Megan Fox is known for her work in the Transformers film franchise, along with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and This is 40. On the TV front, she played Nick’s girlfriend Reagan on New Girl.
Next up on the film front is Think Like a Dog, about the unique connection between a boy and his dog.
The actress flexes some different muscles with Legends of the Lost With Megan Fox, a Travel Channel series that sees her explore some of the globe’s great myths and mysteries. It premieres Tuesday (Dec. 4).
Fox spoke with Multichannel News about her love of archaeological mysteries, and a frightening night spent on a vision quest in Norway. An edited transcript follows.
MCN: How did you get involved with this project?
Megan Fox: I’ve always been really interested in archeological mysteries. Not necessarily the nitty gritty of the science of archaeology, but what archaeology can expose, what it can bring to life. I was like 29 and felt it was time to start doing what I love, and wondered how I could make it happen. I wasn’t really passionate about creating a scripted show or trying to write a movie. I realized I could probably make a documentary of some sort about these things. We pitched it for a couple years and we finally sold it.
MCN: Does hosting this depict a side of you that people may not be familiar with from your movies?
MF: I’m sure. I don’t know that anyone knows very much about me at all, or what they believe they know is something that’s been molded by the media and is a false representation. Even though this isn’t an intimate documentary of my life, some of the things you see me doing might be new to people. Some people are surprised that this is something I’m really interested in.
MCN: What are some highlights from the season?
MF: Getting to go inside Stonehenge — no one gets to do that anymore. That was really amazing. I got to see parts of the city of Troy that no one gets to see unless they’re working on the dig and [are] part of the archaeological team. In the America’s [Lost Civilization] episode, I explore the idea that there were giants populating America. Seeing some of that evidence was pretty exciting. That’s an idea I’d love to explore more.
I did a vision quest in Norway. I had to sit out in the woods, alone and in the dark. I’m not the kind of person who does something like that. I’m afraid of the dark. I’m afraid of wolves and bears and other predators that can eat me. That was a pretty big moment for me.
MCN: What’s a TV series or two you find yourself raving about?
MF: I don’t watch a lot of TV, but my all-time favorite is Ancient Aliens on History Channel. If you haven’t seen it, you must watch it. It’s based on Erich von Däniken’s ancient astronaut theory. His book Chariots of the Gods was really groundbreaking when it came out [in 1968] and it’s still really relevant today.
There’s a documentary on Netflix called Unacknowledged. I sound like I’m obsessed with aliens — it’s about the tapes and documents the U.S. government has in terms of our interactions with UFOs.
Aside from that, I watch Shark Tank.
MCN: What about Legends of the Lost stands out? Why should people watch?
MF: It’s different in the sense that I am an unlikely person to be guiding you on this journey, first of all. I’m not a historian or a scientist or a paleontologist. I was in Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! So it’s definitely unusual that I am leading the charge.
My beliefs lean very alternative. We keep plenty of science in the show, but there’s a bit of a lean into the more alternative. I don’t know if there’s been a show has combined the two and allowed for all of these ideas to exist in the same place.
MCN: Do you have ideas for other series you’d like to bring to fruition?
MF: I’d like to keep doing archaeological mysteries one way or the other. The broad investigation of some of the mysteries — there’s so much to dig down on and start looking into. It’s something I plan to be involved with the rest of my life. I don’t know if I will always be on camera, but hopefully I have a chance to stay connected to some of these people and still do this for a while.
