September 14, 2021
David Duchovny | The Moment with Brian Koppelman
Key Takeaways
- It’s beautiful to never be satisfied, there’s no shame in simply enjoying the ‘game’, a restless pursuit of passion
- Don’t sabotage learning opportunities with preconceived judgments
- Say yes – you’ll never truly discover the potential hidden lessons without going through the experience
- “I feel good, I feel love when I sacrifice for my teammates. I want to be in business with those I want to sacrifice for.” – David Duchovny
- Sports have a way of teaching us lessons and values that we reflect on years later
- Try new experiences with an open and beginner’s mind, this relieves the anxiety of influence and allows you to use the experience as a pure function of expression
- Read Moby Dick
- David and Brian both recommend this classic for its contemporary application to modern-day society
Intro
- David Duchovny (@davidduchovny) is a well-known actor famous for his roles in The X-Files and Californication. David and Brain discuss the restless pursuit of success, why you should say yes, lessons learned from sports, and more from the acting industry.
- Host: Brian Koppelman (@briankoppelman)
Restless Success
- Create and seek your own obstacles for consistent challenge
- The other morning, David just started shouting “be hungry” in the middle of his kitchen to inspire motivation within himself
- David doesn’t want to let the hard work show, covering up his hard work with a sense of ease is a true accomplishment in David’s eyes
- “I’ve never found a god, I’ve never found the place where I can rest” – David Duchovny on a relentless motivation for success
- It’s beautiful to never be satisfied, there’s no shame in simply enjoying the ‘game’, a restless pursuit of passion
Say Yes
- David takes on assignments/projects regardless of if he thinks he is going to like it or not, don’t assume judgment
- Let the experience dictate the ‘why’ behind the project/task, not your initial judgment
- You never know the lessons you’ll learn if you say yes to things you historically/routinely say no to
- David feels like he wouldn’t cast himself in some roles he gets, this means there might be something to learn about yourself
- Regardless of attitude towards a project, be the person ‘who wants to be there’
- Give the experience a fair chance to teach you something
Life Lessons from Sports
- David attempted to play basketball and baseball in college at Princeton but neither worked out
- He struggled with this because he attached his self-identity to being an athlete
- Life lessons learned through sports can be a bedrock for future wisdom and moral values
- Resiliency, team orientation, feedback, humility, etc
- Most of the lessons in sports are not learned at the moment but reflected on years later
- “I feel good, I feel love when I sacrifice for my teammates. I want to be in business with those I want to sacrifice for.” – David Duchovny
Hollywood & Acting Topics
- Californication – American comedy-drama television series starring David Duchovny
- Brian is thoroughly impressed with the friendship dynamic between the characters Hank Moody (David) & Charlie Runkle (Evan Handler) throughout the series
- A true example of the value of sacrifice in a team environment
- Howard Bloom is an influence on Brian and David
- Inspirational for his utilitarianism and photographic memory
- John Travolta is the talent equivalent (across positions) to Quentin Tarantino in David’s opinion
Music Career
- David Duchovny recently released an album, Gestureland
- Never had anxiety of influence when creating the album because he didn’t think anyone would listen to it
- It is the opposite of anything he’d ever done in his professional career
- Didn’t seek originality, rather simply wanted to use music as a function of expression
David’s Book Recommendations
- What books do you wish you loved more?
- David Foster Wallace novels
- What books were you wrong about and had to revisit?
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
