The Three R's of Interviewing

So you listened to the new episode of WTF with Marc Maron or watched the newest episode of “Inside the Actor’s Studio” and you think that you can do what Maron and Lipton can do, but it’s really not that easy.

There are three major things that you need to know before sitting down to talk to your first celebrity. Now I’m sure that you are asking yourself, who is this shlub telling me how to interview folks? Well, if you have made this far you know my name is Ron, and I have been in the interview game for over 20 years. I’m also the host of the podcast, The Ron Purtee Show, that you can find on iTunes. Go ahead, you’ll enjoy it! You learn a few things.

On with the show…

So you’ve got a big interview. The one you’ve waited for forever. Then you finally realize that after all the smoke and mirrors, you need to be able to pull this off and be professional at the same time.

1. RESEARCH: I have been known to break this rule on a few occasions and you can tell that I did. I fumbled my words and was totally uncomfortable. You have that big interview with Brad Pitt, and talking to him about his newest blockbuster is fine, but also throw in how much you enjoyed his performance in TRUE ROMANCE. That will show him that you know your stuff, even if you are faking it. You need to be able to come up with some questions that will keep not just your guest stimulated and interested but also the person watching or listening.

2. RESPECT: You always hear folks saying that celebrities are people too and that you should just talk to them like they are your buds. Well, you don’t want to get Ron Howard down for an interview and then yammer on with him about how hungover you were after that rager at the frat house where you may or may not have done something you might regret. He doesn’t care. And you make yourself look like a fool. You can be friendly and make someone feel comfortable without revealing every detail of how you wasted your parent's college fund.

3: REALITY: This is the most important one. You may have had an amazing interview. The celebrity may have loved the questions you asked and you may have put them at ease. You may feel as though you have a connection between you and the star of the show “SMALL WONDER” and that’s great. But they are not your friends. They are not going to meet up with you at the local tavern and have a couple of beers. You may have conversations with them on Twitter, but that’s just it. Conversations on Twitter. At the end of the day they will go on with their Hollywood lifestyle, and you will be at home editing what might be the best moment of your life.

I truly hope that these three R’s help you out with interviewing a celebrity. Now if you will excuse me, I’m off to the local tavern to have a few beers with the cast of “THE FLASH”, I really think we hit it off.