IN WHAT WAYS DOES LOUIS THEROUX ADAPT HIS
PERSONA IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH RAPPORT WITH
THOSE HE DOCUMENTS?
Table of Contents
ABSTRACT
1
ESSAY
2
INTRODUCTION
2
THEROUX THE COMMON MAN
3
SINCERE RELATIONSHIPS
4
OLD FRIENDS
5
DIFFICULTY BONDING
6
THEROUX THE PROVOCATEUR
8
THEROUX THE FUNNY MAN
10
GETTING SERIOUS/CONCLUSION
11
WORKS CITED
13
2
Abstract
Louis Theroux has been a prolific documentary filmmaker for the BBC since his
first series Weird Weekends was broadcast on BBC2. Since then, he has evolved in terms
of his documentary style, dropping the mocking overtones from his first programs in
favor of a more mature, considered approach. This paper aims to analyze how he adapts
his on-screen persona to the situation he is documenting, and how this approach has
helped him establish a rapport with those he has documented. In order to thoroughly
analyze this evolution of persona, notable documentaries were selected from Theroux’s
extensive back-catalogue of over 50 films, as well as several interviews and Theroux’s
book about his travels. In-depth analyses of Theroux’s thoughts on whether or not he
changes his persona are studied, as well as the question as to whether or not the changes
observed are intentional or not. Theroux’s stubborn defense of some provocative
questioning is deconstructed, and the changes in director’s intent throughout his career
are also considered.
The essay details the filmmaker’s evolution from Michael Moore’s apprentice to a
prolific and well-respected documentary filmmaker who tackles difficult topics on a
regular basis. Voiceovers and shot choices are analyzed in how they create meaning, as
well as interview techniques he uses to glean more information from his subjects. The
tone of the programs is assessed; their evolution from mocking to serious is documented
and analyzed. The essay concludes that Theroux has undergone a “puberty” of sorts, from
the provocative and jokey young documentarist from Weird Weekends who created
pieces which could be considered to be mocking, to the mature, considered veteran of the
genre from the Extreme Love specials.
Word Count: 276 words
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INTRODUCTION
The Reithian, state-funded BBC has a longstanding tradition of documentary
reporting, notably in series such as Panorama and Horizon, featuring presenters whose
names became bywords for impartiality (Dimbleby, Paxman, Peston). However, this
notion of impartiality has increasingly been challenged on all sides and many
documentarists today are just as much part of the story as the people they film.
Acknowledging that objectivity is impossible in any story-telling, the second BBC TV
channel opened itself to experimental performative documentarists such as Bruce Parry,
Michael Palin and Charlie Brooker. Louis Theroux is a British documentary filmmaker
who works primarily for BBC2. His career began as an apprentice of renowned American
filmmaker Michael Moore, acting as a British correspondent for Moore’s documentary
series TV Nation (1994-5). Theroux was encouraged to explore American subcultures,
and his first task was to mingle with and interview members of several religious cults
(Canvas+). Theroux’s quirky style of presenting and interviewing garnered attention, and
he was soon offered the chance to make his own documentary series in 1998 – Louis
Theroux’s Weird Weekends. In it, Theroux visits and documents communities viewed as
“outlandish” in mainstream society, in an attempt to immerse himself in their particular
culture and give them a platform to share their opinions – or indeed the potential to
embarrass themselves. He has since made investigating these strange subcultures his
specialty and has gone on to make 50 documentaries for the BBC. His style is
participatory, as he prefers to involve himself and take part in the day-to-day activities of
his subjects. Whilst his style may appear casual and unmediated, Theroux has at times
admitted that he has been required to take on different personas throughout his career.
This chameleon act calls into question the sincerity of the relationships Theroux forms
with his subjects and therefore potentially invalidates conclusions drawn on the topic.
The encounters are often surprising and revelatory and yet Theroux states in an
IAB Mobile Exchange Interview with Richard Eyre in 2012 that he sends subjects tapes
of his past work before he visits them so that they know what to expect when he arrives
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(IAB). In a 90-minute interview given at the May 2012 Docville Festival in Leuven,
Belgium, Theroux states his belief that in his earlier work he had attempted to portray
himself as more naïve, serving to emphasize the difference between Theroux and the
person/persons he was documenting (Docville). Theroux outlines his role as that of the
common man; completely alien to the practices of the people he visited. Just as his
mentor Moore’s physical presence in his movies often served as a provocation (for
example an abrasive house visit to actor Charlton Heston in Bowling for Columbine),
Theroux exploits his gangly frame and academic demeanor, as well as his stereotypically
nerdy dress sense to further stress the difference between himself and his subjects. He
continues by asserting that this fish out of water persona was an extension of his own
personality (Docville). In a 2010 interview with Matthew Stadlen, he disarmingly claims
that his style arises from his own incompetence. He responds to criticism that he tricks
his subjects by appearing to agree with them, while in the final edit it can be inferred that
he is mocking them for entertainment purposes. Theroux concedes that early on his
career, this was true, as his work for Michael Moore’s TV Nation entailed attacking
people (such as the Ku Klux Klan) for their offensive beliefs. He states that when he got
his own series, Weird Weekends, he intended to establish relationships with his subjects,
although he was still trying to shake off the tendencies he had while working on TV
Nation, in order to create his own style (Stadlen).
THEROUX THE COMMON MAN
Theroux claims that while Weird Weekends was meant to have a less serious
overall tone, his desire was that every episode would have someone to whom the
audience could relate along with Theroux. He outlines his desire to move on from his
early work, claiming that creating “real, sincere relationships” allows people to trust him
and express their opinions more freely and truthfully. However, this created a moral
dilemma for Theroux who found it “strange and stressful” when he created a final
broadcast that the subject would find offensive. Theroux claims his desire is “not to hurt
people’s feelings wherever possible” (Docville). Despite this proclamation, Theroux has
often been accused of asking insensitive and provocative questions. In a Guardian
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interview conducted by Rachel Cooke, Theroux explained that he separates his
professional self from his everyday self, thus excusing a particularly controversial line of
questioning, which involved asking why the wife of minor celebrity Paul Daniels still had
no children (Cooke). In the interview with Belgian TV channel Canvas+, Theroux said
that he believed everybody has multiple personas depending on their surroundings. This
claim is substantiated when one compares the naivety displayed in his early work to the
more provocative line of questioning he now employs. He will often continue asking the
same question over and over again, even though he may already know the answer, in
order to elicit a more emotional response from the interviewee (Canvas+). He claims in
the Docville Interview that this is common practice in journalism, although it can often
lead to conflict. Theroux concludes, “Sometimes people just don’t like me”. (Docville)
SINCERE RELATIONSHIPS
Theroux’s initial approach is always to make sure his subjects feel comfortable
around him and get used to seeing him on a daily basis. As such, he nearly always agrees
to meet with his interviewees at a place of their choosing – usually the subject’s home.
When he arrives, he is warm and cordial and engages the interviewee in small talk in an
attempt to form a bond quickly. For example, when visiting adult film star JJ Michaels at
his home, he makes a point of going through all of Michaels’ filmography title by title, as
well as noting all of the action figures Michaels has carefully positioned on a chest of
drawers. These seemingly small actions allow Theroux to gain his interviewees’ trust
quickly, and thus allow the filmmaker to start to ask more difficult questions earlier on in
the process. A particularly notable bond is formed in the Weird Weekends episode on
survivalists, where Theroux is invited to stay at Mike Cain’s home. Cain is an antigovernment survivalist who lives off the land and refuses to pay taxes. In his community
they are prepared for war against the government, and this concerns Theroux, who after
spending several nights at Cain’s house, has grown to become very fond of him. An
emotional scene takes place when Theroux finally leaves, as the camera runs out of tape
before Theroux can gives his final goodbye – the voiceover claiming that Theroux
hugged him and said, “Don’t do anything stupid, Mike.” (Theroux, Louis Theroux's
4
Weird Weekends - Survivalists)
OLD FRIENDS
When asked whether a true friendship is possible with someone he is trying to
find out more about, Theroux claims that early on his career he struggled with the
distinction between being a friend or a journalist. This struggle led him to write a book
about 10 people he visited during the filming of Weird Weekends, seven years after the
episodes were first broadcast. In Call of the Weird, Theroux revisits those 10 subjects in
order to reconnect with them, including Mike Cain and JJ Michaels. Theroux claims he
dealt with some of the guilt he felt for having exploited the good will of these people.
After spending so much time with the subjects and genuinely enjoying the company of
some of them, he felt as though the final documentaries might not have been what the
subjects envisioned and they may have felt deceived (Theroux, Call of the Weird: Travels
in American Subcultures). He develops this in the Canvas+ Interview by saying that
although he believes there is an inherent manipulation involved in all journalism, he has
often wrestled with the fact that the final edit will be so very different when compared to
the original footage. Theroux states in his Docville Interview that he visits subjects at
least twice, though never for more than a week the first time. He claims that by the eighth
day people begin to tire of him, so he has to return to his offices in order to draw up
strategies before revisiting the subject (Docville). Theroux revisited JJ Michaels once
more in his 2012 BBC2 Special Twilight of the Porn Stars, in which he returns to
California to document the decline in the adult industry thanks to internet piracy. When
he visits the now retired Michaels, there is a genuinely touching moment in which they
share a big hug, and it is clear that although they may not be friends, there is a genuine
relationship there.
Theroux states in the Docville interview that in the past his policy was to catch up
with a subject every six months, although as his portfolio became more extensive it
became harder and harder for him to do so. In writing Call of the Weird, Theroux was
disappointed to find out that this practice did not mean as much to the subjects as it did to
him, and thus he abandoned it (Theroux, Call of the Weird: Travels in American
5
Subcultures). He shares a heartwarming story in the Docville interview however, about a
girl whom he had interviewed during his documentary about the Westboro Baptist
Church. She wrote to him months after The Most Hated Family in America was
broadcast, stating that a conversation she had had with him had opened her eyes to a new
way of thinking and that she had now left the church. This eventually led to a follow-up
on the Phelps family 4 years later, entitled America’s Most Hated Family in Crisis. In it,
Theroux documents the Church’s reaction to several of its members leaving and there is
an obvious sense that the members of the church are far more wary of him. There are
clear signs that some of the older members of the Church whom Theroux interviewed
previously are now not as fond of him as they previously were, none more so than the
father of the girl who left, with whom Theroux shares several heated discussions.
(Theroux, America's Most Hated Family In Crisis).
DIFFICULTY BONDING
Theroux has sometimes found it difficult to establish relationships with his
subjects, and there was evidence of a new persona that Theroux had to develop when
filming his Extreme Love specials. While making the special on Autism, Theroux admits
that he is finding it frustrating trying to communicate with Justin, a teenage boy with
severe autism. The teenager ignores him and Theroux concedes that perhaps he is
actually “boring” (Theroux, Extreme Love: Autism). He appears to be extremely
uncomfortable in several moments of the documentary, especially when witnessing a
wild tantrum from a 13 year old. Theroux can be seen looking on unsure what to do
before asking whether he should leave. The mother of the child insists Theroux stay,
telling him that this is “real autism” and that it is exactly what Theroux came to
document. Theroux is clearly uneasy but stays. The cinematography of the special is
edited deliberately to show that Theroux is somewhat out of his depth in a sense, with
several reaction shots showing Theroux about to speak before deciding against it. The
fact that he found it difficult to interview the subjects meant Theroux had to change
tactics and adopt a new persona in order to get what he wanted. He adopts the role of a
sort of extra parent, deciding to communicate with the children non-verbally – he draws
6
and dances for them in another show of genuine emotion. Theroux appears desperate to
be able to help a single mother with autistic twins, and he attempts to engage the boys
with his iPhone. More reaction shots of Theroux appearing frustrated follow, however,
showing that no matter how much he tries, he will not be able to deal with the children as
well as their mother does (IAB).
Theroux continues attempting to establish relationships with those with autism, a
testament to his desire to stick to his approach of making his subjects feel comfortable
around him. More difficulties arise however when an autistic child called Nicky makes
Theroux feel increasingly uncomfortable when Nicky reveals that he has researched
Theroux’s previous works and asks him several questions. He does however show his
genuine desire to connect with Nicky by offering him a hug when the child suffers a
panic attack before school. Theroux states that while he does not want his private life to
be included in his documentaries, he has to allow the children to break the fourth wall in
order to get them to cooperate with him. In an interview with Richard Bacon on BBC
Radio 5 Live, Theroux states that he persisted with the documentary despite the
difficulties filming it in order to paint a real picture of what autism is like. Theroux
claims that most people think they are familiar with autism due to having seen films like
Rain Man, while Theroux discovered that children are usually “much more challenged”.
He acknowledges the difference between the Extreme Love specials and his earlier work
by saying that most of those he documents choose to live an alternate lifestyle, but those
with autism did not have a choice. Theroux explains that he gained a new appreciation for
those with autism, and that once he got to know some of the children they became
“appealing and lovely”. He admits to asking difficult questions to the parents of the
children, namely whether or not they loved their children any less due to their autism.
Theroux said he wrestled once more with the distinction between his personal self and his
journalistic self, feeling that it was necessary to “go to these difficult areas”. He also
argued that by asking these difficult questions he could allow the parents to express their
truest emotions as well. Theroux explained in the interview with Bacon the discomfort he
experienced when Nicky read up on him on Wikipedia. He repeated his statement that the
show cannot be about him, and he felt that it detracted from the true subjects. He also felt
7
uncomfortable because Nicky could have read negative reviews written about Theroux
that claim that he made shows that were “a little bit teasing”, and he did not want the
autistic children to feel as though he was making another documentary about “wacky
people” (BBC Radio 5 Live).
In the other Extreme Love special about dementia, Theroux once more has to
adopt a different strategy in order to interview his subjects. Wearing a “Louis” nametag
throughout the episode, he attempts to understand what it is like to live with Alzheimer’s
disease and how it feels to know someone afflicted. As in the first Extreme Love special,
Theroux resorts to interviewing primarily relations of the subjects, as he does not yet
know how to approach the sufferers themselves. He is warned by staff working at the
care home that he must not conduct interviews about the patients as if they are not there Theroux promptly takes the interviewee outside to continue. Eventually when the
filmmaker attempts to interview those afflicted with dementia, he does so with the utmost
care and politeness. He asks constantly whether he is disturbing the patients, and whether
he can do anything to help. He allows a former dentist to examine his teeth in order to
prevent him from going outside unauthorized. When it is suggested that Theroux take
care of a woman with dementia for a morning, Theroux is clearly uncomfortable and
constantly asks for advice. He attempts very honestly to help her, he compliments her
looks and touches her reassuringly on the shoulder, eventually seeming to forget about
the camera and focusing solely on the task he has been given. In these specials, Theroux
shows a different facet of his personality – one that is caring and considerate, as well as
this time being genuinely naïve and willing to learn.
THEROUX THE PROVOCATEUR
Theroux’s desire to establish rapport between himself and his subjects often leads
him to participate in activities customary to those he is documenting. This often means
that he subjects himself to physical danger or finds himself out of his comfort zone. This
extended to paying 5000 dollars out of his own pocket in order to undergo liposuction, as
well as participating in a Demolition Derby (Theroux, Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends
- Demolition Derby). He does odd jobs around the houses that he stays at as well,
8
including chores at a couple of swingers’ house, and answering the phone at the Wild
Horse brothel in Las Vegas. In doing this, Theroux establishes trust with his subjects and
becomes part of their lives rather than an added distraction. This allows Theroux to gain
added insight into the subcultures he is exploring as well as allowing the audience to see
an interviewee who has their guard down. On occasion, however, Theroux has butted
heads with his subjects, and heated exchanges have occurred. This usually happens when
Theroux vehemently disagreed with the interviewees’ point of view.
Some of the more notable exchanges between Theroux and his subjects come
during the filming of his 2003 BBC2 special Louis and the Nazis, in which Theroux visits
several American neo-Nazis and white supremacists. One discussion in particular stands
out as Theroux becoming more and more provocative. He visits April, the mother of the
White Power music group ‘Lamb and Lynx’ – her two pre-teen daughters singing songs
glorifying the message of Hitler. They proceed to have a heated discussion in the kitchen.
The change in Theroux’s approach is abrupt and shocking, as he challenges April on
several topics. At one point, he warns her that she should be in therapy as she is clearly
clinically insane. The framing of the discussion is very deliberately set out to show the
gulf of opinion between the two, as Theroux takes several steps away from her in an
attempt to put as much space between April and himself. While the filmmaker is
normally polite and willing to let his interviewees share their opinions without arguing
with them, he actively attacks April’s beliefs, saying that they are uncivilized. It is clear
that the sequence has been edited, as a clock on the microwave behind April goes back
and forth throughout the discussion. While Theroux claims that he never intends to hurt
anybody’s feelings, it can be implied that he does not wish to establish any form of
rapport with April at all.
The provocative nature of Theroux’s questioning continues further in Louis and
the Nazis, even going as far as to put himself in physical danger. He makes a home visit
to Skip, an extreme skinhead. When there, he asks if it would be a problem if he revealed
that he was Jewish. During the Docville interview, Theroux states that he is an atheist
with a Christian background, and had pursued this line of questioning in order to create
9
conflict intentionally. When asked if he is a Jew or not, Theroux intentionally gives
cryptic answers, neither confirming nor denying his background. He excuses this evasion
by saying that he believes that if he declared himself to be Jewish there would be a
difference in their relationship, and as such he does not wish to contribute to any ill
feeling. Skip and his friends to not take kindly to Theroux’s actions, and say that if
Theroux did not have a camera crew with him, they would torture and beat him. Theroux
puts on a brave face and claims that he has been respectful to Skip and as such if they
take offense to a line of questioning he will move on. His fear becomes apparent however
when Skip asks for the camera to be switched off. He nervously walks away from Skip’s
residence without having gained any significant understanding of the Neo-Nazi
movement. Theroux stated in the Docville interview that he felt Louis and the Nazis
required a climax in the third act, and as such pushed harder to create conflict (Docville).
The confrontational style of some of Theroux’s questioning has sometimes hindered his
career. Theroux once sought an interview with Michael Jackson and was turned down by
Jackson’s friend Uri Geller, who claimed that Theroux’s behavior was “snaky”,
preferring instead to arrange an interview with ITV journalist Martin Bashir. Geller made
this claim after having seen an episode of Theroux’s Weird Weekends, where he openly
mocked Indian Gurus by singing Culture Club’s “Chameleon” to them.
THEROUX THE FUNNY MAN
Whilst most of the examples cited above concern confrontation of serious subject
matter, humor is an important tool for Theroux, and he used it to great effect in his earlier
work. It is often through the cinematography that Theroux makes jokes, be it either
placing a reaction shot after an awkward encounter, or through the synching of what is on
camera and Theroux’s voiceover. Theroux claims in his Docville interview that filming
reaction shots is something that he does not particular enjoy, “but sometimes you have to
do it” (Docville). He does make a point, however, of never making his contributors film
reaction shots that are spliced in, as he feels this detracts from the reality of what is being
shown. He revealed in the interview that he had to stage one interview during filming
Louis and the Nazis, in which he accused a Neo-Nazi of being hypocritical for
befriending someone of Peruvian descent. Theroux claimed that he had had the
10
discussion on camera naturally, but the film had been unusable due to a sound issue. He
then reluctantly had to film the “powerful encounter” again (Theroux, Louis and the
Nazis). Theroux works with two camera operators in order to record himself and the
subject, allowing him to show the full range of expressions and emotions of both parties.
The UFO episode of Weird Weekends had several examples of Theroux’s intent to
convey humor through cinematography, especially when out hunting aliens with Thor
Templar – a man who claimed he had shot and killed over 50 extraterrestrial beings.
Theroux constructs the shots on the hunt skillfully, maintaining the documentary format
but making clear homages to the Western genre, adding Ennio Marricone’s Fistful of
Dollars theme over shots of him and Templar holding guns with the wind blowing
through their hair. The enjoyment for the viewer comes not just from the humorous
nature of the shots but also the infectious smile that Theroux shows, making it clear that
he is genuinely enjoying what he is doing, no matter how silly he thinks it is.
GETTING SERIOUS
In making the later Extreme Love specials, however, Theroux loses the humorous
nature of some of the shots and goes for a more emotionally appealing final product.
There are fewer reaction shots of Theroux, and the voiceovers from the filmmaker are
always appropriate and thought provoking. Theroux explained in an interview with ITV’s
Lorraine Kelly in 2012 that he was taking “a leap into the unknown” when doing the
specials (ITV). He felt that after having made so many specials on controversial subjects
with people who some consider “monsters”, interviews with genuine people would help
him to “just tell the story” rather than also creating characters (ITV). Theroux has clearly
evolved over his prolific career, and his persona has grown and changed along with him.
It can be said that he has retired the false naivety and mocking overtones in favor of a
more respectful and thoughtful participant. In the Extreme Love specials, Theroux is still
as friendly and charming as ever, although the documentaries now follow a more
emotional narrative. It can be argued that Theroux has developed his style from being
performative to being a more expository documentary filmmaker, far from the ilk of
Michael Moore, the man who kick-started Theroux’s career. He has been productive
11
during his relatively short career, and at 44, he remains at the cutting edge of a kind of
investigative journalism which reveals as much about the interviewer as the interviewee.
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Works Cited
America's Most Hated Family In Crisis. Dir. Louis Theroux. Perf. Louis Theroux. BBC.
2011.
BBC Radio 5 Live. Richard Bacon Interview - Louis Theroux "Extreme Love - Autism"
. 24 April 2014. 1 September 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuAxcKtqOw>.
Canvas+. Louis Theroux Interview 1/3. 2 May 2009. 1 September 2014
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnaekEJ_nSs>.
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Cooke, Rachel. "The Interview | Louis Theroux." 30 September 2007. The Guardian.
1 September 2014
<http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2007/sep/30/featuresreview.review1
4>.
Docville. Louis Theroux Masterclass @ Docville 2012. 8 May 2012. 1 September
2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzrHog0mwTY>.
Extreme Love: Autism. By Louis Theroux. Dir. Louis Theroux. Perf. Louis Theroux.
BBC. 2012.
IAB. Mobile Engage 2012 | Fireside chat with Louis Theroux . 24 May 2012. 1
September 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O9TOABP7GI>.
ITV. ITV - Lorraine - Louis Theroux Interview (25/4/12). 25 April 2012. 3
September 2014 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtfHs3X8Uqg>.
Louis and the Nazis. By Louis Theroux. Dir. Louis Theroux. Perf. Louis Theroux. BBC.
2003.
Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends - Demolition Derby. By Louis Theroux. Dir. Louis
Theroux. Perf. Louis Theroux. BBC. 1999.
Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends - Survivalists. Perf. Louis Theroux. n.d.
Stadlen, Matthew. Five Minutes with Louis Theroux. 17 April 2010. 1 September
2014 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8625892.stm>.
Theroux, Louis. Call of the Weird: Travels in American Subcultures. London:
Macmillan, 2005.
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