WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.620 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today, we're jumping 00:00:02.620 --> 00:00:05.799 into the life of someone who really embodies 00:00:05.799 --> 00:00:08.179 one of Hollywood's most fascinating contradictions. 00:00:08.699 --> 00:00:12.880 Edward James Begley Jr. Ed Begley Jr. If you 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:15.000 watch movies or TV, you absolutely know his face. 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:17.929 He's been in. well, hundreds of things since 00:00:17.929 --> 00:00:20.170 the late 60s. Just a constant presence. Right, 00:00:20.230 --> 00:00:21.969 the definition of a character actor. You see 00:00:21.969 --> 00:00:24.690 him, you know him. But the focus of our deep 00:00:24.690 --> 00:00:27.089 dive today is looking at how that incredibly 00:00:27.089 --> 00:00:29.890 public profile. The actor profile, yeah. The 00:00:29.890 --> 00:00:32.409 guy playing doctors, nervous lawyers, the brilliant 00:00:32.409 --> 00:00:35.030 mockumentary stuff. How that sits right alongside 00:00:35.030 --> 00:00:37.590 this completely different private life. A life 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:41.420 dedicated... for decades to some really hardcore 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:43.960 environmental activism. And when we say hardcore, 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:46.299 we mean it. It's a level of commitment that's 00:00:46.299 --> 00:00:48.299 almost become legendary, sometimes even a bit 00:00:48.299 --> 00:00:50.479 of a running joke, you know. Exactly. So we've 00:00:50.479 --> 00:00:52.840 got this comprehensive biographical overview, 00:00:53.060 --> 00:00:55.979 a lot of career details. And our job today is 00:00:55.979 --> 00:00:58.299 to really distill that, compare the Hollywood 00:00:58.299 --> 00:01:01.200 persona with this, frankly, pioneering sustainability 00:01:01.200 --> 00:01:03.640 effort. Yeah. We want to give you a much more 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:05.500 nuanced picture of the man. We're digging into 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:07.480 the details, the surprising stuff, the long haul 00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:09.739 commitments that really defined him. Like how 00:01:09.739 --> 00:01:12.040 does the guy who gets nominated for six Emmys 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:14.120 in a row for a show like St. Elsewhere. A huge 00:01:14.120 --> 00:01:16.780 critical success. Also become arguably more famous 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:19.620 for having like a special bicycle just to make 00:01:19.620 --> 00:01:22.299 toast. Right. It's that contrast. That's the 00:01:22.299 --> 00:01:25.859 hook. It really sets up this this tension. How 00:01:25.859 --> 00:01:28.959 do you navigate. the, let's be honest, often 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:31.439 wasteful world of Hollywood. High energy consumption, 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:33.840 lots of travel. While living this incredibly 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:36.939 disciplined, low impact, sometimes even self 00:01:36.939 --> 00:01:39.719 -mocking green lifestyle. That's the puzzle we're 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:42.700 exploring. And let's start where it all began. 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:47.359 Okay, so Ed Begley Jr., born 1949, Los Angeles. 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:50.920 His dad, Ed Begley Sr., the Oscar winning actor. 00:01:51.390 --> 00:01:53.310 Sounds like a classic Hollywood story, right? 00:01:53.409 --> 00:01:55.290 Born into the business. It does on the surface. 00:01:55.409 --> 00:01:57.269 But you dig just a little bit into the sources 00:01:57.269 --> 00:02:00.269 and his early life. Wow. It gets really complex 00:02:00.269 --> 00:02:03.109 really fast and actually pretty dramatic. Yeah. 00:02:03.189 --> 00:02:05.549 Talk about family complexity. The sources are 00:02:05.549 --> 00:02:08.430 clear. When Ed Jr. was born to his biological 00:02:08.430 --> 00:02:12.370 mother, Aline Jean Sanders. His father, Ed Begley 00:02:12.370 --> 00:02:14.370 Sr., was actually still married to someone else. 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:17.139 A woman named Amanda Huff. So right from birth, 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:19.300 he's kind of caught in this hidden situation. 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:22.439 This wasn't just some footnote. It massively 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:25.419 shaped his childhood. Amanda Huff, his father's 00:02:25.419 --> 00:02:27.580 wife, was the woman he grew up believing was 00:02:27.580 --> 00:02:30.580 his mother. Imagine that. And then, tragically, 00:02:30.620 --> 00:02:33.300 she dies of cancer when he's only seven. A huge 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:36.840 loss for a young kid. A massive loss. But then, 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:39.840 the story gets even more complicated. He still 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:42.060 didn't know the truth. The sources say he believed 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:44.039 Amanda Hough was his biological mother until 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:47.460 he was 16. 16? That's well into your formative 00:02:47.460 --> 00:02:50.400 years. Exactly. Only then, after believing this 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:52.620 his whole life, did he learn the truth and eventually 00:02:52.620 --> 00:02:56.159 meet his birth mother, Aline. Wow. That's a heavy 00:02:56.159 --> 00:02:58.759 thing to process as a teenager. Finding out your 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:00.860 whole understanding of your family, your origins, 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:04.039 wasn't accurate. It really is. You have to wonder 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:06.060 what that does to your sense of identity, your 00:03:06.060 --> 00:03:09.219 sense of trust. It suggests he needed some serious 00:03:09.219 --> 00:03:12.479 resilience right from the start. Maybe, and this 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:14.819 is just speculation, but maybe that early experience 00:03:14.819 --> 00:03:17.819 with secrets is part of why his later environmentalism 00:03:17.819 --> 00:03:23.039 was so transparent, so public. That's an interesting 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:25.419 thought, like a reaction almost. Yeah. Needing 00:03:25.419 --> 00:03:27.460 everything out in the open after a childhood 00:03:27.460 --> 00:03:31.210 that wasn't, it's plausible. So alongside this 00:03:31.210 --> 00:03:33.669 family drama, his childhood also involved moving 00:03:33.669 --> 00:03:35.849 around quite a bit following his father's acting 00:03:35.849 --> 00:03:37.889 work. Right. He spent a good chunk of his early 00:03:37.889 --> 00:03:40.050 years, K through seventh grade, out in Merrick, 00:03:40.110 --> 00:03:42.229 New York, attended a private Catholic school 00:03:42.229 --> 00:03:44.849 there, Cure of Ours. Why New York? His dad was 00:03:44.849 --> 00:03:46.629 doing Broadway at the time. So you get this East 00:03:46.629 --> 00:03:49.050 Coast structured Catholic school upbringing for 00:03:49.050 --> 00:03:50.610 a while. Which must have been a real contrast 00:03:50.610 --> 00:03:52.849 when they moved back. Totally. Around age 13, 00:03:53.050 --> 00:03:55.539 they head back to California. He ends up graduating 00:03:55.539 --> 00:03:58.439 from Van Nuys High School in 67, then goes to 00:03:58.439 --> 00:04:01.479 Los Angeles Valley College. So, you know, that 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:05.080 shift from structured East Coast to the more 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:08.159 laid back San Fernando Valley vibe, he had to 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:10.659 be adaptable. Definitely. And in the midst of 00:04:10.659 --> 00:04:13.159 all this adapting, figuring things out, launching 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:16.259 his career, something truly terrifying happens. 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:19.680 The sources mention this 1972 incident. Yeah, 00:04:19.720 --> 00:04:21.540 this is really jarring and needs highlighting. 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:25.279 According to the New York Times, in 1972, Begley 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:27.899 Jr. was mugged. But this wasn't just a simple 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:30.740 mugging. No. He was attacked by a street gang, 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:34.600 reportedly, like 25 youths, and he was stabbed 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:37.899 multiple times. It sounds absolutely horrific. 00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:40.259 A near -death experience, basically. Yeah. Surviving 00:04:40.259 --> 00:04:42.259 something that violent, that random, in your 00:04:42.259 --> 00:04:44.740 early 20s. It must change your whole outlook, 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:46.759 your sense of safety, the value of life itself. 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:49.500 Does the material explicitly link that trauma 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:52.079 to his environmentalism? Like, did it spark that 00:04:52.079 --> 00:04:54.620 commitment? Not directly, no. Sources are clear. 00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:56.759 His environmental actions started around 1970, 00:04:57.079 --> 00:04:59.939 so before the stabbing in 72. But surviving something 00:04:59.939 --> 00:05:01.939 like that, it could absolutely intensify your 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:04.019 convictions. Well, it gives you this visceral 00:05:04.019 --> 00:05:07.019 understanding of fragility, right? Maybe it reinforces 00:05:07.019 --> 00:05:09.620 a feeling that life is precious, resources are 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:11.500 precious, and you shouldn't waste any of it. 00:05:11.540 --> 00:05:14.160 Whether it's time or, you know, planetary health, 00:05:14.300 --> 00:05:17.579 it grounds you in a really harsh reality. Maybe 00:05:17.579 --> 00:05:20.420 it pushes you away from Hollywood superficiality. 00:05:20.459 --> 00:05:22.680 That makes sense. A profound reality check. So 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:25.379 he recovers, he pushes through, and he starts 00:05:25.379 --> 00:05:27.699 building that acting resume in the 70s. Yep. 00:05:27.839 --> 00:05:30.600 And you see that adaptability again. Guest spots 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:34.540 everywhere. Maud. Room 222, Even My Three Sons, 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:37.819 plus recurring stuff like on Mary Hartman, which 00:05:37.819 --> 00:05:40.680 was pretty out there for its time. He's putting 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:42.279 in the work, learning the ropes of television. 00:05:42.600 --> 00:05:44.399 Absolutely. And here's a fun little piece of 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:46.720 trivia the sources mentioned. Yeah. For a short 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:49.420 time, he had an improv act. With Michael Richards. 00:05:49.620 --> 00:05:51.819 The Michael Richards? Correct. The very same. 00:05:51.879 --> 00:05:54.300 Long before Seinfeld, obviously. But it shows 00:05:54.300 --> 00:05:56.839 Begley was right there in that L .A. comedy scene, 00:05:56.959 --> 00:05:59.560 developing those timing and character skills. 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:01.379 You can kind of see how that might feed into 00:06:01.379 --> 00:06:03.660 his later work, especially the mockumentaries. 00:06:04.120 --> 00:06:07.180 And all that varied experience in the 70s, doing 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:10.240 comedy, drama, guest spots, it really set the 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:12.379 stage perfectly for the role that became his 00:06:12.379 --> 00:06:14.779 anchor. the one that gave him real stability 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:18.319 and made him a household name, basically. You're 00:06:18.319 --> 00:06:20.319 talking about St. Elsewhere, Dr. Victor Ehrlich. 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:22.980 Exactly. That show was huge for him. It ran from 00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:26.439 82 to 88. That's six seasons, 137 episodes. A 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:28.720 really solid long -term gig. And it wasn't just 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:31.620 steady work. It was acclaimed work. The sources 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:34.480 highlight this amazing streak, six consecutive 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:37.720 primetime Emmy nominations for Best Supporting 00:06:37.720 --> 00:06:40.740 Actor, six years in a row, plus a Golden Globe 00:06:40.740 --> 00:06:42.899 nomination. That consistency is incredible. It 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:44.680 tells you he wasn't just lucky, he was delivering 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:46.860 a high -quality performance year after year. 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:48.339 We should probably remind people, saying elsewhere, 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:50.879 it wasn't like a massive number one ratings hit, 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.720 was it? No, not at all. It often struggled in 00:06:53.720 --> 00:06:55.680 the ratings, actually. Yeah. But it was a huge 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:58.680 critical favorite, loved by critics, respected 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.560 intensely within the industry, which in a way 00:07:01.560 --> 00:07:04.139 might have been perfect for Begley. How so? Well, 00:07:04.300 --> 00:07:07.939 it gave him that six years of stable, respected 00:07:07.939 --> 00:07:10.959 work without the kind of overwhelming, maybe 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.480 destructive level of fame that comes with being 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:16.480 on a monster hit show. It offered stability and 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:20.579 combined with his famously frugal lifestyle. 00:07:20.819 --> 00:07:22.860 Right. The environmentalism kicking in. It probably 00:07:22.860 --> 00:07:25.399 gave him significant financial freedom and career 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:27.779 flexibility later on. He wasn't trapped. And 00:07:27.779 --> 00:07:29.959 that flexibility shows if you track his career 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:33.139 after Sant Elsewhere, he becomes this go -to 00:07:33.139 --> 00:07:35.879 guy for memorable recurring roles. His range 00:07:35.879 --> 00:07:38.180 is pretty impressive. It really is. You can almost 00:07:38.180 --> 00:07:40.100 group his modern roles. You've got the serious 00:07:40.100 --> 00:07:42.860 professional types. Like Dr. Linkletter on Young 00:07:42.860 --> 00:07:44.579 Sheldon. Sheldon's kind of prickly colleague, 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:46.620 yeah. Or Clifford Maine on Better Call Saul. 00:07:47.139 --> 00:07:49.759 The senior partner, very buttoned up, very respected. 00:07:50.040 --> 00:07:52.879 That serious drama side. Then he can flip completely. 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:55.819 He does the eccentric rich guy brilliantly. Stan 00:07:55.819 --> 00:07:57.939 Sitwell in Arrested Development is just classic. 00:07:58.339 --> 00:08:01.040 Oh, totally. The ongoing rivalry with the Bluths. 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:03.300 Perfect deadpan comedy. And then there's the 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:05.879 genre stuff, too. He was Green Bean, a Viper 00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:08.759 pilot, way back on the original Battlestar Galactica. 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:11.920 He played a senator on the West Wing. He pops 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:14.680 up in Six Feet Under, Veronica Mars. He's just 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:17.920 reliable. He brings this Pacific energy, intelligent, 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:20.620 maybe a little anxious, but always grounded. 00:08:20.970 --> 00:08:23.110 A true chameleon, but you always know it's him. 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:25.189 But this professional success story connects 00:08:25.189 --> 00:08:27.250 back to something really personal the sources 00:08:27.250 --> 00:08:30.230 emphasize, the importance of mentorship in his 00:08:30.230 --> 00:08:33.409 life. Yes, this is key. He's been very open about 00:08:33.409 --> 00:08:36.190 how older veteran actors really guided him, not 00:08:36.190 --> 00:08:38.690 just in acting, but in how to approach life in 00:08:38.690 --> 00:08:40.929 a long career. The big one is William Daniels, 00:08:40.929 --> 00:08:43.529 right? Dr. Craig on St. Elsewhere. Their on -screen 00:08:43.529 --> 00:08:46.009 chemistry was legendary. That famous Mutt and 00:08:46.009 --> 00:08:48.429 Jeff dynamic, yeah. Daniels' character always 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:50.809 yelling up at the much taller Begley. Begley 00:08:50.809 --> 00:08:52.809 gives Daniels enormous credit, both for their 00:08:52.809 --> 00:08:55.730 on -screen success and as a mentor figure. He 00:08:55.730 --> 00:08:58.450 admired Daniels' work in classics like The Graduate 00:08:58.450 --> 00:09:00.970 Parallax View. And there's a really touching 00:09:00.970 --> 00:09:03.559 detail he shared. He said Daniels was like a 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:06.259 far more nurturing father figure than his own 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:09.460 dad, Ed Begley Sr. Think about that. Having that 00:09:09.460 --> 00:09:12.059 kind of steady, supportive figure during those 00:09:12.059 --> 00:09:15.240 intense years making a network show, especially 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:18.120 given his complex childhood history, that must 00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:20.240 have been incredibly important for his own stability. 00:09:20.580 --> 00:09:23.340 And speaking of stability and long careers, we 00:09:23.340 --> 00:09:25.460 absolutely have to talk about Norman Lloyd. Oh, 00:09:25.460 --> 00:09:29.639 yes. Norman Lloyd. A legend. Begley met him even 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:32.059 before St. Elsewhere when Lloyd directed him 00:09:32.059 --> 00:09:34.850 in an episode of Tales of the Unexpected. Their 00:09:34.850 --> 00:09:37.230 friendship spanned decades. Van Lloyd became 00:09:37.230 --> 00:09:39.250 more than just a friend. He became a philosophical 00:09:39.250 --> 00:09:41.610 guidepost for Begley. This is one of the most 00:09:41.610 --> 00:09:43.669 revealing things in the source material, I think. 00:09:44.029 --> 00:09:46.450 Begley talks about how in his 30s, his whole 00:09:46.450 --> 00:09:48.929 idea of a role model changed. He stopped looking 00:09:48.929 --> 00:09:51.909 up to the live, fast, die young creative types. 00:09:52.129 --> 00:09:54.389 The James Deans, the Janis Joplins, that kind 00:09:54.389 --> 00:09:57.110 of archetype. Exactly. The brief spurt of creativity 00:09:57.110 --> 00:10:00.350 followed by tragedy. Instead, he started admiring 00:10:00.350 --> 00:10:02.509 people like Norman Lloyd. Who lived to be over 00:10:02.509 --> 00:10:05.080 100, right? And was working almost right up to 00:10:05.080 --> 00:10:08.240 the end. Precisely. Lloyd represented someone 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:11.220 who had a long, happy life and continued to be 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:14.620 creative. Went the distance. That shift in perspective, 00:10:14.740 --> 00:10:18.100 it feels crucial. It connects everything. It 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:21.259 absolutely does. Because that philosophy valuing 00:10:21.259 --> 00:10:24.240 longevity, stability, sustained creativity over 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:27.740 flashy bursts, it perfectly mirrors the core 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:30.629 principles of his environmentalism. It's all 00:10:30.629 --> 00:10:33.490 about long term health, sustainability for the 00:10:33.490 --> 00:10:35.830 planet and for oneself. He wasn't aiming for 00:10:35.830 --> 00:10:37.830 the supernova. He was aiming for the steady, 00:10:37.970 --> 00:10:40.669 long burning star. And that philosophy really 00:10:40.669 --> 00:10:43.289 shines through when you look at his environmental 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:46.470 work. OK, so let's really dig into this eco activist 00:10:46.470 --> 00:10:49.250 side, because the key thing here, as the sources 00:10:49.250 --> 00:10:51.519 stress, is when he started. This wasn't a late 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:53.820 in life passion project. Not at all. We're talking 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:56.820 1970. That's the year of the very first Earth 00:10:56.820 --> 00:10:59.100 Day. And Begley wasn't just, you know, reading 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:01.480 about it. He was doing things. Like what? What 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:03.620 were the first steps? He started recycling seriously. 00:11:03.759 --> 00:11:06.899 He became a vegan. And maybe most notably for 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:09.039 the time, he got his first electric vehicle. 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:11.440 Which wasn't exactly a Tesla back then. Huh? 00:11:12.039 --> 00:11:15.460 No, definitely not. The sources specify it was 00:11:15.460 --> 00:11:19.320 a Taylor Dunn. Think. Like an electric golf cart. 00:11:19.659 --> 00:11:22.159 Basically, a small utility vehicle. Okay, picturing 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:24.360 someone driving a golf cart around Los Angeles 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:28.720 in 1970. That's commitment. Yeah. What does that 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:31.019 tell you? It tells you this was driven by pure 00:11:31.019 --> 00:11:34.080 conviction, not image. It must have been incredibly 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:35.860 impractical, probably looked pretty strange. 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:38.360 But he was willing to sacrifice convenience, 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:41.559 comfort, probably face some ridicule, because 00:11:41.559 --> 00:11:44.340 he believed in cutting his footprint. Decades 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:46.460 before it was remotely cool. And that conviction 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:49.159 just grew and grew, manifesting most famously 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:52.259 in his house, his former home. Ah, yes, the legendary 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:55.179 house, which by Hollywood standards was tiny, 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:57.980 like under 1 ,600 square feet. Yeah. It was basically 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:00.299 his personal laboratory for sustainable living. 00:12:00.419 --> 00:12:02.460 Pushing the boundaries of what was possible then. 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:04.820 Solar power, obviously. Of course, solar. But 00:12:04.820 --> 00:12:07.570 he went further. He had wind power, too. in a 00:12:07.570 --> 00:12:09.870 suburban setting, which is tricky, specifically 00:12:09.870 --> 00:12:12.549 a pack wind vertical axis wind turbine. Okay, 00:12:12.590 --> 00:12:14.629 break that down. Why vertical axis? What's the 00:12:14.629 --> 00:12:16.990 significance? Well, most wind turbines you picture 00:12:16.990 --> 00:12:19.929 are horizontal axis, like propellers. Vertical 00:12:19.929 --> 00:12:21.970 axis ones can capture wind from any direction, 00:12:22.090 --> 00:12:24.350 which can be better in places with turbulent 00:12:24.350 --> 00:12:26.389 or shifting winds, like, you know, a neighborhood. 00:12:26.850 --> 00:12:29.070 It shows he was really researching, experimenting 00:12:29.070 --> 00:12:31.210 with advanced, maybe less common technologies. 00:12:31.690 --> 00:12:34.009 He was deep in the weeds on this stuff. He wasn't 00:12:34.009 --> 00:12:35.690 just sticking a panel on the roof and calling 00:12:35.690 --> 00:12:38.600 it a day. Not at all. This was serious R &D on 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:40.779 a personal scale. And did it work? Did it actually 00:12:40.779 --> 00:12:44.379 save energy? Did it ever. The sources quote him 00:12:44.379 --> 00:12:47.200 stating in 2008 that his annual electricity bill 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:51.779 was around $300. Wait, $300 for the year? For 00:12:51.779 --> 00:12:54.399 the entire year. In Southern California, just 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:56.679 think about your own electric bill for one month. 00:12:56.899 --> 00:13:00.080 It's an astonishingly low number. Proof positive 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.700 that his methods were effective, not just symbolic. 00:13:04.840 --> 00:13:06.700 Financially smart, too. Which brings us to the 00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:09.779 most iconic symbol of that house, the toast bicycle. 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:12.220 The toast bicycle. It's just perfect, isn't it? 00:13:12.279 --> 00:13:14.480 It really is. He had a stationary bike hooked 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:17.539 up to generate electricity, specifically to power 00:13:17.539 --> 00:13:20.240 his toaster. It's the ultimate piece of performance 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:23.379 art meets environmentalism. The solar and wind 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:26.679 stuff is serious tech, but the bike, that's something 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:29.100 everyone gets instantly. It's kind of funny. 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:30.720 I mean, a little absurd, but it makes you see 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:32.759 the energy cost of something simple like making 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:35.740 toast. He's making the invisible visible, and 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:37.960 he's willing to look a bit eccentric doing it. 00:13:38.019 --> 00:13:40.919 Totally. He let himself be the punchline to make 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:43.320 a larger point about consumption. Brilliant, 00:13:43.419 --> 00:13:45.399 really. And his commitment wasn't just energy. 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:49.139 Water, too. Huge issue in L .A. Massive. He ripped 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:51.279 out the traditional thirsty lawn, which is just 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:53.779 unsustainable in Southern California, and replaced 00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:56.879 it entirely with drought -tolerant native California 00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:00.269 plants. Again, practical, ecological, and ahead 00:14:00.269 --> 00:14:02.370 of the curve for many homeowners. The dedication 00:14:02.370 --> 00:14:04.250 extended to how he got around, too. Oh, yeah. 00:14:04.370 --> 00:14:06.190 Famous for riding his bike everywhere, using 00:14:06.190 --> 00:14:08.730 public transport. And he had that early electric 00:14:08.730 --> 00:14:13.649 car, the 2003 Toyota RAV4 EV. Again, not a flashy 00:14:13.649 --> 00:14:16.990 luxury EV, but an early practical effort. And 00:14:16.990 --> 00:14:19.029 this isn't just past history. The sources note 00:14:19.029 --> 00:14:20.590 he took public transportation to the Academy 00:14:20.590 --> 00:14:24.570 Awards, not once, but in 2023 and 2024. I mean, 00:14:24.570 --> 00:14:27.009 think about the Oscars, the limos, the traffic, 00:14:27.110 --> 00:14:29.149 the whole massive footprint. Yeah. And there's 00:14:29.149 --> 00:14:31.289 Ed Begley Jr. presumably waiting for the bus 00:14:31.289 --> 00:14:33.110 or subway. It's just consistently walking the 00:14:33.110 --> 00:14:35.389 walk. That level of commitment naturally gave 00:14:35.389 --> 00:14:38.110 him a platform. He started using media to spread 00:14:38.110 --> 00:14:40.250 the message. Right. Which led to the reality 00:14:40.250 --> 00:14:43.870 show, Living with Ed, ran from 2007 to 2010. 00:14:44.470 --> 00:14:47.470 And crucially, he did it with his wife, Rochelle 00:14:47.470 --> 00:14:50.049 Carson. Why was her involvement so important? 00:14:50.309 --> 00:14:52.590 Because it grounded the whole thing. It wasn't 00:14:52.590 --> 00:14:54.750 just Ed preaching from his eco -fortress. It 00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:57.690 showed the negotiation, the day -to -day reality 00:14:57.690 --> 00:15:00.250 of trying to live this incredibly green life 00:15:00.250 --> 00:15:03.269 when your partner, maybe, doesn't always want 00:15:03.269 --> 00:15:05.370 to use a solar oven. Right. It showed the friction, 00:15:05.549 --> 00:15:08.169 the compromise, made it relatable, funny even. 00:15:08.289 --> 00:15:10.509 Exactly. It showed that this stuff is hard. It 00:15:10.509 --> 00:15:12.919 requires constant effort and communication. Then 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:14.779 he took it even further with the web series on 00:15:14.779 --> 00:15:17.980 Begley Street in 2013. Yeah, this was next level. 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:20.740 It documented taking down his old famous house, 00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:23.460 but doing it via deconstruction, not demolition, 00:15:23.480 --> 00:15:26.639 to reuse materials and then building what they 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:29.759 aim to be North America's greenest, most sustainable 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.980 home. Deconstruction versus demolition. That 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:35.740 shows intense commitment to minimizing waste. 00:15:36.649 --> 00:15:38.710 He's constantly raising the bar for himself. 00:15:38.870 --> 00:15:41.250 Always. And he put it in writing, too. Authored 00:15:41.250 --> 00:15:44.210 books like Living, like Ed, and Guide to Sustainable 00:15:44.210 --> 00:15:47.110 Living. Even got specific with Vegan Survival 00:15:47.110 --> 00:15:49.629 Guide for the Holidays. He's genuinely trying 00:15:49.629 --> 00:15:52.110 to share what he's learned, make it accessible. 00:15:52.350 --> 00:15:55.789 His public image as Mr. Green is so strong, it 00:15:55.789 --> 00:15:57.529 even became part of this friendly rivalry, right? 00:15:57.649 --> 00:16:00.149 Yeah. With Bill Nye, the science guy, they have 00:16:00.149 --> 00:16:03.210 this ongoing public competition about who has 00:16:03.210 --> 00:16:05.909 the smaller carbon footprint. It's a fun way 00:16:05.909 --> 00:16:07.600 to... keep the conversation going, keep themselves 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:10.000 accountable. And beyond the personal stuff, he 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:11.960 got formally involved with lots of environmental 00:16:11.960 --> 00:16:14.360 groups. Oh, absolutely. Coalition for Clean Air, 00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:16.679 Environmental Media Association, Tree People, 00:16:16.820 --> 00:16:20.100 Orangutang Republic Foundation. The list goes 00:16:20.100 --> 00:16:22.200 on. He wasn't just lending his name. He was involved. 00:16:22.460 --> 00:16:24.360 Which earned him real recognition outside of 00:16:24.360 --> 00:16:26.820 acting, too, like that Thomas Elva Edison Award 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:29.740 in 2007. Right, for energy independence. That's 00:16:29.740 --> 00:16:32.340 a serious nod to his actual contributions in 00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:34.279 the sustainability field, completely separate 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:37.000 from his Hollywood career. Okay, so let's talk 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:39.080 about how these two worlds, the actor and the 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:41.639 activist, kind of collide and merge, especially 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:43.740 through comedy. This is where it gets really 00:16:43.740 --> 00:16:46.940 interesting. His skill as an actor is perfect 00:16:46.940 --> 00:16:49.840 for certain kinds of commentary. particularly 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:51.639 mockumentaries. He's a regular in the Christopher 00:16:51.639 --> 00:16:54.519 Guest films, right? With Eugene Levy. Yes. Best 00:16:54.519 --> 00:16:57.720 in show, A Mighty Wind. For your consideration, 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:02.539 Mascots. He slots into that ensemble so perfectly. 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:05.019 What makes him so good in those? He brings this 00:17:05.019 --> 00:17:08.440 utter sincerity, this slightly anxious, earnest 00:17:08.440 --> 00:17:11.400 quality to the most ridiculous situations. He 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:13.380 plays it completely straight, which makes the 00:17:13.380 --> 00:17:16.329 absurdity even funnier. Remember that improv 00:17:16.329 --> 00:17:18.470 background with Michael Richards, that timing, 00:17:18.509 --> 00:17:20.849 that commitment to character? It pays off hugely 00:17:20.849 --> 00:17:23.190 there. But what's maybe even more brilliant is 00:17:23.190 --> 00:17:26.009 how he uses his own public image, his eco -warrior 00:17:26.009 --> 00:17:28.970 reputation as material. He's incredibly self 00:17:28.970 --> 00:17:31.410 -aware. Oh, completely. He knows people see him 00:17:31.410 --> 00:17:33.890 as this, you know, slightly eccentric green guy, 00:17:34.029 --> 00:17:36.029 and he leans right into it, often making fun 00:17:36.029 --> 00:17:38.049 of himself. The best examples have to be the 00:17:38.049 --> 00:17:40.460 Simpsons appearances. They just nail it. They're 00:17:40.460 --> 00:17:43.380 perfect. In Homer to the Max, they show him driving 00:17:43.380 --> 00:17:46.940 this little non -polluting go -kart. Powered 00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:49.319 by what? His own sense of self -satisfaction. 00:17:49.319 --> 00:17:51.880 It's hilarious. Such a sharp little jab at potential 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:55.819 eco -smugness. It's genius. But maybe even better 00:17:55.819 --> 00:17:58.900 is the joke in Gone Maggie Gone. His solar -powered 00:17:58.900 --> 00:18:01.859 car stalls on train tracks because of an eclipse. 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:05.319 Looks like curtains for Ed. But then the oncoming 00:18:05.319 --> 00:18:08.700 train also stops. Because naturally, it's the 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:12.339 Ed Begley Jr. solar -powered train. That's fantastic. 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:14.599 It's like his environmentalism is so pervasive, 00:18:14.619 --> 00:18:17.400 it bends reality. It's poking fun at his ubiquity 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:19.960 in that space. Exactly. It's affectionate but 00:18:19.960 --> 00:18:22.660 sharp satire. And he's clearly in on the joke. 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:24.420 So while he's doing all this acting, activism, 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:26.720 even self -parody, he's also contributing behind 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:29.309 the scenes in Hollywood. Right. The sources note 00:18:29.309 --> 00:18:31.150 he served on the Board of Governors for the Academy, 00:18:31.289 --> 00:18:32.990 you know, the Oscars people for a long time, 00:18:33.049 --> 00:18:37.250 from 2000 to 2016. 16 years. That's a serious 00:18:37.250 --> 00:18:39.329 institutional commitment to the industry itself. 00:18:39.769 --> 00:18:42.430 Definitely. And his activism wasn't limited just 00:18:42.430 --> 00:18:44.309 to environmental causes. There's a political 00:18:44.309 --> 00:18:46.289 dimension, too, which the sources cover, and 00:18:46.289 --> 00:18:48.509 we should report on neutrally here. Okay. What's 00:18:48.509 --> 00:18:50.670 that about? He was involved with a group called 00:18:50.670 --> 00:18:53.750 2004 Racism Watch, who was co -founded with another 00:18:53.750 --> 00:18:56.640 actor, Ed Asner. What was their focus? Their 00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:59.019 specific aim, according to the sources, was to 00:18:59.019 --> 00:19:02.160 respond to a 2004 political ad from the George 00:19:02.160 --> 00:19:05.720 W. Bush Dick Cheney campaign. The ad was called 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:09.799 100 Days. And the group's claim, their position, 00:19:10.059 --> 00:19:14.119 was that this ad encouraged racism. How? By linking 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:16.500 terrorism with a photo of an unidentified man 00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:18.519 who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. 00:19:18.599 --> 00:19:21.559 That was their argument. He served on the advisory 00:19:21.559 --> 00:19:24.710 committee for 2004 Racism Watch. So it shows 00:19:24.710 --> 00:19:26.470 him engaging directly with political discourse, 00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:28.930 with social issues, taking on a formal advisory 00:19:28.930 --> 00:19:31.309 role in response to something he saw as problematic. 00:19:31.609 --> 00:19:34.190 Interesting. It broadens the picture beyond just 00:19:34.190 --> 00:19:36.829 environmentalism. It does. It shows a wider concern 00:19:36.829 --> 00:19:39.970 with systems, fairness, how messages are conveyed. 00:19:40.210 --> 00:19:42.069 Finally, just for context on his more recent 00:19:42.069 --> 00:19:44.549 life, the sources mention a personal health challenge. 00:19:44.890 --> 00:19:47.490 Yes. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 00:19:47.490 --> 00:19:51.309 back in 2016, which is obviously a serious diagnosis. 00:19:51.809 --> 00:19:55.369 But importantly... His career, his activism, 00:19:55.529 --> 00:19:58.089 it's all continued. He's remained incredibly 00:19:58.089 --> 00:20:01.230 active, which really speaks to that whole philosophy 00:20:01.230 --> 00:20:03.009 of perseverance and longevity we talked about 00:20:03.009 --> 00:20:05.849 earlier. So if we try to pull all these threads 00:20:05.849 --> 00:20:09.049 together for you, what does the life of Ed Begley 00:20:09.049 --> 00:20:11.890 Jr. show us? I think it's this masterclass in 00:20:11.890 --> 00:20:14.190 managing duality. Yeah, you've got this incredibly 00:20:14.190 --> 00:20:17.190 long, successful career over 50 years now in 00:20:17.190 --> 00:20:19.549 Hollywood, which is notoriously unstable. Right. 00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:21.900 while at the same time maintaining this radically 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:25.220 consistent, deeply principled commitment to environmentalism 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:27.839 that started way back in 1970. And those two 00:20:27.839 --> 00:20:30.019 sides aren't always separate. We see overlaps, 00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:31.960 like his interest in systems. He played David 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:34.460 Boies in Recount, the film about the 2000 election 00:20:34.460 --> 00:20:36.660 mess. Diving deep into the mechanics of democracy 00:20:36.660 --> 00:20:39.460 there. And then he's advising 2004 Racism Watch, 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:42.000 engaging with political messaging. It shows this 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:44.059 underlying interest in how things work, whether 00:20:44.059 --> 00:20:46.099 it's the planet's climate or the country's politics. 00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:48.359 And it all circles back, I think, to that shift 00:20:48.359 --> 00:20:51.779 in thinking. he described, moving away from idolizing 00:20:51.779 --> 00:20:54.640 the flash in the pan. The brief spurt of creativity. 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:57.420 Towards valuing those who went the distance, 00:20:57.579 --> 00:21:00.059 like Norman Lloyd, people who sustained their 00:21:00.059 --> 00:21:02.980 creativity over a long, productive, maybe even 00:21:02.980 --> 00:21:06.660 happy life. He shows sustainability in every 00:21:06.660 --> 00:21:09.880 sense as his model. Which leads us to a final 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:12.000 thought for you to consider, something that connects 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.440 his lifestyle directly to his career longevity. 00:21:15.049 --> 00:21:17.670 Think about it. Living the way Begley does, the 00:21:17.670 --> 00:21:22.150 hyper efficiency, the low consumption, it dramatically 00:21:22.150 --> 00:21:24.730 lowers your cost of living. Remember that $300 00:21:24.730 --> 00:21:27.769 annual electric bill? Right. If your basic needs 00:21:27.769 --> 00:21:30.130 cost very little, you're under much less financial 00:21:30.130 --> 00:21:32.190 pressure. You don't need to take every single 00:21:32.190 --> 00:21:34.289 high paying gig that comes along just to keep 00:21:34.289 --> 00:21:36.930 the lights on, literally. So here's the question. 00:21:37.609 --> 00:21:41.259 Could it be? that his radical environmental discipline, 00:21:41.539 --> 00:21:44.420 his frugality, wasn't a hindrance to his long 00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:46.819 acting career, but actually one of the key things 00:21:46.819 --> 00:21:48.900 that enabled it. Because it gave him freedom, 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:52.579 stability, peace of mind. Exactly. Maybe living 00:21:52.579 --> 00:21:55.420 sustainably isn't just good for the planet. Maybe 00:21:55.420 --> 00:21:57.900 it's a strategy for building a more stable, resilient, 00:21:58.180 --> 00:22:01.259 and creatively fulfilling life and career in 00:22:01.259 --> 00:22:04.039 any field. Something worth thinking about. Definitely 00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:06.039 something to chew on. That's our Deep Dive for 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:07.119 today. Thanks for joining us.