Questions to Ask a Celebrity in an Interview
These questions are for a student reporter, podcaster, blogger or new entertainment journalist with a short slot opposite a well-known person of any kind: a singer, an author, an athlete, a chef, a creator. They run in the order the conversation does: openers, the current project, career turns, fame and private life, a quick-fire round, then closers. Each has a note on what a good or a rehearsed answer sounds like and what to ask next, and the guide underneath covers what publicists rule out and how to spend five minutes.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Openers
For someone who only knows your name, what do you actually spend your days doing?
Why ask it
This works for a singer, a chef, a streamer or an author alike, and it suits a school or local audience that may not follow them. A good answer is unglamorous: calls, travel, rehearsal, waiting. If you get the official bio back, ask what yesterday looked like.
What is the story about you that every article repeats, and is it true?
Why ask it
Read the last few profiles first so you know which story is coming. If they correct it, you have a line nobody else has printed. If they confirm it, ask for the part the articles always leave out.
What is the best thing that has happened to you this week?
Why ask it
Small and recent, so there is no prepared line for it. Whatever they name, a meal, a phone call from home, a morning off, shows what they value when nothing is being promoted, and it sets a warmer tone than a first question about the project.
After all this time, what part of the job still makes you nervous?
Why ask it
Well-known people are assumed to be past nerves, and most are glad to say they are not. Listen for a specific moment, such as the walk to the stage or the first look at a review, and ask what they do in it.
How has the day been, and how many of these have you done so far?
Why ask it
For a press day, when you are one in a line of interviewers. Saying so out loud usually gets a laugh and an honest number, and the number tells you how worn the stock answers are by now. If you are the fifteenth, skip your safest question and lead with the one nobody else will have brought.
The project
What made you say yes to this?
Why ask it
It fits a film, an album, a book, a tour or a brand deal, and everyone has a prepared sentence for it about the team or the material. Let them finish that sentence, then ask what nearly made them say no.
Whose idea was it, and when did it start to feel like yours?
Why ask it
Many projects reach a famous person already half built by someone else. An answer that names the originator says something good about how they work with people. Vague talk of 'the team' is your cue to ask who was in the room on the first day.
What was the hardest day of making it?
Why ask it
Asking for a day and not a difficulty gets a scene with a place, a time and other people in it. If the answer stays general, offer a guess from your research and let them correct you.
What did you have to fight to keep in?
Why ask it
Nobody likes to criticize a project during its release, and this lets them describe a disagreement they won. The thing they defended is usually the part they care about most, so ask where the audience can find it.
Which part are you proudest of that nobody has brought up yet?
Why ask it
By the middle of a press run they know which details the coverage has missed. You get something exclusive to your piece, and they get to talk about the thing they were hoping someone would notice.
What did making this change your mind about?
Why ask it
Listen for a before and an after: a kind of work they thought they disliked, a collaborator they had doubts about, a belief about their own limits. 'Nothing, really' is honest but thin, so move on quickly.
Who else deserves credit for this that the public will never hear about?
Why ask it
Giving credit is easy for a guest and useful for you, because a named producer, editor, coach or co-writer is a detail other outlets will not have. Check the spelling of the name before you leave the room.
Who did you make this for?
Why ask it
Short enough for the tightest slot. Some will say a younger version of themselves, some a particular audience, some one person. The one-person answers are the ones to follow, gently, since that person may not be someone they want named.
Where should someone start if they have ten minutes with it?
Why ask it
A service question your readers can act on: the track, the chapter, the episode, the scene. Ask why that one, and you have a recommendation in their own words to end a short piece on.
How is this different from what people expect of you?
Why ask it
It invites them to describe their own public image, which is safer than you describing it for them. Notice whether they sound pleased or weary about the expectation, and keep that in mind when you reach the questions about fame.
Career turns
When did you first think this could be your real job?
Why ask it
The origin story is on file already, so read it first and ask for the scene inside it: where they were standing, who they told. If the answer matches the profile you read word for word, ask what happened the week after.
What were you like at sixteen, and would that kid believe any of this?
Why ask it
Student reporters get the most from this, because the guest is being asked about the age your readers are now. Shy, loud, always in trouble: whatever they say, ask for one thing a classmate would remember. If they answer only the first half, put the second to them again on its own.
Whose career did you look at early on and think, that is the one I want?
Why ask it
Asking who inspired them gets a list of names, and this gets one. The career they picked shows what they were after, a long run, a fast rise or the freedom to change direction. Then ask how that career looks to them now that they are partway through their own.
What were you doing for money before any of this?
Why ask it
Readers like the job before fame because the answers are concrete and often funny: a call center, a lifeguard chair, a parent's shop. Ask what from that job they still do out of habit.
What do people think was your big break, and what was it really?
Why ask it
The public version is usually one famous moment, and the private version is often a smaller job or a person who made a phone call. That gap is a ready-made angle for a profile.
Who took a chance on you before there was any reason to?
Why ask it
Expect a name and real warmth, which makes this a good one for audio or video. In a longer slot, ask whether that person knows what the chance led to.
Which no turned out to be the best thing that could have happened?
Why ask it
Rejection asked about in general gets a motto. One specific refusal gets the story of what they did instead, and people tend to tell it well because it ends in their favor.
Was there a year when you thought it might be over?
Why ask it
Plenty of long careers have one: the dropped contract, the injury, the release nobody noticed. Ask what they did for work that year and who stayed in touch. If the answer is a quick no, believe it, and never supply the bad year yourself.
What is the biggest risk you have taken in your career, and who told you not to?
Why ask it
The second half is what keeps this from being a boast. A career turn looks obvious afterward, so the person who argued against it restores how uncertain it was. Do not press for a name if they say 'everyone'.
What have you been told you are not right for?
Why ask it
Every kind of famous person gets put in a box: the funny one, the pop one, the athlete who should stay out of business. The answer shows what they are trying to prove next, which leads neatly to their plans.
What did you get wrong about this business when you started?
Why ask it
The useful version is specific and a little rueful: what they signed, who they trusted, what they thought success would fix. If it comes out as advice for other people, ask what it cost them to learn it.
Which piece of your work would you show someone who has never heard of you?
Why ask it
The choice is rarely the biggest hit, and the reason they give is your quote. If they do name the hit, ask which piece they would have picked five years ago.
Fame
What surprised you most about becoming well known?
Why ask it
The gentlest way into the subject, because they pick the size of the answer. Most start with something funny, such as being recognized at the dentist, and some go further without being asked. Let them, and do not fill the silence.
What ordinary thing do you miss being able to do?
Why ask it
Answers are small and vivid: the bus, a supermarket, sitting in a park. It gets at the cost of fame without asking them to complain about a life many people envy, and most are careful not to make that complaint on the record.
How do you decide what stays private?
Why ask it
You are asking where the line is, not asking them to step over it, and guests tend to notice the difference. A thought-out answer tells you which of your later questions to cut. If the answer is short, treat that as the line.
Who in your life treats you exactly as they did before?
Why ask it
A sibling, a school friend, a grandparent. They can answer with a role and no name, and you should leave it that way. For a light finish, ask what that person teases them about.
Do you run your own accounts, and what is your rule for what goes up?
Why ask it
Fair to ask anyone with a public feed, and the rule is the interesting half: nothing late at night, no family, a friend who reads it first. If a team posts for them, many will say so plainly. Stay on the habit and off any one post that went badly.
Do you read what is written about you, and what do you do afterward?
Why ask it
Nearly everyone has a rule and a story about breaking it. Keep it on their habits and away from any particular article or comment, since quoting an insult back to someone is a poor use of a short slot.
What is the most common thing people get wrong about you?
Why ask it
This hands them the chance to correct the record on their own terms. Do not supply the rumor yourself. If the misreading they pick is a small one, such as their height or their accent, they would like to keep it light, and you should too.
What is the kindest thing a stranger has said to you because of your work?
Why ask it
Fans appear in most celebrity interviews as a crowd, and this asks for one person. People often get quieter and more exact here, which makes it a strong clip. It also works as a recovery if a harder question has cooled the room.
Is there a cause you give time to that you wish got the attention you get?
Why ask it
A fair way to ask about charity work, because it concedes that attention is the thing they have to give. A good answer has detail: what the group does and what they themselves did last. If it stays at the level of a slogan, one follow-up is enough.
What has all of this cost you, if anything?
Why ask it
Ask it late, in a longer conversation, and only if the earlier answers have been open. The last two words are the exit, and some will take it with a joke. Accept the joke and move on without asking again in other words.
Quick-fire
What is the last thing you watched, read or heard that you made someone else try?
Why ask it
Recommending something to a friend is a higher bar than liking it, so you get one title and not a list. Write it down exactly, since readers will search for it.
What do you eat first when you get home after a long trip?
Why ask it
Food questions get quick, happy answers, and this one comes with a place attached. It is also a discreet way to hear where home is without asking for more than the name of a dish.
What job would you be terrible at?
Why ask it
Funnier than asking what they would do otherwise, and faster. The reason is the usable half: too impatient, too squeamish, cannot keep a secret.
Who was the last famous person you were nervous to meet?
Why ask it
Being starstruck makes a well-known person sound like your readers. If they tell you what they said in the moment, you have a ready pull quote. Skip it when the room is tense, since it needs a relaxed guest.
Who should play you in the movie of your life?
Why ask it
An old standby that still earns a laugh in a rapid round. Do not stop at the first name. Ask who would play their manager or their mother, and the second answer is usually better.
What can you do that has nothing to do with why people know you?
Why ask it
Hidden talents are a staple of the format: juggling, bread, a second language, a perfect parallel park. On camera, ask whether they can show you, and take no for an answer the first time.
Which song do you know every word of?
Why ask it
Nobody needs thinking time for this one, which is the point of a quick-fire round. The age of the song often dates a happy stretch of their life, and you can ask about that if a minute is left.
What is always in your bag?
Why ask it
It asks for an object, so it is fast and visual. The odd item, a lucky coin, a paperback, a bottle of hot sauce, gives a writer a closing detail and a photographer something to shoot.
Closers
What is the next thing people will see from you?
Why ask it
Editors want this and publicists expect it, and part of the answer may be under wraps. Say that you understand if they cannot share details. A guest who is not being pushed often gives a hint anyway.
What are you going to do on the first day after all this press is over?
Why ask it
The friendlier companion to the plans question, and often the more honest. Sleep, a dog, a kitchen: the answer is a small picture of the private person, given freely, and it ends a piece well.
What would you tell a student who wants your job, including the part they will not want to hear?
Why ask it
Advice asked for plainly comes back as 'follow your dream'. The extra clause asks for the unwelcome half: the years it took, the money, the luck. Student reporters should always ask this one, since it is the answer their readers came for.
Is there anything you want to say to the people who have followed you from the start?
Why ask it
The message to fans is a fixture of this kind of interview, and it gives a fan site or a student paper a quote meant for its own readers. It can turn into a thank-you list, so ask about one early supporter they remember.
What did nobody ask you today that you had an answer ready for?
Why ask it
On a long press day this can bring out the story they have been carrying around since morning. Leave time for it. Asked as the publicist is opening the door, it gets a polite 'no, I think we covered it'.
Interviewing someone famous in the time you are given
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the slot
Ask whoever set it up four things
The publicist, or the teacher or organizer if there is no publicist, can tell you how long the slot is, whether it is one-to-one or a group table, which subjects are off the table, and whether you may record, film or photograph. Get the answers in writing if you can. Rules on recording a conversation differ from place to place, so also ask your editor or adviser what your outlet requires.
What publicists usually rule out
The list changes with the person, but the usual entries are a relationship or a breakup, children and family, health, a legal matter, a past controversy, a falling-out with a former colleague, pay, and anything about a project that has not been announced. Some also ask that the project be mentioned by name. Ask what applies this time instead of guessing, and ask your editor how your outlet treats conditions like these before you agree to any.
Find one thing the profiles missed
Read or watch the last three interviews they gave and note every answer that appears twice. Those are the rehearsed ones. Then look for a detail none of them touched, an early credit, a hometown, a side project, and build your first real question on it.
Know the work firsthand
Watch, read or listen to the thing being promoted, or as much of it as you were given. A question that names one moment from it does more to earn a real answer than any amount of charm, and a guest can tell within a sentence whether you have.
Write six, expect to ask three
Rank your questions and mark the one you must not leave without. Answers run longer than you plan for and slots get cut, so anything below the third line is a spare.
How to use a five-minute slot
Skip the warm-up
Say your name and outlet, sit down and ask. In five minutes a long compliment costs you a tenth of the time. One short opener from the list is enough, and with a tired guest you can go straight to the project.
A plan that fits
Three questions and one follow-up is a realistic count. Take one from The project that names a detail, one from Career turns or Fame that the earlier interviews missed, and one closer. Hold a quick-fire question in reserve for the moment an answer comes back in a single sentence.
Put the one you need first or second
Slots can end early without warning. If your editor needs a line about the new release, get it before you try anything riskier, so a cut-off costs you the extra and not the essential.
Follow up once
The rehearsed answer comes first and the real one comes after 'what do you mean by that' or 'when was that'. One follow-up is worth more than the next question on your sheet. Two in a row on the same point starts to feel like pressing.
When you hear 'last question'
Take it at its word. Ask the closer you chose in advance, thank them and stand up. Squeezing in one more is remembered by the publicist, who often has a say in who gets the next slot.
With fifteen or thirty minutes
Use the list in its own order and spend the extra time on Career turns and Fame, where answers need room. Run the quick-fire round about two thirds of the way through as a change of pace, so the closers land on a slower note.
Fame and private life, handled with care
Ask about the experience, not the facts
What it is like to be recognized is theirs to describe. Who they are seeing, where they live and what their children are called are not yours to ask in a short promotional slot. Every question in the Fame group is built so the guest sets the depth.
Take the first no
A joke, a change of subject and 'I would rather not' are all the same answer. Say 'of course' and go to your next question in a normal voice. Rewording the same question is how an interview loses its last two minutes.
If they raise it themselves
A guest who brings up a hard subject unprompted has chosen to, and you can ask one careful follow-up. Before you publish it, check with your editor or adviser how your outlet handles sensitive personal material.
Leave rumors outside
Do not repeat gossip and ask for a reaction. It puts a claim you cannot support into your own piece, and it tells the guest what sort of interview this is. Asking what people get wrong about them lets the guest pick the rumor, if they want to.
Being a fan
It is fine to be one and fine to say so in a sentence. Save the photo or autograph request for after the last answer, and ask the publicist first, since some events do not allow it.
What goes wrong
Asking what a search would tell you
Where they were born, how old they are and what the project is about are all a minute's reading. Spending a question on any of them tells the guest you did not prepare.
Two questions in one breath
A double question gets half an answer, usually to the easier half. The two-part questions on this page are built so the second part is the follow-up to the first, and you can hold it back until the first is answered. Do not stack a third on top.
Making it about you
A long story about what their work meant to you is a kind thing to say and a poor thing to record. Keep it to a line, or keep it for the goodbye.
Reading down the sheet
If your next question ignores what they just said, they stop offering anything unplanned. Look up, react, and let a good answer push a prepared question off the list.
Promising what is not yours to promise
Guests or publicists sometimes ask to see the piece or approve quotes before it runs. Whether that is allowed depends on your outlet or school, so say you will ask, and then ask.
Trusting one device
Test the recorder before you go in and take notes anyway. There is no second take with a person whose next free slot may be a year off.