After starring in films like I, Tonya, Cruella, and Richard Jewell, Paul Walter Hauser is bringing his talents to his latest film, The Luckiest Man In America: an absorbing true-story thriller about a man who exploited the 1980s game show Press Your Luck to earn a massive jackpot.
And luckily for us, we were able to talk with the actor to discuss the film while learning a few things about his internet footprint.
DAILY DOT: What’s the first website or app you check every morning?
PAUL WALTER HAUSER: That would probably be Instagram. I don’t really watch stories. I kind of just look to see how my stuff is doing. And, you know, follow people back and occasionally go down a rabbit hole of cooking videos or some conspiracy theory.
Do you follow any accounts on social media that might be considered a “guilty pleasure”?
PWH: I don’t have guilty pleasures; I just have pleasures. I don’t believe in the guilty part. You just gotta own what you’re into. So what would my accounts be that people would think are guilty pleasures? Sometimes I’ll follow a politician not because I support them, but because I’m like, let’s see what this horse’s ass has to say.
Did you Google anything to prepare for your role as Michael Larson in The Luckiest Man In America?
PWH: I YouTubed the original videos and watched him on the game show, and then later on, I found out that he had a whole life of being a con man. Press Your Luck, that whole game show thing he did, that was about the most honest day’s work he ever had.
What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve read about yourself online?
PWH: Oh, God. People say that I’m worth $20 million or something. The net worth articles are always false. Never believe a single one of those because most of us are still struggling, unless you are, you know, Denzel or Leo.
What does your TikTok algorithm look like?
PWH: Oh gosh, my TikTok algorithm is like dudes doing covers on acoustic guitars of classic songs. A combination of that and news stories that are kind of nonpartisan.
Have you ever bought anything from TikTok shop?
PWH: I have never purchased a thing from the TikTok shop. Nor, nor do I desire to. I just assume anyone trying to get me to buy something on an app, it’s Temu. You know, I’m gonna order lettuce, and then a cabbage shows up
Which credit listed on your IMDb page are you the proudest of?
PWH: Most proud of Richard Jewell, because we kind of helped right a wrong and give some closure to a story. And it’s Clint Eastwood, Kathy Bates and Sam Rockwell. It doesn’t get it doesn’t really get any better than that, to be perfectly honest.
Alternatively, is there an old credit you wish you could erase?
PWH: I don’t think I had erased any credits, but somebody gave me a “special thanks” credit. It’s a fitness documentary, and I have no friggin’ idea why.
So, I’d like to take that off because I don’t think I had anything to do with the making of that film, not that I know of [laughs]. I watched it to see what it was and, in the words of Austin Powers, “Not my bag, baby.”
Do you follow or lurk in any subreddits on Reddit?
PWH: If I’m on Reddit, it’s mostly just to see how people felt about a project I did and wanting feedback, or I talk wrestling with people in there once a while.
Have you ever fallen down a Wikipedia rabbit hole?
PWH: Oh, yeah, a bunch of times! Bunch of times you’re looking up an infectious disease and then you’re like, “Whoa, this is also a thing!” And then you’re in this sort of Roland Emmerich disaster film inside of Wikipedia.
If Michael Larson had social media back in the day, which platform would he have used the most?
PWH: He’s a sketchy guy. I think he would have been really big on something like Signal or Rumble. Those would have been his destinations. I’m sure he would listen to InfoWars.
Which website from the “early internet” do you miss the most?
PWH: In junior high, we would go to whitehouse dot com, and we would pretend it was an accident, but it was an [adult] website. We knew that whitehouse.gov was the real website, but it was fun watching teachers and classmates freak out.
What’s your best advice for dealing with trolls online?
PWH: I don’t have good advice. I had to get off of Twitter twice because I was just ready to basically fight strangers based on the idiocy that they posted.
Lastly, what’s the last website or app you check before bed?
PWH: Probably YouTube. I’m always on YouTube going down some stupid rabbit hole, and I’m like, “I’m just going to watch this one video.” And then three hours later, I hate myself.
