It started as a London junket for The Avengers 2, and ended with Robert Downey Jr. walking out on Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
The interview was for Channel 4, and if you’ve not seen it, it’s worth watching. Up until the walk-out, it is quite insightful, and full of good questions that cut below the surface. Still, there was something awkward from the get-go. A really odd energy Krishnan was putting forth. When he realized he was getting short on time, he began to relate Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark to Robert himself, and launched into a line of questioning about the actor’s troubled past.
First, he started with a question about a quote Robert made years ago–totally out of left field. Then he began asking more questions about Robert’s personal life, personal struggles and the relationship with his father.
To RDJ’s credit, he remained calm, seemed a little confused as to why they were venturing down that path of questioning, and even went on the offensive at one point–my favorite part of the interview. He did it in a very unique way, without batting an eyelash, and one could only imagine that Krishnan was a little intimidated on the flip side; however, it didn’t stop him. Krishnan had three minutes left. Even as RDJ began looking toward his publicist for the “let’s get out of here,” the interview continued.
After one deeply personal question–that didn’t offend RDJ, rather annoyed him–he said thank you, and farewell.
Here’s the deal, folks. If you’re going to do an interview, and you want it to be an in-depth, intimate look at everything the subject considers their essence, or where they’ve come from and where they’re going, it’s best to get on the same page before you start asking questions. Sure, RDJ could have handled the situation with a little more grace, but there was no need for Krishnan Guru-Murthy to start pushing buttons. If you didn’t see it, check out “the moment” below.
