I have just read that it is being compared with the one Guru-Murthy did with Tarantino in 2013, but I think it is a bad comparison. I do think that Guru-Murthy ambushed Downey Jr in the recent interview, and that what he asked was wholly unfair. With Tarantino on the other hand, he was right to challenge his obsession with violence, and push him hard to offer some explanation for where he saw its place in the wider culture.

These interviews must be soooo boring for everyone involved. This is how it was meant to go:

KGM – Mr Downey Jr, we’re here to promote your new fillum, Avengers: Yet More. In this exciting new fillum, based on a children’s cartoon buke, you pretend to be a billionaire who dresses up as robot to fight bad people. That’s jolly exciting, isn’t it?

RD – It is. It’s a super fillum.

KGM – Would you recommend that people spend $10 per ticket to see the fillum?

RD – I would. It’s a super fillum.

KGM – Should they also buy popcorn?

RD – Fillums are best with popcorn.

KGM – do you sometimes feel you’re as utterly awesome as the billionaire who dresses up as a robot?

RD – Yup.

KGM Mr Downey Jr, thank you for your time.

RD – next.

These people aren’t interesting, and the films they’re producing aren’t interesting. That pit of not-interestingness can (just possibly) be clambered out of by everyone involved saying something other than what they’re meant to say. Even then, it’s a long shot. Having a flounce when someone asks you to say something interesting is fine, whatever. But you stay at the bottom of the pit of not-interestingness.

Looks like he got ambushed

When Robert Downey Jr’s PR man rang up asking what we wanted to talk about, we said we had no particular agenda but would ask about the new Avengers superhero movie and his recovery from jail and drug abuse to Hollywood stardom

Bad communication from his PR ,it looks like he was expecting to do a promo for the film only.

his recovery from jail and drug abuse to Hollywood stardom

Is that where he abused drugs and went in jail and then came back to Hollywood stardom? Musta been fascinating.

Would make a great fillum starring Robert Downey jr. Would he be able to promote it though?

As long as they don’t ask him about being Ironing Man

All this makes Downey jnr come across like a bit of a prick to be honest.

Krishnan getting owned by Richard Aoyade
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjC3ycS_2js[/video]

Anyone who doesn’t think that Murthy is a prize prick must not have seen much of the odious egomaniac.

I hate journalists that have that hard line approach to every interview.

I once watched Paxman tearing someone in the NHS a new one because response times where slightly below target. It boiled my piss! This guy works in the NHS, saving lives, and I’m sure he’s doing the best he can in a difficult job, and he has to be talked to like a piece of shite on someone’s shoe, on national TV, by a dick in a suit who’s not done any work to save peoples lives! And just let the guy answer the first **** question with being interrupted with another one, you massive dong!

They think they’re superheroes on a mission to liberate the truth from anyone silly enough to talk to them, as quickly and aggressively as possible. Self righteous, pompous bastards!

Rant over (is it home time yet? I’m bored! 😛 ).

Wrecker +1.Rehashing Downey’s old trauma in the guise of “illuminating his current role” is twaddle.Downey did a lot of stupid things,did jail time,and has expressed his regret for his actions.AFAIK he is clean,and he probably gives himself enough grief about it ,without every twopenny-ha’penny interviewer bringing it back up.It must feel like torture,and yes,I would have walked out too.

Richard Aoyade is awesome. KGM getting totally pwned by him is very telling, shows KGM to quite clearly be a bit of a mediocre nob.

BD+1, I don’t think Aoyade pwned him, I just think he exposed the farcical nature of these interviews in a funny and honest way by ridiculing them.

Aoyade KGM interview for anyone who hadn’t seen it.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/krishnan-gurumurthy-on-richard-ayoade-interviewing-famous-people-about-their-latest-project-is-like-commuting-for-me-too-9816684.html

Regarding the OP, seemed to me like RDJ hadn’t been forewarned, was a bit bored of interviews/in a bad mood/is a grumpy chops and had a moment. He’s human isn’t he?

KGM presumably gained a lot of fame / notoriety after his Tarantino debacle and he clearly revels in it.

Robert Downey Jr is presumably contracted to promote the film by talking about it, rather than endlessly rehashing a decade-old issue in his life.

Why they bothered inviting such a bunch of tryhards as C4 News to a pretty mundane media round robin is beyond me.

KGM hit jackpot in the Michael Jackson interview and he’s been trying very hard to live up to it ever since. His problem is that in general people are a bit more aware that MJ was, so he just ends up looking like the desperate prick that he is.
RDJ had a hard time, it was very public and I don’t fault him for getting arsey about what happened 14 YEARS AGO ago being dragged up during a promo for a film which will be mainly aimed at kids.

Why they bothered inviting such a bunch of tryhards as C4 News to a pretty mundane media round robin is beyond me.

Because they want the free publicity for their film, if you look at the budgets of these mega films, nearly half of the cost is publicity expenditure, free publicity is very valuable.

The blame here is wqith the PR people

We don’t do promotional interviews on Channel 4 News. We agree with PR people that as well as talking about a new movie for a while we want to ask wider ranging questions on relatively serious topics, and we don’t guarantee to run any answers in particular. When Robert Downey Jr’s PR man rang up asking what we wanted to talk about, we said we had no particular agenda but would ask about the new Avengers superhero movie and his recovery from jail and drug abuse to Hollywood stardom.

Well worth read KGM piece in the Guardian, sets the context very well. He wasn’t trying to trip up RDJ, if the topic was off agenda the PR people should have made that clear.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/26/krishnan-guru-murthy-channel-4-news-robert-downey-jr

KGM hit jackpot in the Michael Jackson interview and he’s been trying very hard to live up to it ever since. His problem is that in general people are a bit more aware that MJ was, so he just ends up looking like the desperate prick that he is.

Are you talking about Martin Bashir?
RM.

Are you talking about Martin Bashir?

Wasn’t it KGM who made Diana cry? The bastard!!!

Is wrecker Suzanne Evans?

Video

I could have sworn it was KGM! Dammit! 😳
I’m not Suzanne, but I am called Fellating Felicity on sundays mefty.

These people aren’t interesting, and the films they’re producing aren’t interesting.

I’m going to see the film tonight, and RDJ is an interesting enough to bloke when I’ve read interviews where the interviewer isn’t trying to build up his own reputation, and acts like a dick.

Why do they keep pronouncing his surname as Murphy instead of Muuurty?