Patrick Stoner welcomes your questions about movies and the people who make them. Send your questions to pstoner@whyy.org. Here's the current question and answer:
Q: When interviewing stars, what kind of surprise answers have you gotten?A: Mostly good.
There have been some strange ones, of course. For example, sometimes you get fed some obvious nonsense, as when Emilio Estevez replied to my question about his efforts to make his characterization of Billy the Kid authentic in YOUNG GUNS. He said he got together with a medium in New Jersey and conjured Billy's ghost, who gave him authentic information. Right.
Then there are the mystery answers. That's when you ask what you think of as a reasonably clear question, but the answer bears little relation to it or to the English language as we know it. Gary Busey specializes in these answers, as in my interview for UNDER SIEGE when he replied to my question about his character of a turncoat Navy officer by railing about the evils of the Federal Reserve System. There is little you can do in such cases except thank them for their time and get out of the room.
Winona Ryder has suprised me twice -- at least. Once, she told me she hesitates to let herself get completely into a character to the point of feeling the pain because it is just too draining to do it all of the time. The other time involved my interview with her for Coppola's DRACULA: I couldn't figure out why she seemed so distant and uncooperative. The interview was so unsatisfying I ended it early, noting casually that I had admired her performance. She looked stunned and said, "Oh no, then I'm sorry. I thought you hated my performance. I'm not sure why, but I did. That's why you just got what you did. I should have given a better interview."
Perhaps the most suprising answer was one I got from Michelle Pfeiffer several years ago. I had interviewed her earlier in a joint interview with Cher for WITCHES OF EASTWICK. I decided to take a chance with my opening question, so I said this: "You know, Michelle, I owe you an apology, although you aren't aware of it. When I first interviewed you, you were sitting with Cher, and I remember thinking that I was there with a famous beauty and a famous personality. So, I would ask a question and look to the woman known for her outrageous comments but the woman known for her looks would say something rather interesting. This happened several times before I realized that my categories of the two women were unfair. So, Michelle, before I begin this interview I wanted to apologize for thinking of you ONLY as a beautiful woman when last we met."
Michelle Pfeiffer then did something that briefly froze me in my seat: She put her head done almost into her lap and said -- almost to herself, "I hate this. I just HATE this." I was appalled. I thought I had deeply offended her, so I said, "Oh, no, so you hate me for saying this." She immediately looked up and said, "No, no, I HONOR you for saying that. I mean, I hate it that this happens to me all of the time. This is what it's like to be a beautiful woman. People think beautiful women don't think. People think beautiful women aren't interesting. People think beautiful women don't have problems, that we don't don't feel rejection, that we don't get 'left.' Beautiful women get all of that, but people don't usually see beyond the surface beauty. No, I honor YOU for looking further."
Now, THAT was a pleasant surprise answer.
Past questions and answers.
