Thursday, December 4, 2008

Charlize Theron's Potty Mouth, Paul Rudd's Claw-Machine Chat And More Bizarre Movie-Interview Moments Of 2008

Sure, there are a few weeks left to go in 2008, but as we looked back at the past 11 months of interviews with Hollywood's biggest stars, we realized there was a good decade worth of crazy in our hands. So why keep it to ourselves?

Join the MTV Movies team now as we reflect on the most unpredictable, unusual and absolutely bizarre moments of the year. We've got screaming, kicking, cursing and mocking. We've got tales of little-people sex and imitations of extinct species.

We've got ... the Top 10 Most Bizarre Movie-Interview Moments of 2008.

10. Jeff Bridges
The Oscar-nominated actor is such a warm presence on camera and off (he gives the entire crew books of his on-set photography as wrap gifts for every film he does!) that we were taken aback when he portrayed such a nefarious adversary in "Iron Man." When we asked him about reaming out co-star Peter Billingsley, we secretly hoped he'd become just as animated with us — but the scream he unleashed was more than we could have dreamed of.

What You Didn't See: When the interview ended, the poor crew member working on the audio was worried about permanent ear damage.

9. Rainn Wilson
Some people you click with and some ... well, they make fun of your sweater. Wilson was at his caustic best at this live Q&A promoting "The Rocker." His incessant mockery of my attire made for great comedy for the audience, but didn't do much for this writer's fragile ego. I've not worn the sweater since.

What You Didn't See: We caught up with Rainn when he visited "TRL" soon thereafter, and he was a good sport about the whole "incident," even agreeing to wear my heinous garment during the follow-up chat.

8. Jean-Claude Van Damme
For those of us at MTV News who were lucky enough to journey to the South of France to cover the Cannes Film Festival, it really didn't get any better than chatting with Van Damme, enthusiastic and slightly incomprehensible, clad in a suit seemingly on loan from Don Johnson's 1980s closet. When he delivered an impromptu roundhouse kick during our interview, everyone there knew they'd witnessed something special.

What You Didn't See: When our crew arrived at the party where we scheduled to meet the action star, we were greeted with perhaps the greatest welcome we'd ever heard: "Ah, yes. Mr. Van Damme has been expecting you."

7. Steven Seagal
We only learned that Seagal was going to be appearing at a local Best Buy at the last minute. But in a newsroom like ours, that means, "All hands on deck! There is crazy to be documented!" The man who is both hard to kill and above the law didn't disappoint in a rambling chat that truly ran the gamut — from Sarah Palin and energy drinks, to the essential oils he hopes to produce.

What You Didn't See: The Best Buy event also featured Richard Dean Anderson, Tanya Roberts and a crowd of six, maybe seven employees from the store.

6. Val Kilmer
It's hard to pinpoint when our conversation with Kilmer went off the rails. It might have been when Val decided to affect a Bob Dylan imitation at the outset. By the time he was recalling the rampant dwarf sex on the set of "Willow," we knew we were in insane and wonderful territory.

What You Didn't See: Val admired a graffitied cabinet on his way into the interview and said to no one in particular, "I love that cabinet. I want to date that cabinet."

5. Charlize Theron
You truly haven't lived until you've been cursed out by one of the most beautiful women in the world. Charlize brought her filthy pirate mouth to this startling interview, much to everyone's amazement — including her clearly shell-shocked "Battle in Seattle" co-star Martin Henderson.

What You Didn't See: If you've only seen this MTV interview with Charlize, you may not know that her potty-mouth ways are nothing new. She lit into us while promoting both "Sleepwalking" and "Hancock."

4. Bijou Phillips
She may not be the biggest name on this list, but the lovely Miss Phillips more than earned her #4 standing here thanks to a truly committed (and out-of-left-field) imitation of a baby pterodactyl.

What You Didn't See: Perhaps the oddest part of Bijou's randomness is it came moments after a solemn talk about the death of Heath Ledger, whose passing had just been made public hours earlier.

3. Brendan Fraser
Even red carpets have rules, don't they? Well, they all went by the wayside during Kim Stolz's interview with Sarah Jessica Parker on the MTV Movie Awards red carpet. Like Ron Popeil hawking a food dehydrator, Fraser started hawking his summer films. The only saving grace: His hulking frame was in the shadows next to a patient Parker.

What You Didn't See: Months later, Kim reminded Sarah about the odd Fraser affair on another red carpet. A broad smile and a knowing laugh from the "Sex and the City" star said it all.

2. "The Pudding Show"
High concept or low? You decide. A few of us here at MTV News who hatched the idea of a talk show that dealt with one topic and one topic alone — pudding — stand behind this curious baby. "The Pudding Show" never shot another episode (despite Jason Segel's cameo and tease at the end of the premiere), and that probably sits well with still-stunned supermodel Marisa Miller and filmmaker Uwe Boll.

What You Didn't See: Please believe us: We told Marisa's publicist what the show was all about. Still, as soon as the taping ended, they bolted out of the building like they were on fire. None of us know what they said as they exited, but we sure can guess.

1. Paul Rudd
Nearly two hours of air hockey, Skee-Ball and video games nearly exhausted us, but Rudd was game for just about anything we threw at him during this unconventional shoot to promote "Role Models." The highlight? Interviewing Rudd while we were both covered in stuffed animals and a giant claw tried to pick us up.

What You Didn't See: The always-affable Mr. Rudd decided to stick around after the end of the shoot to play "Ms. Pac-Man" and racing games for another half-hour.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




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