Highlights
- Eminem’s 2011 interview with Anderson Cooper was challenging due to logistics, with shooting taking weeks and multiple locations involved.
- Despite the difficulties, Eminem was a cooperative interviewee, walking around his old neighborhoods with Anderson and even stopping at a Burger King.
- In contrast to the successful Cooper interview, Eminem’s interview with Stephen Colbert fell flat, leaving viewers confused and uncomfortable.
Eminem has always been a unique study in the music world. His controversies fed not only feuds within the rap industry but also seemed to help Eminem grow his fan base even more. Despite Eminem’s now $250 million net worth and global fame, he’s remained humble over the years. He also isn’t averse to sitting down for honest interviews with any number of journalists.
Many of Eminem’s early interviews were awkward, but one noteworthy moment happened when Anderson Cooper sat down with the rapper for an interview in 2011 for 60 Minutes. Anderson made it look easy — as did his interviewee, as Eminem rhymed words with “orange” — but behind the scenes, things were far more complicated.
Anderson Cooper Admitted His Eminem Interview Was Challenging Because Of The Logistics
By the time Anderson Cooper interviewed Eminem in 2011, Marshall Mathers was far more than a household name. The interview became so iconic that Anderson was later interviewed about the Eminem interview.
Though Eminem was an excellent interviewee and really worked with Anderson and his team to get a good interview, there was a lot more work involved than viewers might have realized.
For one thing, shooting for the interview took weeks, in part because the two (and crew) went to multiple locations for their chats. Some of their chats took place in a studio, while other times, Anderson and Eminem walked around the latter’s old neighborhoods.
In the interview, they walked along the street by a house where Eminem used to live, then stopped in at a Burger King for a Diet Coke (Anderson paid). All of this was in Detroit, which Anderson explained was “really interesting,” because of the level of security involved with the rapper and his entourage.
Cooper explained that Eminem “doesn’t go anywhere just casually, just walking in his old neighborhood, you know, required multi-vehicles. Going there and scouting out the neighborhood and you know, they take it very seriously.”
There was also the chance of crowds forming once people realized Eminem was in town; there was no footage of crowds mobbing the rapper in Anderson’s interview, which might speak to how effective the security measures were.
As far as Eminem’s outlook on things, he was game to do whatever Anderson and CNN wanted. Anderson said he was game to go anywhere, which led them to walk into a Burger King. He also didn’t seem to mind the awkward moments.
Anderson Cooper And Eminem Had Some Awkward Moments In Detroit
Despite their caution with crowds, Eminem’s crew apparently okayed him going into a Detroit Burger King with Anderson. People gaped at the pair, who decided to grab a soda. Eminem even asked the cashier whether refills were still free.
While they were in the Burger King, things did get a little uncomfortable. After they got their sodas, Eminem quipped, “This isn’t weird at all by the way. This is not awkward at all.”
In his follow-up interview, Cooper admitted, “There are moments that are kind of just awkward and stupid… There’s always like cheesy walking shots… then I become self-conscious about how I walk.”
A clip of him and Eminem waiting and then walking on a Detroit street accompanied Anderson’s recollection, and in the clip, Eminem joked to the cameras, “Just hanging out!”
Anderson also pushed Eminem to rap a bit during their interview, which resulted in Eminem creating an on-the-spot rap about Anderson, which criticized Anderson’s white hair — and rhymed, Eminem pointed out — but fell a little flat.
In Eminem and Anderson’s original interview, Eminem also defended his rap; the interview took place after Eminem had been protested against and heavily criticized by parents for his lyrics. Eminem’s response? That parents should actually parent their kids, rather than blaming him (and other rappers) for teaching their kids bad words.
In all, even when Anderson questioned his motives in his rap, Eminem kept his cool even when things were uncomfortable, something fans praised him for years after the fact. Of course, not every interviewer was as lucky as Anderson Cooper.
Eminem’s Interview With Stephen Colbert Fell Flat
Anderson did well handling his interview with Eminem, but there also seemed to be an understanding that Marshall Mathers would be on his best and most authentic behavior for filming.
In contrast, other interviews weren’t as casual or well-managed. For example, an interview between Stephen Colbert and Eminem had fans cringing.
The interview may have been intended as a comedic bit, but audiences were left confused as Stephen dissed Eminem by pretending not to know who he was, which Eminem returned with an even more deadpan delivery.
Viewers couldn’t tell whether either party was serious, and Eminem also appeared angry, meaning he either didn’t enjoy the bit or was, conversely, a really good actor. Either way, the interview was uncomfortable to watch and completely baffling.
Source: NewsFinale
