Not cool, Nicole. Just not cool.
There’s nothing I love more than the #askthemmore campaign. Instead of asking female celebrities mindless questions like, “Who are you wearing?”, journalists are being urged to delve a little deeper.
I want to know more about actresses’ careers and the characters they portray. I want to hear their thoughts on important social issues. And I want to be told more than just the name of the person who designed the dress their stylist out them in. So yeah, #askhermore is great.
BUT (it’s a big but) attention all female celebrities; if you want smart questions on the red carpet you too have to be smart about how you answer them.
I’m sorry to say that yesterday, our very own Nicole Kidman gave an example of how to NOT stand up for #askhermore during a Grammy Awards red carpet interview.
When E! News host Ryan Seacrest asked her about her fashion choice she looked nonplussed.
Then after a moment of awkward silence (in TV World a few seconds of dead air feels like about three weeks), Nicole replied: “I don’t know what to say.”
READ MORE: Jennifer Aniston and Julianne Moore refuse to take part in red carpet tradition.
So Seacrest prompted her to tell him about the designer of her dress, but after another few seconds of silence (cue tumbleweeds), he was forced to move on to Keith Urban’s outfit. Keith answered his questions happily.
It was as uncomfortable to watch as Angelina Jolie pashing her brother.
Nicole wasn’t making a stand for women everywhere. She was just being a douche. There, I said it.
I don’t expect anyone to feel sorry for Ryan Seacrest. I hope #askhermore does prompt him to ask better questions, but when it comes to red carpet interviews, it’s a dance: sometimes the reporter leads and sometimes it’s the celeb who does the final dip.