Nicolas Hulot
Nicolas Hulot, a longtime star of French television, is the host of 'Ushuaia,' a series focusing on daredevil adventure exploits now being broadcast on CNBC.
Q: Your show is ridiculously popular in France. What's the attraction?
A: I am an accessible hero -- I am only a 70-kilo person, I am not a movie hero. The French laugh with me; they cry with me; they get scared with me; they share my emotions. Not to just walk on the ground, but to fly, dive and go under the earth, that should be the goal of everybody!
Q: You've skied barefoot while being towed by a helicopter and scuba-dived near molten lava as it spills into the ocean. Are you worried that others will get hurt if they attempt similar feats?
A: Yes! For years I have been telling people not to do things just for the risk. That is not my way. I always say, 'Spend time to learn.' Don't do things only for vanity, because if you go to the vanity school then you are stupide and you will die. But if you go to the humility school, you will survive.  SUNDAY: FEBRUARY 15, 1998: QUESTIONS FOR