Traveler with Eugene Levy (with Prince William) comes from Levy’s natural skepticism.
Courtesy of Apple TV
Over the course of the past few years, Eugene Levy has slowly, and somewhat begrudgingly, turned into a yes-man
His flowering is optimal for someone who hosts a show called The Reluctant Traveler, and Levy and director David Brindley both agree that the comedian’s hesitations have waned — at least a little. It’s paying off, too: The third season of the Apple TV series recently picked up two Emmy nominations, one for its writing and another for outstanding hosted nonfiction series or special
“The show naturally seems to program itself around my particular growth as a traveler; last year was quite an amazing season,” Levy says, referring to the eight episodes that sent the Ontario native to far-flung places like Austria, South Korea and a small town in Louisiana. “The locations and subject matter seemed to pop.”
In the early days of The Reluctant Traveler, Levy was quicker to say no when the producers suggested, say, a hot-air balloon ride or a floating hotel on the Amazon River. “I’ve come to the realization that it is actually better to at least keep yourself open to these experiences and locations,” he says
Levy arrives at the show’s destinations with minimal information. The producers hand him a roughly three-page document outlining the area’s history and landmarks, and they briefly prep him on the locals they’ve scouted and spent time with ahead of the shoot. Otherwise, much of what he encounters — from attending a lucha libre match in Mexico to meeting Prince William in the U.K. — is a surprise
Typically, the production spends a week in one location. Four of those long, jam-packed days involve filming with Levy, with the others concentrated around second-unit work meant to capture the look and feel of a place. Brindley says any given season demands a “breadth of color palette.” If an episode set in the desert emphasizes orange, the next might lean toward the green of the rainforest, followed by the white of snow, and so on
Of course, every episode also needs a storyline. The third season was devoted to Levy’s bucket-list destinations, and the fourth, which begins production soon, is aiming to up the ante by pushing Levy further outside of his comfort zone. “He’s agreeing to take on adventures that he’s either said no to in the past or has spent his life avoiding,” Brindley says
At 79, Levy has been pleased to discover that often his discomfort is unwarranted. By nature, he isn’t someone who strikes up conversations with strangers or challenges himself to eat unfamiliar foods. The Reluctant Traveler‘s whimsy comes from that exact skepticism, which Levy turns into curiosity about other people’s exposure to the world
“If we’re trying to create a funny travel show, there are probably a thousand comedians that could have done the job in a much better way,” Levy says. “I think the humor on this show comes out in a much gentler way because it’s coming out of basically who I am.”
