""I'm an actor. I'm also a bullshitter," McKenzie tells Esquire. "And these guys are bullshitting us. There's a lot of people lying to you for money.""
"Ben McKenzie isn't just a handsome face. Armed with an economics degree from the University of Virginia, McKenzie watched in horror at the meteoric rise of crypto and felt its potential for widespread harm should it-and it likely will-fall. In 2021, McKenzie began working with journalist Jacob Silverman to probe the industry, from the ones driving its FOMO momentum to the victims who lost life savings chasing financial freedom."
"Over Zoom, an eloquent-and at times, self-deprecating-McKenzie lays out crypto and its thornier corners with ease. He says making the movie was almost accidental; the book came first. "I had taken edibles and thought it was a good idea," the actor says about embarking on his skeptic era. "I had to find someone to help me. I took more edibles to summon the courage to DM Jacob Silverman""
""We had beers in Brooklyn, and I convinced him to go on this journey." That's how the book happened."
Ben McKenzie, known for teen drama roles, became skeptical of cryptocurrency during the COVID-19 period. He criticized celebrity-driven promotion and said many people lie to profit from crypto. With an economics background, he watched crypto’s rapid rise and worried about broad harm if it collapses. In 2021, he partnered with journalist Jacob Silverman to examine the industry’s momentum, the incentives behind fear-of-missing-out, and the victims who lost life savings seeking financial freedom. Their work produced the 2023 bestseller Easy Money and later the documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, released in April. He described the project as beginning with a book idea after reaching out to Silverman.
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Read at Esquire
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