Red carpet interviews are a bit like speed dating and, as such, things don’t always go quite to plan. Lines that would work on some misfire completely on others, and this is part of the fun. Hosting for E!, Duncan James had his best Ryan Seacrest impression on – but, occasionally, even the all-conquering ‘Crest gets it wrong. And so to the clangers…
- This was more of a curio – talking to Christoph Waltz, James remarked that it had been a ‘crazy year’ for the Austrian star of Inglourious Basterds, prompting the tri-lingual actor to philosophically ponder the meaning of the word ‘crazy’ in this precise context.
- A rather tricky joke about umbilical cords and saying the word ‘cut!’ to the pregnant Sam Taylor-Wood and her partner and directee for Nowhere Boy, Aaron Johnson. They didn’t play ball at all.
- When chatting to a bustily glamorous Anne-Marie Duff, James said: ‘obviously you’re pregnant aren’t you’, which didn’t seem to be quite what she was expecting to hear. A further question about whether her and husband James McAvoy were ready for the birth seemed a bit too personal for her – fair enough – but ultimately she seemed amused by the whole encounter.
- Speaking to Carey Mulligan about her guests, James remarked that she brought her ‘breast friend’ to the SAGs’, an easy slip that Mulligan gracefully let pass without comment.
- He also appeared to forget Up In The Air star Vera Farmiga’s name when doing her outro – apparently having to check it on the card before he said it – admittedly it’s not the most ordinary of names.
News hour, with Jerry Caesar 