WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.160 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Our mission here, 00:00:02.259 --> 00:00:05.459 as always, is to take these, you know, big careers, 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:08.859 concepts, crises, things that shape our world, 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:11.980 and really break them down. Get to the essentials. 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:15.160 It's those nuggets of knowledge. Exactly. And 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:18.980 today, we're tackling a huge figure. I mean, 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:22.839 an actor whose face, whose voice, you just know 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:26.260 him. Five decades of truly iconic stuff. Oh, 00:00:26.260 --> 00:00:28.579 yeah. From those gritty New York sitcoms we all 00:00:28.579 --> 00:00:31.500 remember. Right. To massive sci -fi blockbusters, 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:34.219 award -winning dramas. We are diving deep into 00:00:34.219 --> 00:00:37.280 the career of Judd Seymour Hersh, a real multi 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:39.359 -platform master. And it's fascinating because 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.060 his career, it runs from, what, 1959 right up 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:44.579 to today. That's almost seven decades of staying 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:46.140 relevant, staying excellent. It's incredible. 00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:47.780 And you realize pretty quick, this isn't just 00:00:47.780 --> 00:00:49.869 about talent. though obviously there's immense 00:00:49.869 --> 00:00:53.950 talent, but it's a masterclass in strategy. Professional 00:00:53.950 --> 00:00:56.429 strategy, yeah. And versatility, endurance too. 00:00:56.609 --> 00:00:57.969 Absolutely. So we're not just going to, you know, 00:00:57.990 --> 00:01:00.270 read off a resume here. We're digging into the 00:01:00.270 --> 00:01:03.630 how, the strategy behind it all. And our sources, 00:01:03.689 --> 00:01:05.709 they really frame this perfectly. The Los Angeles 00:01:05.709 --> 00:01:08.170 Times, they kind of nailed it, saying he's one 00:01:08.170 --> 00:01:11.750 of those rare actors who just slips effortlessly, 00:01:11.890 --> 00:01:13.719 you know? Effortlessly, yeah. That's the word 00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:16.420 they use. From TV series to Broadway, then to 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:19.159 feature films and back again. And he's racking 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:21.480 up awards, great reviews, like everywhere he 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:25.040 goes. Right. So that idea, that effortless versatility. 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:27.959 Well, that's the challenge, isn't it? How do 00:01:27.959 --> 00:01:30.180 you actually do that? How do you move between 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:32.299 these worlds that can be pretty unwelcoming to 00:01:32.299 --> 00:01:35.299 outsiders? That's the core question. And for 00:01:35.299 --> 00:01:37.900 you listening in this deep dive, it's really 00:01:37.900 --> 00:01:40.680 about understanding how that kind of career longevity 00:01:40.680 --> 00:01:43.019 gets built. It's often on a foundation that's, 00:01:43.019 --> 00:01:45.780 well, surprising. Definitely surprising in this 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:47.659 case. Yeah. We're going to look past just the 00:01:47.659 --> 00:01:49.700 famous roles, you know, Alex Reiger, Dr. Berger. 00:01:50.540 --> 00:01:53.099 And look at the early choices, specifically this 00:01:53.099 --> 00:01:56.560 kind of shocking educational path he took, because 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:59.099 that background, we think, is what really equipped 00:01:59.099 --> 00:02:01.340 him to handle such different material, demanding 00:02:01.340 --> 00:02:03.640 totally different things, you know, emotionally, 00:02:03.819 --> 00:02:07.140 structurally. And to keep doing it at peak level 00:02:07.140 --> 00:02:10.639 into his 80s and 90s, it's remarkable. OK, let's 00:02:10.639 --> 00:02:12.219 unpack the starting point, because it really 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:15.159 does feel like the X factor, maybe, in his whole 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:17.800 professional approach. Judd Seymour Hersh, born 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:22.560 March 15th, 1935. New York City. The Bronx, specifically. 00:02:22.860 --> 00:02:24.979 Right. The Bronx. Grew up between the Bronx and 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:26.780 Brooklyn, those kind of working class environments. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:30.139 We know his family background father, Joseph 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:32.659 Sidney Hirsch, an electrician, German -Jewish 00:02:32.659 --> 00:02:36.120 ancestry. Mother, Sally Kitsies, Russian -Jewish 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:39.000 ancestry. He's got a brother, Roland. Yeah, pretty 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:41.020 classic New York story for someone who ends up 00:02:41.020 --> 00:02:43.460 on stage. Seems straightforward. Exactly. Seems 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:46.199 like a straight path to acting. But then you 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:48.490 look at his education. And the whole trajectory 00:02:48.490 --> 00:02:51.550 just takes this sharp turn. It's a complete detour 00:02:51.550 --> 00:02:53.750 from the expected narrative. Yeah. He graduates 00:02:53.750 --> 00:02:56.409 DeWitt Clinton High School, 1952. Yeah. And then 00:02:56.409 --> 00:02:58.969 instead of diving straight into acting school. 00:02:59.110 --> 00:03:02.469 Which you'd expect. Right. He commits fully to 00:03:02.469 --> 00:03:05.229 science, hard science. He gets a Bachelor of 00:03:05.229 --> 00:03:08.909 Science degree in physics from City College of 00:03:08.909 --> 00:03:10.710 New York. Physics. Physics. And that, I think, 00:03:10.710 --> 00:03:13.449 is just crucial. It's a defining fact that shapes 00:03:13.449 --> 00:03:16.030 everything that follows. A BS in physics. I mean, 00:03:16.030 --> 00:03:18.860 wow. We're talking about an actor who later plays 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:22.340 these really convincing academic father figures, 00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:25.280 right? Alan Epps in number threes, Alfred Hofstadter 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:28.479 in Big Bang Theory. But he wasn't just like researching 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:30.419 those parts. He actually lived in that intellectual 00:03:30.419 --> 00:03:32.759 world first. And it wasn't just theory either, 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:35.199 was it? He actually worked as an engineer. He 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:37.680 absolutely did. Put it into practice. The timeline 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:39.539 here is really important. Before he even starts 00:03:39.539 --> 00:03:41.699 formal acting studies, he does six months in 00:03:41.699 --> 00:03:45.379 the Army Reserve as a surveyor. 1958, Fort Leonard 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:48.759 Wood. Surveying. Again, precision, detail. Exactly. 00:03:48.979 --> 00:03:51.360 Laying groundwork, quite literally. And then 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:54.060 he works as an engineer for Wessinghouse, a huge 00:03:54.060 --> 00:03:56.080 industrial company. Wow. So he's dealing with, 00:03:56.099 --> 00:03:58.580 what, stress loads, calculations, efficiency, 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:02.479 very concrete observable systems. Right. His 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:04.800 formative professional years weren't spent emoting 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.900 on a stage. They were spent focused on verifiable 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:11.860 reality. Structure. Problem solving through logic. 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:14.400 OK, so that's the bit I'm trying to square. You've 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.459 got the emotional volatility, the inherent instability 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:19.819 of trying to make it as an actor, especially 00:04:19.819 --> 00:04:22.220 back then, late 50s, early 60s. Right. And then 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:24.040 you've got the analytical certainty of an engineering 00:04:24.040 --> 00:04:26.660 job at Westinghouse. I mean, they're worlds apart. 00:04:27.379 --> 00:04:30.720 What drove that shift? Did the sources give any 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:35.259 hint of like an aha moment? The sources don't 00:04:35.259 --> 00:04:37.779 really pinpoint one specific moment like a sudden 00:04:37.779 --> 00:04:41.839 revelation, but the outcome. The fact that he 00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:45.980 did make the switch suggests maybe a deep dissatisfaction 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:48.660 with the purely technical and a pull towards 00:04:48.660 --> 00:04:50.240 something else. Towards observing people. Towards 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:52.100 the analytical observation of human behavior, 00:04:52.199 --> 00:04:54.180 which when you boil it down is what great acting 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:56.319 is really about. He didn't just chuck his training 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:58.379 out the window. No. No, he repurposed it. He 00:04:58.379 --> 00:05:00.540 found a new application for that analytical mindset. 00:05:00.860 --> 00:05:03.459 Okay, repurposing. I like that. So he commits 00:05:03.459 --> 00:05:05.540 to acting. He starts his formal training at HB 00:05:05.540 --> 00:05:07.920 Studio in New York. That's legendary. Mm -hmm. 00:05:07.980 --> 00:05:11.990 Uta Hagen, Meisner Techniques. Really rigorous 00:05:11.990 --> 00:05:15.389 stuff. Deep commitment to emotional truth, but 00:05:15.389 --> 00:05:18.290 also observation. And then he graduates in 1962 00:05:18.290 --> 00:05:20.870 from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Another 00:05:20.870 --> 00:05:23.850 powerhouse. Right. And this is where that connection 00:05:23.850 --> 00:05:25.910 point really clicks, I think. What makes his 00:05:25.910 --> 00:05:28.370 work different. Oh, so? Well, acting training. 00:05:28.970 --> 00:05:31.790 Especially the kind he got. It demands intense 00:05:31.790 --> 00:05:35.089 observation of human systems, right? Motivations, 00:05:35.089 --> 00:05:38.769 reactions, flaws, defenses. Okay. And physics, 00:05:38.829 --> 00:05:41.149 engineering. They demand intense observation 00:05:41.149 --> 00:05:44.790 of mechanical or natural systems. Force, stress, 00:05:45.050 --> 00:05:47.629 failure points, efficiency. I see where you're 00:05:47.629 --> 00:05:49.670 going. The skill set is transferable. Exactly. 00:05:49.709 --> 00:05:53.129 Both require intellectual rigor. Discipline preparation. 00:05:53.949 --> 00:05:56.310 a commitment to understanding structure, whether 00:05:56.310 --> 00:05:58.329 it's a bridge or a human psyche. So he doesn't 00:05:58.329 --> 00:06:00.170 just feel the character's emotion. He builds 00:06:00.170 --> 00:06:02.689 the character's internal structure, their logic, 00:06:02.850 --> 00:06:04.670 their operating principles, how they defend themselves. 00:06:04.990 --> 00:06:08.149 That feels right. When he plays Alex Riger, the 00:06:08.149 --> 00:06:10.670 analytical cabbie, or Dr. Berger, the empathetic 00:06:10.670 --> 00:06:14.610 psychiatrist, he's not just winging it, humanizing 00:06:14.610 --> 00:06:17.529 them on the fly. He's presenting this logically 00:06:17.529 --> 00:06:21.189 organized system of response. Which makes the 00:06:21.189 --> 00:06:25.209 performances feel so grounded, so real. Precisely. 00:06:25.310 --> 00:06:27.410 Look at his roles over the next, what, five, 00:06:27.470 --> 00:06:30.110 six decades. He very rarely plays someone purely 00:06:30.110 --> 00:06:33.029 chaotic or unthinking. There's almost always 00:06:33.029 --> 00:06:35.480 a cerebral quality. a thoughtful foundation. 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:37.720 Even when he's dealing with aliens in Independence 00:06:37.720 --> 00:06:40.040 Day? Even then. He's talking about the cosmos, 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:42.420 analyzing the threat, or the internal family 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:45.040 dynamics in ordinary people. It's always grounded, 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:47.620 structured. The physicist didn't vanish. He just 00:06:47.620 --> 00:06:50.040 became the actor's silent partner. Kind of, yeah. 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:52.379 Making sure the performance was built solid and 00:06:52.379 --> 00:06:54.860 that discipline, that structured approach, it 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:57.240 prepared him perfectly for arguably the most 00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:00.509 demanding platform. The stage. Right, the stage. 00:07:00.750 --> 00:07:02.430 It wasn't just a stepping stone for him, was 00:07:02.430 --> 00:07:04.670 it? Or just a way to pay the bills between TV 00:07:04.670 --> 00:07:07.170 gigs? You said it was a constant from 1959 right 00:07:07.170 --> 00:07:09.870 through to today. Absolutely the bedrock. It's 00:07:09.870 --> 00:07:12.750 core to his identity as an actor. You really 00:07:12.750 --> 00:07:14.649 can't talk about Judd Hirsch without talking 00:07:14.649 --> 00:07:16.769 about New York theater. Even though many people 00:07:16.769 --> 00:07:19.129 probably know him best from TV or movies. For 00:07:19.129 --> 00:07:22.350 sure. But the sources are clear. He made his 00:07:22.350 --> 00:07:24.490 mark on Broadway and off -Broadway pretty much 00:07:24.490 --> 00:07:27.319 right away. Became a critical favorite. long 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:29.500 before he was a household name. Got that serious 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:32.000 attention quickly, proving that, you know, the 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:34.360 intellectual rigor we talked about, it translated 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:37.279 directly into stage success. It really did. Yeah. 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:39.439 Let's track that early stuff, because it predates 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:42.579 the big national fame by a good decade. You've 00:07:42.579 --> 00:07:46.680 got 1972, 73, he wins an Obie Award. Best performance 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:49.519 for the hot L Baltimore. An Obie! That's major 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:51.680 respect from the off -Broadway world, the really 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:53.860 serious theater folks. Exactly. Signals you're 00:07:53.860 --> 00:07:56.649 the real deal. And it didn't stop there. Just 00:07:56.649 --> 00:07:59.350 a few years later, in 1976, he lands a Drama 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:03.550 Desk Award. Outstanding featured actor in a play 00:08:03.550 --> 00:08:05.269 for Knock Knock. Another big New York theater 00:08:05.269 --> 00:08:07.430 award, showing he could handle featured roles, 00:08:07.649 --> 00:08:10.149 leading roles. Right. He had range right from 00:08:10.149 --> 00:08:12.670 the start. By the mid -70s, he wasn't just starting 00:08:12.670 --> 00:08:16.040 out. He was an established, award -winning, dramatic 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:18.660 actor on the New York stage. It's just fascinating 00:08:18.660 --> 00:08:21.560 context for when Taxi comes along later. He wasn't 00:08:21.560 --> 00:08:23.699 some unknown kid they plucked from obscurity. 00:08:23.860 --> 00:08:26.660 Not at all. He was a seasoned, disciplined, critically 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:29.899 acclaimed stage vet. And that stage work, that 00:08:29.899 --> 00:08:32.340 discipline, it kept leading to bigger things. 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:35.019 Like more nominations. Yeah. Drama Desk Noms 00:08:35.019 --> 00:08:38.259 for Chapter 2 in 78, Tally's Folly in 80. And 00:08:38.259 --> 00:08:40.700 Tally's Folly also got him his first Tony nomination. 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:44.860 Best Actor in a Play. Wow. So he's getting nominated 00:08:44.860 --> 00:08:47.580 for the top award on Broadway even before Taxi 00:08:47.580 --> 00:08:49.620 really explodes. Mm hmm. And you got to think 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:51.899 about the sheer stamina involved doing those 00:08:51.899 --> 00:08:54.740 roles eight times a week. Yeah. Night after night. 00:08:54.820 --> 00:08:56.399 That's where that structural integrity, that 00:08:56.399 --> 00:08:59.059 discipline really gets tested. OK, so even while 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:01.559 he's becoming this huge TV star, that dedication 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:04.340 to the stage just continues. Which brings us 00:09:04.340 --> 00:09:07.080 to the really big ones. The two Tony Award wins 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:10.870 for best actor in a play. That solidifies him 00:09:10.870 --> 00:09:14.029 as a true stage master. It really does. The first 00:09:14.029 --> 00:09:18.190 win comes in 1986. He's starring as Nat in I'm 00:09:18.190 --> 00:09:20.690 Not Rappaport. Ah, the Herb Gardner play. That's 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:22.450 the one. Celebrate a playwright. It's about these 00:09:22.450 --> 00:09:25.850 two elderly guys just trying to survive, keep 00:09:25.850 --> 00:09:28.450 their dignity on a... park bench in New York. 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:30.409 A lot of physical comedy in that one too, right? 00:09:30.490 --> 00:09:33.169 Mixed with the deeper stuff. Absolutely. It demanded 00:09:33.169 --> 00:09:35.590 that balance. And apparently he didn't just play 00:09:35.590 --> 00:09:38.509 Nat, he inhabited him. So much so that he actually 00:09:38.509 --> 00:09:41.570 reprised the role on stage again in 2002. Wow. 00:09:41.809 --> 00:09:44.649 Nearly 20 years later. Almost two decades after 00:09:44.649 --> 00:09:47.309 the original run. That tells you something about 00:09:47.309 --> 00:09:49.990 his connection to the material and his confidence 00:09:49.990 --> 00:09:52.250 in revisiting it. Yeah, that's not just replicating 00:09:52.250 --> 00:09:54.919 a performance, that's evolving with it. Shows 00:09:54.919 --> 00:09:57.120 real commitment to theater over just, you know, 00:09:57.120 --> 00:09:59.919 chasing the next paycheck. What about the second 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:04.179 Tony? That came just six years later, 1992. And 00:10:04.179 --> 00:10:06.220 it was another Herb Gardner play, interestingly. 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:09.179 Conversations with My Father. Another deep one. 00:10:09.460 --> 00:10:11.879 Oh, yeah. Generational drama, really emotional. 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:14.440 Hirsch played the central character, Eddie, winning 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:17.039 two Best Leading Actor Tonys in different decades. 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:20.220 That puts him in very, very rare company. It 00:10:20.220 --> 00:10:23.740 elevates him beyond just TV star or movie actor. 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:27.659 It is. True mastery of the craft. OK, I have 00:10:27.659 --> 00:10:30.259 to ask, though, how does someone manage that? 00:10:30.379 --> 00:10:34.259 The sheer grind of a leading Broadway role, eight 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:37.460 shows a week, Nat and Rappaport sounds exhausting 00:10:37.460 --> 00:10:40.059 physically, emotionally. Right. How do you juggle 00:10:40.059 --> 00:10:42.840 that with the completely different rhythm of 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:45.539 TV and film? You know, the short bursts, the 00:10:45.539 --> 00:10:47.960 technical demands of hitting marks, playing the 00:10:47.960 --> 00:10:49.779 camera. That's it. That's the central strategic 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:51.960 puzzle of his whole career, isn't it? Stage demands 00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:54.690 absolute consistency. Peak performance every 00:10:54.690 --> 00:10:57.269 single night. TV, especially those multicam sitcoms 00:10:57.269 --> 00:11:00.009 he was so good at. Like Taxi. Yeah. That requires 00:11:00.009 --> 00:11:03.350 instant timing. Nail the joke. React authentically. 00:11:03.409 --> 00:11:06.029 But in these short takes, it's a different muscle. 00:11:06.230 --> 00:11:08.110 So how did he switch between them so effectively? 00:11:08.309 --> 00:11:10.070 I think it goes back to that physics background 00:11:10.070 --> 00:11:13.450 again. That analytical ability to switch systems. 00:11:13.809 --> 00:11:15.529 He could break down the technical requirements. 00:11:15.950 --> 00:11:19.769 Stage. Projection. Pacing. Sustaining energy 00:11:19.769 --> 00:11:23.799 over hours. Camera. Subtlety. micro -expressions 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:27.000 hitting that timing precisely. So he wasn't just 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:29.919 relying on instinct. He was analyzing the medium. 00:11:30.259 --> 00:11:33.179 It seems like it. Most actors are naturally better 00:11:33.179 --> 00:11:36.220 suited to one system or the other. Hirsch's discipline, 00:11:36.379 --> 00:11:38.980 maybe that analytical grounding, allowed him 00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:41.179 to optimize for both, often at the same time. 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:43.179 It makes a lot of sense. The stage was like his 00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:47.220 lab for analyzing human behavior. Yeah, maybe. 00:11:47.690 --> 00:11:50.070 And then he deployed those findings for a mass 00:11:50.070 --> 00:11:52.549 audience on TV. And that moved to television. 00:11:52.549 --> 00:11:54.809 It really picked up steam in the 70s. He was 00:11:54.809 --> 00:11:56.730 popping up frequently, you know, building that 00:11:56.730 --> 00:11:58.669 screen presence before the big breakout. Putting 00:11:58.669 --> 00:12:00.850 in the work. Definitely. He did a full season 00:12:00.850 --> 00:12:03.070 as Sergeant Dominic Dovecchio. In Del Vecchio, 00:12:03.110 --> 00:12:05.929 that was a 76, 77. And he even snagged an Emmy 00:12:05.929 --> 00:12:09.210 nomination really early in 1977 for a guest spot 00:12:09.210 --> 00:12:11.269 on Rhoda. Okay, so he was already getting recognized 00:12:11.269 --> 00:12:15.330 by the TV industry. But then came Taxi. The game 00:12:15.330 --> 00:12:19.950 changer. Absolutely. Taxi ran 1978 to 1983. That 00:12:19.950 --> 00:12:23.149 was the launch pad into genuine nationwide stardom. 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:26.759 He played Alex Riger, 114 episodes. Alex Riger, 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:29.679 such an iconic character. And the role just perfectly 00:12:29.679 --> 00:12:31.820 leveraged that foundation we talked about. Alex 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:34.919 was the steady hand, right? The thoughtful, maybe 00:12:34.919 --> 00:12:37.820 slightly world -weary one. The intellectual and 00:12:37.820 --> 00:12:40.600 mature center in this whirlwind of comedic genius. 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:43.440 Yeah, surrounded by Kaufman, DeVito, Christopher 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:45.639 Lloyd, all these larger -than -life characters. 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:47.620 He was the anchor. He really was. And the industry 00:12:47.620 --> 00:12:49.700 absolutely responded to that. The performance, 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:53.759 its depth. The awards just poured in. Nonstop, 00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:56.519 basically. Pretty much. He won the Emmy for Outstanding 00:12:56.519 --> 00:12:58.980 Lead Actor in a Comedy Series twice. Yeah. 1981 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:01.559 and again in 83. And nominated how many other 00:13:01.559 --> 00:13:03.460 times? Nominated three other times for that Emmy. 00:13:03.539 --> 00:13:07.940 79, 80, 82. So five nominations, two wins over 00:13:07.940 --> 00:13:09.960 the five main seasons. That's incredible consistency. 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:12.340 Wow. And the Golden Globes recognized him too, 00:13:12.379 --> 00:13:14.440 right? Oh, yeah. Five straight Golden Globe nominations 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:17.139 for Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical, or Comedy. 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:20.370 Every year. From 78 through 82. Nominated basically 00:13:20.370 --> 00:13:22.629 every single year the show was eligible. That 00:13:22.629 --> 00:13:25.190 just shows the level of respect. The industry 00:13:25.190 --> 00:13:27.950 saw his performance as like the gold standard 00:13:27.950 --> 00:13:30.750 for that kind of role. It really did. And here's 00:13:30.750 --> 00:13:32.549 a cool little piece of trivia speaking of that 00:13:32.549 --> 00:13:35.070 legacy. You know the movie Man on the Moon about 00:13:35.070 --> 00:13:38.269 Andy Kaufman? Yeah. With Jim Carrey. Right. Hirsch 00:13:38.269 --> 00:13:41.629 reprised Alex Riger for a little uncredited cameo 00:13:41.629 --> 00:13:44.549 in that. Just a nod. Acknowledging how important 00:13:44.549 --> 00:13:47.169 that show, those relationships were to TV history. 00:13:47.309 --> 00:13:51.190 That's great. So Taxi ends in 83. He's got an 00:13:51.190 --> 00:13:54.309 Oscar nomination by then, Tony nominations. You'd 00:13:54.309 --> 00:13:56.610 think maybe he'd focus purely on film and stage 00:13:56.610 --> 00:13:59.809 now, but nope, he pivots to Dear John. Right, 00:13:59.889 --> 00:14:01.570 and that's where the strategy gets really interesting. 00:14:01.710 --> 00:14:05.970 Dear John runs from 88 to 92. And here... He's 00:14:05.970 --> 00:14:07.970 not the ensemble anchor anymore. No, he's the 00:14:07.970 --> 00:14:10.909 title character, John Lacey. Exactly. Newly divorced 00:14:10.909 --> 00:14:13.370 guy leading the support group. And structurally, 00:14:13.470 --> 00:14:16.309 it was a much more, let's say, traditional multi 00:14:16.309 --> 00:14:19.269 -camera sitcom than Taxi. Yeah, Taxi felt more 00:14:19.269 --> 00:14:21.789 groundbreaking, maybe riskier. So I have to ask, 00:14:21.909 --> 00:14:25.110 did critics see Dear John as maybe a safer move 00:14:25.110 --> 00:14:27.909 or even like a step down after something as iconic 00:14:27.909 --> 00:14:30.850 as Taxi? How did the sources frame that choice? 00:14:31.370 --> 00:14:33.509 That's a fair question. And yet, some might have 00:14:33.509 --> 00:14:36.450 seen it that way. But the sources, or how you 00:14:36.450 --> 00:14:38.590 can interpret the move strategically, suggest 00:14:38.590 --> 00:14:41.230 it was actually about demonstrating range, showing 00:14:41.230 --> 00:14:43.629 he could carry a show entirely on his own shoulders. 00:14:43.929 --> 00:14:46.450 Not just be the stabilizing force in an ensemble. 00:14:46.850 --> 00:14:49.429 Precisely. And, hey, the results kind of validated 00:14:49.429 --> 00:14:51.730 the choice, didn't they? He won the Golden Globe 00:14:51.730 --> 00:14:55.629 for Best Actor for Dear John in 1988. Oh, right, 00:14:55.789 --> 00:14:58.490 in that weird three -way tie? Yeah, with Michael 00:14:58.490 --> 00:15:01.190 J. Fox and Richard Mulligan. Very unusual. And 00:15:01.190 --> 00:15:03.570 he got nominated again the next year, too. So 00:15:03.570 --> 00:15:05.389 it proved his star power wasn't just tied to 00:15:05.389 --> 00:15:07.429 the taxi magic. He could deliver on his own. 00:15:07.509 --> 00:15:09.830 Okay, that makes sense strategically. Prove individual 00:15:09.830 --> 00:15:14.190 drawing power. Fast forward a bit more. He shifts 00:15:14.190 --> 00:15:16.789 gears again. Completely leaves the sitcom world 00:15:16.789 --> 00:15:19.769 for number threes. Number three, 2005 to 2010. 00:15:20.309 --> 00:15:22.789 And here's a neat bit of symmetry. Number threes 00:15:22.789 --> 00:15:25.919 also ran four. Guess how many episodes? No way. 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:29.440 114. Exactly. 114 episodes. Same as Taxi. Isn't 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:31.240 that wild? That is wild. And in number three, 00:15:31.259 --> 00:15:34.480 he sees Alan Epps, the dad. The dad. Father to 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:36.899 an FBI agent and a math professor. So he's back 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:40.059 in that wise, supportive, patriarch role. But 00:15:40.059 --> 00:15:42.379 this time, he's bridging the intellectual world 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:44.700 of math. Which connects back to his own background. 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:47.860 Right. And the emotional chaos of solving crimes. 00:15:48.059 --> 00:15:50.659 It brings his own science roots right back into 00:15:50.659 --> 00:15:52.779 the performance in a really direct way. Full 00:15:52.779 --> 00:15:55.100 circle. And he kept taking these kinds of long 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:56.980 running supporting roles, didn't he? Showing 00:15:56.980 --> 00:15:59.360 incredible relevance across different generations 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.759 of viewers. Totally. Look at the variety later 00:16:01.759 --> 00:16:04.120 on. He does the recurring pop pop role on the 00:16:04.120 --> 00:16:07.419 Goldbergs. Yeah. That ran forever, 2015 to 2023. 00:16:08.000 --> 00:16:11.960 Just comfortable, funny, family sitcom stuff. 00:16:12.259 --> 00:16:14.559 And then for a totally different audience, 2016, 00:16:14.899 --> 00:16:18.519 he pops up on The Big Bang Theory. As Leonard's 00:16:18.519 --> 00:16:21.559 dad, Dr. Alfred Hofstadter. Another scientist. 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:24.460 Again, playing that intellectual, maybe slightly 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:26.960 emotionally distant father figure, bringing that 00:16:26.960 --> 00:16:29.019 physics background right into the show's subject 00:16:29.019 --> 00:16:31.220 matter. Amazing. But then he pivots again to 00:16:31.220 --> 00:16:33.320 something much darker. Well, before the really 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:36.139 dark stuff, he did Superior Donuts on CBS, series 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:38.500 regular, even a producer on that one. Played 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:41.679 Arthur Przybysewski. That was 34 episodes, 2017 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:45.240 -18. More comedy. Okay. But then hunters. Then 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:48.039 hunters, yeah. Amazon Prime Video 2020 to 2023. 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:51.779 And here he's playing Simon Wiesenthal, the actual 00:16:51.779 --> 00:16:55.090 historical Nazi hunter. Wow. Talk about range. 00:16:55.230 --> 00:16:57.950 Going from Pop Pop Goldberg to Simon Wiesenthal 00:16:57.950 --> 00:17:00.169 in a prestige drama. That's the versatility we're 00:17:00.169 --> 00:17:02.169 talking about. It's definitive proof. It shows 00:17:02.169 --> 00:17:04.170 he never got stuck, never got comfortable or 00:17:04.170 --> 00:17:06.349 typecast, always challenging himself, keeping 00:17:06.349 --> 00:17:08.109 the work fresh. And he's still doing TV work 00:17:08.109 --> 00:17:10.789 now. Yep. Recently appeared with Linda Lavin 00:17:10.789 --> 00:17:13.549 in a 2025 project called Mid -Century Modern. 00:17:13.829 --> 00:17:16.309 So what this whole TV segment really shows is 00:17:16.309 --> 00:17:19.309 how he used the medium strategically. For visibility, 00:17:19.549 --> 00:17:21.670 sure. Financial stability, probably. Which then 00:17:21.670 --> 00:17:24.210 maybe gave him the freedom for stage and selective 00:17:24.210 --> 00:17:27.089 film work. Exactly. It allows him to prioritize 00:17:27.089 --> 00:17:28.970 those other platforms when the right project 00:17:28.970 --> 00:17:31.450 comes along. Okay, let's pivot now to the big 00:17:31.450 --> 00:17:34.490 screen, film. For a lot of actors, that's the 00:17:34.490 --> 00:17:37.150 ultimate goal, right? Hollywood. But for Hirsch, 00:17:37.170 --> 00:17:40.029 it feels like his film choices were, I don't 00:17:40.029 --> 00:17:43.000 know, more targeted. Strategic? Highly strategic 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:46.500 seems right. Used either for major critical impact 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:49.380 or later on for real commercial reach. And that 00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:52.660 first big critical impact came surprisingly early 00:17:52.660 --> 00:17:55.099 in his screen career. Ordinary People. Ordinary 00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:57.859 People, 1980. Robert Redford's directing debut. 00:17:58.099 --> 00:18:00.980 Heavy stuff, family tragedy, grief. And Hirsch 00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:03.200 plays Dr. Tyrone C. Berger, the psychiatrist. 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:05.779 Such a key role in that film. So empathetic. 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:08.599 Absolutely central. And the film itself, massive 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:11.250 critical hit. wins Best Picture. And for Hirsch, 00:18:11.289 --> 00:18:13.829 Oscar nomination, first one. First Academy Award 00:18:13.829 --> 00:18:15.890 nomination, Best Supporting Actor, plus a Golden 00:18:15.890 --> 00:18:17.930 Globe nomination for the same role. Okay, think 00:18:17.930 --> 00:18:20.970 about that timing again. 1980, he is smack in 00:18:20.970 --> 00:18:23.769 the middle of Taxi Mania, huge TV comedy star. 00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:26.269 Right, riding that wave. And yet he delivers 00:18:26.269 --> 00:18:28.569 this incredibly grounded, sensitive performance 00:18:28.569 --> 00:18:32.549 in a major, serious drama, and boom, instant 00:18:32.549 --> 00:18:34.630 recognition from the Academy as a serious film 00:18:34.630 --> 00:18:37.599 actor. It's remarkable. He wasn't just dabbling. 00:18:37.660 --> 00:18:40.440 He was excelling at the highest level in completely 00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:43.299 different genres on different platforms, basically 00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:45.059 at the same time. That must have opened a lot 00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:47.660 of film doors in the 80s. It did. The sources 00:18:47.660 --> 00:18:49.880 mentioned a string of interesting roles. Without 00:18:49.880 --> 00:18:52.960 a Trace in 83, Teachers in 84, he worked with 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:55.880 Sidney Lumet on Running on Empty in 88. Great 00:18:55.880 --> 00:18:57.940 film. With River Phoenix, yeah. Often playing 00:18:57.940 --> 00:18:59.920 these intelligent characters, authority figures 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:03.079 sometimes, choosing roles with substance. But 00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:05.720 then came the shift towards, well, towards blowing 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:08.359 things up. Independence Day. Huh. Yeah. Then 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:11.640 came the aliens. Independence Day, 1996. Playing 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:14.289 Julius Levinson. Jeff Goldblum's quirky dad. 00:19:14.470 --> 00:19:16.329 David's dad. You didn't call, you didn't write. 00:19:16.630 --> 00:19:19.650 Exactly. And that role, pure fun, right, but 00:19:19.650 --> 00:19:22.309 strategically brilliant. It made his face instantly 00:19:22.309 --> 00:19:25.509 recognizable to a massive global audience, a 00:19:25.509 --> 00:19:27.990 whole new generation who maybe never saw Taxi. 00:19:28.029 --> 00:19:29.890 Cemented him in pop culture. Just a huge commercial 00:19:29.890 --> 00:19:32.430 hit. Massive. And he showed loyalty to it, too, 00:19:32.470 --> 00:19:35.109 coming back 20 years later for the sequel, Independence 00:19:35.109 --> 00:19:39.210 Day. Resurgence in 2016. Wow. 20 years for that, 00:19:39.210 --> 00:19:42.410 too. Yeah. But he kept balancing the blockbusters 00:19:42.410 --> 00:19:46.789 with prestige stuff, like appearing in A Beautiful 00:19:46.789 --> 00:19:50.630 Mind. Ron Howard film won Best Picture in 2001. 00:19:50.990 --> 00:19:53.309 Right. He played Dr. Hellinger. And got a Screen 00:19:53.309 --> 00:19:55.450 Actors Guild nomination for Best Cast for that. 00:19:55.740 --> 00:19:58.480 So staying involved in award -worthy films. And 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:00.500 he kept working with really interesting contemporary 00:20:00.500 --> 00:20:03.279 filmmakers too, right? Even well into his 70s 00:20:03.279 --> 00:20:05.740 and 80s, staying relevant. Incredibly relevant. 00:20:05.859 --> 00:20:08.180 Worked with Noah Baumbach on the Meyerowitz stories 00:20:08.180 --> 00:20:11.220 in 2017. And then the Safdie brothers. Uncut 00:20:11.220 --> 00:20:13.539 Gems. He played Gooey. What a stressful movie. 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:16.740 Intense. But these later supporting roles, they 00:20:16.740 --> 00:20:19.059 aren't just jobs. They feel like strategic choices. 00:20:19.500 --> 00:20:21.700 Placing himself alongside the cutting edge of 00:20:21.700 --> 00:20:24.039 modern cinema. Keeping his name in the conversation. 00:20:24.599 --> 00:20:26.539 But the biggest thing recently, the thing that 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:29.039 just blows my mind in terms of longevity, is 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:33.000 that return to the Oscars in 2022. Ah, yes. The 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:35.259 Fablemans. This is where the story becomes truly 00:20:35.259 --> 00:20:37.700 legendary. Playing Boris Podgorny, the great 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:40.180 uncle, in Spielberg's very personal film. And 00:20:40.180 --> 00:20:42.960 that performance nets him his second nomination 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:45.460 for Best Supporting Actor. Okay, put this record 00:20:45.460 --> 00:20:47.960 in perspective for us. Right. So, first off, 00:20:47.980 --> 00:20:49.559 he's 87 years old when he gets this nomination. 00:20:49.819 --> 00:20:52.059 That makes him the second oldest acting nominee 00:20:52.059 --> 00:20:55.069 in Oscar history. Just incredible, sustained 00:20:55.069 --> 00:20:57.369 talent right there. Monumental. But the record 00:20:57.369 --> 00:21:01.150 he broke, it's just staggering. It's the longest 00:21:01.150 --> 00:21:03.890 gap between Oscar nominations for any actor. 00:21:04.029 --> 00:21:08.349 How long? 42 years. 42 years. Between Ordinary 00:21:08.349 --> 00:21:11.690 People in 1980 and The Fablemans in 2022. 42 00:21:11.690 --> 00:21:15.630 years. That is, I mean... Unbelievable. Does 00:21:15.630 --> 00:21:17.910 the source material offer any insight? Like, 00:21:17.950 --> 00:21:19.970 how do you stay relevant and working at that 00:21:19.970 --> 00:21:22.410 level for four decades in Hollywood? Was it just 00:21:22.410 --> 00:21:24.910 luck? Spielberg remembered him? Well, luck probably 00:21:24.910 --> 00:21:26.710 gets your foot in the door for an audition, maybe. 00:21:26.809 --> 00:21:29.430 But 42 years of consistent, disciplined work 00:21:29.430 --> 00:21:32.269 across stage, TV and film. That's what makes 00:21:32.269 --> 00:21:34.069 you ready when Spielberg calls. So it wasn't 00:21:34.069 --> 00:21:36.049 luck. It was preparation meeting opportunity. 00:21:36.150 --> 00:21:38.650 That's what the sources imply. Spielberg was 00:21:38.650 --> 00:21:41.230 making this deeply personal film. He needed someone 00:21:41.230 --> 00:21:44.369 with real gravitas, proven depth. Hirsch wasn't 00:21:44.369 --> 00:21:46.670 just a celebrity. He was an actor with that undeniable 00:21:46.670 --> 00:21:48.609 structured integrity we keep coming back to. 00:21:48.710 --> 00:21:51.049 And the nomination wasn't just a legacy nod either. 00:21:51.109 --> 00:21:53.029 He got other recognition for it, right? Oh, yeah. 00:21:53.349 --> 00:21:56.849 He won an AARP Movies for Grownups Award for 00:21:56.849 --> 00:21:59.730 Best Supporting Actor, got nominated by the Critics' 00:21:59.730 --> 00:22:02.430 Choice, Screen Actors Guild for the cast. The 00:22:02.430 --> 00:22:04.589 recognition was widespread. It was a genuinely 00:22:04.589 --> 00:22:07.089 acclaimed performance. And he's still going, 00:22:07.190 --> 00:22:10.039 still making movies. Still going strong. Sources 00:22:10.039 --> 00:22:13.319 mention upcoming films, rally caps in 2024, then 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:15.759 Fantasy Life and Stay Forte slated for 2025. 00:22:16.519 --> 00:22:18.599 Maintaining that critical relevance, that commercial 00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:22.019 viability for over half a century. It really 00:22:22.019 --> 00:22:24.819 is a career strategy worth studying. So before 00:22:24.819 --> 00:22:26.759 we kind of wrap this all up and synthesize the 00:22:26.759 --> 00:22:28.859 big picture, it's probably worth just briefly 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:31.680 touching on his personal life, which ran in parallel 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:33.359 to all this professional activity over those 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:35.539 same decades. Right. Just for context, he was 00:22:35.539 --> 00:22:38.579 married first to Elisa Sedan, 1963 to 67. They 00:22:38.579 --> 00:22:41.500 had a son, Alex, then his second marriage to 00:22:41.500 --> 00:22:43.960 Bonnie Sue Chalkin, a fashion designer. That 00:22:43.960 --> 00:22:47.539 was 92 to 2005. And from that marriage, a daughter, 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:50.920 Montana, and another son, London. And he's currently 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:53.099 married to his third wife, actress Catherine. 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:55.960 and Danielle Hirsch. They married in 2020. So, 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:58.099 you know, personal change is happening alongside 00:22:58.099 --> 00:22:59.880 all these professional shifts and successes. 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:02.680 Yeah, life happens alongside the career. But 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:05.059 if we pull back now and look at the hard data. 00:23:05.390 --> 00:23:08.049 The awards, the accolades. This is where the 00:23:08.049 --> 00:23:10.349 main takeaway about his career just becomes crystal 00:23:10.349 --> 00:23:13.529 clear. Judd Hirsch's career basically laughs 00:23:13.529 --> 00:23:15.650 in the face of categorization. It really does 00:23:15.650 --> 00:23:17.690 defy the usual boxes, doesn't it? That's the 00:23:17.690 --> 00:23:20.769 analytical paradox here. He's a master of different 00:23:20.769 --> 00:23:23.329 genres, excelling at opposite ends of the spectrum. 00:23:23.390 --> 00:23:26.369 Exactly. Think about it. He won two Emmys and 00:23:26.369 --> 00:23:29.779 a Golden Globe. All for comedy or dramedy series. 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:32.700 Taxi, Dear John. That's where his big TV awards 00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:34.700 came from. Right. Recognized for being funny, 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:36.619 for landing those comedic moments. This. His 00:23:36.619 --> 00:23:39.539 major awards for stage and film. The two Tonys, 00:23:39.559 --> 00:23:42.660 the two Oscar nominations. All came from intensely 00:23:42.660 --> 00:23:46.420 dramatic, serious roles. I'm not Rappaport. Conversations 00:23:46.420 --> 00:23:48.940 with My Father. Ordinary People. The Fablements. 00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:52.339 That is wild. Comedy wins on TV. Drama wins on 00:23:52.339 --> 00:23:56.660 stage and film. That dual excellence. achieving 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:59.819 the absolute peak in both. That is incredibly 00:23:59.819 --> 00:24:02.700 rare. Most actors get pigeonholed, right? The 00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:04.779 comedian struggles to be taken seriously in drama 00:24:04.779 --> 00:24:07.980 or the serious dramatic actor seems stiff in 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:10.940 a comedy. But he just moved between them seamlessly. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:14.259 Seamlessly. Not just between stage, film, and 00:24:14.259 --> 00:24:17.720 TV, but between lightness and darkness, levity 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:20.960 and seriousness. often in the same year. And 00:24:20.960 --> 00:24:23.240 maintaining that versatility across seven decades. 00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:25.200 It has to come back to that foundation, doesn't 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:27.819 it? That structure. I think so. That structured 00:24:27.819 --> 00:24:29.799 approach to performance he maybe learned or at 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:31.640 least honed through that physics background. 00:24:31.900 --> 00:24:34.079 Taking the analytical precision of science and 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:36.140 applying it to the messiness of human behavior. 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:39.039 Yeah. Creating performances that felt both emotionally 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:41.680 true and logically sound, which allowed him to 00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:44.299 pivot between genres, between platforms, without 00:24:44.299 --> 00:24:46.579 ever seeming lost or out of his depth. So just 00:24:46.579 --> 00:24:48.660 to nail down the final tally, the scope of his 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:53.160 success, the Nuggets. The Nuggets. Okay. Two 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:55.500 Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Play Mastery 00:24:55.500 --> 00:24:57.799 of the Stage, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and 00:24:57.799 --> 00:24:59.839 one Golden Globe Award, Sustained Excellence 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:02.720 in Television Comedy, and two Academy Award nominations 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:05.700 for Best Supporting Actor, including that record 00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:07.900 -breaking gap, proving cinematic longevity and 00:25:07.900 --> 00:25:10.900 impact. That list, it's just undeniable proof. 00:25:11.160 --> 00:25:13.539 Unparalleled multi -platform artistry. Hashtag, 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:17.099 tag, tag, tag, outro. Wow. Okay, so this deep 00:25:17.099 --> 00:25:20.900 dive into Judd Hirsch's career. It really does 00:25:20.900 --> 00:25:23.839 reveal this powerful lesson, I think. Something 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:26.619 that goes way beyond just acting or Hollywood 00:25:26.619 --> 00:25:30.180 glamour. The key takeaway feels like. The strategic 00:25:30.180 --> 00:25:32.619 power of having some kind of rigorous foundational 00:25:32.619 --> 00:25:35.500 discipline, something maybe even unrelated to 00:25:35.500 --> 00:25:37.440 your main goal. In his case, that analytical 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:39.460 background from physics and engineering. Absolutely. 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:41.599 That foundation gave him this disciplined, structured, 00:25:41.859 --> 00:25:44.259 focused way of working. And that's what let him 00:25:44.259 --> 00:25:46.400 slip so easily between these incredibly different 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:48.400 genres, different production styles, different 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:50.720 demands. He wasn't just winging it, relying on 00:25:50.720 --> 00:25:53.940 emotion alone. No, he relied on structured preparation. 00:25:55.210 --> 00:25:57.990 methodical work. And that's what kept his career 00:25:57.990 --> 00:26:02.049 so vibrant, so critically acclaimed, so... Well, 00:26:02.190 --> 00:26:05.710 fresh, right into his 80s and 90s, still winning 00:26:05.710 --> 00:26:08.009 awards, still relevant. So if you're listening 00:26:08.009 --> 00:26:10.029 out there, maybe you're thinking about a big 00:26:10.029 --> 00:26:12.650 change yourself, a professional pivot, maybe 00:26:12.650 --> 00:26:14.390 from something technical to something creative 00:26:14.390 --> 00:26:17.309 or the other way around. Yeah. Think about the 00:26:17.309 --> 00:26:19.910 skills you already have, the discipline skills 00:26:19.910 --> 00:26:22.390 from your current field, even if they seem totally 00:26:22.390 --> 00:26:25.009 unrelated to where you want to go next. How could 00:26:25.009 --> 00:26:27.490 they be repurposed? Right. Because if a background 00:26:27.490 --> 00:26:29.690 in physics and engineering could somehow be the 00:26:29.690 --> 00:26:32.950 secret sauce. the structural key for Judd Hirsch 00:26:32.950 --> 00:26:34.910 to become one of the most respected actors across 00:26:34.910 --> 00:26:37.869 stage, film, and TV. And we have to ask. What 00:26:37.869 --> 00:26:40.390 seemingly unconnected skill, what discipline 00:26:40.390 --> 00:26:42.630 or training that you have might be the hidden 00:26:42.630 --> 00:26:45.589 key to unlocking your next big professional adventure? 00:26:45.950 --> 00:26:48.109 Something to chew on. Thanks for joining us on 00:26:48.109 --> 00:26:48.710 The Deep Dive.