We’re all actors.

I’m listening to an episode of the Lex Fridman podcast featuring actor Kevin Spacey. I haven’t gotten far, but until this point, he comes off as quite smart, clever, and articulate.

Then I think about the fact that he’s one of the greatest actors of a generation. Is he like that in real life, or is he just playing the role of Kevin Spacey doing a podcast?

In reality, we know almost nothing about him. We only see him when he’s playing the role of himself in public.

The same can be said for you or me.

In nearly every interaction we have, we’re playing a part. We’re acting in a specific way in order to impress another person, temper a situation, avoid further contact, or any number of other reasons.

Aside from when we’re around a small handful of people — those special individuals that we’re perfectly comfortable around — we rarely let our guard down and show our authentic selves.

The rest of the time, we’re just acting.