

So they did they did the scene and like and the camera the crew were up there like I hear Jonathan in the distance. As the camera came, I heard John think.

Yeah. Good morning real FBI. How are you? All the way to the FBI. Is it the most fun you've ever had playing a character?

Oh, it's wonderful. You know what you look like to me with your good bag and your cheap shoes. You look like a rube. Well, scrubbed hustling rub with a little taste.

Wow. She knows how to needle and all her vulnerability. But it's the right mix of charming, too.

You're charming. A terrifying devil. There are people I met couple of people like that who were

vicious and cruel. Yeah. Subtle, but you know, horrible. Interesting as well. all the way to the FBI.

When you're in character like that, when you come out of it, are you are you like, "Wow, I really went somewhere." You're not.

You only lit the mark. Wow. Hope the catering is good. Yeah. You're honest about being sober or no? You don't like talking about being sober?

I don't want to be, you know, it's it can be pretty [clears throat] boring. I just I was drunk. I drank a lot. And

what was it like? And then what was it like? Oh, it was fun. You know, I booze works very quickly and it changes your relationship to space around you. I mean, it relaxes everything and it's a false courage and drinking is a very common thing. It's dyian, I suppose. But I remember um being insecure and all that stuff, go and have a couple of jars and a couple of drinks and

yeah, things suddenly look relaxed and you think, "Oh, this is good." Yeah. And it is. you go and have some fun and whether you're a lone drinker or a public drinker, you go and have some fun and you know all actors drink because we were rebels.

Yeah. But finally you I I was I was just lucky to have enough brain cells left to say you're going to die.

Yeah. Yeah. Cuz I was doing stupid things like driving my car and doing dumb things again.

We do dumb stuff when we're drunk. Yeah. It's part of the fun. Now I get into fights with people and it's horrible.

A change of personality. It's a kind of induced schizophrenia. But what what I'm curious about is once you got sober and you started I'm assuming as has happened to me is I'm like I'm kind of learning why I am the way I am to some degree. Right? If I'm working these steps and I do the fourth step and all of a sudden I go, "Oh wow, this is illuminating. My whole life is being controlled by like three fears. That's interesting. I now know what I have to work on as a person if I want to be in harmony." Did it did that exploration start impacting your work in an interesting way?

What what I was told by an old guy who'd been around for many years. His name was Jack Bailey and he's a a comedian and you know well-known personality and uh he took an interest in me and uh he wore a wonderful sense of humor. You're always smoking a cigarette. He says, "How are you doing kid?" And I said, "I'm all right." "Yeah, fine. You happy?" I said, "Yeah, is that okay?" Yeah, you dummy. That's what he came here for to be happy.

Yeah. And they said, I'll give you I'll give you how long you got now. A few months. Good.

Good for you. Don't take the first drink. That's all you have to do. Maybe it's another thing. Don't listen to the gurus.

He said, you know, it's not a mathematical formula. This live your life. Sure, you can do the steps and but live your life. Enjoy it.

Yeah. And I and because there were some people rigid, you know, you go and he said avoid them because they're nuts. He said, "They may have to do it thy way, but you don't have to fall into their trap."

Yeah. He knew one of the guys was trying to organize, you know, trying to take control of me. He said, "No, just walk away."

Yeah. And uh he said, "Enjoy your life." He said, "That's what it's for." I mean, 50 years is so long. It's changed so much. Like my father went to treatment in 87 and it was still shameful. Now, I have no shame saying I'm an addict. I most people I interview that are addicts have no problem saying it. It's really changed in the last 50 years right?

Yeah. Do you think was it hard participating while being famous? No, it wasn't.

No, don't take it that into consideration at all. Okay. I mean, you know, I go to meetings and so people recognize me or I'm fine with that. That doesn't bother me. I'm just a drunk like all the rest

and accessible and all that and um will be helpful but I will never preach to anyone. I'll never lay down the law or talk it all the time.

Yeah. Because it becomes boring for people. So I I'm very easygoing about it. Have you had any scary situations in the last 50 years? Have you been close at any point in those 50 years of going like I was so young. What the [ __ ]

No. the craving left immediately. Yeah, I'm not that sociable, but we had a bunch of people over when I was in England recently uh for dinner or lunch, you know.

Yeah. And uh I said to come, we've got some wine or champagne, whatever. Yeah. I said, "As long as people don't drive, get

pick get a car to pick them up. If they want to drink, then fine." Yeah. Yeah. But no, no. If have another drink, I'll leave.

Oh, yeah. Overpour their glasses. I'd prefer people drink around me than not to appease me. Um,

you you had kind of a moment that, as you said, I don't belong anywhere. I'm a loner. But in the dresser when Ian Mckllen said it was wonderful, you said, we got on so well and I suddenly felt at home as though the lack of belonging was all in my imagination and all in my vanity.

I think this is a very profound moment. What when does that happen? When is the dresser?

2015. We had a ball. We had a wonderful time. Uhhuh. Extraordinary. Because um that's what he's got. He's got charisma, muscle. He's powerful. He's daring. He's courageous. And we had a lot of laughs.

Yeah. Can make you laugh. But when you have this realization, and I know you're not one to feel bad for yourself, but when you realize I'm not alone, do you go, "Gh, why did I spend so much time It's all paranoia and I don't know.

Do you have any kind of sadness or regret that it took you that long to realize, oh no, I'm

No, that's how it was. You can't regret things like that. I think I felt insecure because I was so lucky really. I just lucky all the way through my life. And I think that sadness is a form of constant. I shouldn't have been so lucky because you know people have had tough times struggling to and I've just been given this good fortune. You feel guilty.

Well, no, not anymore. But I do look back and with curiosity I think how extraordinary that this happened to me.

Yeah. And all these opportunities came to me and uh I should So I never complain.

Yeah. And I I I've known actors Yeah. I was talking about the acting business and all that. I've known actors who've struggled for years and never quite, you know, made it. And you think I I I just don't know what it's about.

Yeah. Like why you? Yeah. Why things happened to me the way they did? So I've got no ounce of complaint to me or regret, but working with Ian was great.

Yeah. I have one uh I have one curiosity about your acting and it's about you being a composer. So you were also a very active musician your whole life and you even paused acting for a while to tour with some of your compositions.

For some odd reason it comes naturally to me improvise on the piano and I improvise and then I got a friend Steven Barton who um has a student the um where the Beatles were

Abby Road. Abby Road to the studio then he's got all you know sound equipment. Yeah. Yeah.

And all the samples of every instrument there is everything. Yeah. Yeah. Pure samples. Real.

So I pick and choose. Let me start with an obo or something like that. Yeah. Cello.

Yeah. And the producer the sound that's produced is so accurate. Even on the ch you can hear the the grind of the string. They're so perfect. Now they're all done by German engineers. I believe the real samples. Yeah.

So you're listening to a real cello but electronically, you know, manipulated. I don't know how the hell works,

but I'd use that because it's useful to So then it flows. And what is extraordinary thinking,

I mean, I was listening to something. I thought, how the hell did I write that? I don't know.

Right. I don't know. I mean I this one it's called fanf fair and um then it goes into march and I remember the day you working it out sitting there keyboard and um I [clears throat] don't want to do this as a fanf fair. Okay. I said everything going there. Everything. Tomb bones trumpets and uh I said want to put a brass in there and another horn and then suddenly turned into a march. She's got the scores really and um Stella is behind my life. Extraordinary. Um she said I'm going to let's talk to about a conductor. We got a conductor of the London Filmonic. Wow. and he came to the studio just to say hello, lovely man.

And he said, "Uh, can you I hear something?" I say, "Wow." He said, "You just did that?" I said, "Well, we're in the middle of it now." So, we went off to I went to rehearsals at the London Filmonic. I couldn't believe I'm sitting there. I This is impossible.

Yeah. Yeah. Are you afraid to even try to figure out how you can do it? Are you superstitious? Like, I best not even question. No, I just know that the there's a way of doing it of just let the music come to you. And

which are you more proud of, the acting work or the music stuff? Both. Both. Not one more than the other.

No. No. But again, don't take myself too seriously. Yeah. Yeah. I'm just lucky.

Yes. Yeah. I paint and I draw and all that. I mean, yeah. You're just artistic. I mean, yeah. Except Stella told me she said um she found uh some old scripts before we got married some old scripts I kept in the cupboard and I dood you know drawings and she want to paint I come in she of course you can do it

I you can do anything go on just do it so I got some canvases always the sed little boy from port

get some canvases and um I said I can't be doing with oil paints because it takes too long to dry cuz I want to paint fast So, I've got acrylics and suddenly I produced these paintings and had a show of them and sold them

and I do these um I'm not supposed to say this but I I'm fast. I work fast. I [clears throat] I mean I I I like to work fast

because it means that you you cut down your choices. Too many choices you get fat and lazy.

Just do it fast. If you make a mistake, okay, go over it. Yeah. Yeah, I made a mistake. Who cares? Just go over it,

brush it out, paint over it, brag music over it, whatever. Anyone who's listening who has a young son who is seemingly directionless and getting kicked out, I hope this is so hopeful for them that you just don't know what the future. You don't know.

Believe in yourself totally. Even though you may think it's a lie, believe in yourself. Never give in to what other people think say you are. Never give them the chance to put you down.

Yeah. Cuz they you do that yourself anyway. Put yourself down, but don't let other people put you down.

You get out there and you do it. And you may fail. You may run into a wall. So what? You get up and you do it. Especially when you're young. You've got the guts and the strength to do it.

And the stupidity. Yeah. And the stupidity. Be stupid. Just Yeah. Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.

Yeah. Well, um, Mr. Hopkins, we're so flattered that you were willing to come on the show. Yeah, we've both obviously just loved watching so many wonderful performances. Your book is wonderful and it's very, like I said, unexpected, which I think is delightful.

Well, I'm really grateful for I'm really grateful that you liked it. Yeah. Play some of it for um for our listening audience, too. They're going to get a little clip of it.

Oh, good. We'll have audio. Yeah. Yeah. I had to go oldfashioned and read with my eyeballs. Yeah.

But thank you. Yes, it's delightful to meet you and thanks for making the big trip out here and I hope everyone checks out the book. It is called appropriately we did okay kid which

that photograph in the back of the book as the last thing is that photograph of my father I was three and a half and we in Abra on the beach because my father was uh in the during the [clears throat] war he didn't go into the army he was lucky but he had to do some national service so he was in the observer corps which is that's the RF which was plotting uh aircraft, German, American, British um and reporting movements of aircraft uh warning the center in Cardiff

and it was a network of observation. Yeah. And um anyway, I was there and uh lost little kid like we all are feeling hopeless or lost, you know, and I look at that I think we did okay, kid.

Yeah. Yeah. That's beautiful. But whatever it is, you know. Yeah. Yeah. It worked out just fine.

Yeah. Thank you so much. Um I hope everyone checks out the book and uh this delight.

Thank you both. Now before we go to the fact check, we're gonna play an excerpt from We Did Okay, Kid. I'm an alcoholic and I need help. I told my agent. He got me the time off I needed to focus on getting treatment. The tradition I belong to suggests that it's much better to change lives one person at a time by helping them oneon-one rather than by crowing to the world about having found a cure for one's affliction. This is known in the rooms as attraction rather than promotion. And so I will say only that if you are starting to wake up to the ways in which alcohol is ruining your life as I did to the ways it was ruining mine, there are people out there who will take you out for coffee. You can find them in every city and town at every hour of the day. I still go to meetings now myself almost 50 years after getting sober.

The day after my revelation, I went out for lunch with my friend Bob Palmer, who brought along his friend George. They were going to take me to my first 12step meeting. I was in a state of shock because the urge to drink had gone. I saw a waiter carrying a tray with a glass of red wine across the room. How strange that I used to drink that, I thought. How are you feeling? Bob asked. Inadequate, he said. you are. That flawed me. He explained that I had so little power, I was unable to predict what would happen in the next 3 minutes.

Therein lay terror, but also freedom if we accepted it. At the first AA meeting I attended, I was moved by the speaker's story. He is just like me, I thought. He was a truck driver, not an actor, but we were the same. I had something in common with everyone in that room. We were drunks and we didn't want to drink anymore. I thought they're all misfits like me, like all of us. We feel we never belong. We feel selfhatred. All of us are the same. I'm not alone.

Stay tuned for more armchair expert if you dare. He is an arm care expert, but he makes mistakes all the time. Thank god Monica's here. She's got to let him have the facts.

Do I have lipstick all over my face? I don't. Okay. Cuz you touched it up from for him eating dad's oatmeal.

I did. Do you want to tell people about dad's oatmeal? Cuz this could be the first unbiased review.

Yes. Okay. So, you eat the same breakfast every day. Yeah. 365. And I got to try it today.

Uhhuh. Before you give the review, what was your guess at what it was? It tasted like like

what's this, Mom? Oh, I made you something. Let me try it. Like that would be the commercial.

Yeah, that's we have Lucky Charms. It's like a Lucky Charms commercial. It's 100% a cereal commercial. Yes. So, I just thought it would be kind of bland because it's healthy. Yeah, right. Can I do the commercial again? You be the mom. Give it to me.

Here, honey. Enjoy your breakfast. Okay, I'll try it. Tastes good for me. You think that'd be a good commercial?

I want Lucky Charms with your hand falling out like that. That's a really sad boy.

It tastes good for me. I THINK YOU booked it. Good. They are going to ask um can you

age out your tooth? Shave my beard too. Yeah, exactly. Can we age you down a little bit?

Well, of course I wouldn't have my tooth in because when I eat I have to take my tooth out.

Or it's like Lucky Charms causes you your teeth to fall out, right? That's allegedly.

Mom would say she'd say, "Well, Han, what happened the last time you ate Lucky Charms? Your tooth fell out." Anyway, so I thought it was going to be blah. Yeah.

Um, and I tried it and it is really good. It's really good. I'm glad that you tried it and it doesn't even look that appealing other than I dress it up with fresh blueberries. That part probably made it look a little exciting

a little bit, but it's Yeah, it's a mush. It's a big bowl of mush. And it's a big big bowl. And as I was telling you, this is my big reward.

Yeah. You said it's time for my reward. And I was like, oo, what's your reward? And then it was the same thing you do every day.

How many days do you think you've had it? Like how many months have you been eating this concoction?

Over two years. This exact one with the No. The fle the flesh the And that works. The fresh blueberries. The fleshy fresh blueberries I got into about probably nine months ago. And now that's like my real obsession. I put So I put

I buy so many blueberries. It's crazy cuz I'll eat half of the tray per bowl of porridge.

Oh my gosh. They have great antioxidants. Oh yeah. Yeah. This is I'm going to argue like if you you could only have one meal to be perfectly healthy.

Yeah. I think this is it. I'm going to poke a hole. Okay. But can I hit you with the macros first?

Yeah. Okay. So, it has this bowl of oatmeal has upwards of 60 g of protein. Yeah. It's a lot. is a big boy's serving of protein.

Big bowl. Baby like big bowl. That's what I It has a very good amount of fiber, which is elusive. Fiber is hard to get.

Fiber is hard. So, yes, I like that. And then probably more antioxidants than any other friaking meal you could put together with [clears throat] that amount of blueberries. Half a rack.

Okay. Okay. Time to to poke a hole. And um wait, what was I fiber? Oh, also, um, people have predicted that fiber is the new protein.

Oh, as far as like everyone's into fiber and you got to have it and you got to get the amount you need to get. So, that's that's ahead.

Okay. Right. And um, by the way, guys, Lane Norton has been saying this for years. Protein and fiber, you look at all these different studies,

huge. The big thing they all have in common for longevity is like you got to have a lot of fiber and you got to have a lot of protein.

Yeah. And you got to have a lot of chocolate. [snorts] You got to have a lot of wine.

A lot of martini. But you give it you gave it a passing grade. Pass. I loved it. So,

okay. You give it an eight. I was shocked because you your concoction is oats, Bob's red milk.

Swear by it. And Justin's honey almond butter. Yeahhuh. Uhhuh. And I don't remember the brand. Strawberry protein.

Oh, Lane Norton. Strawberry protein. It's because it's isolate, which I need if for people who are lactose intolerant or get upset stomach from whey. If you get isolate

or isolate, it's better. There's none of the what I I assume there's no lactose in it, which is what I think gives you the upset stomach.

Okay. Well, so see here I said I think a lot and I think. So I don't want anyone to quote me. Yeah. Yeah. I think and I think

and normally I'm pretty turned off. I can be turned off by protein powders cuz it does give a bad to me. There's a taste that lingers that I really am not a fan of. Like I like it when I'm eating it, but then there's an aftertaste.

Okay. And can you tell me the brands you've tried? Um I can't remember. Okay. Okay.

Cuz there's a huge difference in the different brands. I will say that. I've had tons of protein bar. like gh that's disgusting.

Yeah. But I have two I'm in love with. Well, this strawberry one that goes in your your breakfast is really good.

Again, it's all counterintuitive. Why would strawberry protein powder work in blueberry oatmeal

fruits? I guess fruit medley. I guess it just doesn't seem like that would be good, but somehow that comes together, especially with the almond butter.

Yeah, it's really nice. That's the other big secret sauce in there. Yeah. Okay. Now, my hole

Yeah. that I'm poking. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um I think in order for it to be the healthiest meal on planet Earth,

I would like a green vegetable in there. You don't think the blueberries handles that?

No. It's it's it's good. I'm glad it's there. I Monty, how are we adding any green vegetable?

That's my problem. I don't think we can call it that because I don't think you can add any green vegetables to that.

You could put mint. Nope, that doesn't count. And well, I mean, that's a good that's the least terrible option.

Mint is an herb, Rob. It's green. It's green as hell. It's a green herb and I'm looking for a green vegetable. I'm looking for spinach.

I know, but it can't go. It doesn't. That'll have to be lunch. Okay. Yeah, you got to work in a spinach in your lunch.

That's fine. Um maybe. Okay. And and you and you'd really ideally you'd want a little omegas in there. So you want some some fish. I think you should smash up some fish in there.

Well, I do my fish oil. What's our sponsor? Cuz that is actually what I use. Yeah. Nordic Naturals.

Nordic Natural. Yeah. Every night before bed it's three Nordic Naturals. Yeah. But I'm just saying um if you're saying this meal on its own, we need a little green vegetable.

Okay. Counter to your counter. Okay. You have to propose a different dish that would be better because

I think you might find your way over to a spinach dish that would be great, but then I think it would really drop the ball on a lot of other categories,

the fiber and the uh and the protein and the antioxidants. So, I might have the antioxidants and I think it's maybe fibrous, but regardless. So, this is like Yeah, there's never going to be a perfect meal,

right? Unless you're just making a smoothie. Well, yeah. Which I used to do. Yeah.

It's too much clean up. That's my issue. Yeah. It's also too cold for my mouth.

I think it is ironic that I've been making fun of Wilfr Brimley for 40 years now in those oatmeal commercials and lo and behold,

that's my most consistent meal. Same as you made fun of catheter cowboy and then you had to get one

and then I had calf. Yeah. And I don't like pain when I cal just like him. Exactly.

Um have we not spoken since Halloween? I guess not. Yeah. No fact check. Wow. We have a lot to catch up.

Long for a catchup. Yeah. For the audience for the charities. I guess the Halloween was Halloween was Friday and today is Wednesday.

Yeah. Yeah. Let's Let's talk about Halloween. Okay, but hold on. We can't go on without addressing your tooth.

Oh, I thought it'd be cool if we didn't address my tooth, but I'm happy to. Okay. Yeah, there's no way.

I've been wanting a gold tooth for I don't know, seven years. I think even when we interviewed um Kirby.

Oh, yeah. Didn't we discuss it? And do you know somebody? I think we did. And then our good friend Eric found for me uh this dentist that we both go to. Who would have known that this very normal classy dentist also does gold teeth and [ __ ] Yes.

So, I had a grill made. Yeah, that was first. I mean, I should wear that in one of these facts.

That one's not very attractive. Okay. It's intentionally not. Okay. Yeah. Okay.

Because it's for a character I'm going to play. Oh, thank you. Okay. Oh. Oh, yeah. I guess I assumed you knew that somehow.

No, I didn't. Okay. Okay. So the the the the grill is for a character I'm playing. Got it. That they did not ask for.

But great. Okay. Fun. And then I I and it was it came at some expense for me to have this thing made.

Sure. Well, acting is expensive in the heart. It takes a toll. You pay a price. I sent a photo to the showrunner and I was like, "Look, use them. Don't use them. I don't care. I did have these made."

Yeah. And God bless. He said, "Use them for sure." Great. Yes. Oh, fun. And I uh I don't think that's a topic I can tackle. I'm well I'll tackle it. I am having again and I think it's it in the effort of being honest or in the pursuit of honesty. I don't need to make money for the acting.

Right. So I said to them I don't just pay me the minimum. Please pay me minimum. Give it to another actor you want to hire for the budget. Right.

Nice. It's not even that nice of me but I but for me it was so that's a huge gra. emotional thing where it's like I used to be so uh panicked all the time like please you got to pay me the most because I'll probably never work again that whole thing and this is like I just want to come play and you guys don't have to pay me. I know legally you have to but whatever the minimum of that is.

Wow that's huge. That's really awesome. Yeah, it feels great and actually it's how I should have been started acting.

Well, you can't though but also there's a reality. Yeah, money we have to we need it. Yeah,

we need it. And so you are lucky enough to not I don't need it now. Yeah. And now I can actually solely

to go play with people I think would be fun to play with. And it's I love it. That was great. Okay. Now the tooth.

Okay. The tooth. So then the tooth I just always wanted. So the tooth is for me.

Sure. Okay. So it's nothing to do with the jobs or Okay. No. No. And how do you feel with the tooth in? How do you feel?

I'm largely unaware of it other than I like to play with the backing with my um my tongue. Yesterday was day one with it. I went to the movies and I and uh

you got to take it out to eat, but I was like, pop, man, get away with some popcorn.

Oh god. Because I can throw it past the gold tooth and just get it on the the mers.

Oh my god. So I did I did mess around with some popcorn with it still in. Okay. Yeah. And then and then I went to now this is a big thing I learned yesterday. I went out to lunch with a friend and I took it out and I'm like I have nowhere to put it. So I put it in the tiny little pocket of my jeans

so I won't lose it there. And then when the meal was over and I wanted to put my tooth back in

the backside it was like it's like the back of earrings the back. So it's like it had poked through the denim

and I could not get it out. It was like embedded in my It has It has a post. Yeah. On the backside there's two like um uh what do they call them? Vampire clips like you'd have on a mic.

Oh. To to snap into your tooth. And so not only did those puncture the denim and were caught in there like it was like trying to get a fishing hook out of my pocket and and then they it was all miscalibrated.

Oh [ __ ] I had bent up the [ __ ] day one. Yeah. Yeah. So then I re-calibrated them and then a lot of the movie I was like I didn't do that right. This feels really tight like a

orthodontia. Now is it is it um did they do anything to your actual tooth? Oh no.

Okay. Okay. Well, they took a mold which is how they make it, right? But then they didn't like have to like shave anything down or anything, right?

Oh man, you're really getting all the secrets out of me. So he's like, "Close your mouth." Okay, it's hitting here. You know what we ended up doing, which feels insane.

Veneers. No. Okay. We ended up grinding my real tooth down a little bit so it would fit with my fake tooth. And I was like, is this what am I? This is like a like a fad I'm going through and I've already altered my bottom teeth to match this fad.

I wasn't going to tell anyone that part. Yeah. Well, you told me. And now you told everyone. Which one did they share?

So, this one's now a little He's like, "That one's too big." Anyways, he sold me on it like

the one that's now small. The baby tuna. I got the one that goes backwards. The jacked one. And then next to that is this one. You think that's small now?

Oh my god. You do? No. The look on your face was like it looks small. It's shorter than It's shorter.

It's shorter. Why do you do that? So it fit my fake tooth. Okay. All right. It's fine. It's great.

I knew I shouldn't tell you that detail. It's great. It looks great. But I did go this is nuts. I'm I'm grinding my real teeth down. And then I'm like, I don't know. Who cares? I also think who's who cares about

Oh my god, I'm a little Mom. This tastes good for me. Stay tuned for more armchair expert if you dare.

Oh boy. Okay. Um, now Halloween. Okay. Halloween. It was spectacular. So fun. [snorts]

Per usual. Heyide by you. Hayride was louder and brighter. It was so It's so great.

You sent me a very nice text a couple days later. Yeah. And I meant it. Like it's a very very special thing you do for the neighborhood. Everyone in the neighborhood hops on and is in such a good mood. And it's such a community builder and we just don't have things like that anymore. And it's a really special towny which I like. You're like in LA but it's very small towny

really. It's just the like everyone coming together and cheering and being excited and I it's very special.

It is very special. It is very special and my brother was there for the first time. He rode with me the whole night and he did some filming which was lovely. That's his new hobby.

Oh. And it was a great like getting to spend three hours with my brother driving around and

yeah, it's just funny because siblings is funny, right? So sometimes when I would make the turn into the alley, people would cheer.

Yeah, I cheered. Thank you. You probably let a cheer cuz you know I like that. And I'm a cheerleader.

And you're Yes, you have the credentials. Um and then other times crickets. Oh, okay.

So my brother like crickets, you know, like he was like making fun of me a little bit which was but very goodnatured.

Yeah. And then if they would cheer, he would be like, um, he like, "Oh, oh, god damn, I should have been recording." Like,

but then a couple times I would yell out the window when we go through and he's like, "It's kind of a cheat cuz you're kind of initiating the channel." Like, you're right. That is a little

Okay, it doesn't count. Yeah, that's true. That's true. And then, yeah, the we had the In-N-Out truck.

You guys went all out. It's so fun. Yeah, you guys got an In-N-Out truck for the for the neighborhood. It's for so many people to enjoy and it's really lovely.

Halloween is a special holiday cuz everyone shows up event. They've put together a costume. So, like everyone's arrival is fun for them. It's fun for you.

Everyone feels special cuz you're getting the attention. They're trying to figure out your costume.

So, it's just like very heightened. In some ways, it's a very vulnerable holiday.

Tell me more. Cuz [clears throat] if you go like sexy, if you do anything, you're just deciding to like put yourself out there, participate

and look silly perhaps. Like I always feel it cuz I normally park a street down.

Uhhuh. And I remember when we did Harry Potter Halloween and I was Rita Skeer and I had a wig and I this like bright green outfit. You look like a little school girl as I remember, didn't you?

Um, no. I mean, she did have a quill, but no, she was a lady. She's a lady. Okay.

Yeah. Um, oh, last year I was a little married Kate Ashley. Maybe that's the overalls.

Yeah, that was the overalls. We did look like more the bookworm, but I guess you were a teacher, but it came across as Okay.

Anywh who, it was really a look. Yeah. And I remember when I parked and I got out of my car, I was like, "Oh my, I got to I got to do this." Yeah. Like, I don't think this walk I'm going to make it. Like, I'm so embarrassed.

Oh, wow. Wow. Wow. But then as soon as I enter with all these people doing the same thing, it was gone and happy.

So, I think it's vulnerable. Um, Char, do you know the story about Charlie getting in the fight? Yeah, please tell it. It's so good.

Okay. Again, for people I know everyone knows, we did mashups. That was our um and

and quickly to explain a mashup, you're going to com they're going to share one mutual word.

Yes. So, what was Carrie Bradshaw Shank Redemption was Kristen? Yes, that was Kristen.

Row row. The row row row your bow. The row row your supposed to be the row cuz it was row right.

I was Ferrari Grande. You were Ferrari Ariana Grande. People were upset because in the picture I posted, you had left, so you weren't in the adult picture, which was a bummer.

Oh, there was one with you with the kids, but I didn't post that, obviously. Okay.

Anyway, okay. Charlie and Erica and their two children were on their way and they were close to the house and they Erica was Edward Scissor Handmaid's Tail. She was fantastic. It was so good. And Charlie was Hot Dog the Bounty Hunter

and he crushed it. It was so good. But he's in this huge hot dog. He's in a huge hot dog and he has the huge blonde wig on with the braids in the side.

And as we know, Perfect 10 Charlie is enormous. A human. Yeah. And they're on their way to the party and he somehow pissed off a motorcyclist.

Yes. They got in a tiff. He like and he waved and apologized and then that wasn't enough.

Yeah. So when Charlie turned into our driveway, the motorcycle decided to come back and get in front of his car in our driveway.

Yeah. And let him have it. Yes. And he did this. Yeah. He made that cut in your throat sign.

Yes. Which is so weird. And Charlie, it's funny. Charlie and I were bonding over this cuz this happened to me more than once, which is like, I'm nice. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And if you're now indulgent and you and

then I go, "Okay, motherfucker." Like then I snap. Well, especi also it wasn't just like you owe me an apology. He was threat he was being like so aggressive and threatening.

Yes. So ultimately it got to the point where Charlie said [ __ ] this and got out of the car.

Yeah. And this motorcyclist, what could he have thought? First of all, he's a hot dog. Andy's dog, the bounty hunter. And he's huge.

And he's screaming at this guy as a huge hot dog. Hot dog the bounty hunter. I I wish there was video of

me so badly. It It was so sitcom this idea of how a Halloween fight and these people looking absolutely ridiculous.

Hot dog. A hot dog gets out. Oh my god. And like so serious. Yes. And if you got beat up by a hot dog, that would that would be so humiliating.

Anyway, the the hayride was fantastic and the neighborhood took it to another level.

Oh my god. Yes. I believe we can credit a friend of the pod for this. Yeah. I wonder.

I'm not sure. So, but I do think um I do too. Yes. Ellen Pompeo. Yes. Friend of the pod.

She was like, "Oh, you want to do a hay ride? I got tricks, too. Yes. And she hired six professional actors to be zombies. Yes. Going around the neighborhood like you were at um not Scott not scary farm or Universal Horror Night.

Yes. So, it worked in perfect concert with the hay ride cuz people would be on the hay ride and all a sudden zombies were like chasing them and stuff.

Yes. It became the haunted hay ride. It was so amazing and it really again just the commitment.

Yeah, I did get a little I mean I was personally extremely scared. Yeah, I I uh there is a very funny

husband wife story that came out of this, right? Which is like I pull up into the same spot in the neighborhood every time for people to unload and load.

Yes. And people know that's where you get on or off the hay, right? So, I pull up and Kristen is there and she's like, "You got to go find these zombies." And I go, "What?" She's like, "You have to talk to the zombies. You got to tell them. Tell them they they got to stop scaring kids."

Oh, I was nervous about that. And I [clears throat] go, "Oh, hun. I can't deliver that." Sure.

Like, that's just what this day is. And she's like, "Three little kids have already left."

I was like, "Oh, [ __ ] I know. We don't want that. We don't want kids leaving the Halloween.

I know. So, I'm like, "Oh, you know me. I want to be cool." And Yeah. So, I'm like, "Fuck." And I'm the one that's going to see Ellen next cuz I'll be at the top of the hill. So,

it's such a cool thing she's doing. It's so cool. Yeah. So, I get to the top of the hill and she's out in front of her house. Uh, and I go, "Hey, I really hate delivering the snow and I think it goes against the spirit of the holiday, but if the zombies can maybe not scare the little kids."

Okay, great. And she's like, "Yeah, yeah. Zombies don't scare." She didn't care at all. And I don't think the zombies cared at all.

Okay. But I did have to like clamp down on the zombies, which felt really compromising. Yeah.

Yeah. That sucks. Yeah. But probably was the right thing. I did think I did think uhoh like these are scary.

Oh yeah. Yeah. And what about these little kids if I'm scared? Well, some left, Monica, is what I was told.

We walked Yeah. Rob, what was what were the boys? We walked up there first and Vinnie was leading the charge like just walking and they were they they laid off him. They were one ft tall.

Oh, but even just the even just seeing them is a little scary. Yeah. Did they give Calvin hell?

Yeah. Yeah, they chased Calvin a little bit. And did he like it or Yeah, he loved it.

Oh, good. Good. Yeah, that's the thing. You don't know who's going to love it and who's not. One of the zombies um knew my name.

Oh. which was flattering but also scary. I didn't like it. Right. IT OH, WOW. It was a girl.

Yeah. Yeah, I think. And then cuz what if it was one of the boy zombies? Oh, she called you pretty. So very funny.

It was too date you. It was maybe it was Gra or what? What's his name? Groot. No, not Groot. The grandson, the the scary singer.

Oh, Gu. The horned pigface goblin. Blow. He was actually Gu. What's his name? Bloar the Berserker.

Oh, Blar the We should have invited Guard to the [ __ ] Should we have Gu Oh my god, we find Cuz I'm like this whole night I'm like we've we've peaked. I really don't even know if we should host next year.

Oh, you have to. Yeah, but [ __ ] If you got to the top of the turnaround and Gu was on a stage up there shooting blood out of their penises and stuff. You think kids were leaving with the zombies wait to blar the blazer gets his penises out? We've got to get Gu performing in the neighborhood.

Okay. Just maybe put ask him to wear pants over all those penises. Desexualize it a little bit.

Just a little bit on Halloween. Uh [clears throat] I guess that's it for Halloween. It was just really fun. It was so much fun.

It was really, really fun. What a holiday. One thing we need to talk about. Oh god, yes. And we're adorned in it right now. So, not a problem.

Not a problem, you guys. Our new merch is the the best we've had ever. Absolutely ever. It's so high quality. This is actual embroidery.

Embroidered. And yeah, so for the listener, you might want to go to YouTube to see it. I'm wearing a sweatshirt, black sweatshirt. Gorgeous sweatshirt. Says armchair expert. Has a crow on it. has a little mouse on the sleeve.

Tiny mouse. Very cute little mouse. And I really can't get around the qu over the quality.

The quality is off the charts. Um I And I've been wearing this non-stop. I wear like four days in a row.

Yeah, it just got out of the wash though for today. U finally a really great station shirt. And then I'm going to turn around to look at the back.

Yeah, it's great. Hey y'all. Really great station. So this is going to be available in time for

in time for the holidays. But it's coming out November 14th for pre-order. November 14th for pre-order. And there's other stuff, too. There's plenty of There's lots of stuff.

Oh, I got a hoodie here, too. A new gorgeous hoodie. Show the hoodie. I'm going to show off the hoodie. Um, it it has a cute crow embroidered.

Gosh. Yeah. Oh my gosh. It also has a mouse on the sleeve and it has cherries on the hood.

Yes. But it's all very minimal and like very discreet. It's It's a really good-look collection, guys. And it's

I applaud you, Monica. You really spearheaded and steamrololled. What is it? What are the words we used?

Here's really micromanaged. You know what? You made people's life hell to get here. Well, you really did all this and it turned out great. I'm so into it.

It's a really nice classic collection and we're excited to put it out. I think I was wearing one the other day, too. There's a super cute um heart-shaped cherries.

I love that one. Yeah. What does it say on that one? Just arms. Okay. Have a good time. Have a great time.

We love it here. Guar. Vote for Gu. Yeah. So, go check that out and pre-order and it'll be for domestic. It'll be ready by the holidays.

Buy yourself something for Christmas. Yeah. You deserve it. Okay. So, I started watching a show. An old show.

Me, too. Oh my god. Well, it's in the air. What did you watch? Trump defending Jacob. It was a it's a show on Apple and it's old or you know it's older

older than Apple 2020. 2020. Okay. And um it has Chris Evans and is adapted from a book and it's a little bit of a who done it. It's kind of like a broad church

who done it. Presumed innocent. Sure. Murder mystery. Exactly. And you know, obviously I watched the whole thing in two days because that's how I operate.

Yeah. Yeah. And there was something really interesting. So you used to you haven't brought this up in a long time, but you used to bring up a um something you read about a gene that you called like um you called Ma Ma.

Oh, Mao. You called it MAO. Yes. Yeah. This is the watching the grass grow gene,

right? So, so yeah, you talk about it and you It's not a gene. It's just a chemical in your brain. People have high levels of it, low levels of it.

Okay. And then what happened? Tell people about it. Well, if you have a lot of MAO, you're very content to watch the grass grow. And if you have very low MA mAO, you need a lot to stimulate you. So, these are like adventure seekers and adrenaline junkies.

Right now, you used to talk about that all the time, and I think I probably like looked it up at some point. I don't remember. But on this show, they talk about something called the murder gene.

Ooh. Or the warrior gene. Ooh, warrior gene. And it is the mao gene. Oh, so maybe that's a gene that makes

I think it's connected to this. Yeah, it's um monoamine oxidasis MAOA enzyme which breaks down transmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Low levels of this enzyme are linked to a predisposition for aggressive behavior, especially when combined with environmental factors like childhood trauma. The MAOA gene is located on the X chromosome leading to differences in how it affects males and females. Um but yeah,

so it's passed by mom. Oh, isn't that interesting? They talk about that in the show.

Oh, wow. Yeah. And so some like in the show, I don't know how I don't know if this is used in real life, but like in the show they test kid for Yeah. this boy Jacob for it. Um

and they test the family. Yeah. Jacob doesn't have it. He doesn't have it. Yes. He doesn't have it, but also the mom cuz it's passed through the mom and the dad and the grandpa have it.

Okay. The maternal uh grandpa. No, the watch. Okay. In the show. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

This is a spoiler. Uh well, it's 5 years old. Yeah. Yeah. Um Chris Evans has this son and then he also has a dad, but he's been lying about the dad. He says he didn't know his dad and he never knew his dad, but turns out he did know his dad and when he was about six, the dad went to jail for rape and murder.

O, I wish I wish it were just murder. Yeah, everyone wishes that. Yeah. Um, it's played by JK Simmons.

Oh, we love JK Simmons. Yes. So, Jacob is in a little bit of a pickle. Okay. A legal issue.

Yeah. And so the legal team is trying to see if they can say that he has this gene in case he's found guilty. They can say it's it's not his fault.

Okay. Okay. Okay. So, I just thought this was a full circle moment. It really is.

Murder Jean. Now, I want to watch it. I've decided to start Boardwalk Empire. Oh, I never watched that.

It's great. Of course, it was a hit, but within two episodes I'm like, "Yeah, this is phenomenal. This is like Sopranos kind of." It's fun to find shows.

It is. Anyone else wants to recommend more Who Done It? I'm in the mood for who done Dunits.

I'll I'll try to keep my thinking cap on. Okay. Okay. All right. Now, we can talk about facts.

Facts. It was so cool that he did Silence of the Lambs. Then we got him to That was scary.

You know what's funny is I would never have the gall to say like, "Could you give me a little clarice?"

Yeah. But he just did it on his own. I thought, "Get out of the way." Yeah. Hopefully he'll do this for the next 30 minutes. I could have watched his entire role.

Exactly. Yeah, we should invite someone on to do their whole role from something.

What would you pick? Nicholas Cage from um Vampires Kiss. I know cuz I need you to see him count to or do the alphabet.

Yeah, I want to see that. Also though, that's tricky cuz we also want to talk to him. Like who are you willing to not talk to but just have them do their role?

Tom Cruz as well would be a good one. Oh, because as I've said on here many times, and this is another pledge to anyone in his world or sphere.

Yeah. I won't ask a single hard-hitting question. Yeah. I just want to talk about his career. I don't care if he killed someone on the way over. I won't mention it.

For anyone listening, I have not agreed to that pledge. That's not your thing. Yeah.

Yeah. People have already yelled at me and it hasn't even happened. People are like, "You can't have them on." And I said, "No, I can just worship somebody

because you get a lot, you know, you get a lot of the other version. It's okay if I just fate someone once in a while."

You can I won't be doing that. Okay. What are you going to ask? Because you might have just ruled out

on the way home. And how'd you do it? We both know he saved somebody on the way over cuz that's kind of

That's probably right. Um, yeah. Uh, okay. Let's see. He said he thought Edgar Allan Poe said, "If we think about it, our lives have been written by some other author." Now, that quote, it seems, is a misattribution and a popular misunderstanding of a philosophy expressed by Will Durant. Says Durant did not say this, but he wrote about how other people's opinions and actions can influence our lives.

Who's Will Durant? um historian and philosopher. He's a philosopher. What era? Uh 1885 he was born.

You know, my kids have grown fond of saying to me, "You were born in the 1900s." And it sounds so funny.

Cuz it's true. And it's true. I know. But it sounds ridiculous. It does. She's like, "Oh, you were born in the 1900s."

How tall is the Empire State Building? He knew that because of his books. Yeah. Do you want to guess?

Okay. I think it's probably 70 stories. So, I'm going to say 680 ft more. More. Is it like a 100 stories?

It doesn't say stories on here. Okay. I'm sure it's 860 ft. It's 1,250 ft. Almost a quarter of a mile.

That's a lot. Almost a quarter mile. Oh my god. Do you ever toothpaste. [gasps]

Yeah, it's really tall. Yeah, that's much taller than I would have expected. Say it again. 1,200 ft. So, it's got to be like 110 stories or 108 stories.

And it's actually 1,454 ft to the tip. 1,04. So, more than a quarter mile. Wow.

102 stories. 102 stories. I don't want to go to that 100. Actually, I've been I forgot. Yeah, with Kristen. We went to the top

for a press thing or something. Yeah. So funny all the places you end up going on a press thing and you can't because you didn't frame it right. You don't really experience it.

Yeah. It's a different I have to go to the Empire State Building today, right? At 10:00 and then we got to be blank at what?

Yes. And then you leave and you're like, "Oh, [ __ ] I was up there and I didn't even really

I know." Yeah. And you do go up some like creepy stairs to get to the tippities.

Yeah. Um Oh, I thought it was interesting cuz he knew Hitler's I mean his just his memory was so amazing

and he knew Hitler's doctor's name immediately. Like you were telling a story and you said Hitler's doctor and he said Dr. Moral.

Yeah. And he just knew it. Yeah. Wow. Whoa. You know, we were discussing this you and I off mic

and I was saying we have found this with a lot of people that were born in the 30s, 40s, 50s. My mom

Yeah. I do think there's something to be said with there was no stimuli. There was like you watch TV for an hour at night.

Yeah. That there was just way less info hitting you. I guess. And so everyone of that age seems to have a much higher retention of names of kids and teachers from their youth.

I think that's a good theory. I mean, there is something what else? Something's different.

Yeah, something is different. Or maybe it's that we're juggling a much huger pool of people cuz we're online and that opens you up to like thousands of people or whatever. Something there's some something has to be the explanation.

But he like knew lines. He like knew lines from movies and stuff he wasn't in like he

but that part is I think unique to him. That's his like that's why he can do Shakespeare.

Right. Right. He has that kind of memory. Yeah. Remembering sonnetss and and poems and stuff. I can't do that. I I have some rap songs from the 90s. I I know. Inside out.

One. You would you like to? No. I know. You never enjoy when I do colors. When you do colors,

that's always the one I'll do. That's the one Aaron and I will do together. I am a nightmare walking psychopath stalking. King of the jungle just a gangster stalking. Living life like a firecracker. Quick as my fuse. Then dead is the death. That's the colors I choose. Red or blue cuz of blood. It just don't matter. I could die for your life. I'm a shotgun scatter. We come to LA. We never die. We just multiply colors. That's just the first verse. Nice.

We could go on. You can go on. You want? Um, was Afraid of Virginia Wolf Mike Nichols first film? Yes.

Highly recommend. Yeah. An Edward Albby play. It was um one of my theater professor's favorite plays. So, she would talk about it all the time.

You know, stuff that we don't know. I don't think so. You don't remember? Yeah. I don't have the memory that he has. So, no.

What do you remember? Do you remember Friends episodes in great detail? Not in as much detail as I used to. It's actually very sad. I don't like to be put to the test because I It makes me sad.

Yeah. I really I I used to be able to name all the episodes and stuff like that. I don't think I could do that anymore.

I used to know every single word in Smokeoky and the Bandit like from beginning to end. I knew every single world word in Raising Arizona beginning to end.

There were movies I knew inside out. Goodwill Hunting obviously. Yeah, I did I did someone's podcast and they

put this to the test. They had me finish lines of Goodwill Hunting and I couldn't do it. Like I did a couple but I I missed a lot and it was really upsetting.

I'm sorry they did that to you. I would never do that to you. Thank you. Is that a commitment?

Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Out loud. A verbal pledge commitment. Um well that's it. That was all the facts that he knew Hitler's.

Well, I just thought that was interesting. It sure was. It's more of like a It is a fact.

Instead of a fact check, we had like a we we named the things we thought were interesting about it.

That is a lot of what I do. That's true. So, I guess it's it's in keeping. It's a fact

that you found it interesting. I checked it and it was correct. The name was right.

Yeah. Yeah. It's impressive. It really is. Um, that's it. All right. Love you.

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "Anthony Hopkins | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard"?

In order: 0:00 Apple Pay, Apple Pay, Dak Shepard, Fracture; 10:00 Battle of the Bulge, Blitzed, Drugs in the Third Reich, Richard Burton, Royal Academy; 20:00 Apple Pay, Apple Pay, Richard Burton, Anthony Perkins; 30:00 Lawrence Olivier, Silence of the Lambs, Three Sisters, Young Winston; 40:00 Jack Bailey, Steven Barton, The Elephant Man; 50:00 We Did Okay, Kid, Cardiff, National Service; 1:00:00 Lane Norton, Justin's, Nordic Naturals; 1:10:00 Ellen Pompeo; 1:20:00 JK Simmons, MAOA gene; 1:30:00 Empire State Building, Mike Nichols, Nicholas Cage, Silence of the Lambs.

What is mentioned in this Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard episode?

73 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Apple Pay, Silence of the Lambs, We Did Okay, Kid, Richard Burton, Royal Academy, Mike Nichols. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Anthony Hopkins | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard"?

The episode runs 1 h 39 min; the transcript is about 18,730 words in 526 timestamped sections.

More from Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated November 21, 2025.