Stars Who Are Absolute Terrors To Interview

For celebrities, interviews and press tours remain part of the job. Sure, it mustn't be fun to sit around for a few hours and hear derivatives of the same question over and over again, but alas, it's the curse of being a star. More often than not, celebrities receive coaching and media training for interviews, hence the ability of many of them to say a lot about nothing at all. However, this doesn't mean all of them subscribe to the "just smile and wave" approach of Skipper the Penguin from 2005's "Madagascar." Some stars simply can't hide their disdain for the media — whether it's justified or not.

Take soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo as an example. When events go well on the field, he's more than happy to discuss the success and glory. If the pressure is on or there's criticism about him or his team, don't expect him to be on his best behavior. In the case of Harrison Ford, it doesn't matter if he's in a good mood or not, because his nonchalant demeanor demonstrates how he would rather be doing anything else except answering questions.

So, let's take a closer look at the stars who keep the press on their toes since no one knows how they will react to being interviewed.

In terms of pure blockbuster entertainment and high-quality sound bites, director Ridley Scott might be the best person to interview. Unabashedly honest and a straight shooter, Scott leaves no doubts about his thoughts on any topic as he speaks off the cuff — regardless if the attention toward his projects is good or bad. However, Scott apparently subscribes to the mantra that the best form of defense is a good offense. When negative criticism strikes, he lashes back with no mercy.

The reaction toward his 2023 film "Napoleon," starring Joaquin Phoenix, is a prime example. There are things "Napoleon" left out of the true story, and French critics pointed out the historical inaccuracies of the film. During the press tour, Scott took aim at his detractors, telling the BBC that "The French don't even like themselves" and calling out historians in The Times by saying, "Excuse me, mate, were you there? No? Well, shut the f*** up then."

In 2021, Russian journalist Anton Dolin discovered Scott's prickly side when he attempted to compliment "The Last Duel" in an interview. Dolin started off by saying that "The Last Duel" appeared to "look more realistic" than some of Scott's other movies such as "Robin Hood" and "Kingdom of Heaven." Scott cut him off and said: "Sir, f*** you. F*** you. Thank you very much. F*** you. Go f*** yourself, sir. Go on." Seated next to Scott was actor Jodie Comer, who could only laugh as Scott went off at Dolin.

Hugh Grant's ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley once revealed that her friends referred to Grant as "Grumplestiltskin" because of his grouchiness. Unsurprisingly, this comes across in many of his interviews, too. One look at his demeanor all but confirms how the interaction will go.

Famously, Grant doesn't do well on talk shows. He appeared on "The Jon Stewart Show" in the '90s, and there's no hiding from the fact that Grant looks like he would rather be anywhere else but there, regardless of how much host Jon Stewart tries to get out of him. Years later, Grant appeared on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," which led Stewart to say he would never have him back on the program because of how unpleasant Grant was, even to the people who worked on the show. To his credit, Grant owned his behavior, posting the following message on X (formerly known as Twitter): "Turns out my inner crab got the better of me with TV producer in 09. Unforgivable. [Jon] Stewart correct to give me kicking."

Of course, Stewart wouldn't be the only recipient of Grant's crankiness, as interviewer Ashley Graham found out at the 95th Academy Awards. In the less-than-a-minute interview, Graham did the regular shtick at the event, asking Grant which films he was excited about, which stars he'd like to see win, and what he was wearing. He provided non-answers to everything she asked, proving to be about as insightful and thoughtful with his responses as a cucumber sandwich.

No one pegged Blake Lively as a difficult interviewee when she did the rounds for "Gossip Girl" back in the late 2000s. She appeared to be casual, relaxed, and willing to take the opportunity to promote her work. However, there's been a different side of her that's emerged in recent years.

In 2016, reporter Kjersti Flaa spoke to Lively and co-star Parker Posey on the press tour for their film "Café Society." In the beginning of the interview, Flaa congratulated Lively on her pregnancy, saying, "Congrats on your little bump." Lively shot back: "Congrats on your little bump." From there on out, Lively avoided eye contact with the reporter as she strictly engaged with Posey and the interview took an awkward turn. Years later, Flaa revealed that the interview almost made her quit her job and that Lively had yet to apologize for her behavior. Flaa added that another reporter reached out with a story about experiencing something similar in their interaction with the actor.

The interview resurfaced in 2024 as Lively embarked on a controversial press tour for her film "It Ends With Us." Lively caused a stir once again as she promoted her other business ventures and appeared to miss the serious nature of the theme of the film, which deals with domestic abuse. While there were some who defended her conduct in interviews, others suggested she was thoughtless and insensitive about the issues addressed in the project she was involved with. 

Quentin Tarantino has a contentious relationship with the press. He holds the ability to be one of the most captivating interviewees as he not only discusses his own films but also others, or he could lose his cool like he did during a sit-down discussion with reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy about "Django Unchained." Guru-Murthy probed about the violent nature of the movie, finally asking Tarantino: "But why are you so sure that there's no link between enjoying movie violence and enjoying real violence?" Tarantino refused to answer, stating: "I'm not your slave and you're not my master. You can't make me dance to your tune. I'm not a monkey."

The interview continued to get heated as Tarantino stressed he was there to promote his movie, not discuss the impact of violence, suggesting people can search the internet to find his thoughts on the matter. Guru-Murthy stood his ground, explaining how it's a reporter's responsibility to ask the hard questions. The pair argued back and forth; however, the interview went on, albeit awkwardly.

As far back as 1997, Tarantino told The New York Times he views interviews as an opportunity to sell his movies, and that's why he participates in them. He also claimed that he isn't bothered by negative criticism, stating: "Journalists can't conceive that the things they wrote in Entertainment Weekly or Movieline don't really affect my life. I was made fun of and kicked around a little. I learned pretty early on to stop reading that stuff."

Billy Bob Thornton often delights in interviews, as he infuses his natural charisma in his answers. However, that's only if the interviewer stays on topic, as radio host Jian Ghomeshi discovered. Thornton and his band members from the Boxmasters appeared on Ghomeshi's show "Q" to promote their album "Modbilly" in 2009. When Ghomeshi introduced the band, he briefly mentioned Thornton's acting career — which would seem entirely natural since it's an unavoidable topic. However, Ghomeshi focused the rest of the interview on the music.

The tension simmered as Thornton dodged Ghomeshi's questions or simply proved unhelpful in his responses. The discomfort showed in the other band members and the radio host, as the interview felt like pulling teeth whenever Thornton needed to participate. Eventually, the reason for Thornton's attitude revealed itself when he told Ghomeshi he wasn't supposed to have mentioned his acting career. Ghomeshi tried to smooth over the issue, but Thornton left the interview and decided to not perform with his band on air.

Thornton's publicist Arnold Robinson told Entertainment Weekly that no one told Ghomeshi what he could or couldn't ask, but it was true that Thornton doesn't like to discuss his film career when he's doing press for the band. Robinson added: "Billy Bob clearly just had an issue with the guy." Judging by this incident, it appears as if Thornton is certainly one of the musicians you wouldn't want to meet in real life.

The only fighter Muhammad Ali feared, according to George Foreman, was Mike Tyson. Labeled "Iron Mike" and "the Baddest Man on the Planet," no one wants to get on the bad side of Tyson, since his fists are capable of inflicting unimaginable damage. However, that hasn't stopped a number of interviews from going off the rails as Tyson reacts to questions posed to him.

One infamous interview involved Canadian reporter Nathan Downer. The conversation started off fine as Tyson discussed meeting the Toronto mayor; however, it went pear-shaped after Downer brought up Tyson's rape conviction. Quickly, Tyson turned on the reporter, calling him "negative" before dialing up the intensity. He added: "So interesting that you come across like a nice guy but you're really a piece of s*** with that comment. F*** you, that was a piece of s***." The interviewer reminded Tyson that they were live, while the boxer stated he didn't care. As Downer attempted to steer the conversation back on track, Tyson insulted him further until the interviewer pulled the plug on the segment.

In 2024, Tyson showed that he's still more than willing to battle reporters during a press conference in the build-up to his fight against Jake Paul. Not only did he hit back at claims about his age, but he also reacted angrily to a journalist who referred to the bout as a "gimmick fight."

KISS bassist Gene Simmons never shies away from controversy. His comments often rile up and stir the pot, as he isn't afraid to antagonize others. For example: During an interview with a South American reporter wearing an Iron Maiden shirt, Simmons told the journalist to swap out the shirt for a KISS one. When the reporter refused, Simmons threw around a few passive-aggressive remarks until he turned the shirt inside out. 

It isn't only journalists whom he upsets, as Simmons managed to trigger his wife, Shannon Tweed, during an appearance on "The Joy Behar Show." After Behar played a clip in which fellow rocker Alice Cooper discussed Simmons' long list of lovers, Simmons made a boastful quip that irritated Tweed, who proceeded to storm out of the live interview.

Appearing on "The Joe Rogan Experience," comedian Bert Kreischer revealed how Simmons was one of the worst celebrity experiences he ever had when he hosted "The X Show." He explained how he was a massive KISS fan, and when he went to speak to Simmons before the show, Simmons dismissed him. In addition, Simmons refused to be interviewed by Kreischer, insisting that Daphne Brogdon do the interview instead while Kreischer just sat in on the conversation. Matters didn't improve from there, as Simmons continued to big league him on the program. "To the day I die," Kreischer said, "I will f***ing slam his name. I've never been treated worse."

Some celebrities bask in the fanfare that surrounds them and enjoy talking about their work, but not Harrison Ford. No matter the movie, no matter the time, Ford looks like he would rather be chilling at home than dealing with the media. Even though he's associated with not one but two mega franchises in the form of "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones," Ford doesn't hide the fact he's only there out of contractual obligation.

In 2013, GQ published an interview with the actor in which he barely answered the journalist's questions. At the time, they were discussing his performance in "Ender's Game," but the actor didn't seem too keen on chatting about all the nuts and bolts of such a film. When the interviewer asked if Ford had a method to make silly pieces of dialog work, the actor replied: "Yeah. That's my job. That's why I get paid."

Ford isn't afraid to throw subtle shade at interviewers either, as demonstrated by his handling of a question from Entertainment Weekly in 2024. After being asked which of his characters — Indiana Jones or Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross — deals with snakes better, Ford quipped back: "This is a 'Who shot first, Greedo or Han Solo?' [question]. I've always treated these questions with the utmost respect and somehow, at the same time, complete disdain. I will not answer that stupid question. But thank you. I'm delighted to have the opportunity."

In terms of rock stars who ditched awkward interviews, Machine Gun Kelly provided one of the most infamous walkouts during a 2018 chat at the Billboard Hot 100 Festival. MGK discussed several topics; however, he appeared to work himself into a frenzy when he brought up how he wants to make his daughter proud. From there, he veered off onto a tangent about how he's terrible at interviews and how people mustn't judge who he is. All of a sudden, he exclaimed he doesn't want to do the interview anymore and walked off the stage.

This isn't the only awkward exchange that MGK has had with the press, as he hit the headlines after his exchange with Sky Sports at the Formula 1 Brazilian Grand Prix in 2023. From the get-go, it was clear that this interview wasn't going to pan out as presenter Martin Brundle might have expected. When Brundle asked him how his career was going, MGK responded: "I don't think about my career." Needless to say, the rest of the conversation didn't fare any better or provide any insightful discussion. Replying on X to a fan who criticized his behavior, Kelly suggested he was ambushed by the reporter and couldn't hear him over the loudness of the track.

There's a Portuguese museum dedicated entirely to Portugal's soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo, proving that CR7's name will forever be etched into the annals of soccer history. Despite all the records broken and trophies won, Ronaldo is also renowned for his petulance, especially when events don't go his way.

In 2015, Ronaldo appeared on CNN En Español to discuss the launch of his new headphones. However, the big story at the time was all about the corruption scandal surrounding soccer's governing body, FIFA. The journalist brought up the topic to CR7, who tried to diffuse the situation by saying it doesn't bother him at all. After some more pressing from the journalist, a visibly agitated Ronaldo took off his headphones and spoke to someone off camera about the interview being derailed and how he didn't care about FIFA.

While playing for Real Madrid in 2016, Ronaldo also didn't react kindly to a reporter who asked him about his lack of goals away from home at the time. CR7 pointed out that no other player had scored more goals away from home in Spain's La Liga since his arrival in the league before he grabbed his jacket and exited the press conference. Later that year, while on international duty with Portugal at Euro 2016, Ronaldo was approached by a reporter while out on a walk with the team. Instead of speaking to the journalist, the soccer star decided to grab the reporter's microphone and throw it into the lake.

Russell Crowe isn't afraid of confrontation in his interviews. He's more than happy to correct journalists on the difference between rugby league and rugby union, or perhaps tell someone to get their ears checked if they misidentify his accent. Case in point: During the press tour for his 2010 movie "Robin Hood," Crowe became agitated after a BBC reporter suggested his character's accent was Irish during an interview. When the reporter tried to backtrack and ask if he was attempting a Northern English accent, Crowe replied: "No, I was going for an Italian. Missed it." When a question about "Gladiator" was posed next, Crowe evacuated the studio.

Appearing on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" (via Us Weekly), Giuliana Rancic said interviewing Russell Crowe at a movie premiere was quite the experience — and not in a good way. She explained how when she asked Crowe about his excitement for the event, he responded that he was only there because he was contractually obligated to be. Caught off guard, Rancic followed up by asking him: "'Um, isn't it wonderful seeing all the fans?' And he goes, 'That's your second question?' And he goes, 'One, two, you're through!' And walked away."

Want to read more about awkward interactions? Check out the people who threw up during live TV interviews.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).