Louis Theroux too famous for British documentaries

It is easier for Louis Theroux to make documentaries in America because he is not as famous there.

The 54-year-old radio host and author has worked on several documentaries in the US, including “Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends,” in which he examined some of the country’s fringe groups, including alien enthusiasts, evangelists and swingers. But he doesn’t think he could do that in the UK anymore because he’s too well known there.

He said on the podcast This Past Weekend: “I’m not that well known in America. If I made a documentary in the UK, I’d be pretty well known.”

“And it’s OK, you could still do it. In a way, it generates more goodwill because they say, ‘Oh, we like Louis, we’ll let him in.’

“Off camera, you might be taking selfies and stuff, which is fine, although it’s kind of a bit time consuming.

“And you think, ‘I’m supposed to be a serious journalist who flies a little under the radar, and here I am taking selfies at a riot.’ You know what I mean?

“I was like, ‘I really need to film this. Sorry, someone’s getting arrested over there.’ ‘Oh, just a quick selfie, come on, buddy.'”

“In America, however, the only place I go is the Miami prison. Nobody will ask me for a selfie there. You know what I mean? And I love that.”

Louis’ latest project for Netflix, Tell Them You Love Me, tells the controversial story of a New Jersey professor convicted of sexually abusing a non-verbal man with cerebral palsy.

Theroux was an executive producer of the film, which documents the true story of Anna Stubblefield and Derrick Johnson.

Louis previously told Tudum: “I originally came across this story maybe 10 years ago through an article in the New York Times and was captivated by it. It was about the fault lines of so many big social issues – around race, sexuality and, yes, disability.”