When Harry Connick Jr. signed on to star in the new Netflix film Find Me Falling, the fact that it would be filmed on location in Cyprus was a strong selling point.
“When I started reading the script, I [was] like, ‘that’s someplace I don’t know a lot about,’ that’s intriguing,” he told Travel + Leisure in an interview ahead of the film’s July premiere.
As a world-famous musician, actor, and talk show host, traveling the world has been a significant part of his decades-long career, however, he was still excited by the opportunity to discover a new place.
“I know it’s probably hard to sum up, but at this point in my life, you look forward to places that give you culture shock,” he said. “If you’ve been to Japan 10 times, by the 10th time you go it’s going to have a different feeling than the first. So getting off a plane in Cyprus, a country that I knew little about before this film, and then learning about it, was really mind-blowing, understanding how old that culture is, and why it’s considered this center of the world location, and who these people are, and what is their relationship with the Turkish people on the north side of the island. It’s just a fascinating place.”
“I just recommend it,” he added. “It’s really beautiful, and you can see most of the island in a pretty short amount of time. It’s just gorgeous, the food’s great, and people are great.”
With Harry Connick Jr.
Window or Aisle?
Window because I fall asleep and then I rest. I don’t need to get up and use the bathroom.
What type of music you listen to on a plane, or maybe when you’re traveling?
Nothing, total silence.
Favorite food in Cyprus?
I like halloumi, that fried cheese, man. That stuff is dangerous.
Tip to beat jet lag?
I don’t think ‘it’s middle of the night’ for me. I just jump in. I’m going to get tired during the day anyway, but just get on the time
Item you can’t travel without?
I have to have my computer with me, only because when I score, or when I write, when I do any of that stuff, you know, I could do it with a pencil and paper, but I have to have my computer.
The seasoned traveler, however, shared that the vibe of his trip may change depending on whether his wife, Jill Goodacre, or daughters Georgia Tatum, 28, Kate, 26, and Charlotte, 22, join him or not.
“If I’m traveling by myself, I’ll just wander,” Connick told T+L. “If I’m traveling with Jill, I’ll make sure that I have a list of really cool restaurants. I want to take her out and do fun things. And if I’m with our girls, we just talk about, ‘what are you guys into?’ And if we’re all together, we just kind of decide. We’re game for everything.”
“Everything” includes bungee jumping with Kate a few years back, although he said they haven’t done as many of those types of daring activities in recent years. And regardless of the fact that his daughters are adults, the family dynamic remains the same.
“I love being with them,” he added, mentioning that Georgia and Kate both visited him while filming in Cyprus. “They’re great travelers, and they’re my favorite people in the world to be around.”