Legendary Actor Scott Glenn

The guest

Scott Glenn — Actor of nearly 60 years (Apocalypse Now, Urban Cowboy, The Right Stuff, The Silence of the Lambs, The Hunt for Red October, The Leftovers, Daredevil, The White Lotus), based in Idaho with no social media or website.

The gist

Tim Ferriss interviews actor Scott Glenn at his home in Idaho, calling him a rare example of someone who has checked career, fitness, and relationships across 50-plus years. Glenn recounts how a near-fatal childhood case of scarlet fever steered him toward imagination, athleticism, and eventually acting, and how he left a souring LA career to apprentice as a backcountry guide before Urban Cowboy changed everything. He describes his acting philosophy of total presence and 'staying out of the way,' shaped by Marlon Brando, Burt Lancaster, and Laurence Olivier, and grounded in his reading of Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). At 85 he walks through his detailed daily routine of ear massage, diaphragmatic breathing, baby fit, kettlebell swings, push-ups, and breath holds. He also shares the love-at-first-sight story of meeting his wife Carol, his conversion to Judaism, and his belief that luck favors those willing to be a good student and fall on their face in public.

Big reveals

Glenn has been legally deaf since age 10 from scarlet fever; an audiologist later told him he had been reading lips for at least 40 years without realizing it.
00:38:53
After Urban Cowboy, Glenn essentially never had to audition again, and he turned down lead TV roles to stay in Idaho and focus purely on the craft of acting rather than show-business politics.
00:30:29
On The Leftovers, director Mimi Leader said his seven-page monologue take was 'a master's class in acting'; Glenn was so fully inside the role he couldn't even direct or watch himself.
01:05:35
Glenn's core acting breakthrough is complete spontaneity: being so present in the now that you have no future or plans in a scene, which he says gives film performances their electricity.
01:11:18
At 85, Glenn does breath-hold meditations three times a week, currently holding for 1:40 with a personal record of 4 minutes 15 seconds, aiming for a two-minute hold by age 86.
01:33:54
Glenn met his wife Carol in a New York movie theater roughly 55 years ago; they sat through the entire film twice without touching, and he knew immediately he had fallen in love.
01:47:31
Laurence Olivier told Glenn the single thing you need to make it in the business is pure tenacity: 'develop very strong jaw muscles, learn how to bite on and not let go.'
02:01:04

Things worth remembering

Francis Ford Coppola gave Glenn a role at the end of Apocalypse Now because he believed Glenn had saved his life in the Philippines by keeping him from drowning in a river.
00:16:13
Burt Lancaster commissioned a dinnerware set from Carol after learning the only other ceramic artist whose work he owned was Picasso.
00:21:29
Glenn's father, a Snap-on Tools executive who rose from poverty, hit him only once in his life, and advised him to never set deadlines on pursuing his dream.
00:50:19
Glenn converted to Judaism so his wife would not 'have a target on her back' that he didn't share; his Jewish name is Abraham Ephraim Ben Abraham.
00:51:22
Glenn was certified in scuba diving by Jim Stewart, the legendary Scripps Institution dive master who wrote the syllabus for the Navy SEAL teams.
01:39:10
Rudolf Nureyev told Glenn he was a more believable cowboy than John Travolta, and corrected Glenn that he was Tatar, not Russian.
01:54:16
Glenn's morning routine includes a strong ear massage learned in a Tai Chi seminar and humming eight times with back teeth together to stimulate the vagus nerve.
01:20:39
'Baby fit,' which Glenn does each morning, is a movement practice he says Russian special ops use, rolling over using legs then arms the way a baby would.
01:23:55
His workout includes five rounds totaling 100 kettlebell swings and 100 push-ups, using 16-24 kg bells after retiring his 52 lb bell due to a muscle injury.
01:25:31
While filming in Thailand, Glenn crossed illegally into Burma at Three Pagodas Pass in the Golden Triangle and trained Muay Thai with fighters there.
01:44:55

Recommended in this episode

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Guest’s ownMedia

Apocalypse Now

Francis Ford Coppola (inferred)

“His impressive film resume includes performances in Apocalypse Now Urban Cowboy the right stuff Silverado The Hunt for Red October” — Tim Ferriss 00:06:22

Legendary Actor Scott Glenn — How to Be Super Fit at 85 & How to Pursue Your Purpose

The gist

Big reveals

Things worth remembering

Recommended in this episode

Apocalypse Now

Urban Cowboy

The Right Stuff

Silverado

The Hunt for Red October

The Silence of the Lambs

Backdraft

The Virgin Suicides

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Leftovers

Marvel's Daredevil

The Defenders

Castle Rock

The White Lotus (season 3)

The Baby Maker

Nashville

The Cattle Annie and Little Britches (Cattle Annie)

Killer Joe

Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals

Bad Monkey

Eugene the Marine

Don't Shoot the Dog

The Leftovers

Off Limits

Friction Zone

Room Service

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