‘I felt like a trespasser and imposter’: Louis Theroux to be awarded prestigious NFTS fellowship
Louis Theroux will be honoured with the prestigious National Film and Television School (NFTS) fellowship next month.
The renowned interviewer – who has been working in the business for over three decades, and whose Weird Weekends were the stuff of legend – admits he initially felt like “a trespasser” and “imposter” in his front-of-screen role.
Never going to film school himself, the now world-famous presenter and documentarian got his first job as a print journalist in America after graduating from Oxford University.
His big break came on Michael Moore’s TV Nation series, as a roving reporter delving into offbeat culture, later striking up a deal with the BBC resulting in Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends.
A first-person storyteller, who disarms his subjects with charm, Theroux’s interviews frequently result in the unexpected.
Commenting on his upcoming award, Theroux said: “I came into the industry more than thirty years ago, feeling like a trespasser, an imposter, in a role meant for someone else, worrying that I would be found out, hoping I could keep going for a few more months, since I was enjoying it so much.
“All these years later, I’ve learned that ‘keeping going’ may be the best definition of success.”
Admitting that like those just starting out in the field, he too is “still figuring things out”, he said he hoped the fellowship would give him the chance to “connect with younger people… sharing the few things I’ve learned, and more importantly learning from them”.
Theroux at the Church of Scientology building in LA. Pic: BBC/BBCWorldwide
Theroux went on to interview a host of celebrities in When Louis Met…, including Jimmy Savile, who is now known to have been one of the UK’s most prolific sexual predators.
Haunted by the interaction, Theroux would go on to interview some of Savile’s victims in a follow-up 16 years later.
Theroux has also fronted various documentaries across BBC1 and BBC2 and released the 2016 feature-length documentary My Scientology Movie.
The author of several books, he currently hosts his own podcast series.
Theroux and his wife Nancy Strang in 2019. Pic: PA
In 2019, he set up his own production company, Mindhouse, with his wife Nancy Strang and filmmaker Arron Fellows, producing documentary film and TV series, as well as his podcast.
Theroux recently revealed he was suffering from alopecia, initially resulting in the loss of his eyebrows.
In true Theroux style, the 54-year-old has been documenting his hair loss journey on social media, seeking advice and sharing updates with his followers.
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NFTS chair Sophie Turner Laing praised Theroux’s “immense contribution” to the world of factual filmmaking, adding: “His ability to connect with audiences and uncover powerful human stories makes him a true icon in the industry.”
Previous recipients of the honorary fellowship include James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, Wallace And Gromit creator Nick Park, director Sam Mendes and children’s author Malorie Blackman.
NFTS graduates have gone on to win 15 Oscars and 166 BAFTAs since the school opened half a century ago, with current graduates’ work on show at the BFI Southbank from Monday 3 March to Thursday 6 March.
The fellowship will be awarded to Theroux during the school’s graduation ceremony on Friday 7 March.
