Hot Pop 30 - various celebrities interview other celebrities

Interview, Oct, 1999

Watch out, they're ready to take on the world! Welcome to Interview's outspoken, out-there portfolio of thirty folks - some big and some about to be - who are brightening, enlightening, and sometimes even frightening, for now and for years to come.

Elijah Wood interviewed by Brooke Shields, Natalie Portman interviewed by James Lapine, Josh Todd of Buckcherry interviewed by Skin of Skunk Anansie, Lance Armstrong Interviewed by Ingrid Sischy, Macy Gray interviewed by David Furnish, Sofia Coppola interviewed by Wes Anderson, Brad Kahlhamer interviewed by Laura Hoptman, Thora Birch interviewed by Dominique Swain, loan Gruffudd Interviewed by Graham Fuller, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez interviewed by Elizabeth Weitzman, Melanie C interviewed by Evelyn McDonnell, Brian Greene interviewed by Brendan Lemon, Jewel interviewed by Deborah Treisman, Chris Rice Interviewed by Tama Janowitz, Kate Moss interviewed by Karl Plewka, Devon Aoki Interviewed by Anita Sarko, Guy Oseary Interviewed by Ben Stiller, Margaret Cho interviewed by John Cameron Mitchell, Kate Sobrero of the U.S. women's soccer team interviewed by Leslie McCleave, Sean "Puffy" Combs Interviewed by Ellen DeGeneres, Philip Johnson Interviewed by Tom Ford, Cecily Brown interviewed by Neville Wakefield, Tobey Maguire interviewed by Sara Gilbert, Sarah Jessica Parker Interviewed by Dustin Hoffman, Mary J. Blige interviewed by Angie Martinez, Anthony Vibert interviewed by Anita Sarko, Mariah Carey interviewed by Dimitri Ehrlich, Jamie King Interviewed by Anita Sarko, Amy Adams and Shill Appleby Interviewed by Michael Musto, Anna Friel Interviewed by Graham Fuller, Hype Williams Interviewed by Anna Sui.

ELIJAH WOOD

BY BROOKE SHIELDS

BROOKE SHIELDS: Let's talk about the movie we did together, Black and White. Had you done a totally improvisational film before?

ELIJAH WOOD: No. And as interesting as the project seemed, I was really scared because it was so far away from anything I'd done. Then I came to the conclusion that if you're ever fearful of taking a step forward to a place that could be better for you, you should always take it, because that's the only way you'll ever grow. So despite how afraid I was, I made the decision to continue.

BS: Well, fear Is an Incredible motivator. OK, now you can talk about kissing me. [laughs]

EW: That was an absolutely lovely day! I came to the set thinking I was filming one thing, and one of the assistant directors came to my trailer and said, "You've got to kiss Brooke Shields in the park today." I was like, "I'm sorry. Run that by me again?" [BS laughs] What a great experience! I already felt very close to you, and that brought us a bit closer.

BS: The feeling was mutual. Still, I was thinking, I should be arrested for this! And you kept saying that it was legal in some states! [laughs] So I didn't feel so bad. So next you're doing The Lord of the Rings. Have you read the trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien?

EW: No, but I read The Hobbit.

BS: Did they suggest you read all three books?

EW: It wasn't necessary, although I believe they're under the impression that I have read all three. But I don't think it really matters. The scripts are brilliant, and they've kept the tone of Tolkien's writing, which is wonderful.

BS: How would you describe a hobbit?

EW: A hobbit is a very short, amusing character. They don't wear shoes. They have hairy feet and pointy little ears. My character, Frodo Baggins, has a wry sense of humor.

BS: You were perfectly typecast.

EW: [laughs] How perceptive!

BS: I did kiss you, remember? I was given these Tolkien stories when I was a child. They should be required reading at an older age, Just because of the lessons In them.

EW: Oh, definitely. The stories reveal the darkness of the human spirit, and where that can go, as well as the extreme light.

BS: You'll be shooting in New Zealand, right? Will you be there for a long time?

EW: Fourteen months, because we're doing three movies. It's going to be an adventure, a real journey. And I think that I'll be different when I come back, as a person and an actor, and I look forward to that.

NATALIE PORTMAN

BY JAMES LAPIN

JAMES LAPINE: I was at the A&P the other day, Natalie, and saw your face on a soda can.

NATALIE PORTMAN: I know, I know. I did a photo shoot recently, and they had Pepsi cans there, and my face was on all of them. I was so embarrassed.

JL: How weird. Did you know you were going to be on a soda can, or did you Just go to the 7-Eleven one day and there you were?

NP: They told us ahead of time that there would be a lot of marketing tie-ins to Star Wars [Episode I: The Phantom Menace], especially with Pepsi, because they paid a lot of money to put us on their chips and sodas and all that.

JL: Now that you're known as Queen Amidala, are you recognized more than you used to be?

NP: Definitely, because I used to never get recognized. [laughs] But it's not horrible. It's nowhere near what I expected.

JL: I can't imagine what it must be like, having somebody you don't know come up and talk to you. What's your role in your new film Anywhere But Here, which is based on the [1987] novel by Mona Simpson?