Jeff Goldblum brings his unique personality to everything from coffee to the people who drink it. Photo / FilmMagic
It simply doesn’t get much more Jeff Goldblummy than The World According To Jeff Goldblum, a new 12-part series on the Disney+ streaming platform. Dominic Corry talks to the actor about playing himself and the origins of the series.
How did this series come about?A couple of years ago
I did three episodes of Nat Geo Explorer; I loved the producers and we hit it off and sometime after that they said: “Hey, maybe wanna do a show of your own?” Ordinary items with extraordinary facets and surprising elements maybe. I thought I could lend myself in some fun way, maybe do it in such a way that’s kind of personal and spontaneous. I like this show, I’m proud of it. It’s a good way of using my time.
So, what does the world according to Jeff Goldblum look like?It’s a moment-to-moment answer. The ordinary mundane world - there’s something extraordinary. For my sensibility and for my money, it’s the people. People to me are just endlessly, infinitely mysterious and beautiful and fascinating and educational.
Where does your curiosity come from?I think it’s natural. But if I hadn’t been an actor and devoted my life to this, I might be another kind of person, it has kind of enhanced and nourished my curiosity. My acting teacher Sandy Meisner said you’re interesting to the extent that you’re interested.
Are you as comfortable being yourself on camera as you are acting?I’ve become more and more comfortable, playing jazz, encountering audiences and presenting myself on talk shows and doing shows like Portlandia and Thor: Ragnorok where Taika Waititi will encourage you to improvise. I’ve become more comfortable and interested in exploring my own so-called personal voice.
