Exclusive: 5 Questions With ‘Trivial Pursuit’ Host LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton, the former longtime host of Reading Rainbow, is coming back to educate viewers once more this fall, albeit with a broader scope than just sharing the love of reading; he will be the host of The CW’s new reality competition series Trivial Pursuit (premiering Oct. 3), which is modeled after the beloved board game. “It’s the colors, it’s the wheels,” Burton shares. “We are all familiar with the wedges of pie, and even if you don’t know all six categories by name, you’ll be able to immediately recognize it. There are two games in every episode. We begin with three contestants, whittle it down to two, then down to a single player who goes on to play for the $10,000 in the final round.”
Burton recently sat down to answer our “5 Questions,” with a fun twist: Each question is paired with a category from the game.
1Geography: Where were you born?
I was born in what used to be called West Germany in a city called Landstuhl. My father was in the military, and I was born in an American Army hospital where they bring important cases, like when they have to debrief somebody coming from an Eastern Bloc country and there’s medical involved. I think the Iran hostages came through that hospital.
I’ve lived really only in a couple of places, northern and southern California. Although, right after we finished Star Trek: The Next Generation, my wife and I moved with our newborn to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to shoot a series called Christie on CBS. So I’ve lived a little in the Smoky Mountains. And it was beautiful except we lived up at the top of a gravel road and all of the water had to be trucked in. We were on a septic system. It wasn’t a sewer. I mean, it was charming on a short-term basis. And bless her heart, my wife traveled to Tennessee with a newborn, I mean a brand spanking newborn, and that’s what I brought her to.
2History: You’ll forever be remembered for your role in Roots. What, if anything, do you still have from the set?
I have the chains that I wore on my ankles. They were a gift from production.
Remind 3Entertainment: Was there ever a time that you were starstruck?
Oh my goodness. Are you kidding me? Well, let’s see. Burt Bacharach, John Wayne for the first time. Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald; Sarah Vaughan, my mother’s favorite singer. Sammy Davis Jr. First time I did The Tonight Show, Sammy was on. He wanted to give me a suit, and I was like, “I can’t take suits from Sammy Davis Jr.” I wish I had now. I’ve met so many people. I will tell you: I love my life. I have had the opportunity to really stay vital and relevant over decades. That’s no small task.
4It’s no small task at all! It’s amazing. And you made so many people want to read. Which brings us to Arts & Literature: Can you name a couple of your favorite books?
Anything by Octavia Butler. We just celebrated the 30th anniversary of her novel Parable of the Sower. I wrote a new forward for that edition. It’s one of my favorite stories and she is one of my favorite authors. When people ask me, “What’s your favorite book?” I generally say it’s the book that I’m reading. Because that’s the book that has my attention. Right now, I’m not reading anything because I am preparing to write my first memoir and I don’t want any outside influences in my head.
5Finally, Sports & Leisure: What sports do you like to play in your free time?
I played basketball and football in high school. My favorite sport to watch is college football. I played a little baseball when I was a kid, but not a whole lot. I have come to love the beautiful game of soccer.
Remind