Bryan Cranston was recently a guest on The Graham Norton Show. In the hilarious clip above, he recalls a funny incident from his honeymoon in Europe - specifically traveling through the Alps.
A travel agent convinced Cranston to have his car placed on a flatbed car of a train for traveling through the Mountains rather than driving. In so doing, he and his wife would then be free to have the darkness and privacy of a tunnel for their romantic endeavors.
During 1:17 in the video, Bryan pulls down his lower eyelid with his index finger. This gesture (more specifically a MAP [Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier]) has various meanings in different countries/cultures.
In Japan, the lower Eyelid Pull is a taunting gesture. In this respect, it's very similar to the Worldwide illustrator of sticking one's tongue out at another person - an act with which in Japan it's often simultaneously displayed. Here it is known as Akanbe (also spelled Akanbee, or Akkanbee) and is used much more often by Japanese children, teens, and young adults.
In many Mediterranean cultures, this same gesture is an indication of "You do not fool me", "I SEE your true intentions", or "I was not born yesterday" accompanying emotions of refuting and disdainful disbelief. This is also where the colloquial phrase, "My eye" has its origin (e.g., "Mon œil" in France)
While in some cultures, the eyelid pull may be used in a more serious tone (e.g., "Be watchful"/a warning gesture) - in Turkey, and in other countries, it is meant to convey more of a playful tone/playful sarcasm, and is used more frequently among friends and is more common with younger people (e.g., "I have my eyes on you", or "Do I have 'fool' written in my eye?").
A few moments before (0:57 - 0:59) he displayed the Eyelid Pull, Bryan Cranston uses the phrase, " 'by the way', he says, wink, wink" as he recounted his exchange with the travel agent. Then during 1:17 with the Eyelid Pull, Cranston said, "Say no more". Here, Cranston uses the eyelid pull out-of-context, when he should have used a "wink" he alluded to earlier.
While the vast majority of all nonverbal communication is cross-cultural, it's crucial to fully understand the body language idiosyncrasies of every region.
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Inuit proverb
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See also:
Body Language Analysis No. 4099: Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, and Jim Leavelle
Body Language Analysis No. 4097: Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, and a Tennis Tongue Tell
Body Language Analysis No. 4095: Celtics' Gordon Hayward Breaks His Leg in Dramatic Fashion During Game with Cavaliers
Body Language Analysis No. 4093: Fear and Harvey Weinstein - Emma Watson's Reaction
Body Language Analysis No. 4084: Senator Corker Reacts to Secretary Tillerson's Statement (and President Trump)
Body Language Analysis No. 4077: A Facial Expression Common to Both Bad Actors and Sociopaths
Body Language Analysis No. 4057: Steve Bannon's "60 Minutes" Interview
Body Language Analysis No. 4050: Lady Di - Alpha vs Alpha-Beta Hybrids
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 2313: Elisa Lam Video in Elevator at Cecil Hotel - What Her Body Language Tells Us
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