Celebrity Interviews

LEA1 Celebrity Interviews

Fall 2025

Prof. Joanna Flannagan

You and a partner will research two actors with upcoming films and portray them in an “Actors on Actors” style interview. Actors must be from different films and primarily make English language films, including the film they are currently promoting. Depending on class size, 1 or 2 groups of three will be permitted. There can be no duplicates of actors. First come, first serve.

The interviews should be casual and conversational. Questions will vary depending on the films and actors you chose but can be personal or professional. Have these actors worked together before? Is one an icon that the other looks up to? Consider how they might interact in real life. Would Selena Gomez be nervous to interview Leonardo DiCaprio? Would Adam Sandler make a lot of jokes? Would be Robert Pattinson be self-deprecating?  

Avoid overly rehearsed responses. The objective is to be relaxed and casual. Memorizing your responses will result in tense and awkward conversation. You will not be graded on your acting ability. Your grade will depend on your ability to use your knowledge of the actor to provide unrehearsed, thoughtful responses.

Example questions: "What was it like to film in Siberia?", "How did you prepare to wear a corset all day?", “Were you nervous to work with Meryl Streep?”

Objective:

• Use your research on the actors and their films to produce casual, relaxed responses. No monologuing!
• Demonstrate an understanding of the format.
• Interact as you would expect your actors might.
• Respond to audience questions.

Requirements:

• 5 minutes of interview, 3 minutes of questions from the class (8 minutes total). You will receive a warning at 4 minutes. Do not go over your time.
• 1-Paragraph Summary of the Interview:

• Justify why you chose these two actors: similar genres, shared release dates, contrasting resumes? How do you think they would interact?
• Submit on Moodle before 23h59, the night before your group’s presentation.

• Minimum 1 question each:

• Topics: craft, plot, costars, filming locations, challenges, personal.

• Scripts will not be permitted during the presentations. You may have one notecard with your questions written on it.

Important Dates:

Resources:

• Movies coming out Fall 2025: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/best-movies-fall-2025-1235385697/the-lost-bus-september-19-1235385727/ 
• Actors on Actors Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLx_Nt-I7ViqzwaE9Iubf84-gRpbNHokn
• Ariana Grande and Paul Mescal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wzc_SCRIB6M 

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