How to Decide What Questions to Ask a Celebrity During an Interview

Start your questions with things you want to know yourself.

If you're a writer or broadcaster, grabbing the full attention of a celebrity for an interview is part of the perks of your job. Ideally, you've had time to plan for it and you have a few questions committed to memory. But opportunity might also come knocking when you least expect it, so you might have to think fast.

Instructions

1. Ask yourself what you would like to know about the celebrity. Chances are, if you're curious, your readers or listeners will be as well. Write down the questions.

2. Go online and search for other profiles of the celebrity you're going to interview. Find out what other reporters have asked him, especially recently. If any of these questions appear on your own list, someone has asked them before and they're not news. Try to think of a clever angle to give these questions a new slant, or tweak them based on current events. Otherwise, cross them off your list.

3. Look for news items regarding your celebrity while you're online, as opposed to profile pieces. If she just made a sizable donation to her local animal shelter, you can ask her about her interest in animals. If she just turned down a juicy role in a movie, ask her why. Her recent activities can point you in the right direction for a question or two if you're innovative. You might have to dig deep to find topics that other reporters and broadcasters haven't already exhausted.

4. Review your list of questions and decide which you would most like to be asked yourself, if you were the celebrity. When your interview begins, start with that one. Ideally, the celebrity will like it as well, and will begin talking freely. As he talks, pay attention rather than think about the next you have on your list.. Chances are he'll say something that will trigger another question in your mind, something you didn't think of before.

5. Memorize your research so it is on the tip of your tongue. As the interview progresses, if any of your existing questions meet with a less-than-enthusiastic response, this will allow you to think on your feet. You can jump to another subject if you're prepared. All your questions don't have to be questions. Some can be comments. The point is to get her talking, not to hear yourself talk. Drop an interesting statistic into the conversation, such as the box office numbers from her last movie, and wait for her comment on it. She'll probably be impressed, and her response might lead to another question popping into your mind as well.

Tips & Warnings

• If you decide on a confrontational or controversial question, make it your last one, according to Don Hurley, producer of "The Steel Pier Radio Show" in New Jersey. You might get a memorable response, but if the celebrity takes offense, you might not have the opportunity to ask another.

References

• Writing-World.com; Six Tips For Writing Celebrity Profiles; Kayleen Reusser
• Accident Investigation Solutions: Interviewing Tips (Celebrities and Politicians)
• Don P. Hurley; Producer, "The Steel Pier Radio Show"; Atlantic City, New Jersey