Lately, I have been getting asked this same question over and over. I think it is a natural question given the nature of my job. Can you guess what it is? The question is "Of all of the celebrities you have interviewed, who is your favorite?" I always feel like I disappoint people because the answer isn't the person they expect. I think they want me to say Ryan Reynolds or Gwyneth Paltrow or Jeremy Piven. While they have all been exciting people to interview, it is the people who have touched my life in some way that usually stand out in my mind. People like Michelle Kwan, the two-time Olympic medalist who had me obsessed with the sport of figure skating for a decade and who, at the time, was flirting with a final comeback. Or Dick Van Dyke of Mary Poppins who obliged me with a little soft shoe dance step on the red carpet. I mean, he's the guy who sang "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". Or even, Keith Dorrington, the Academy Award nominated writer of The Fighter. We are both from neighboring small towns in Massachusetts and we were standing together on the red carpet at the Oscars in February. It was hard not to get choked up as he talked about the overwhelming night and how his dreams were coming true. This doesn't happen to you in small town Massachusetts, so I was with him every moment of that big night.
Yet, those incredible interviews don't hold a candle to the exchange I had with Joel Grey, the legendary Broadway performer, whom I had the opportunity to speak with on the red carpet at the Tony Awards. I was sixteen years old all over again and I did my best not to cry my fake eyelashes off. When I have a discouraging day, I remember this exchange because it reminds me of where I came from and how far I have come. I've shared this video before, but since it answers the top question I get here at Red Carpet Closet, I am sharing it again. This is the raw footage from my interview with Joel Grey:
Who are some of your inspirations in your life? Let me know in the comments below.
