When Chris Smith noticed a headline about 47-year-old L.A.-based tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson’s quest to spend $2 million a 12 months to grow to be 18 once more, the director knew he’d discovered the topic of his subsequent documentary. However there was an issue.

“I wrote to (Bryan’s crew), and so they stated I used to be the sixty-fifth manufacturing firm/particular person to succeed in out to them about doing a doc,” Smith remembers.

Fortunately for Smith, identified for his zeitgeisty docs together with “Fyre” and “Unhealthy Vegan,” Ashlee Vance – the journalist who wrote the Bloomberg article about Johnson that turned him right into a worldwide sensation – was a fan. Vance inspired Johnson to associate with the director.

For 12 months, Smith adopted the tech entrepreneur on his campaign to keep away from dying. The result’s the Netflix docu “Don’t Die: The Man Who Desires to Dwell Perpetually,” in regards to the controversial wellness practices Johnson makes use of to not solely defy getting older however rewind his physique’s clock.

The doc chronicles the algorithm-based, ultra-regimented physique care system Johnson follows. It includes taking 130 capsules each day, consuming dinner at 11 a.m., going to mattress at 8:30 pm, a 90-minute exercise, weekly MRIs, weekly skincare therapies, plasma exchanges and even Follistatin gene remedy, which isn’t authorised by the FDA. As a substitute of celebrating his birthday each 12 months, Johnson blows out candles each 19 months.

At instances laugh-out-loud humorous, the movie explores the consequences Johnson’s journey has had on his life and people round him, together with Johnson’s father and teenage son. Docs, researchers and scientists who will not be related to Johnson or his well being initiative firm Blueprint, which touts the multimillionaire’s protocol therapies on-line, are interviewed all through the 88-minute docu.

“It’s not science,” says Dr. Vadim Gladyshev, a Harvard professor who’s interviewed within the documentary. “It’s simply consideration.”

However Johnson and his crew view his steps to reverse getting older as a method to assist advance anti-aging science. “He’s the perfect guinea pig anybody can ask for,” says Dr. Oliver Zolman, Johnson’s longevity marketing consultant.

“We do job of exhibiting that some folks suppose that what Bryan is doing has a variety of worth and a few folks don’t,” says Smith. “Certainly one of my hopes is that individuals take away from the film that a considerable amount of well being advantages may be achieved via sleep, eating regimen and train. That’s one thing that’s attainable by anybody.”

Selection spoke to Johnson about Blueprint, DJ Grimes and the worth of sleep.

Within the documentary, you reside a regimented life that isn’t precisely enviable. Are you continue to residing this manner? Do you ever have enjoyable?

Johnson: I nonetheless stay as regimented as I did (within the doc). I’d say the distinction is that I just lately was at a celebration with DJ Grimes. Her set was at midnight. So, I went to mattress at 8 p.m., and I slept till about 10 or 10:30 p.m. I obtained two hours of deep sleep. I wakened, and I went to the celebration. I danced for a few hours, and I got here dwelling, and I obtained the remaining hours of my REM sleep. So, I nonetheless obtained a 100% sleep rating. However I did it in a biphasic method. So, I’m attempting to strive new issues that enable me to take part in sure occasions. Now, it might have been higher if Grimes’ occasion was from like 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., however that’s OK. I’m working with what I’ve.

You might be 47 years previous, however how previous is your physique?

I’m most likely biologically in my late twenties.

You say that you just’ve chosen to stay your life on this regimented method for the advantage of science. Nonetheless, it prices over $300 a month to subscribe to your Blueprint well being protocol. So, what would you say to people who find themselves attempting to take higher care of themselves however can’t afford Blueprint?

I’ve demonstrated to have the perfect biomarkers of anyone on this planet. There isn’t any human on the market that has higher biomarkers than me. So, the excellent news for everyone else is I now have a information for everybody to observe based mostly upon this proof that they’ll do, and most of it’s free. We now have heard that sleep is sweet for us, however but culturally, we deprioritize it, and it’s the very first thing it goes if we’ve got to work late or should journey, or we need to keep up and watch a present or be out with buddies. So, to display how essential sleep is to the physique I (achieved) eight months of excellent sleep. I confirmed folks with 5 habits you could, the truth is, obtain high-quality sleep daily and that sleep is the only strongest anti-aging drug on this planet. And it’s free. So, good well being is inside everybody’s attain. I shared my protocol totally free with the world for gratis. I’m attempting to encourage a shift in tradition.

Within the movie, one scientist criticizes you for not utilizing your cash to fund a scientifically backed vital trial. Why don’t you need to use your cash to try this?

If I’ve one greenback to do a given factor, as an entrepreneur, I’m educated to suppose what’s the most contribution to society the greenback may make? A scientific trial is a method to spend a greenback. I don’t suppose it’s the best method to spend a greenback. If you’re attempting to realize higher well being outcomes for the whole world, then I feel creating a world revolution or a zeitgeist shift round well being is far more efficacious than a scientific trial. The issue shouldn’t be that we don’t know what to do. The issue is we aren’t doing what we all know we must always do.

What did you consider the Smith’s portrayal of you within the doc?

I didn’t know what to anticipate when it started, however I feel Chris accurately recognized that the most important story in my life was my relationship with my son and father. On the time, I wasn’t talking about (my household) publicly as a result of I usually hold these issues personal. I principally was speaking about well being, however I feel Chris obtained to the guts of what was actually on my thoughts and what I care about. So, in that regard, I assume I really feel seen.

“Don’t Die: The Man Who Desires to Dwell Perpetually” is at present streaming on Netflix.