Seven star names and shames worst celeb interviews
<p>A former Channel Seven showbiz reporter has named and shamed the worst celebrities he's interviewed. </p>
<p>Nelson Aspen, 61, who as an entertainment correspondent for Sunrise for two decades opened up on his worst celebrity encounters fellow showbiz reporter Kjersti Flaa on her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ7xEdVa25s" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>YouTube show</em></a>. </p>
<p>Flaa who is known for revealing her own "nightmare" celebrity encounter with Blake Lively, prompted Aspen to share his own experience with the <em>Gossip Girl </em>actress. </p>
<p>Aspen said that his first interview with Lively in 2016 was âfun and playfulâ and he was "gobsmacked" by her beauty. But he had a very different experience just two years later when he interviewed her and Anna Kendrick for <em>A Simple Favor</em>. </p>
<p>âIâm figuring, âOh this is going to be fun.â Iâd interviewed Anna before and sheâs fine, but Blake? Sheâs going to be be a hoot, I canât wait,â Aspen recalled. </p>
<p>âThey were paired together, and I think that may have had something to do with it. She [Lively] couldâve been having a bad day, maybe they didnât get along, maybe it was competition, maybe it was two egos trapped in the same room, maybe Blake is just better one-on-one ⊠I donât know, but she answered every question with a question, combatively.</p>
<p>âIt was not pleasant, and Anna sort of did the same. Itâs like she was like, âOK this is girl power, weâre going to be team up on the journalist.â</p>
<p>âAnd in your interview with Blake, I recognised it, this is a trait, obviously a recurring one,â he told Flaa.</p>
<p>âThanks to you, everybodyâs warned.â</p>
<p>He then revealed that one of his most uncomfortable chats was with Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, and prior to his interview, a publicist warned him that De Niro "won't look you in the eyes". </p>
<p>That was exactly what happened when he interviewed the actor. </p>
<p>âThe camera that was on me was off to a weird angle so that Robert never had to look me in the face,â Aspen recalled. </p>
<p>âHe looked off camera, but when we cut it together it looked as if he was looking at me.</p>
<p>âThey went to so much trouble to avoid him having to look at the journalist.â</p>
<p>Another A-lister he interviewed was Marvel star Paul Rudd, considered to be one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, but Aspen said it wasn't always the case. </p>
<p>âHeâs usually very sweet, but it was his birthday, and thatâs when everybody was talking about âageless Paul Ruddâ,â Aspen said.</p>
<p>âThey [publicists] said, âDonât ask him about his youthful appearance, and donât say Happy Birthday.â I was like, âYouâve got to be kidding me.â</p>
<p>âYes it was coming from the publicist, but he must have said, âI donât want to talk about my birthdayâ.â</p>
<p>"I canât remember exactly how it went down, but whatever it was they were very sensitive about it, and it was very uncomfortable and awkward, and nobody says that about Paul Rudd.</p>
<p>âBut it happens, theyâre people too.â</p>
<p>However, his interviews weren't all bad, with Hugh Jackman known as one of the kindest stars in Hollywood. </p>
<p>âIâve interviewed him a thousand times. Heâs the best,â Aspen said.</p>
<p>Meryl Streep and Julie Andrews were also among Aspenâs favourites.</p>
<p><em>Image: Youtube</em></p>
