Real People = Courage

Anderson Cooper: My Favorite Interviews Are With 'Real People Facing Real Life Challenges' (VIDEO)


The Huffington Post | Emily Tess Katz | First Posted: 07/ 1/11 -- 04:09 PM ET | Updated: 07/ 1/11 -- 05:14 PM ET

Anderson Cooper isn't concerned with the big "get."

"I know in TV lingo that's a big deal," he said in an interview with Ben Finley, a booking producer for "AC 360," during a backstage interview Thursday night. "...But the people I really like talking to the most are people whose names we don't even really know, who are experiencing things that are beyond their control.

"Real people facing real life challenges," he said, invoking those in Egypt, Syria, and Libya, "risking their lives by talking to us" as examples. "Those are the people I learn from the most, and I like talking to the most."

He finds that his best interviews happen organically, when he's genuinely interested in the subject and asking questions off-the-cuff:

"When you're doing an interview with someone, part of your mind is thinking as a television producer, 'Okay, this needs to fit within a certain amount of time, and I need to get questions about certain topics.' But the other part of me, and I think the bigger part of me -- and I think that when the interviews are the best, that's the part that I listen to most -- is just an interested person asking questions that I'm interested in, and more importantly, listening to what the other person is saying. I think there's a lot of interviews where you sense the person's not really listening, they're just waiting to ask the next question."

Cooper, who was commended for his heart-wrenchingly poignant interviews with tornado victims in Joplin, Missouri, mentions that it can get difficult to deal "with raw-emotions while trying to get the interview in the can."

He cites his interview with Rep. Louis Gohmert as being one of the most surprising to date (Gomert accused Anderson of "attacking the messenger," screaming "Anderson, you're better than this. You used to be good!") and his chat with Phyllis Diller as being a favorite (when Anderson said "thank you so much for being with us," she retorted, "I'm so happy to be alive!").

"I really like talking to people," Cooper stressed, adding that he never tires of his job.

When asked which of his interviews he preferred, President Obama or Snooki, he took a moment to think about it.

"Obama," he said, with some hesitation.

There was no word on where Obama would rank against NeNe Leakes, unfortunately.

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