May 15, 2003: Alfred Hitchcock... Gene Hackman... Eric Rohmer... Mark Hamill... Liv Ullmann... David Lynch... Jackie Chan... Cicely Tyson... Samuel Fuller... Elia Suleiman... Corey Feldman and Corey Haim.

These diverse figures are among the artists cited in an informal survey of the Online Film Critics Society writers as being the subjects of their most memorable film-related interviews. Whether it involved snagging an exclusive interview with Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer just by asking intelligent questions, being invited by Dustin Hoffman to spend a weekend in the woods, or enjoying a swank dinner in the company of Samuel L. Jackson or Warren Beatty, or trying to rouse Abel Ferrara from his sleep to complete his train of thought, the writers in the Online Film Critics Society have their own special memories in going one-on-one with the titans of the film industry.

BETH ACCOMANDO, KPBS.org: One of my most memorable interviews was the very first one I did. I was still in college and I had an opportunity to interview Bud Cort--a cult hero of mine since he starred in "Harold and Maude" and "Brewster McCloud." I was very nervous and when I was introduced to him, the publicist told him that this was my first interview. Mr. Cort smiled, shook my hand and then said why don't we just sit for a few minutes and not say anything, then, when you feel comfortable, you can start the interview. He put me at ease immediately and his kind consideration made it a delightful interview.

Clive Barker and David Lynch are two of the most enjoyable interviews I have done. Although both men are known for making disturbing films, as people they are two of the nicest, most articulate, funniest and most "normal" people I have ever interviewed. If you met them at a party and didn't know who they were, you'd never guess that they made films that can make your skin crawl. Mr. Barker confessed that the film that scared him the most was "Pinnochio"--Monstro the whale scared the shit out of him. But as an adult he has never suffered from any nightmares. Also in this category of fascinating filmmakers are John Woo and David Cronenberg who spoke eloquently about their filmmaking craft.

Another of my favorite people to interview is Chow Yun Fat. I was fortunate enough to interview him twice, once before he had made any Hollywood films and a second time after had made "The Replacement Killers." He arrived for the first interview without an entourage (and he had actually WALKED from his condo to the hotel where we did the interview). When we did a photo shoot, he seemed genuinely shy until I handed him a wooden toothpick and then he was able to hide himself behind bits of business taken from his characters. Now I have to confess that Chow Yun Fat is someone that I could leave my husband for and that leads to this embarrassing revelation. The second time I interviewed him, he greeted me and kissed me on both cheeks, which immediately made my mind go blank and for a moment I forgot all my questions as I looked up in awe at a truly charismatic movie star. That's never happened to me with anyone else before or since. There's just something about Chow--he's the coolest actor on the planet and he has a wonderfully self-deprecating sense of humor to boot.

ROSS ANTHONY, HOLLYWOOD REPORT CARD: Mark Hamill was a kick. He preferred to be "down to Earth" so we asked him, "Don't people think of you as a deity/hero in a way? His response: "Oh please, I'm no hero, I wish I was ... I don't even like to fly."

JEANNE AUFMUTH, PALO ALTO WEEKLY: The film-related interview that I cant shake is with Eric Shweig when he was doing publicity for Chris Eyres' "Skins." It was extremely lengthy and very personal --- I think back to it frequently.

GREGORY AVERY, NITRATE ONLINE: I would have to say that the interview I conducted with Richard Dutcher in the spring of 1999 was significant for three reasons: (1) I liked the film ("God's Army," which Richard wrote, directed and acted in and which had just been released); (2) I became friends with Richard; and (3) when my friend and brother Tim Hansen casually mentioned he had been offered a part in Richard's new movie, "Brigham City," but he didn't know if he'd take it or not. My response was: "Please! Tim! Take the part!" He did.

JORGE AVILA ANDRADE, MOVIOLA: December 2001, New York City. I had the opportunity to be with Baz Lurhmann in occasion for the "Moulin Rouge" DVD release. Fox video made a great presentation in a whole floor of a New York hotel, with different rooms in which the different DVD parts were presented. The last room was the one for Lurhmann's interview, one on one, and it was really cool! The guy is kind, polite and a genius, and his answers were very intelligent...you could perceive the passion that he feels by its work. Really unforgettable.

Another interview that I consider interesting is the most recent than I had: April 2003 in Los Angeles, where I interviewed Michael and Kirk Douglas. Both were extremely pleasant, light, joking. A couple of movie legends in one session! Cool!

SEAN AXMAKER, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER & INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE: Jackie Chan. I was writing for the now-defunct Film.com at the time and they had arranged for a video interview with Jackie on his Seattle stop while promoting "Rush Hour" and his autobiography. I had been a Jackie fan for years, ever since discovering the "Police Story" and "Armor of God" and "Project A"; films on import video and laserdisc, and I was almost speechless when I got the assignment. I recovered quickly enough to say "Yes" and immediately started prepping.

He was scribbling autographs in the hundreds of copies of his autobiography stacked on a table in the suite when I was ushered in. He stopped, shook hands and smiled, and then returned to the signing as we set-up (or rather, the crew set up - I stood around and looked nervous while I went over my questions). The stories are true. Jackie Chan is as personable and friendly in real life he seems on the screen. He greeted us all again, asked the camera crew where they wanted him and what he could do to help them out, and then turned his attention to me with an intensity that was engaging. He seemed genuinely surprised that I was versed in so much of his career. He was delighted to demonstrate the difference between Drunken style and Snake and Crane style for the camera, and then showed the difference between the real thing and the stylized version he created for the film. He became passionate when I asked about the way Dimension was cutting his films when they released them on video in the states. He even sang.

Jackie's people gave us 45 minutes of interview time, and that was after the video set-up. When it was over he gave his farewells and headed back to the autographs (here was a guy with the work ethic of an old time Hollywood star), but stopped when his manager, Willie Chan (no relation), came into the suite. "Willie, you have to meet this guy," he said. "He knows all about our movies." I couldn't have been more thrilled.

ENRIQUE BUCHICHIO, URUGUAYTOTAL.COM: The most memorable film-related interview I ever conducted was to Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann. She came to Montevideo in 1997 to present a retrospective of her filmography, including her (then) recently directed film "Queen Kristina." Of course, it was memorable for me, considering she was (is) one of the greatest European actresses and for her relationship with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. You can imagine how deeply interesting a chat could be with a personality like her. But it was memorable because, in addition, she showed herself as an extraordinary, candid person. It was, above all, a very comfortable conversation about film, life experience, and human nature. And I keep the impression that she enjoyed the chat, as she found that I was more interested in listening to her and replay to her answers, instead of firing previously written questions to a celebrity. For me it was magical, a delight.

ERIC CAMPOS, FILM THREAT: Hmmmm....I guess that would be Sid Yost of the Amazing Animal Actors Ranch. Why? It's because I got to play with a couple of chimps!!!! The interview sucked, but oh those chimps!

LARRY CARROLL, COUNTING DOWN: My most memorable interview would probably be the first one I ever did. It was about three years ago. I had been writing reviews for a while, and my editor and I had discussed getting me into some junkets to build up some interviewing skills. Maybe because he thought he was being funny, or maybe because he genuinely was looking for the "raw edge" that he claimed to be seeking, he sent me to "The Mexican" junket to interview Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Simultaneously. Talk about throwing a guy right into the fire! In all of Hollywood, those two were about as big as you could get at the time - Julia was coming off "Erin Brockovich," Brad was coming off "Snatch," and both were shooting "Ocean's Eleven" together. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous.

I spent several days coming up with about fifteen questions for each. I ironed my clothes, got dressed up, and headed down to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the same one that Roberts stayed in her career launching film "Pretty Woman." I went in and sat in a waiting room with all the Leeza Gibbons-type people I had watched on TV for years, and waited my turn.

I waited two hours to go inside, thinking about all the different things I was trying so hard to remember. I wanted to be cool when I met them, but at the same time be appreciative. I wanted to make sure the interview was recorded right, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to bring a backup - I had a handheld tape recorder tucked into my pocket. I wanted to look good, so I kept going in the bathroom to check up on the hair and the clothes, but I forgot to get makeup.

Eventually they called me, and I headed into the room looking like Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential debate. I walked past a group of handlers and there they were - Brad and Julia. Both stood up to greet me, and as I shook Brad's hand I found myself saying "I just wanted to tell you that 'Fight Club' was one of my favorite movies of the past five years. You were awesome as Tyler Durden." All of that was my honest opinion, but I knew I shouldn't have said it. Brad looked at me, paused a second, and then said: "You're fucked up, aren't you? Everybody who loves 'Fight Club' is fucked up!" and he laughed. Then I shook Julia's hand and, partly to overcompensate and partly because I'm not much of a fan of hers, just said "Hi, I'm Larry". She understandably looked a little disappointed since I had just professed my love for Brad's movies.

Then the cameras were turned on, and I had no technique whatsover. No hellos, no introduction for the benefit of the viewers, just right into me rambling. I held my (full sized) notebook up in front of my face and rarely looked up at them. I asked all kinds of random questions, and what was worse, I kept interrupting them when they'd try to answer. Rule #1, I've since learned, is that nobody watches these interviews to hear the interviewer talk - just ask your question and shut up.

After about two questions, I realized I had forgotten to turn my pocket tape recorder on. In retrospect, there was no reason for me to even have brought it with me, but I was so paranoid that the camera would jam and that I'd have no proof of this meeting that I was fumbling around in my pocket during the interview, trying to turn it on. This, to me, made sense. But for anyone who watched the interview without that awareness, it looks like I'm... well... looking at Julia Roberts while playing pocket pool with myself.

Once the tape recorder got turned on, I asked my next question. The news had just broken that Julia was nominated for an Oscar for "Erin Brockovich," so I asked what I thought was an appropriate question: "Do you think that is the best acting you've ever done?" Well, Julia answered it by saying, "I don't know, what do you think?" Which just totally threw me for a loop. Stumbling for an answer, I blurted out something about not liking too many of her movies. She suddenly seemed a bit offended and answered, "Why not?", to which I replied by saying I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies. She then told me that maybe I had some personal issues that should be addressed.

I'll go to my grave insisting that the romantic comedy is the one genre of film that has the weakest success to failure rate. And I'll also keep insisting that most of Roberts' romantic comedies ("Runaway Bride," "Notting Hill," "My Best Friend's Wedding") are pretty weak. But, like I said before, nobody downloads these interviews to hear my opinions, so I tried to convey all this without being rude, and it came out very badly. This was followed by awkward, icy, deafening silence. It went on for what felt like the running time of "Magnolia."

Then, out of nowhere, Brad Pitt (who hadn't spoken in so long that I had forgotten he was in the room) leaned forward and said to Roberts, "Hey, don't you get it? This is the guy that likes 'Fight Club.' He doesn't like your movies!" Julia Roberts looked at me... and started to laugh. Brad Pitt started to laugh. Then I nervously laughed as well. I checked my pants - amazingly, they were still dry. The rest of the interview went reasonably well, although I had prepared about 25 questions too many for the 3 minutes I had with the two of them. I stood up, shook their hands, and left the room. My editor said he really enjoyed the interview, that there was an awkwardness to it that made it endearing, whatever that means. I've done dozens and dozens of interviews since, and I'd like to think I've gotten better with each successive one of them. But I'll never forget the time I practiced my rookie mistakes on two of the biggest movie stars in the world.

If you want to check it out, here's the link to it.

WALTER CHAW, FILM FREAK CENTRAL: The best interview that I've had in this capacity is probably with David Cronenberg who was kind enough to speak with me twice: once about "Spider," the second time an extended conversation about his entire body of work.

ROSE "BAMS" COOPER, 3 BLACK CHICKS: Easy: Samuel Jackson, who took 3BC to dinner at Spagos. That whole night was memorable, and endeared him to us. He's the most down-to-earth "big shot" I know.

DAVID EDELSTEIN, SLATE: I loved Gene Hackman because he seemed like a real guy and none of his answers sounded as if he'd said them a thousand times before. Ellen Barkin was probably the most fun.

MICHAEL ELLIOTT, MOVIE PARABLES: This might sound odd, but my most memorable film-related interview was with someone unrelated to the film industry. Searching for Jerry Woodfill in the database at IMDb.com will bring 0 exact matches. That's because Mr. Woodfill is no actor. He's an ex-NASA engineer who was manning the warning systems for the Apollo 13 lunar mission at the time of its massive system failure. This incident was brilliantly portrayed in Ron Howard's film "Apollo 13," which recently was given the full IMAX treatment. During its re-release, Mr. Woodfill consented to an hour-long conversation which I found both fascinating and illuminating. While I loved the movie "Apollo 13," Mr. Woodfill's insight has added immeasurable depth to my appreciation. My interview with Jerry Woodfill can be found at: http://www.christiancritic.com/interview/woodfill.htm

RACHEL GORDON, FILMCRITIC.COM & CULTURE DOSE: My most memorable (and probably best) film-related interview was with Campbell Scott, for when he directed an adaptation of "Hamlet" a few years back. We talked on the phone for about two hours and the conversation spanned all sorts of topics, just from the jumpstart of Shakespeare and filmmaking. It was more of an interactional conversation than an interview as he surprisingly asked me questions as well.

SUSAN GRANGER, SUSANGRANGER.COM: Warren Beatty...it was in 1994 when he was promoting his ill-fated "Love Affair." My interview was scheduled at 5 PM at the Regency Hotel in New York - and his assistant kept apologizing that he was running late. It got to be 6, then 7. No Warren. Finally, he came running in at 7:30, full of apologies -- and determined to "make it up" to me. He immediately ordered a lavish dinner to be sent up for us and promised to chat as long as I wanted - both on and off the record. Then he called in his wife, Annette Bening, telling her how patient I'd been, and she sat down to do yet another hour with him. His graciousness more than made up for his lack of punctuality.

Also, Tom Cruise: it was back in 1983, when he was just starting his career, making "All the Right Moves," which my brother (Stephen Simon Deutsch) produced. Even back then you could see why he was to become Tom Terrific with that killer smile and a work ethic to go with it.

PHIL HALL, FILM THREAT: Back around 1985 or 1986, when I was a radio reporter covering the United Nations for Fairchild Broadcast News, I had an opportunity to interview Cicely Tyson, who was coming to the U.N. as the celebrity spokesperson for the U.S. Committee for UNICEF. I only knew of Cicely Tyson from her performances in films like "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" and "Sounder" and "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," which were not glamourous or flashy roles, and I genuinely had no idea of her real personality or appearance beyond those films. But when Ms. Tyson walked in, I was floored by her extraordinary beauty and kinetic vivacity--her real-life persona was the polar opposite of the earthy and down-trodden characters she played in her most famous films. I truly felt like a little boy in awe of a gorgeous woman, and after the interview was over I did something I've never done before or since in my journalist career: I took the publicity still that UNICEF provided of her and asked for her autograph!

ROBERT HORTON, INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE & HERALDNET.COM: Possibly because it was in front of a full house at a film festival, interviewing Eva Marie Saint was a high point. Some of my favorites interviewees are people who have since died, like Don Ameche, Anthony Perkins, and John Frankenheimer. But the most "memorable" may have been James Foley, who sent the publicist out to get a couple of cold beers for us--at ten o'clock in the morning. He said he kept thinking about that Sheryl Crow song where she sings about getting a beer buzz in the morning. So we did.

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