Veteran journalist Peter Overton has covered natural disasters, pandemics, terrorist attacks and elections, but the Nine News presenter’s most memorable career moments have come from his interviews with A-list stars.
WATCH Peter Overton chats about his awkward interview with Tom Cruise
Peter celebrated 30 years at the network this week, and took the opportunity to look back on some of his hilarious, confronting and downright awkward encounters with celebrities.
Speaking to Fitzy and Wippa on Tuesday morning, Peter reminisced on his tricky 60 Minutes interview with Hollywood acting royalty Bruce Willis.
The Pulp Fiction star blew up at Peter in 2006 over an innocent compliment on co-parenting with Demi Moore.
“I remember Bruce Willis was very, very challenging,” the Nine journalist said.
“I said to him that I had great admiration for him and Demi Moore, his ex wife, because it seems that they co parent very well. And he said, “what would you know?” And I said ‘well, I’ve just done a story actually for 60 Minutes and it’s really stood out.
“And he was really like, angry and you think ‘oh god,’ but you’ve got to keep going.”
Peter had another awkward meeting with a Hollywood A-lister when he chatted with movie star and devout Scientologist Tom Cruise on 60 Minutes ahead of the release of War of the Worlds.
“I’d had to do a Scientology introduction course at the celebrity centre before the interview,” he said.
“We ended up going down that sort of Scientology path and I asked him why it was a condition of the interview and I think I spoke to him about his former wife, Nicole Kidman and it just didn’t go so well.
“And he told me that I’ve crossed the line and put my manners back in and I will say I hadn’t zero ill will towards Tom Cruise.”
Peter said in hindsight it was a “great interview” as it made international headlines for Tom’s awkward outburst.
“I actually I said ‘well, that was interesting’ and he said ‘it was’ and he sort of shook my hand and then he then he got a bit agitated and he shook my hand again and that was the end of that I left the compound,” Peter explained.
“We were sort of wondering what the hell just happened?”
Peter also revealed he accidentally head-butted Angelina Jolie in 2001 on the red carpet of the London premiere of her blockbuster Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
“I remember Angelina Jolie I interviewed her twice. Fantastic woman. She didn’t have the whole entourage around,” he reminisced.
“I was front and centre of the red carpet behind the robe and the producer said ‘when she comes through give her a kiss’.”
Peter initially objected to giving the Maleficent star a kiss, but the producer insisted it would be a “great moment”, prompting the newsreader to eventually cave.
“So as she came close I went in to give her a kiss and just head-butted her. Oh it was terrible. I can still feel out foreheads hitting!” he said.
“I said sorry and she moved on never to be seen again.”
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