IT ALL STARTED WITH THE STARS...
and guess what? They really are just like US!
YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE! grew out of the list of offbeat interview questions that YDKML co-creator Dennis Hensley developed over his 20-plus year career as an entertainment journalist. "I had a Xeroxed sheet of questions that I would take to every interview," he explains. "And then I'd pick a few to pepper into the conversation. I found they often got the kind of fun anecdotes that make for a memorable article. They were like my secret interviewing weapon."
Here's how some of his famous subjects answered questions that eventually ended up in YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE!
Here's how some of his famous subjects answered questions that eventually ended up in YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE!
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SANDRA BULLOCK (Detour, February 1995) What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in pursuit of a crush? I never chased anyone like I did this person, and I’m not saying who it is. I knew he was coming over, and I was like, “How can I make him think that other people want to so he’ll go, ‘Maybe I should jump on it and stop stringing her along’?" So I went to the florist and got $185 worth of arrangements and signed them in different handwriting and I played on his nosiness. I left the room giving him enough time to open them all. And you know what? It was worth every penny I spent. |
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JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE (Cosmopolitan, November 2001)
What’s the worst thing that’s ever gone wrong for you during a performance? We were in Detroit on our last tour (for N’Sync), and during a song, we flew above the crowd attached to harnesses. I went up there and got stuck. I didn’t come back for several minutes. What’s something you splurged on as a reward to yourself? I collect shoes. I’m a sneaker freak. And I have an obsession with cars—I have seven. |
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CAMERON DIAZ (Cosmopolitan, March 2002) If you could be the opposite sex or a day, what would you want to experience? There’s a certain bit of equipment I am desperately wondering about. I am really curious to know what it’s like to pee standing up and all those guy things. It must be so interesting. |
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CELINE DION (Cosmopolitan, July 1998) What’s the worst thing that’s ever gone wrong for you during a performance? One time, a giant cockroach walked out on stage during a very serious song and in between breaths and I squashed it. At the end of the show, you could see the head her, a leg over there—honest to God, it was huge!” |
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JAMES MARSDEN (The Advocate, Cosmopolitan, April 2000)
What’s been your most random celebrity sighting? I saw Demi Moore a while ago at Planet Hollywood and she actually talked to me! She asked if I was having a good time. What’s the worst costume or uniform you’ve ever had to wear for work? One of my first jobs was a series called Boogie’s Diner, and I wore a hot dog suit. It was so mortifying—like, Wow, I moved to Hollywood to be a hot dog? |
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TAYLOR SWIFT (Fashion, Winter 2011) What’s something you splurged on as a reward to yourself? I have this giant topiary bunny in my living room. It’s got the paws up and everything. People walk in and they’re like, ‘Oh wow, that’s a giant plant bunny.’ One of my friends named him Bolby. I always wanted a place that’s whimsical and eclectic and I finally have it, and it just feels like home. |
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KATY PERRY (Fashion, Summer 2011) Describe a recurring dream. “I’m doing a concert and I suddenly realize that I don’t have a part of my costume that I need, like down there, and so I feel exposed. And then sometimes I dream that I put on my guitar and I don’t know how to play anymore. I don’t know how to do anything.” |
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JENNIFER LOPEZ (Cosmopolitan, April 1997) What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done in pursuit of a crush? I did everything in the book with Ojani (Noa, her first husband). I would go see him at the restaurant where he waited tables all the time and walk past him to the bathroom a million times. One time, he was coming my way, and I slipped. I was so mortified. He was like, “Careful.” |
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MARK WAHLBERG (Time Out New York, March 1999)
What’s a day from your childhood that you’d like to go back and relive? I would just like to go back there, period. Now, the neighborhood just isn’t the same. Back then, there was a crew of over, like, 30 of us, and we were all together, and now a lot of them are in prison. Some of my friends are dead. So just to be able to go to the pizza shop would be great. We were selling weed and coke and stuff, but it was fun. We were always together and going through the same shit. It’s sad, because any one of them could be doing what I'm doing now if only they were able to get focused and believe in themselves. |
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GWYNETH PALTROW (Total Film, 2001) What’s a physical quality that isn’t thought of as conventionally sexy that totally turns you on? I like crooked teeth. I like British boys and sometimes they have really hacked up teeth. I like that.” |
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KATE BECKINSALE (Detour, April 1998) What’s something you’re good at that might surprise people? I can make my mouth into a lot of different movie stars. I can do Julia Roberts and I used to do Michelle Pfeiffer rather well. My mouth is extremely mobile. When I was a child, I discovered tat my mouth can turn into an actual beak, and I haven’t found anyone else who can do it. My mouth can do a lot of strange things. My boyfriend loves it. |
