TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews
Morgan Spurlock Takes a Bite Out of the Big Issues
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July 26 -- A guy with a mouthful of fries.
Morgan Spurlock was that guy, and he used that memorable image to promote his Academy Award nominated documentary 'Super Size Me.' The film followed the gross misadventures of Spurlock as he ate nothing but McDonald's fast food for 30 days.
The film was a hit, and it enabled Spurlock to create '30 Days' on FX, about people spending a month with others who have different views. In the six episodes from season one, we had stories ranging from a Christian living with a Muslim-American couple and a straight guy living with a gay man in San Francisco. The season one DVD is out now, and season two kicks off on FX with six more episodes around issues such as outsourcing, new age medicine and abortion.
In an interview with AOL Television editor Sean Doorly, Spurlock chatted about the challenges of filming '30 Days,' the legacy of 'Super Size Me' and how he now avoids fast food.
For people not familiar with '30 Days,' how would you describe it, and why should people tune in?
'30 Days' is a social experiment where we explore issues of our society in a way that is fun and entertaining by taking someone from one walk of life and one set of beliefs and immersing them in an environment that is completely antithetical to their own. Giving them a chance to walk a mile in someone else's shoes and to see the world through someone else's eyes. People should tune in because the show doesn't go down like medicine. You would think a show like this is going to be so heavy and boring, but the show is really entertaining. Just like how we made fast food and obesity epidemic in America engaging in 'Supersize Me,' we do the same in '30 Days.'
Where did you get the idea for '30 Days?'
I got the idea when I finished 'Super Size Me.' We had a test screening for the film that was so well received and people started arguing and debating the issue right after the screening. This was fantastic, so I thought it would be great to do a television show where we could explore more issues on a more timely basis and hopefully get the same results of people having a civil dialogue at the end.
I didn't think it was going to be possible to make season two better than season one. I thought we hit it out of the park in season one. Season two has exceeded every expectation I had. The issues were even more timely, more pertinent and larger hot button issues. The season two premiere deals with the immigration issue in America. We took a border-patrolling Minuteman and moved him in with a family of illegal Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles. For 30 days here are two sides of this argument and the Minuteman is saying, "If I had the opportunity to call INS right now and have you guys deported tomorrow ..." and to hear from the family why it is so important to be here and provide for their families. It is a fantastic tit for tat to hear the back and forth.
What do you think the legacy of the 'Supersize Me' documentary is?
I get stopped by parents, kids, health teachers, gym teachers and politicians who use it to pass legislature. To me that this little film has become a lighting rod for bigger issues is inspiring. I'm in awe every day by the film. I get stopped by parents every day who since seeing the film have stopped eating fast food and get home early to cook and sit down and eat with their family.
How has your life changed personally and professionally?
Professionally it is amazing to be in position to pick up the phone and get the call returned. I have been really fortunate that I'm in a place where I can pick and choose what I want to make. It really is a blessing. Personally, one of the greatest things that came out of the whole experience for me I was really lucky to have a partner like Alice go through the whole journey with me. She was there when I had the idea for 'Super Size Me.' She was in the film. She traveled around the world when I promoted the movie. I have grown so much more as a person in the post 'Super Size Me' world and a lot of that I can credit to her.
The season one DVD is out now. What can we expect to see?
It is a chance for people to share episodes that they love with other people that didn't get to see them. It is a chance for them to hear a little bit more from the participants. We have great diary cams that we couldn't put in the show. It's great to hear from people going through the journey in their own words what they were dealing with and what they were thinking. There is great commentary on a bunch of the episodes from the participants and myself. To hear them reflect on it now a year later is great.
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