We've done our fair share of press junkets and junket interviews and we can tell you, they're not easy. You're terrified you'll say the wrong thing or not get through your questions on time.
However these tweets detailing the cringiest celeb interviews and Q&As ever witnessed are on a whole other level. It all began with Tweeter Scott Wampler encouraging the Twitterverse to share their "crazy guy at the junket/Q&A" horror stories.
There are the face palm moments...
So the guy goes, "uh, are you reading anything right now?" Bettany is gearing up for MASTER & COMMANDER. He says, "I'm reading about naval surgery." The guy, thinking he's talking about his belly button, goes, "oh, are you considering having that done?" The room lost it.
— Todd Gilchrist (@mtgilchrist) January 17, 2019
John C Reilly Q&A after SISTERS BROTHERS. Lady asks “Was it intentional that you guys were dressed like ketchup and mustard in the movie?” And John C Reilly says “Uhhh, I don’t think so? But you can ask the costume designer. You’re sitting next to her. She has an Academy Award.”
— Ben Mekler (@benmekler) January 17, 2019
saw one of the earliest screenings of MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. first person called on asked elizabeth olsen what her sisters were up to.
— lindsey romain (@lindseyromain) January 17, 2019
Roundtable in Cannes for Killing Them Softly. As journalists are arriving, one asks rest of table who the hell Ben Mendelsohn is. Ben Mendelsohn has turned up early and is already sat at the table.
— Nick de Semlyen (@NickdeSemlyen) January 17, 2019
... the groan inducers...
There's a guy in Auckland who goes to every NZFF horror screening and always begins his "question" with "the dictionary definition of horror is...[blah]". You can feel the audience groan every damn time.
— Andrew Todd (@mistertodd) January 17, 2019
not a press thing, but in college we had John Landis come in to talk to film students and were specifically told “Do not ask about Twilight zone.” Prof does a back and forth with him, opens it up for student questions. First hand goes up: “So on the set of twilight zone...”
— Jawn Wudders (@FanSince09) January 17, 2019
A person asked Cronenberg, "what's your opinion on GamerGate?"
— Malik "Please watch the NGE sub" Vallo (@theoneroller) January 17, 2019
... to the 'making it about themselves' range....
I was at a “roundtable” with Joss Whedon that was factually just a big press conference. Someone from a big publication actually asked Joss to leave her brother a voicemail for his birthday using her phone.
— Brian Salisbury (@BriguySalisbury) January 17, 2019
A girl definitely tried to sell herself as a hip-hop dancer to Seth Rogen at the Preacher panel at SXSW a few years ago and tried to convince him to come watch her dance while he was there. No commentary on Preacher. Just sold herself.
— Alisha Grauso (@AlishaGrauso) January 17, 2019
At the Q&A for the San Francisco premiere of FOG CITY MAVERICKS (w Lucas, Coppola, etc on stage) the first person to the mic cleared his throat, pulled out some wrinkled loose sheets of paper, and proceeded to read a five minute long poem he was workshopping
— Nick Sinnott (@ndsinnott) January 17, 2019
I was at the INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE junket and the woman before me at the interview demanded that Liam Hemsworth say that she looked pretty in her yellow dress. And I had to go in after that. He looked exhausted.
— Alan Cerny (@AlanCernyCS) January 17, 2019
a girl at a beautiful boy q&a straight up gave timothée chalamet her phone number pic.twitter.com/TIzC2QLWmg
— meg (@megserg) January 17, 2019
... to the 'God, no, please make it stop' variety...
Comic-Con Q&A panel for Tomb Raider, someone thanks Jolie for Gia helping her come to terms with her sexuality and having AIDS. Jolie says “I would love to talk to you after the q&a”. Next person in line: “I have AIDS too, can I come up and meet you?”
— mike blacklist (@mike_blacklist) January 17, 2019
I still remember being at the Midnight Madness screening for Lords of Salem. Last question of the night. Dude in the balcony asks Zombie "We always get to see tons of Sheri's ass, but why no bush?" She. Was. MORTIFIED! Just started hiding behind Zombie, humiliated...
— Ariel Fisher (@Afis8) January 17, 2019
At the Mid90s Q&A during Fantastic Fest someone asked the young cast members what song they'd like to lose their virginity to. Jonah Hill shut the question down.
— James Pulaski (@jimpulaski) January 17, 2019
... seriously though, are these even people?
Nothing will ever beat the premiere of FENCES at Lincoln Center where some dumbass told Stephen Henderson he “didn’t look black.”
— Jordän Hoffmän (@jhoffman) January 17, 2019
New York, a round table with Harold Ramis in 2000 for his remake of Bedazzled. Q. "What do Peter Cook and Dudley Moore think about the film?" A. "Well, one's dead and the other has a degenerative brain disease, so I don't think either of them has a very strong opinion either way"
— Damon Wise (@yo_damo) January 17, 2019
I was at a Q&A for Darjeeling Limited and a guy asked Wes Anderson “isn’t it weird that his character is suicidal in the film and Owen Wilson recently tried to commit suicide?”
They made that POS leave.
— Steve: America’s Sweetheart (@Stevehastweeted) January 17, 2019
I didn’t see it firsthand, but I heard from a publicist who had worked the previous day on the junket for “Margot at the Wedding” that a journalist said to Nicole Kidman, “It’s been several years now. Are you ready to talk about the miscarriage?”
— Matt McDaniel (@themattmcd) January 17, 2019
For our part, our most awkward junket interviews have tended to involve Paul Rudd. Please enjoy.
