The Reason Adam Driver Walked Out Of Radio Interview

Adam Driver walked out of an interview with “Fresh Air” host Terry Gross after he played a clip from Driver’s new movie “Marriage Story.” The clip in question featured Driver emotionally singing show tunes to a bar full of people.

Variety reports that the “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker” actor walked out mid-interview, without saying a single word, after hearing his own drunken rendition of “Being Alive,” a song written by Stephen Sondheim, another fellow playwright similar to Driver’s character.

“We don’t really understand why he left,” NPR executive Danny Miller stated. He explains that they were really looking forward to the interview. However, he recalled from a previous interview with Driver, where the actor stated his distaste for witnessing his own performances, calling it a “phobia” of sorts.

Previously, they worked out a deal with Driver that they’d play the clip of his performance while allowing the actor to take his headphones off, so he wouldn’t have to hear it. The Philidelphia radio show interviewed Driver while he was in their New York studio and heard from one of their engineers that Driver had left the building in the middle of the “Marriage Story” clip.

“I’ve watched myself or listened to myself before, then always hate it,” Driver previously said about watching his own performances. The 36-year-old actor explained that he always wants to change his performance after the fact, noticing the little things he feels he could have made better -- it’s something that eats at him to the point of avoiding it completely.

This stems back quite a ways, as clips of his shown on talk shows are done while Driver isn’t in the room, hanging out backstage. When it comes to premier’s, it’s apparently a nauseating experience for the Oscar-nominated actor. This hasn’t stopped Driver from receiving acclaim for his roles in “Marriage Story,” “BlacKkKlansman,” and “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

At press time, Driver has yet to speak about this occurrence.