If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. We asked actor Emile Hirsch — who stars in the horror film Son, out now — about the kombucha, electric toothbrush, and pickleball set he can’t live without.
My second uncle Thomas Hirsch, who is my grandfather’s brother’s son, is a legendary dentist out in Malibu. I’ve been going to him ever since I was a little kid. People are like, “You have nice teeth.” And I’m like, “Yeah, it’s because my uncle is a dentist.” He’s really famous in the dentistry world, I swear. Uncle Tommy. He’s the one who put me on to Sonicare when I was 14. He told me, “Brush your teeth only with the Sonicare,” and I figured Tommy is the tooth master, so he knows what’s up. He also told me, “Do not forget to floss,” so I never do.
Pickleball is sort of like tennis, but it has more of a paddle than a racket and more of a Wiffle ball than a tennis ball. You could say it’s ping-pong meets paddleball, and actually minus the tennis, plus racquetball. Well, I don’t know. It’s so much fun, though — I do know that. A buddy of mine plays and has a court in the hills. I went over there, and I was like, “What is this weird game?” A lot of people in the area play it, so I got into it. I play probably twice a week. This set has everything you need. I’ve got the pickleball, my paddle, my bag — it’s nice.
One of the Kardashians posted about these. That’s where I saw it first. I was like, Oh, this seems like a cool, fun thing. I tried it, and it’s actually really refreshing. I’ve been drinking it a lot. Because it’s a sort of new concept — it’s kombucha but in tab form — it’s almost more fun to drink. It transfers to tab form really well. Like, it just makes sense. You drop it in and it fizzes, then you have kombucha. Simple. I really like the “Orange Mamba” flavor. It has a hint of orange and rosemary and sweetness but a little bit of a bite in it that is just majestic.
I started using Splenda when I did Into the Wild. I was trying to sweeten up my coffee because I like it really sweet, but I didn’t want to have sugar because I was supposed to be lean. But the thing about Splenda, too, is that it’s easy. I know two Splenda packets in my coffee are going to give me the right sweetness level, whereas with real sugar, it’s like, God, is it going to take four packets? Will it be five this time? Who knows. The reliability of the Splenda packets is much appreciated.
I have a 7-year-old son, and during the pandemic, he started playing the Switch. Then we started playing it together because we couldn’t leave the house. The Switch is easier for him because he can take it in the car or take it wherever. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest games of all time, and it’s an exclusive Nintendo game. Just that one game is worth buying a Switch. My son is a lot better than me, but we beat the game together. It’s a really long, complicated game, and high intensity. We just got the expansion pack.
I’ve been drinking Diet Coke for so long. I think my grandpa got me into it. He was this really Mormon dude and would sneak me soda. There are a lot of anti–Diet Coke people out there that try to bring it down. They’re like, “You know that’s going to make you drop dead and get quite fat, don’t you? Don’t you?” And I just ignore it. I will drink regular Coke if it’s all that’s there, but I can’t have more than one. You really feel it if you have two or three, whereas with Diet Coke, I can casually sip that throughout the day. It’s a really good drink. I find it refreshing. I’m not going to put a poster up on my wall or anything dedicated to Diet Coke — I’m not one of those weird Diet Coke fanatics — but it’s my favorite drink. I definitely drink it every day. I don’t know how many; it depends on the day.
I don’t like wearing glasses; I prefer contacts. These are superthin. I just pop them in and don’t even think about it. I know there’s a lot of people out there who believe in LASIK, but I just don’t know about that. Every now and then, I’ll talk to someone about it, and they’ll tell me that their eyes are always dry now. Because I guess when they slice open your cornea, some of those nerve connections never fully heal. Then that gives you dry eyes. So, I’m good. I’d prefer to just pop in contacts.
I’m not a big runner, but I like to go hiking, and I wear running shoes because they’re much lighter [than hiking shoes]. These Flyknit ones are probably the shoes I’ve worn the most for hikes. You can jump around a lot easier. Hiking shoes are sturdy and nice, but they’re kind of heavy and not as comfortable.
I’ve been skateboarding since I was 7 or 8 years old. Then the pandemic happened and got me thinking that I should really get into it again, you know? So I reconnected. This Chad Muska skateboard was the one I had when I was a kid. I don’t have the original one anymore — I have the one from when Muska recently reissued them. I was going to put it up on my wall, but then I was like, No, I should skate on it. So I did. I’m not skateboarding every day, but if I have a break for a few hours, I’ll get out there.
Everyone in L.A. has an iPhone, and they treat me like some sort of an outcast. Give me a break. People ask me, “Why don’t you have an iPhone? What’s wrong with you?” Always in this accusatory manner, too. I didn’t realize the iPhone created a cult. I’m just like, “Yo, I will not be bullied by your iPhone.” I never really quite understood it. People give me a lot of grief about my texts being green. But there isn’t a color difference on the Android text, so I don’t know what they’re talking about. I really like how the Android works, and I do not plan to ever switch to an iPhone.
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