The renowned documentary maker has met some of the world’s most controversial, intriguing – and downright bizarre – people during his career.
Sharing his story on stage at WTM London on Wednesday (8 November), Theroux offered the packed audience of travel professionals some sage advice from his wide-ranging catalogue of interviews.
He recalled a heated exchange while filming his 2008 documentary Louis Theroux’s African Hunting Holiday in South Africa, during which he explored the highly controversial world of trophy hunting tourism.
Theroux described how, after questioning the practice of breeding and keeping lions on a farm for international tourists to pay to ‘hunt’, he got into a confrontation with the farm’s owner.
“Basically, he went nuts and was deeply offended,” he explained, going on to impart his rather tongue-in-cheek advice for what not to do in a difficult interview.
“He put this hand over the camera lens which, by the way, if you are ever confronted by an interviewer, never ever do that – I don’t know whether this will be useful advice, we’re in a business-to-business setting today [at WTM] so I guess it’s not impossible.
“If you have been accused of something roguish or unscrupulous in your advertising of your holidays, or whatever, and I arrive and say, ‘Ha! It’s been alleged…’, don’t put your hand over the camera lens because that will make you look very guilty.
“In the moment, I was like, ‘he’s going to hit me’, and then another little voice in my head was saying, ‘well this is fantastic – this bit is going in the documentary!’.”
Theroux also discussed his passion for travel and what he looks for when seeking out experiences with different cultures. “For me, the most enriching experiences I’ve had in my life have been about meeting extraordinary people, rather than going extraordinary distances,” he said.
“I love Australia, and there are extraordinary places in Australia, but the culture in certain respects is quite similar to British culture. But if you can fly to somewhere like Marrakech, [you can] feel like you are on the other side of the world in just a short plane ride.
“The feeling of travelling massive distances, without moving great distances, is what I enjoy. You can travel by walking 400 metres down the road in London. It’s such a polyglot city, and there’s so much under our noses.”
Theroux continued: “I see people trying to have experiences, rather than simply just going to places. It’s those immersive encounters that mean you get deep quickly and meet people in ways that absolutely open your minds.
“The most privileged experience is one that feels intimate to my mind, and in a world that is increasingly divided – and a lot of that has to do with social media and the nature of how technology is changing the human landscape – those chances to experience lives through different eyes and to have an intimate encounter in someone’s home or livelihood.
“You’re getting inside places that aren’t just giving you a buffet and an Elvis show, not that I’m not partial to an Elvis show. Getting the deep insight into how other people live, you can take things away and that gets you excited and I see that more and more in other people.”
He also revealed his desire to visit North Korea for a future documentary – and even joked to the audience about setting up a travel agency offering trips to the highly secretive, totalitarian state.
