Interview or Clickbait?
No doubt many of us have seen the now infamous interview between Robert Downey Jr. and Krishnan Guru-Murthy. It seems that the general consensus is that Robert Downey Jr. was totally right in walking out on Guru-Murthy, as the journalist would not take no for an answer. It is interesting though. I have now had the chance to watch the interview twice and another interview Guru-Murthy did with Quentin Tarantino and have noticed that the interviewer clearly knows what he is doing as he pushes creative people to the edge.
If you pay very close attention to the Downey Jr. Interview, you will notice Guru-Murthy’s word choice changes drastically as the conversation moves toward its end. Everything starts out cordial enough. The questions being asked pertain to the film being promoted. Downey Jr. has answered these questions about a million times in the past since this is his fifth outing as Iron-Man (sixth if you count his appearance in The Hulk) but that is part of the gig, and he seems happy to participate.
Then Guru-Murthy takes a strange turn. He asks the actor about the parallels between his life and that of his character, Iron-Man. We all know about Downey Jr.s past and how it oddly parallels the trajectory of his character. This was discussed at length in 2008 when the first film came out. So why ask the question? Simply to set up a follow-up which is obviously designed to insult Downey Jr. Notice that after the actor answers the question Guru-Murthy states “He’s become a much more likeable character isn’t he? A better man. In a way. That you are as well, I suppose.”
This is the key point. The tonal shift in the interview. Downey Jr. politely brushes off the not very subtle insult to his character with an impish smile and a, “Sure.” A very well done maneuver which indicates he is not without denying his past but has moved forward with his life. He deserves to not be harassed about his past indiscretions. Indiscretions which he has apologized for and spoken about on multiple occasions when the time was appropriate.
From this point forward Guru-Murthy begins to ambush Downey Jr. with a series of questions which have nothing at all do with the film he is promoting. Guru-Murthy even tells Downey Jr. that he doesn’t have to answer the questions if he doesn’t want to. The problem is that the interviewer isn’t telling the truth. When the actor refuses to answer the questions posed, Guru-Murthy either asks them again or rephrases to make it seem like he is moving on, when in reality he is just harassing a man who is attempting to sell a product.
There is even a point when Downey Jr. asks, “Are we promoting a movie?”…”What are we doing?” At this very moment, the camera pans in on Downey Jr.’s face as he prepares to leave. This was clearly designed as clickbait. From the moment that Guru-Murthy insults Downey Jr. to the moment he walks off set, everything is controlled. The interviewer intentionally pushes the actor to a breaking point and it is clear that he knows he is doing it.
Robert Downey Jr. was completely right in walking out. This type of interview is designed to be a commercial for a film. It is not, nor should it ever become, a personal tell all. Downey Jr.’s job, in this instance, is to sell the film and Guru-Murthy’s is to facilitate the selling of said film. Instead, it seems that the interviewer is much more interested in creating controversy and causing drama to drive up the ratings of his show. Let’s give the man credit, he did accomplish his task. Up until this week, I had no idea who Krishnan Guru-Murthy was. Now I have watched two videos of him making entertainers angry in interviews.
In the long run, that interview ended several minutes before Robert Downey Jr. walked out. Once the questions moved away from the movie and into personal territory, Guru-Murthy broke the tacit rules of the agreed upon format. A transgression which Robert Downey Jr. very calmly pointed out when he said, “It’s just getting a little Diane Sawyer.”
You are one cool cucumber Robert Downey Jr.
