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Ben McKenzie on His Crypto Doc ‘Everyone Is Lying to You for Money’: A “Human Story About Trust”

The TV star discusses his feature directorial debut world premiering at SXSW London, its timeliness in the age of Trump and tech bros, "lightly roasting" fellow celebs, and his hopes for overcoming divisions.

“One may be skeptical when reading that a famous actor slash former teen heartthrob did a big career pivot into cryptocurrency, but Ben McKenzie’s directorial debut is swift to poke fun at the stereotype,” highlights a SXSW London synopsis of the film. Ahead of the world premiere of Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, he discussed with The Hollywood Reporter how he made the film, its tone and key messages, why he called the crypto industry “the largest Ponzi scheme in history” in his testimony in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the role of celebrities in supporting cryptocurrency. Since you mentioned the financial benefit of a small group, I want to ask you about technology oligarchs, or “the tech bros,” such as Elon Musk, who have been seen as being close to the political elite in various countries, including the U.S. How timely is your film given debates around that issue?

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