The documentary maker puts himself in the firing line for his new flick.
Morgan Spurlock has made a name for himself by stepping into other people’s shoes. He journeyed across America eating only fast food in Super Size Me. And in his latest documentary, Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?, he travels through the Middle East to find out what ordinary people really think of Osama Bin Laden.
You and your wife Alex discovered you were having a baby before you left for the Middle East to film this.
She wasn’t happy at all. At that moment, the movie took a shift from not being about “Where is he [Osama]” to “What kind of world am I bringing a kid into?” Anyone who’s a parent or about to be can relate to that. She saw that it was important to me and urged me to make this film. I spoke to her every day but I didn’t tell her everything that happened because I didn’t want to scare her to death.
When did you feel most in danger?
When we were in Afghanistan. Whenever you’re with the troops in a war zone you can’t help but feel at risk. These guys are targets every day. We’re with them when they get ambushed. We were fortunate but things can go incredibly wrong when you’re with these guys.
Have you had any ideas for documentaries that were just too dangerous to follow through with?
I remember when we did Super Size Me, I said to my wife that it would be great to do a film about drug addiction and she said, “No, it’s not happening!” That one was nipped in the bud in like five minutes.
What was most eye opening part of making this film?
The greatest thing I got out of the movie was just the people we met. We get one version of the people that live overseas, you know, the people who hate America, burning flags, that kind of thing. Getting to go into people’s homes and talking to them on a human level, it showed it’s not like that, they are real people who do not hate America. They want change, for things to be better for their families.
How were you treated?
I was treated incredibly well. There were places where people were very confrontational with us, wanting to get right in our face. Some wanted to tell us it’s all our [USA’s] fault, but then you can get onto a proper dialogue with them once they’ve vented their frustration.
Did you really think you would find Osama?
The chances of us finding him were slim and we were hoping that the journey we go on to find him would be just as interesting. We shot 1000 hours of footage and we could have put together 6 or 7 different movies. We wanted to show the people you wouldn’t normally see in the media.
Was this experience more difficult than eating junk food for a month in Super Size Me?
This was a much more harrowing experience, travelling to some of these places and being in this world where from the minute you walk in, you’re seen by a lot of people as the enemy. It’s a much more personal movie than Super Size Me in a lot of ways.
You’re often compared to Bowling for Columbine‘s Michael Moore. How do you feel about that?
I think Michael Moore makes incredibly successful movies, so if I can have movies that are one-tenth as successful, I’d love that. He’s been incredibly supportive of me and I’m grateful for that. Every time that guy makes a movie makes front page news and as a film maker there’s not much more you want from your movies than that.
Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? is in cinemas now.
For more of this interview, see this week’s 60th anniversary issue of Woman’s Day (on sale August 18).
Your say: Do you think Morgan takes too many risks? Have your say below…
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