From Tom Cruise’s tantrums to Kanye West’s rant, these are the most awkward celeb interviews ever

THOUGHT Cate Blanchett’s interview was awkward? You haven’t seen anything. It’s not the first time a star has acted up, spoken out, switched off or lost their cool.

SURE, Cate Blanchett was probably joking when she grilled a reporter during an interview with The Project on Wednesday, and snapped “That’s your f***ing question?” at him.

In jest or not, the whole thing still made for a pretty awkward four minutes. And it’s not the first time a star has acted up, spoken out, switched off or lost their cool.

Every journalist in the entertainment space — myself included — has a story or two about a painful encounter with a big name.

Winning! ... Charlie Sheen’s bizarre interview after his departure from Two And A Half Men raised eyebrows. Picture: Supplied

Sometimes it’s the writer’s fault, while other times the star doesn’t want to play ball after what has usually been a long day of back-to-back media chats. Occasionally they’re just jerks.

Whatever the cause, the results can be disastrously awkward. Here are some of the best examples.

TOM CRUISE

With this Hollywood megastar, it seems you never know what you might get. He could jump up and down on the couch or throw a tantrum over your line of questioning.

Unpredictable ... depending on his mood, Tom Cruise can either be a great interview or a total disaster. Picture: Getty Images

It was the latter that esteemed interviewer Peter Overton got in 2005 when he began probing Cruise about his relationship with former wife Nicole Kidman.

After easing in with a few light questions, Overton asked the star about his co-parenting arrangements.

“You’re stepping over a line now,” he declared cooly. “Put your manners back in.”

Overton was able to recover and salvage what was left of the interview, even getting a declaration from Cruise at the end that it was mostly “terrific”.

JESSE EISENBERG

Almost as soon as a video of the change hit YouTube, social media lit up with criticism of the actor’s treatment of a young and clearly green reporter.

Eisenberg was promoting his action flick Now You See Me and seemed to delight in mocking Romina Puga.

Obnoxious ... Jesse Eisenberg’s treatment of a young rookie reporter earnt him a bad rep.

It began with the reporter referring to his co-star Morgan Freeman as simply “Freeman” — something Eisenberg took exception to.

It all went downhill from there.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX

When he appeared on David Letterman in 2010, the actor’s behaviour was so bizarre and unpredictable that many feared he was in the middle of a televised breakdown.

He was erratic, dishevelled and abruptly told the talk show host that he’d be retiring from movie-making to focus on his rap career.

In the end, it all turned out to be part of an elaborate hoax to promote his film I’m Still Here.

KANYE WEST

It seemed like a pretty simple arrangement — cameras would cut to the always entertaining rapper during a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Producer’s nightmare ... Kanye West’s cross at a Hurricane Katrina benefit caused headlines around the world. Picture: Getty Images

West was to use the opportunity to raise awareness of the plight of those impacted and encourage viewers to donate. Actor Mike Myers joined him for the appearance.

But when it was his turn to speak, West simply said: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people”.

Myers obviously didn’t hear, because he continued with his part of the script — until the singer said it again. His microphone was abruptly turned off and the camera cut away.

Controversy followed, but so did a song that West released inspired by the line.

COURTNEY LOVE

Pop megastar Madonna was being interviewed on a stage on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995 and all was going as you’d expect.

Always colourful ... Courtney Love crashing Madonna’s red carpet interview at a music awards show in 1995 was awkward gold. Picture: Instagram

And then colourful music identity Love decided to crash the chat, yelling from below and trying to climb up.

“Should we let her up?” the interviewer asked. “No, please don’t,” Madonna replied.

Love then threw her make-up compact at the singer, until she was eventually let up to join in the conversation. The next several minutes will live on as among the most awkward in history.

KRISTEN WIIG

Rule number one of interviewing is to be prepared. It’s a lesson Colorado TV reporter Chris Parente learnt last year.

During an interview for The Skeleton Twins, he asked Wiig and her co-star Bill Hader about their nudity in the flick.

At no time do their characters appear naked. Wiig helpfully pointed out that the reporter was thinking of another movie.

Be prepared ... Kristen Wiig copped an interviewer who didn’t know what he was talking about.

She and Hader broke out in hysterics for the remaining few minutes of the trainwreck interview.