- What would I say
to somebody who wants to be a teen heartthrob?
Get help!
(dramatic music) I'm Rob Lowe.
I've been an actor for over 40 years,
and this is what I've learned.
I wanted to be an actor from the time I was eight.
I once saw a childhood production,
a kid's production of Oliver,
and was like, I wanna do that.
So I started so early
that by the time I got to California
I was like a little pro.
And the only acting training I had was on the job.
My first movie was The Outsiders.
I was 17 years old.
I was about ready to quit my career,
and I was about to become a marine biologist.
(Rob laughing)
I got cast by Francis Ford Coppola.
Darrel, have you seen my DX shirt somewhere?
(upbeat music)
To have been a teen idol is kinda cool,
looking back on it.
At the time it was both really, really fun,
and really, really horrifying.
There's a certain discrepancy in the reality,
because you think it's about you,
because they're screaming and yelling for you,
but part of you gets that it isn't.
And that's the part that's right.
It's not,
because you just are fitting the mold
of what they're projecting at that time.
It's interesting, 'cause there are very few people
that get to occupy that place in the culture
at any given time.
What's great about it, also,
is it's utterly and completely disposable.
It's you for one day, and then, you know,
next year it's somebody else,
next year it's Noah Centineo, there ya go.
If you've been there,
really only you can understand it.
So whenever I see today's teen idol,
whoever it may be,
I kinda be like. (laughing)
(happy music)
Coming up I was in a lot of ensembles.
Starting with The Outsiders, West Wing, St. Elmo's Fire.
I mean, when you think about it,
I've been in a lot of ensembles,
and I've learned a lot about ensemble work.
And one of the things is
it's a little bit of a blood sport.
If you're not gonna make your mark in a scene,
there're seven other people who are gonna do it for ya.
Dr. Startz in Candelabra was an interesting thing
because I knew I was coming into a movie
where Michael Douglas,
one of my favorite actors of all time,
was gonna be like Liberace.
Matt Damon, probably my favorite contemporary actor,
was gonna be playing his lover in frosted, blonde hair,
and butt tight velore shorts.
And I'm thinking, I don't wanna get blown off the screen
by these guys.
So, I came up with this very big swing
idea of this character,
and I called Steven Soderbergh,
and I said, "I've got a big idea.
"Like, can I go for this?"
And he said, "The bigger the better."
And the result is Dr. Jack Startz.
I have a terrific diet, the California diet.
Guaranteed loss of 15 pounds in four weeks.
(upbeat music)
Coming into comedy,
it all started when I hosted Saturday Night Live.
Made life-long relationship with Loren Michaels,
Mike Myers.
And Mike, when he wrote Wayne's World, wrote me into it.
And that led to Austin Powers.
And that led to Tommy Boy.
And I always loved comedy, but for whatever reason,
people didn't really see me in that light,
and it took those things to do it.
And, you know, there's a direct line from that
to Parks and Recreation.
Scientists believe that the first human being
who will live 150 years has already been born.
I believe I am that human being.
I think with comedy it's something you either have in you
or you don't.
I remember on the set of Wayne's World,
going to Loren Michaels with some ideas
of what I thought was funny.
And I said to Loren, "What do you think about this?
"It's funny, right?"
And he goes, "No, no, no, it's very funny.
"But is it the right kind of funny?"
And it never occurred to me
that there was anything other than funny or not.
Welcome to 1969.
- Thank you, Number Two.
(upbeat music)
- One of the best things I ever heard
is that the root of all cliche is lack of research.
And it's really true.
If you know your area, it will never be cliche,
it will never be inauthentic.
And nine times outta ten,
you're gonna come up with something
that is so delicious,
because you have that knowledge
of what that actual world is like.
I don't think I would have ended up in The West Wing
if I hadn't just been on this comedy run.
The West Wing was a fortuitous thing,
and I think that happens to actors
if you're lucky enough.
The right part comes to you at the right time in your life,
and you just happen to be perfect for it.
I had spent many, many, many years on the campaign trail,
so I came to it already knowing that world,
and was able to share that.
You're fired.
S. Seaborn.
(upbeat music)
People talk a lot about the difference
between movies and television.
The one thing I did notice,
and I learned it on West Wing,
was on television you're living a character,
and in movies you're playing a character.
And by that I mean, a movie is such a finite time.
It's three months, it's eight months, it's two weeks.
Whatever it is in a movie, and you're done.
The life of a television series,
you are in front of the camera all the time,
playing that character.
You know, you have things going on in your personal life,
maybe you're not feeling well.
Every emotion, experience, that you can imagine,
is gonna be filtered through your television performance,
just by virtue of how often you're doing it.
(upbeat music)
I think acting is acting.
I think the rules are the same
no matter where you're doing it.
Be truthful.
Listen.
Don't bullshit.
Don't ever get caught acting.
Thanks for watching.
I'm Rob Lowe.
Check out my current movie on Netflix,
Holiday in the Wild.
(dramatic music)