Ben McKenzie (on cryptocurrency)
5/13/20261 hr 52 min
Ben McKenzie (Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, Easy Money) is an actor, author, and outspoken cryptocurrency skeptic. Ben joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up in a civically minded family in Austin, studying economics at the University of Virginia, and stumbling into acting success with early fame on an unnamed hit show. Ben and Dax talk about navigating imposter syndrome after overnight success, transitioning from acting into writing and directing, and what led him into investigating crypto markets during the pandemic. Ben explains why behavioral economics reveals how irrational people really are, how financial systems exploit trust and hype, and why the promise of “easy money” taps into something dangerously universal.
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Clips
Showing 10 of 13Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDax Shepard· Host0:00
Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert, Experts on Expert. I'm Dan Shepherd. You're Lily Padman.
Monica Padman· Host0:05
I am.
Dax Shepard· Host0:06
And we have an expert that will be confusing to people.
Monica Padman· Host0:10
I was confused.
Dax Shepard· Host0:11
You were very confused.
Monica Padman· Host0:12
Mm-hmm.
Dax Shepard· Host0:12
You saw Ben in the yard and you said, "Oh my God, it's that Ben."
Monica Padman· Host0:16
Yeah. When I read that we were having- Ben McKenzie ... Ben McKenzie on, I, and I knew it was an expert episode, and I saw what the episode was about, I read the write-up, I was like, "Oh, okay, so there's an expert with the same name." And then walk in and it is, it is the actor.
Dax Shepard· Host0:30
It is. And I gotta tell you, I say this in the fact check, I, this is one of the smartest actors I've ever met in my life.
Monica Padman· Host0:36
Incredibly smart.
Dax Shepard· Host0:37
He's so [laughs] fucking smart. I had such a blast talking to him.
Monica Padman· Host0:40
Yeah.
Dax Shepard· Host0:40
And yes, he has done his homework. He has an incredible, um, book about this topic called Easy Money, a New York Times bestseller, and, uh, a new documentary that's in theaters now called Everyone Is Lying To You For Money. Um, and he's obsessed with cryptocurrencies, and are they really a currency? Can you use them to buy things? What are their value? Um, very entertaining. Uh, obviously you know him from The OC, Southland, Gotham. Great dude. So glad we had him. Please enjoy Ben McKenzie. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apple Card is designed with your iPhone in mind, making it easy to get started and even easier to use. Apple Card is a no-fee credit card you can apply for right from the