Why Woody Harrelson Doesn't Own a Cell Phone
Don't call or text.
Woody Harrelson has been entertaining audiences in homes and theaters around the world for decades. The Emmy-winning actor might be familiar to many, but regardless of if you're a fan of a friend of his, you'll have a hard time getting in touch with him, as he hasn't owned a cell phone in years.
The Hunger Games star explained his device decision on the June 19 episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, his podcast with Cheers co-star Ted Danson.
"Let me explain something about Woody," Danson said while speaking to guest Kristen Bell. “He doesn’t have a phone. He’s one of those bullies in life that make other people carry his phone for him."
Harrelson retorted that that wasn't "exactly true."
"Well, I just don’t like to have, you know, to be readily available to any human being at any time," he stated plainly.
Bell chimed in with her part. "I hear that," she said. "It doesn't feel good."
"That's not the reason," Harrelson clarified. "I like to be in touch with people in a way, but I don’t like the appendage on my appendage."
He didn't quit carrying a phone cold turkey, however. He'd previously set a time limit on his phone every day but would quickly blow through it.
"I made a thing where I'm like, 'OK, I'm going to set a two-hour limit on my phone,'" he recounted. "I've given it up now three and a half years. But back then I was like, 'OK, I'm going to set this limit. Two hours.' It's like 9:30 [in the morning]. You know, I've already hit my limit at 9:30, so I woke up, and I've been on it two hours already because you know how it can just keep going and going. There's no end to it."
Harrelson also noted that he used it to communicate with others more by text than by call, and rarely used apps. "I never used it as a phone ever," he said.
He concluded that he feels freer now to have dinner with someone, for example, and be fully engaged the whole time rather than looking down at his phone when there's a lull in the conversation.
It might be worth it to take a page out of Harrelson's book.