Ed Helms dishes on fame's hidden costs, his Office-Hangover filming marathon, and why historic blunders might be humanity's most reassuring legacy.
Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1146
What We Discuss with Ed Helms:
At 17, Ed Helms knew exactly what he wanted: to be an actor/producer for TV and film. This rare clarity gave him a massive head start, though he now recognizes success wasn't just hard work but also luck, privilege, and opportunity — a constellation of factors for which he's deeply grateful.
Ed says the strangest part of fame is that friends claim "you've changed" when they're actually projecting their own discomfort. Fame also strips away your ability to control public spaces — no more escaping the awkward stranger at baggage claim.
At his career peak, Ed filmed The Office Monday-Tuesday, then The Hangover Wednesday-Sunday — chartering flights from Vegas for 6 a.m. Office call times. He even removed his actual dental implant for The Hangover's missing tooth scenes while shooting Office episodes with a flipper tooth.
Young Ed naively thought he'd balance being a traveling dad with non-stop film work. But reality hit hard, and now he declines projects that would separate him from family — even hypothetical Spielberg films. His former ADHD-fueled hyper-focus has given way to prioritizing presence.
Ed's book chronicles humanity's epic blunders — from dropped nukes to CIA cat-spies — revealing our enduring resilience. These absurd mishaps offer perspective: we've always faced ridiculous challenges and somehow survived. Next time anxiety strikes, remember we've been falling on our faces — and getting back up — throughout history!
And much more...
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