says Rob Lowe excitedly, pointing to a pod of dolphins jumping in the waves.
Were spending the morning in Lowes adopted hometown of Santa Barbara, California.
Its a rare day off for Lowe, who is recording episodes of his popular podcastLiterally!
With Rob Lowe, hosting Season 3 of Foxs trivia gameThe Floorand working on his third book.
I figured out how to write two books about me, he jokes about his memoirs.
My wife likes to say, No one likes talking about themselves more than you do.
And Im happy to admit to that.
The working title for Lowes next book isWhat Do I Know?
A Guide to Living, which he hopes will land him in the self-help section of the bookstore.
They arrive on leashes, guided by their trainer.
Your dogs love you no matter what the ratings are, he deadpans.
She slept with us last night, he says, giving his Jack Russell terrier Daisy an affectionate rub.
(It is no coincidence he narrated the winsome 2024 Netflix documentaryInside the Mind of a Dog.)
Meanwhile, his latest TV seriesUnstableandLone Starwere canceled last year, after two- and five-season runs, respectively.
The giga trivia face-off show that begins with 100 contestants on setis challenging.
But Lowe has made it work.
Im an air traffic controller, contestant whisperer-coach, scorekeeper and one-man show, he says.
You have to do it all at once and make it look easy.
When asked if he has purposely made himself uncategorizable, he suggests its more about staying in the spotlight.
Attention spans are only getting shorter, says Lowe.
Besides, I love trivia.
It was an aha!
experience, he says.
He auditioned and landed the lead in a play at the Dayton Playhouse, and that was that.
Its a sense of being seen, he says, a sense of power and ability.
I felt it the very first time I went on stage and got a laugh.
Lowe took acting seriously, an interest uncommon in the Midwest in the 1970s.
I took a lot of grief for it, he says ruefully.
He sought ways to stand out and get ahead.
Two years earlier she had won the Oscar forCabaret.He persuaded the desk clerk to tell him her room number.
And I went up and knocked on her door, he recounts.
Liza ate chocolates and drank red wine in her white robe, and it was amazing.
When he was 12, his family moved to Malibu, California, and he plunged headfirst into Hollywood.
Lowe made his on-screen debut three years later in the 1979 sitcomA New Kind of Family.
It did not do well, he concedes.
(2) True or false: Lowe almost quit acting before his career took off.
Ive never been a part of nor heard of anything like it since.
Google Outsidersauditions and see some of the video footage.
Hes been sober since.
I have no regrets, he says.
And I know how rare that is.
Says Lowe: That he and I have been able to share that has been amazing.)
(3) What gigs helped Lowe segue into comedic roles and then into dramas?
Lowe then found his way intoThe West Wingfrom 1999 to 2003.
This included notable roles inBrothers & Sisters,Parks and Recreation, The Grinderand9-1-1: Lone Star.
