Actor Ben McKenzie Made an Anti-Crypto Documentary — What Is His Educational Background?

Best known for his role in Gotham, actor Ben McKenzie is a Hollywood star with a pretty famous wife and an impressive career. Between himself and his wife, Morena Baccarin, they're Hollywood royalty, with accolades to spare between them.

However, these days, Ben is living the Batman life in an unexpected way: warning people about the pitfalls of cryptocurrency.

As an anti-crypto vigilante, Ben created a documentary that dives into the dangers of crypto and the greed that drives the market for it. But what kind of educational background does the actor have?

The answer may surprise you.

In 2026, Ben released the documentary called Everyone Is Lying to You For Money. And his conversations on the topic were both expert and thought-provoking, which begs the question: how the heck does an actor have such expertise on an economic topic?

And, surprisingly, the answer lies in his educational background.

According to UVA Magazine, Ben's father, Pieter Schenkkan worked as an attorney in Texas. But Ben himself pursued a different career. He attended UVA and pursued degrees in economics and foreign affairs, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 2001.

He told the magazine, "UVA was a tremendous place to try my hand at any number of creative and intellectual endeavors. The ability to study econ and foreign affairs during the day and perform onstage at night was a true blessing. I’m not sure I would have had the opportunity to receive such a well-rounded education anywhere else.”

Ben's educational history in economics makes him uniquely positioned to speak on the impacts of cryptocurrency. And his role in Hollywood means he rubs elbows with the elite and knows their scams.

In an effort to educate people on those topics, he released the documentary, Everyone Is Lying to You For Money, to help elucidate the dangers behind investing in cryptocurrency.

A website for the documentary explains, "In Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, actor and author Ben McKenzie turns investigator, pulling back the curtain on the cryptocurrency industry and the culture of hype, misinformation, and speculation that fueled its explosive rise. What began as a promise of financial freedom has evolved into a volatile ecosystem rife with fraud and reckless gambling, carrying with it devastating consequences for everyday people."

In a time when all it takes is a few clicks to drop thousands of dollars on an online scam, missions like Ben's are more important and impactful than ever.

The documentary explains "how crypto became one of the most aggressively marketed financial products of the modern era."

And, knowing Ben's education, you can feel confident that the information you're getting is coming from more than a celebrity; it's coming from an expert.

When it comes to crypto, the documentary warns, nothing is as it seems. And "caveat emptor" should reign supreme.