10 Things We Learned From Jon Ronson On Louis Theroux's Grounded Podcast

An interesting thing that Theroux spoke about was how the finished product of whatever he's working on can sometimes replace the actual filming experience in his memory. He looks at rushes of the days spent filming and realises how markedly different it is from what appears on television. 'The finished version beds in (to your memory) but it almost replaces and drives out the real experience," said Theroux. "Scenes that you imagine happening more or less as they did in the finished film actually play out quite differently."

Theroux then gives an example of what he's talking about from a programme he made called Louis and the Nazis. In the version that aired, a man named Skip demands to know if Theroux is Jewish. Theroux had made a decision before filming to not say whether or not he was Jewish. This secrecy would create what Theroux called a 'helpful friction' for the programme. The scene he references sees Skip fixate on whether Theroux is Jewish. It appears to emerge organically but in reality, Theroux goaded Skip into that dialogue, a memory jogged by the rushes.

Laughing at Theroux's manipulative powers, Ronson asked him if he felt bad about it. To the contrary, Theroux felt pleased by this discovery. It confirmed to him that he had skill when it came to his job.