HIATUS.
>>> YOU MIGHT CALL DAX SHEPARD
AN UNLIKELY HOLLYWOOD STAR.
HE WAS RAISED BY A SINGLE MOTHER
WHO WAS A CUSTODIAN AT GENERAL
MOTORS BEFORE RISING THROUGH THE
RANKS THERE AND STARTING HER OWN
COMPANY.
HIS M
HE STRUGGLED AS AN ACTOR.
HE FOUND HIS PLACE IN THE MOVIES
AND WAS IN "PARENTHOOD."
HE HAS BECOME A PODCAST STAR,
HOSTING THE ARMCHAIR EXPERT.
WE GOT TOGETHER THIS WEEK FOR A
VIRTUAL SUNDAY SIT-DOWN TO TALK
ABOUT HIS DREAM JOB AND MUCH
MORE.
HI, DAX.
>> HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> LIFE HAS A FUNNY WAY OF
WORKING OUT FOR DAX SHEPARD.
NOW THE 46-YEAR-OLD ACTOR,
COMEDIAN AND PODCAST STAR IS
TAKING A NEW TURN.
HOSTING "TOP GEAR AMERICA," A
NEW VERSION OF THE POPULAR
BRITISH CAR SHOW AND AN
AUTOMOTIVE PLAYGROUND FOR DAX
AND HIS FRIENDS.
>> WHO IS THE MOST HANDSOME?
>> THERE'S COMPETITIVE TRASH
TALK.
>> YOU ARE DOWN TWO CYLINDERS.
>> HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT MY
FORCE INDUCTION.
>> POINTLESS BUT ENTERTAINING
VEHICLE TESTING.
AND, OF COURSE, A LOT OF RACING.
>> LET'S SEE IF THE BEST MAN
DOESN'T WIN.
>> THERE'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER
FIT PROBABLY FOR HOSTS AND SHOW
AS A GUY WHO GREW UP IN THE
DETROIT AREA, BUILDING ENGINES
ON CARS SINCE HE WAS A KID.
LOVING CARS.
>> MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN CARS.
MY DAD SOLD CARS.
MY MOTHER WORKED AT GENERAL
MOTORS AND STARTED A COMPANY
THAT PUT ON PRESS RELEASES FOR
CARS.
I HAD THAT JOB FOR 14 YEARS.
THE ONLY REASON I'M COMPELLED TO
MAKE MONEY IS TO GIVE IT TO
PEOPLE TO HAND ME KEYS.
THERE WAS IN SOME WAY, WHY
HAVEN'T THEY CALLED ME YET?
>> DO YOU HAVE ANY RESTRICTIONS
ON WHAT YOU CAN DO?
THEY THROW YOU THE KEYS?
DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO?
>> SAFETY IS THIRD IF EVEN IN
THE TOP FIVE.
I LOVE IT.
THE ONLY JOB I HAD WHERE I
THOUGHT, SOMEHOW MY WHOLE LIFE
NOW HAS MERGED AND MY PURSUIT IN
COMEDY AND CARS SOMEHOW
MAGICALLY HAS COME TOGETHER.
>> HIS OTHER LIFE LONG LOVE IS
COMEDY.
A PASSION THAT TOOK THE MICHIGAN
NATIVE TO LOS ANGELES WHERE HE
JOINED THE FAMED GROUNDLING
COMEDY GROUP WHILE GETTING A
DEGREE FROM UCLA IN
ANTHROPOLOGY.
>> MY BACKUP PLAN.
>> A GOOD FALLBACK.
>> JANE GOODALL IS RETIRING.
THERE'S AN OPENING.
>> IN 2003, AFTER A DECADE IN
LOS ANGELES --
>> THIS IS A DOUBLE WIDE.
>> HE GOT HIS FIRST BILLING
BREAK AS THE SIDE KICK TO ASHTON
KUTCHER ON "PUNKED."
>> THIS IS ASHTON.
WE JUST PUNKED YOU.
>> I HIT THE LOTTERY.
I GOT CAST AS ONE OF THE THREE
LEADS OF THIS STUDIO MOVIE
WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF "PUNKED"
AIRING.
>> HIS FILM CAREER SOON STALLED.
>> I GOT MYSELF IN THREE MOVIES
THAT DIDN'T WORK FINANCIALLY IN
A ROW.
IN FULL HONESTY, I WAS LIKE, I
THINK -- THAT WAS MY RIDE.
>> YOU THINK OF YOURSELF AS A
MOVIE GUY AND THEN "PARENTHOOD"
COMES.
>> I GOT THE RESULTS.
>> I DON'T KNOW, TV?
>> I THOUGHT, ONCE YOU GO TO TV,
THAT'S IT.
MOVIES ARE DONE.
>> I HAVE A SON.
E
HE IS AMAZING.
>> YOU ARE A DAD.
>> IT'S NOT SOMETHING I HAD BEEN
AIMING TO DO.
WITHOUT QUESTION, IT'S THE BEST
THING I WAS A PART OF AS AN
ACTOR.
>> AFTER SIX SUCCESSFUL SEASONS,
HE RETURNED TO MOVIES.
WRITING, DIRECTING AND STARRING
IN A FILM VERSION OF THE OLD
MOTORCYCLE POLICE SHOW "CHIPS."
IT WAS A BOX OFFICE FLOP.
I HEARD ACTORS TALK ABOUT THE
PAIN THAT COMES WITH SOMETHING
THAT YOU HAVE INVESTED
PERSONALLY SO MUCH INTO AND THEN
ON ONE FRIDAY IT'S OVER.
>> IT'S BRUTAL.
IT IS SO BRUTAL.
>> IN THE CASE OF "CHIPS "IT
PROBABLY SPUN YOU TOWARD
PODCASTING, WHICH HAS TURNED
INTO THIS ENTIRE UNIVERSE FOR
YOU.
>> WHAT WAS MANY FAILURES IN A
ROW IN MOVIES LED TO MY FAVORITE
ACTING EXPERIENCE ON
"PARENTHOOD" AND THEN THE
FINANCIAL FAILURE OF "CHIPS"
LEADS ME TO A PODCAST WHICH
BECOMES MY FAVORITE THING I HAVE
EVER DONE IN MY CAREER.
WELCOME, WELCOME, WELCOME TO
ARMCHAIR EXPERT.
>> IN 2018, HE LAUNCHED THE
PODCAST ARMCHAIR EXPERT WITH
ANOTHER ACTOR.
IT BECAME A HIT, ATTRACTING BIG
NAMES TO SIT FOR SOMETHING LIKE
A THERAPY SESSION WITH DAX.
>> JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE,
TEN-TIME --
>> TEN-TIME.
HI.
>> HELLO.
>> LAST SEPTEMBER, HE CAME CLEAN
TO HIS LISTENERS.
ADMITTING HE BECAME ADDICTED TO
OPIOIDS AFTER AN AUGUST
MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT.
HE HAD BEEN PROUDLY SOBER FOR 16
YEARS.
>> YOU JUST HAD YOUR SOBRIETY
BIRTHDAY.
>> YES.
IT WAS THE WORST HOUR OF MY
LIFE.
>> YOU WERE ON THEM?
>> I WAS HIGH AT THE MEETING
HAVING PEOPLE TELL ME THAT THEY
ADMIRE MY SOBRIETY.
>> WAS THERE ANIY SHESITATION
ABOUT PROJECTING THAT AFTER 16
YEARS OF BEING SOBER?
>> HUGE.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING I SAID ON
THE PODCAST I DID NOT WANT TO
SAY.
I GET SO MUCH SELF-ESTEEM OUT OF
BEING SOMEONE WHO HAS ENCOURAGED
OTHER PEOPLE TO TRY SOBRIETY.
I WILL BE EXPOSED AS A FRAUD.
I HAVE A GOOD FRIEND WHO SAID,
IF WHAT YOU LIKE IS HELPING
PEOPLE, THERE'S ALMOST NOTHING
YOU CAN DO THAT WOULD BE MORE
HELPFUL THAN TELLING EVERYONE.
>> YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE YOUR
ARMS AROUND IT NOW?
>> I DO.
YEAH.
I HAD TO LOOK AT, WHAT AM I NOT
DEALING WITH?
WHAT AM I IGNORING?
I FEEL BETTER WITH THIS CURRENT
FOUR MONTHS THAN I HAD IN MAYBE
THE PREVIOUS YEAR OF SOBRIETY.
>> BY HIS SIDE THROUGH ALL OF IT
IS HIS WIFE, ACTRESS KRISTEN
BELL.
THE PAIR FAMOUSLY IS OPEN ABOUT
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THEIR
RELATIONSHIP.
>> WE DON'T WANT ANYONE TO THINK
WE MET AND IT'S BEEN EASY.
IF THAT'S SOMEONE'S EXPECTATION
OF A RELATIONSHIP AND A
MARRIAGE, IT'S A BAD EXPECTATION
TO HAVE.
>> DURING THESE LONG MONTHS AT
HOME WITH THEIR TWO YOUNG
DAUGHTERS, DAX ALWAYS IS LOOKING
FOR A LITTLE PERSONAL TIME.
>> I HAVE THE OPTION TO SAY THIS
WENT ANOTHER HALF HOUR LONGER.
>> YEAH, YEAH.
I WILL SAY WE WENT LONG.
>> YEAH.
MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS WORKING.
MAKE SURE IT'S WORKING FOR THE
NEXT TRIP.
>> IN ADDITION TO ALL THOSE
OTHER CARS HE HAS, DAX DOES HAVE
A GIANT NEW MOTORH HOME IN THE
DRIVEWAY.
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