What a 10,000-mile trip taught actor Andrew McCarthy about friendship
The Excerpt
USA TODAY
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2026
⏱️ 18 minutes
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Summary
Actor and author Andrew McCarthy set out to reconnect with old friends. What followed was a 10,000-mile road trip and a deeper look at something many men struggle to talk about: loneliness. Along the way, McCarthy met men across the country, asking a simple question — are you lonely? Their answers reveal how friendships fade over time, why many men avoid vulnerability and what gets lost when connection disappears. USA TODAY Books Reporter Clare Mulroy speaks with McCarthy about what he learned on the road, how his own friendships changed and why showing up might be the simplest — and hardest — way to rebuild them.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Actor, director, and author Andrew McCarthy is taking a closer look at something many men quietly struggle with, friendship. |
| 0:12.0 | In his new book, Who Needs Friends, McCarthy travels across the country reconnecting with people from different chapters of his life, |
| 0:19.0 | using those encounters to explore what gets in the way |
| 0:21.1 | of deeper connection and why those bonds can be so hard to rebuild once they fade. |
| 0:30.4 | Hello and welcome to USA Today's The Excerpt. I'm USA Today Books reporter Claire Mulroy. Today is |
| 0:36.7 | Thursday, March 26th, 2020. |
| 0:39.8 | Who Needs Friends is on Bookshelves Now, and I'm joined now by Andrew McCarthy. |
| 0:44.6 | Andrew, thanks for making the time for us. |
| 0:46.9 | Good to be with you. |
| 0:47.8 | I wanted to start by asking you just kind of generally about, you know, I think in the book world, |
| 0:53.6 | now we know you as a |
| 0:55.0 | travel writer, but I think a lot of people at home are probably watching and thinking of you |
| 0:58.9 | from your acting days. And there was this quote that stuck with me from your book where you said, |
| 1:03.7 | travel has become the university of my life. And could you tell me a little bit about that, |
| 1:08.5 | about why travel writing is so meaningful to you? Sure. |
| 1:11.6 | I mean, that's a bit of a long story, but I'll cut it. |
| 1:14.6 | Well, travel changed my life. |
| 1:17.6 | I was young and in the movies, and then I started traveling the world alone. |
| 1:22.6 | And I believe travel is not about Instagram posts and bucket list, but I think travel is really |
| 1:28.7 | meaningful, good use of your time. |
| 1:32.2 | And travel changed my life. |
| 1:33.8 | It helped me feel at home in the world. |
... |
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