Fri. Nov 8th, 2024
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“Schitt’s Creek”  star Eugene Levy is traveling up a river without a paddle in the Apple TV+ series “The Reluctant Traveler.” 

Despite visiting exotic locations – Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Maldives, Portugal, South Africa – and staying in stunning luxury hotels where the room rates soar above $1,000 a night, Levy, 76, points out the obvious: It’s a travel show hosted by a curmudgeon who loathes traveling. 

“I’m just not an adventurous guy,” Levy tells USA TODAY. “It’s the whole experience, starting with: I hate airports. Taking off my shoes and belt, putting my laptop and phone in separate bins. And then security goes through my bag. And the worst that happened recently: At the gate, I realized I forgot my laptop in the bin, but you can’t just go back, because you already went through security. Well, just let me go home then.”

Here’s how Levy, who won two Emmys producing and starring in “Schitt’s Creek,” became the grimacing face of “The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy” (streaming weekly on Fridays). 

Eugene Levy gets ready for an icy plunge in Finland for "The Reluctant Traveler" on AppleTV+. "Water is not my thing. I'm not a strong swimmer," he says.

Producers made a travel show offer no one could refuse. Eugene Levy did.

AppleTV+ producers approached Levy with an idea that no sane person would turn down: Hosting an international luxury hotel show called “A Room With A View.”

“I thought, ‘Jeez, there are 8,000 people jumping through the roof to do this show,” Levy says. “But I had to be honest. I’m just not the person for the job. I don’t even like going off the beaten track.”

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