“Breakfast Club” star Anthony Michael Hall knows exactly why he’s been able to survive Hollywood for over 50 years.
Hall is starring on the FOX celebrity competition series “Nation’s Dumbest,” hosted by Jack Whitehall. At the press event, Hall explained the secret to longevity in Hollywood.
“Having a thick skin, and just being game and just wanting to work with the best people you can,” he began. “Just being persistent and tenacious. And thank God I was born with a hard head. But you have to have a thick skin.”
“You have to really want and love what you do. So I think that’s it.”
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Hall also told Fox News Digital the biggest lesson he’s learned after five decades in the industry.
WATCH: ‘Breakfast Club’ star Anthony Michael Hall reveals the key to surviving Hollywood after 51 years
“Stay humble, stay focused, keep your eyes on the road, and just keep moving ahead somehow. There’s no guarantees of anything in this business, and it’s a tough business, but it’s really great business, so I’m very fortunate,” he noted.
“[I] feel very blessed. This is my 51st year doing this, and this was really a unique thing, because it was something I never expected,” Hall continued, referring to “Nation’s Dumbest.”
“It really took me by surprise, and it was really lot of fun,” he said. “So, it was about learning that lesson, too. Staying open to new opportunities, just being cool with it and having fun. So, we really had a great time, all of us. It was nice.”
WATCH: Dr. Drew and Andrew Yang reveal most frustrating part of ‘Nation’s Dumbest’
“Nation’s Dumbest” is FOX’s new celebrity competition series that puts a comedic twist on the traditional game show format. Hosted by Whitehall, the series challenges 12 celebrities to return to “summer school,” where they compete in a mix of classroom-inspired trivia, physical games and school-themed challenges.
But unlike most competition shows, the objective isn’t to win — it’s to be eliminated. Each week, the contestant who performs the best “graduates” from the competition, while those who struggle remain in the game. In the end, the last celebrity standing earns the title no one wants: “The Nation’s Dumbest.”
Hall told Fox News Digital that he saw some parallels from his days on the “Breakfast Club” and being back in a classroom setting on FOX’s new competition series.
WATCH: JoJo Siwa and Chase Hudson talk competing on FOX’s ‘Nation’s Dumbest’
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“Do you know what, there was some parallels for sure. We all got thrown together. We’re all stuck, we couldn’t really go anywhere. And honestly, we all really got along. It was a real nice organic surprise that I had a great time with all these people. It was coming into a year where I wasn’t sure where the next job was gonna come, like we often feel in this industry. And I got the call, and I was just really excited by it,” he said.
“And I really embraced it and I just went up to Toronto and had a good time shooting it and everybody was really cool. So we had a really good time,” Hall concluded.
The inaugural cast includes Hall, Ice-T, Jon Heder, Hilaria Baldwin, Carmen Electra, Chase Hudson, Elle King, Matt Leinart, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Steve-O, JoJo Siwa and Andrew Yang.
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The format, which has found success internationally, blends pop quizzes, report cards, recess-inspired games and “final exams” with Whitehall’s signature humor. FOX has described the series as a fresh take on celebrity competition television, designed to deliver laughs by turning the usual goal of winning completely upside down.
WATCH: Elle King reveals what made her say yes to ‘Nation’s Dumbest’
The series premiered Wednesday, July 15 on FOX and streamed the next day on Hulu.
