The Last Word
A quick questionnaire with Philippe Cousteau
- Smithsonian.com, October 03, 2007, Subscribe
1. Three words someone else would use to describe me are adverntursome, picky and multi-talented (I actually asked one of my staff members to answer this question for me — these are her responses!).
2. My greatest professional influence is my father, a filmmaker and environmentalist who was the second son of Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
3. My fondest memory is filming with gray whales off the coast of Monterey, California. A mother swam up to the boat with her newborn calf and spent over an hour with us gently nudging us repeatedly as if to say, “look at my baby, isn't she beautiful ... isn't she?"
4. The last book I read was, I can’t even remember! I travel so much but I try to sleep on planes, so my reading time is limited. But one of my all-time favorites is Zorba the Greek.
5. If I could have dinner with anyone living or dead it would be my father, who died in a plane crash six months before I was born.
6. Three things I can't live without are good food, my dog Samson and sleep.
7. The most pressing issue facing the world is global warming because of how it is impacting the ocean. Everything else pales in comparison.
8. The most important lesson I ever learned was that all of our actions have consequences, so it's best to make choices that will have a positive impact on the environment and, in turn, ourselves.
9. My advice for those just starting out in this profession is gain as much experience as you can—take jobs that might be less glamourous if it means that you’re going to learn something new. And don’t burn any bridges—it’s a small world.
10. My motto is: "Everything you do makes a difference."
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