Tom Hopper On Getting Sober, Training For The Screen & Finding The Man Behind The Muscle
October 19, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe Athlete Mindset Behind the Actor's Craft
Tom Hopper, known for his roles in Game of Thrones, The Umbrella Academy, and the Terminal List series, describes himself as someone who approaches acting with the mentality of a professional athlete. The goal, as he puts it, is "people appreciating your performance" — the equivalent of a win. But the preparation that makes that possible is invisible to the audience. "You don't see the reps being done before the performance," he says. "You just see the performance."
That preparation is the only thing that allows him to relax when the camera rolls. If he hasn't done the work, he's stuck in his head worrying about lines and blocking. If he has, he can surrender into the scene and be present with the other actors. This tension between intense preparation and letting go mirrors what elite athletes experience: you train obsessively so that when game time comes, you can stop thinking and enter flow.
Immersion, Humility, and the Special Operations Mindset
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of The Rich Roll Podcast
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Show Notes
Tom Hopper is an actor known for his roles in The Umbrella Academy, Black Sails, and The Terminal List.
This conversation explores how Tom manages to meld an artistic sensibility with an athlete’s discipline. We discuss his path from drama school to action star, what Navy SEALs taught him, raising his non-verbal autistic son Freddie, a decade alcohol-free, and whether he’s the next James Bond.
Earlier in the day, we filmed an Open Container where Tom literally lapped me in the stupidest circuit of all time. I was so humbled.
Tom is a mountain of a man and a sensitive artist. He’s an absolute delight. Enjoy!
Today’s Sponsors:
Shokz: Use code RICHROLL for an exclusive discount on all Shokz products👉🏼https://beopen.shokz.com/RICHROLL
LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack with any purchase👉🏼https://www.drinkLMNT.com/RICHROLL
Ridge: Shop Ridge’s Friends & Family Sale👉🏼https://www.ridge.com/RICHROLL
Birch: Get 27% Off Sitewide👉🏼https://www.BirchLiving.com/richroll
Momentous: Get up to 35% off your first order👉🏼https://www.livemomentous.com/richroll
Check out all of the amazing discounts from our Sponsors👉🏼https://www.richroll.com/sponsors
Find out more about Voicing Change Media at https://www.voicingchange.media and follow us @voicingchange
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from this podcast
The Rich Roll Podcast →