After wake-up call, Eugene Levy embraces spirit of adventure
At 77, Eugene Levy was happy planting his rear end on the couch. Until he realized he wasn’t.
“I was one of those guys who was comfortable sitting at home, which is a very comfortable place on a very cushy piece of furniture,” says the Canadian actor known for playing flustered middle-aged men.
Then one day, the “Schitt’s Creek” star had an epiphany.
“You need that kick-in-the-can moment to get out of your comfort zone,” he says. “My big moment was when I realized that I wasn’t trying things I should be doing — I wasn’t trying anything at all.
“They say to travel is to live. Living for me meant getting out there,” Levy adds. “The world can be yours at any age if you embrace your spirit of adventure. Believe me, it’s there. Sometimes, you just need to wake it up.”
It’s even better when a camera crew can follow you around and fans can join in the ah-ha moments.
Levy has plenty of those while trekking across the globe on his Apple TV+ series, “The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy.”
Its second season, dropping March 8, will send Levy off the beaten path in Europe, where he has moose-tracking adventures, visits his mother’s childhood home for the first time and takes a bite out of French cuisine in Saint-Tropez.
A hay bath under German thatched roofs on the island of Sylt? He’s in. Learning medieval customs and harvesting grapes in Italy? “Sign me up for anything,” Levy says. “Prior to this show, my idea of extreme travel was having no Wi-Fi.”
Levy, who lives in Los Angeles, has been married to producer and screenwriter Deborah Divine since 1977. They have two famous children, actor-director Dan Levy and actress Sarah Levy, both of whom starred with their father on “Schitt’s Creek.”
His good life tips:
Give yourself a push
Levy credits “The Reluctant Traveler” with “gently forcing me to do things I wouldn’t normally do. And it’s really exhilarating. I’m still growing as a person,” he continues. “I’m more enlightened now. Taking chances is good for anyone. And just remember: You can’t form an opinion about something or someplace if you say no, no, no, no. Stop saying no to life. Just give it a go. Give yourself that little push.”
Shock yourself
Levy said he found himself in very odd places — and ones that he quickly came to love — while filming his series. “Yes, I was in mosquito-infested woods and participating in a moose calling. You stop and think, ‘I can’t believe I’m actually here when there are places far more comfortable, yet this is so exciting.’ … I never had shepherding 400 sheep through the most expensive street in Germany on my bucket list, and it certainly never came up in my life until it just happened. Sometimes the unexpected is the most fun.”
Uncover your past
In one poignant episode of the new season, Levy visits the tenement home where his mother lived in Glasgow, Scotland. “It was 11 people in my mom’s small apartment,” he says. “Three tiny rooms, 11 people, and a toilet outside the building with three sides, no door. Or if you were one of the lucky families, you were able to use the toilet at the end of every floor. My mom would have to sleep in the kitchen. Four in a bed.”
His lesson from digging into the past? “Mom told us about those days, but she never talked about how bad things were,” he says. “She never complained. She just said it was an experience. It made me tear up to see how she lived. The beautiful part was I could tangibly feel that connection to my mother.”
Put it in perspective
Levy says that witnessing how others around the world live with very little material possessions was a wake-up call. “You think back on your life and what you complained about in the past and some of it seems ridiculous,” he says. “Life is about perspective.”
Face your fears
“You never know what the body will do when it’s in abject terror,” says Levy, who had one of those moments while in the woods of a small town in Sweden with a man who asked him to blow into a horn to call moose.
What would he have done if a 1,500-pound moose had come charging at them? “Running would have been a big part of my plan,” Levy says. “Hiding behind a tree trunk was a choice, but we were surrounded by little trunks, so it wouldn’t do for me to hide behind those trees. I guess you’re supposed to just let that charging moose pass you by. I’d have to take my chances with standing because I’m a slow runner.”
Lessons in parenting
“What do I tell my kids?” Levy says. “I tell them you have to be who you are. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And try things you wouldn’t normally try because it’s better to be out there and be in there … as in listening to that little voice asking, ‘Why didn’t you just try?’ … I also learn from my kids. They’ve taught me how to talk to people because they’re such social animals. I wasn’t one to openly engage in conversations with people I just met because I can be a little shy. My kids taught me to just start talking.”
Open your ears
Levy is half of one of Hollywood’s longest-lasting couples. “I’ve been married for 46 years. Not bad,” he says. “Everyone always wants my advice, which is simple. Listening is good advice.”
