TCA Press Tour: Wilmer Valderrama bugs out on the Science Channel
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Did you know that actor Wilmer Valderrama is a big science geek?
Valderrama grew up in Venezuela near the Amazon and learned to love nature, animals, and yes, even insects. So much so, in fact, that he’s producing a new series for the Science Channel, ‘Bugging Out,’ which premieres in October.
‘The rain forest was so close to us,’ he said. ‘Walking out and and looking at the big tree and the tarantula on the wall. You learn to leave them alone, appreciate each other’s common grounds.’
Valderrama hopes his series will make insects look less menacing, and viewers will learn to appreciate them the way he does.
‘The thing about insects is that understanding them leads to appreciation,’ he said. ‘To understand that sometimes physically these creatures can’t really hurt you somehow makes you see them differently. Obviously in the entertainment industry and years of selling images of fear toward these misunderstood beings leads toward fear. But the more you can understand them, I feel like it’s like when your father tells you that you should eat your greens and eventually you learn that they’re good for you.’
The series is hosted by Ken MacNeil, known as ‘Ken the Bug Guy.’
-- Maria Elena Fernandez