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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Alexander Hurst

What are smartphones stealing from us? When mine was taken away, I found out

A woman using a smartphone in Paris, France, 2020
A woman using a smartphone in Paris, France, 2020. Photograph: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

A few Thursdays ago was a wrap. For my brief acting career, that is. One of the benefits of having a writer’s schedule in a city like Paris is the ability to say yes to the flurry of random opportunities that pop up. When an announcement flashed across a WhatsApp group that a Hollywood comedy-thriller with an all-star cast and a wacky plot was looking for extras, I thought why not – and sent in a few headshots. (I wish I could reveal more details, but I am, alas, bound by a non-disclosure clause that the production company declined to release me from.)

I had little idea of exactly what to expect. But I certainly wasn’t thinking that one of the biggest takeaways would be spending hours with other people without access to our phones.

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