How to Interview Celebrities, With Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Step 1: Figure out how the press has treated them in the past.
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Episode Notes
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to novelist and celebrity profile writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner. In the interview, Taffy shares how she’s able to land interviews with celebrities and how she structures her pieces. She also explains why she’s a “champion advice-taker” and tells the story of how her bestselling novel, Fleishman Is in Trouble, started as a failed magazine pitch. Don’t miss her New York Times Magazine profiles of Gwyneth Paltrow and Val Kilmer.
After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas discuss a couple of Taffy’s most ingenious pieces of wisdom. Check out Isaac’s profile of Nathan Lane.
Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com.
Podcast production by Cameron Drews.
