Doc Talk Podcast Packs Its Bag For A Trip Around The World With ‘The Reluctant Traveler’s Eugene Levy

For a guy who admits he doesn’t enjoy the hassle of going through airport security and the inevitable inconveniences of international travel, Eugene Levy has been getting around quite a bit lately.

The actor, writer and Schitt’s Creek Emmy winner hopscotches throughout Europe – Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Scotland and more – in the second season of his nonfiction series The Reluctant Traveler, now streaming on Apple TV+. As the title of the series suggests, he’s not a “Heck yeah, I’m up for anything!” kind of guy, and part of the charm of the show is seeing him tiptoe beyond his comfort zone.

Levy joins the latest edition of Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast to discuss what he’s learned about the world and himself while making the show, which is in contention for Emmy consideration. He also explains what finally convinced him to sign onto the series after he turned it down initially. 

Director and executive producer David Brindley also takes part in the conversation, sharing what proposed adventures Levy could not be convinced to do, and a few activities he surprisingly agreed to. One of them involved examining an elephant – and not from the front end.

Levy meets up with a glamorous Hollywood star in St. Tropez. And he tells us how he managed to rewrite a key part of the history of Western art after he came face-to-face, or rather face-to-midsection, with Michelangelo’s statue of David in Florence.

That’s on the new episode of Doc Talk, a 2024 Webby Awards honoree, co-hosted by Oscar winner John Ridley and Matt Carey, Deadline’s documentary editor. The pod is a production of Deadline and Ridley’s Nō Studios, presented with support from National Geographic Documentary Films. 

Listen to the episode above or on major podcast platforms including Spotify, iHeart and Apple.