Since the mid-1970s, offbeat actor Jeff Goldblum has been entertaining audiences with his outside-the-box performances in acclaimed and popular films such as David Cronenberg’s The Fly, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok.
Now, Goldblum is embarking on an entirely different sort of venture: the travelogue documentary series The World According to Jeff Goldblum— developed and produced by National Geographic– which premieres this fall on the highly anticipated new streaming service Disney+. And this past weekend at D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, he appeared on stage to discuss what viewers can expect when they tune in to the sure-to-be-entertaining show.
Watch Jeff Goldblum talks about “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” at D23 Expo 2019:
When Jeff Goldblum first took the Disney+ stage at D23 Expo, he came out singing the famous “M-I-C K-E-Y” theme song from The Mickey Mouse Club, in an apparent expression of enthusiasm for his show’s (and National Geographic’s) new corporate leadership. His eccentricities were on full display as he sat down next to TV Guide’s Jim Halterman to chat about the ins and outs of The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Goldblum started out by explaining how the series’ twelve episodes came to be: “Last year I did this show National Geographic Explorer. They were going through this cycle where they have some types like me take over the hosting duties of a couple episodes. That’s how I got a foothold in the Nat Geo family. We had a good time together and I think [this new show] came out of that.”
Each episode of The World According to Jeff Goldblum runs roughly thirty minutes long and explores a different topic– from tattoos to ice cream to sneakers to bicycles– relying on Goldblum’s natural charm and curiosity to help viewers learn more about the subject matter of the week. “I’m curious, but everybody’s curious,” he says. “It’s natural to all of us. Believe it or not, I have two little boys– a four-year-old and a two-year-old. They are naturally wildly curious. I don’t think they’re taking after me.”
“The whole show is extemporaneous. It’s all sort of [in Italian] improvisatori. I make up things, even when talking to the camera, about what we’re going through. There’s an episode on ice cream– I found that show very touching, very sweet. At one point I’m getting excited and I say to the camera, ‘As my father used to say to me, ‘the kid is stimulated.’’ He said that on one occasion, when I first discovered acting.”
And how did the minds behind The World According to Jeff Goldblum come up with the list of topics to be covered? “[The producers] had an idea about what subjects might be interesting, ran them by us, I had some vote in it early on. As we’ve gone on since then, I have now a more proactive and educated idea about what we might want to do, if we do more.”
“The premise of the show is me, with all the information and experience that my life has entailed up until this point, now plopping me into the world of– and an exploration of– one thing or another. It’s not as if I do some extra homework, research, [or] bone up on it so that I can then pretend to know something about it and then tell you. It’s not like that. I encounter interesting people around these subjects, and you go along with me, if you’re so inclined. We have this experience together. That’s the idea.”
Watch The World According to Jeff Goldblum official trailer:
The World According to Jeff Goldblum premieres with the launch of Disney+ on Tuesday, November 12.