Sex symbol, porn star, law-breaker and neo-Nazi target – there’s more to the maverick documentary-maker Louis Theroux than meets the eye. Did you know?
By Paul Barfoot
Unlikely heartthrob
Geeky and gangly Louis may not be blessed with the body of an Adonis, but his big brown Bambi eyes and foppish charms have made him the thinking woman’s sex symbol. In 2001 he ranked seventh in ‘Tatler’ magazine’s ‘Little Black Book’ of Britain’s hottest bachelors (beating singer Robbie Williams and actor Joseph Fiennes), and in 2005 he charted tenth on ‘Heat’ magazine’s infamous ‘Weird Crush’ list.Celebrity disdain
Unlike those that find Mr Theroux a bit of a hunk, certain celebrities have not been so favourable or complimentary with their views on Louis – particularly those that participated in the ‘When Louis Met’ series and found themselves at the sharp end of his cunning interviewing techniques. After Louis insolently quizzed Ann Widdecombe about her alleged virginity (he had vowed to avoid the prickly topic that she had famously threatened to sue a reporter over in the past), the former politician commented: “He rather charmingly pretends to be terribly naive when doing his silly act.” Similarly, the former TV personality Jimmy Savile venomously called Louis “the piranha fish of interviewers” after appearing on the show.Hooker Theroux
Louis believes that his day job is akin to being a lady of the night. “Prostitutes and journalists are not that dissimilar, especially when it comes to human interest journalism that involves a little bit of beguiling and seduction. You have to become intimate in a slightly fake way with people. But there are moments of realness within the prostitute relationship, just as there are within the journalist relationship,” declared Mr Theroux.Blue debut
As one of TV land’s most respected journalists, Louis is a far cry from a streetwalker – but he has starred in a saucy top-shelf film. While investigating the San Fernando Valley porn industry for his ‘Weird Weekends’ series, he accepted the walk-on part of Park Ranger in a gay porn movie, but Louis’ cameo was of a strictly non-sexual nature.Low-key Louis
Unlike the people that populate his documentaries, Mr Theroux is extremely cagey about baring his soul to the world. When he does give interviews, it is on the proviso that the agenda is strictly TV talk – to the point that he has been accused of being “obsessively private”. In his defence, Louis claims that his preference to keep his personal affairs on the low-down is a professional strategy to safeguard the quality of his shows. “I do think that if you are in the public eye you have to keep something back. I don’t want to become a human soap opera. I always worry if I talk too much about myself I’ll sort of become less interesting as a character in the programmes themselves,” declared Louis shrewdly.Life-changing TV
‘The Most Hated Family in America’ (a documentary that saw Louis shadow the Phelps clan and a 71-strong congregation of the Westboro Baptist Church that is notorious for its homophobic beliefs and picketing funerals of American soldiers), not only shocked viewers, but also had a profound impact on some of the folk that featured in it. “Since taping, several of the younger people in the church have run off to pursue more normal lives. One of the girls who left e-mailed me to say that our conversations during taping were one of the motivations that made her leave,” revealed Louis.Slimming assignment
In 2007, Louis gained kudos for sucking it up (or rather, sucking it out) in the line of a great journalistic story in ‘Under the Knife’, a documentary that investigated the obsessive world of plastic surgery in California. In order to get under the skin of the controversial subject matter, Louis shelled out £2,500 of his own cash to undergo liposuction after being advised that his excess blubber made him an ideal candidate for the procedure, and he was filmed having 500cc of fat vacuumed from his mid-rift under local anaesthetic. “My abdomen is leaner and more sculpted. My doughnut is basically gone. Though I haven't had many compliments – and I won't be standing in for Brad Pitt any time soon – it does definitely look better. I don't regret getting it done. It's just one more of life's experiences,” commented the new-and-improved Theroux after the show had aired (and the swelling had subsided).Hardcore journalism
Brushing shoulders with shady folk for a living carries considerable risks, and Louis has a week-long ‘Hostile Environments’ course under his belt should he need to fend for himself. However, it seemed a futile safety measure when getting up-close and personal with the incarcerated at the notorious San Quentin prison for his 2008 ‘Behind Bars’ documentary – an assignment that Louis referred to as his “most mature piece of work”. “It was definitely darker, scarier and more uncomfortable than usual,” said Theroux, who had to don a bullet-proof to avoid being stabbed during his visit, and was subjected to guards having to fire gun shots to tame unruly convicts and combat a potential riot during filming. “I was more nervous about doing this documentary than any one I've done before,” he concluded.Stuff and nonsense
As the son of the celebrated novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux, Louis is a bit of a bookworm himself and secretly wishes he had penned one of his favourite non-fiction reads – Truman Capote's ‘In Cold Blood’. He claims his first real crush was on Babs from the 70s TV dance troupe Pan's People, and that he doesn’t care much for fashion. “It's a bit sick, isn't it, people spending all that money on clothes? I'm too stingy. I wouldn't pay £100 for a shirt," stated Louis. Despite being guarded about his private life, Mr Theroux has publicly professed that eight months of cognitive behavioural therapy helped him curb his tendency to get over-concerned and over-react about things. It worked – he didn’t worry too much when he discovered he was on the neo-Nazi group Combat 18’s hit list as a result of some of his contentious reportage. He also likes a game of Frisbee in his spare time (and probably has a killer reach being 6' 2" tall).