How ‘The Reluctant Traveler’ Made Eugene Levy Empathize With Endangered Animals
At 76, Eugene Levy is still trying new things. His Apple TV+ travel show The Reluctant Traveler took Levy to eight exotic destinations. Some of his favorites included dog sledding and feeding rhinos in South Africa. The latter, specifically, gave him a newfound affinity for endangered animals.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet attended a press conference with Levy in January. You can watch Levy’s adventures in South Africa now on Apple TV+, and he shared why he fell in love with the rhinos.
Before ‘The Reluctant Traveler’ Eugene Levy never desired to visit South Africa
As Levy explained, he initially said no to a travel show. Given his resistance, Apple named it The Reluctant Traveler. So, Levy went along with the show, but otherwise would never have instigated a trip to South Africa.
“South Africa for example, was a location I never really had a keen interest in going to,” Levy said. “Again, not an outdoorsy person, didn’t really love the idea of going on safari because making a trip that far just to see these animals that I’d already seen on TV, I know what they look like. Do I need to see them roaming around in a big field out there somewhere?”
Meeting endangered species in South Africa was moving
The South Africa episode of The Reluctant Traveler took Levy to Kruger National Park. Levy was moved by the peril endangered species face.
Getting to the Kruger National Park in South Africa, the shocking thing to me was I all of a sudden grew an affinity for not only the landscape of this country but the creatures that were in the landscape. I never thought I would feel that. The sense of danger that these animals are in on a day to day basis from poachers and hunters, I felt it in my gut being there. Going to a rhino conservancy and seeing these orphan rhinos and what’s happened to them and how they’re being tended to and how almost extinct now the rhino population is. That’s something that affected me that I truly never thought would affect me before I had this show, certainly before I traveled there. Eye openers for me.
Eugene Levy press conference, 1/19/23
People stood out to Eugene Levy in ‘The Reluctant Traveler’
Aside from the animals Levy saw, he met locals in each episode. Part of being a reluctant traveler was Levy admits to being more introverted. He appreciated learning how to open up with friendly strangers.
“I’m enjoying the people that I’m meeting,” Levy said. “Just the ability of interacting with people, that has always been a thing with me. I’ve always been on the quieter side of things, don’t initiate a lot. I really loved the conversations that I had with all these people at all these different locations. Those were the most memorable. That’s what I took home in my memory bank for the most part.”
Aside from the animals and people, not every Reluctant Traveler experience was a winner either.
“If you have a natural sense of adventure then you’re going to love everything you’re doing,” Levy said. “You’re going to try every dish that’s put in front of you to eat, you’re going to try it. You’re going to sample it. I’m still at a point where there’s things I wouldn’t even sample. I would just say, ‘No, thank you.’ So I still have a ways to go.”
