Secrets of How Stars Present at the Oscars - Steve Rohr

Speaking with TJ Walker, dissecting the communication skills and practices of world class leaders. Imagine you've been nominated, they call your name, you're walking up to the podium, you have just won the Academy Award. Now you've got to give an acceptance speech. What do you do and what do you do afterward when 10 million reporters want to interview you? Our guest today is Steve Rohr. He is the publicist for the Academy Awards. So he's working with all the top celebrities in the world. He's also the Author of Scared 9 Ways to Overcome youe Fears and Captivate youe Audience. He's a well known public speaking expert. He's lectured all around the country and is a well known guru to those hoping to communicate more effectively. Steve, thanks for being our guest today.

Oh, it's great to be here, T.J. thank you.

Now, your book is about fear. Certainly movie stars who are used to being on the big screen and speaking to millions, they don't really have fear when they're giving acceptance speeches or other speeches, do they?

Well, you think that would be true? Here we have these very high profile individuals who are very used to being in the public eye. But what I have found, and when I tell you why this is, is that these movie stars are used to playing other people. They're used to inhabiting other roles. They have a script. But when they step out to give interviews or give any kind of public presentation, they have to be themselves. And that's a different ball game altogether. Just like musicians will tell me, you know, I can get up on a stage full and have 30,000 people screaming and yelling and I've got my guitar and I'm singing and playing and that's no problem. But put me in front of 10 people and try to give a speech, I get stuck.

It's a different beast.

It's a different beast. It is. And we have a bit of a block when it comes to stepping out of our comfort zone, and especially when it comes to public speaking, which is the number one fear in America, truly is. You know, death is second. And we really explore why we're so terrified of public speaking in the book Scared Speechless, because I think that's a really critical component. It's not just being able to do it, it's doing it effectively and authentically and really engaging. Managing the nerves, managing the fear.

Now, I have a bit of a contrarian view on fear of public speaking. My theory is more people should have a fear of public speaking because if you're fearful of it, it probably Means you're afraid of being awful and boring when the reality is you probably are going to be awful and boring. So the solution is not to get over your fear. The solution is to actually have a great speech. But I want to hear some of the nuggets our listeners can find in your book Scared Speechless, which, by the way, is linked in the show notes. And you can get that right from Amazon. It's from Career Press.

So what I do agree with you, T.J. i think that people should be nervous. And like you said, you know, if you're not nervous, then what's the point? And you do something with passion or not at all. But when I apologize, that's not exact.

That's not exactly my point. My point is you shouldn't be nervous because you've actually practiced your speech. You've looked at it and you like it. You think, hey, that's good. That's interesting. If I can do it that well, that'll be great. It's not that you shouldn't care.

Well, T.J. you are an exceptional speaker. You've spoken all over the world. But I betcha when you first started, you had some nerves, because nerves are actually very natural. They are our body's defense mechanism. So there's a part of our brain called the primitive brain or the lizard brain, where when we encounter a perceived threat, it goes into that fight, flight, or freeze mode. And so that's good. That's great. That keeps us from wandering out on the freeway and having a picnic out there or walking down a dark alley at night by ourselves. So this is a very good thing. Unfortunately, the primitive brain hasn't evolved in 300 million years, so it cannot tell the difference between walking down a dark alley and getting up and giving a speech. For the primitive brain, fear is one size fits all. I tell everybody, please be nervous. Please be nervous. If you're not nervous, you're dead. You're dead. Figuratively. Literally, you're dead. So the nerves are good for you. That's the point. Because most people come to me and they say, you know what? I'm so nervous. I say, great. Absolutely great. Be nervous. That's very, very critical. Because it's a natural way that our body is operating. We are programmed to panic. But as modern people, we need to say, wait a second, I'm not going to be eaten by a tiger here. I'm just walking into a room full of people. Now, absolutely, you should prepare. Absolutely. You should be passionate about what you're talking about. No question about that. I'M totally on board with that. But understanding how the body works with the mind is the biggest thing. Because what I found is if you say, well, if you prepare, you shouldn't be nervous. That doesn't give anybody any tools. You have done an extraordinary thing in your life and you've practiced, you've honed your skill, you're managing your nerves without even thinking about it now. It's second nature to you. But what I found with new speakers especially is that they really need to address the fear factor first. That's the number one thing. And then they can plan a great speech. And putting those two things together, I think, is the win, is the win for anybody who is getting up to give a speech.

Steve, you're absolutely right. I had fear when I was first starting out and giving a lot of speeches when I was 12, 13, in junior high school, running for student council, that sort of thing. But back then, there were no video cameras. There's certainly none affordable to me or my, my parents. I never even saw a video camera up close till I was probably a junior in college and participated in a media training for a political candidate. But these days, every kid has got a. Got a video camera because it's in their cell phone.

I know.

And so I'm a big believer that that's the single best way to prepare, is to practice on video repeatedly. But what's your number one technique?

Well, I love that. I think that's super important. And we are very, we get very, I don't know, opposed to that because we don't like to hear our own voice. We cringe when we hear our own voice or we really don't want to see ourselves walking and talking and doing those kind of things that, you know, we might be aware of or not aware of. But it is so critical that we look at it objectively or as objectively as possible so that we can improve. So I am all on board with that and along with that is to get real feedback from people. Now, feedback is a really tough thing to absorb. It just is. But biologically, we're set up for it. We're set up for rejecting the good things that we hear and honing in on all the bad things we hear or the negative criticism. And it's because, look, again, it's about survival. So if you know that there are five berries in the wood that you can eat and will be nutritious and help you, and that's fine. And there's one terrible berry, you're going to focus on that terrible Berry. So when you hear feedback from people, it's usually sandwiched between, hey, you did this really well, work on this. And you also did this very well. But what we focus on is the negative, that Berry in the middle, that's going to kill us. So we have to think, wait a second, this is just a survival mechanism I have. But I need to listen to this. I need to process it as, you know, as objectively as I can without emotion, and see if it applies to me. Now, if it doesn't apply to you, that's fine. But anything that's going to help you, look for it, look for it, look for it, look for it. And we always can get better. T.J. i'm sure you're a fantastic speaker, but you probably learn something new every time you get up and speak.

Sure. I hope so.

You do? Yeah, right. You never stop learning. And that's the really amazing thing about public speaking. And you can never get worse. I really believe there's no way you can get worse at public speaking. It just cannot happen. So as you go through.

Let me challenge you on that. I'm not sure I completely know what you mean. Some people have worse speeches than others. For example, Bill, just for example, Bill Clinton, from the time he was, I think, in junior high school, was known as a great speaker, charismatic. Everyone who ever met him from kindergarten on was convinced he was going to be president. He was elected Attorney General of Arkansas at age 28, governor at 30, was a rising star, and then he gave the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic convention. I was at that convention. And it was universally panned, criticized. It was bombed. It was considered a career ender by many people. But then he went on to give great talk show appearances the next day and good speeches, and he got the nomination. Sure, four years later. So, I mean, certainly you can have good speeches and bad speeches. Absolutely.

Absolutely. But he probably never was in that kind of forum before. So when he was standing there in front of that huge crowd, that was pretty rambunctious. And you have all the millions of people watching around the world. You have to adapt. And at that point, he probably learned a zillion things in giving that speech, which makes him a better speaker. So he went on to be successful, which is proof that you cannot get worse at public speaking. You can only get better because you're learning as you go. And even though that wasn't his banner speech, the fact that he went on to become president and is known for giving these tremendous speeches, look, that is proof that you can never get worse. You can only get better. He just had to have that moment where he had to have that growing, you know, that growing stage. And I think that he did very well.

He definitely learned to be more disciplined in his speaking. Steve, you are absolutely right that people fixate on the negative. They'll come to me, and I'm sure they do to you, say, oh, you know, I want a nice positive coach who's upbeat and friendly and nice. But then you start a training and people say, you know, rip me apart, tell me why I'm bad. They watch a video, they just want to criticize themselves. And I always have a very firm policy that the first couple of times we watch someone on video speak, I only talk about what they did well and I only let them talk about what they like. Otherwise they psych themselves out and it turns into a pity party.

Yeah, that's a great policy. It's a great policy because we're not used to picking out the good stuff. And if you do that for a few times, they get more comfortable and more confident. So I think that's a great policy. TJ Truly, truly, truly.

Let's practice what we preach. Let's talk about some of the best speeches ever from the Academy Awards. I think of like Philip Seymour Hoffman gave such a memorable one when he won. He thanked his mother in such a heartfelt way. It was personal, it was funny, it was emotional. So many speakers are just perfunctory. It's not that they're horrible, they're just instantly forgotten. Let's work our way back from the positive. Who do you think are some of the best all time speakers when it comes to acceptance speeches?

Well, I think that Viola Davis, last year at the Emmy Awards gave a home run acceptance speech. And universally she was celebrated in social media and far beyond. And you hit on a very important point when you were just setting that up. And it is about being personal and being also emotional. What she did was not a traditional acceptance speech. What she really gave was something from her heart. I always say, please don't be perfect, please do not give a perfect speech. That is not the goal. The goal is to be authentic. Now, what she did in that speech was really have a beginning and a middle and end. She started out with a wonderful attention getter about Harriet Tubman and then she talked about how that played into the theme of women and women of color getting great roles. And then she closed the speech with Harriet Tubman as well. So it was a very neatly packaged, felt very seamless in how she did it and very richly emotional. What people tend to do is they get up and they give a laundry list of names. Agents, publishers, managers, hairstylists, neighbors, whomever, People that nobody knows outside of that room, or perhaps not even in that room, very inside baseball. And that doesn't resonate with the millions and millions of people who are watching at home. They don't have a clue who these people are. So giving this laundry list is very, very, very dangerous. When you talk about why do people.

But I gotta. Why do people still feed need. Why do they have the need to do that? Because you have your thank you cam in the back, which we'll talk about in a moment. Why do people feel like their agent is gonna just hate them and punish them for the next 20 years if they don't spend a lot of time? Therefore, they say, you know, to heck with the 500 million people watching it. I will bore them because I just want to suck up to my agent. Is that the thinking? Why do people do that?

Well, you know, I think it's out of a place of goodness, really, that when you're standing up there and you are accepting this incredible, almost overwhelming honor, you want to make sure that these people who helped you get there are not forgotten, that you appreciate them, that you celebrate them, that you call them out. So I think it's really from a place of goodness saying, look, you know, I couldn't have done this alone. So there's that. But, you know, like we said, it doesn't really. Doesn't really resonate with people out there. And this is a tremendous platform. Now, look, you can do whatever you want to when you get up there. This is your moment to shine. But if you want to deliver a powerful message or you want to showcase problem or an issue, or you just want to get a lot more points out there, popularity points. You need to retool or rethink how you're going to put this together. The other reason I think that people tend to get into the laundry list is number one, it's traditionally been done like that. Two, people don't prepare. And there are some people who are superstitious who think, well, if I prepare, then I'm going to jinx it somehow. So when they get up there, they go right back into that rote mode of naming people off. But you really need.

Or worse, or worse. They say, oh, my God, I didn't prepare anything. And oh my gosh, I don't have much time. And.

A lot of time.

They waste all the time.

They End up wasting a lot of time.

To me it just seems contemptuous of the audience. But I understand, hey, we're all superstitious. Sometimes if I'm on the tennis court and I say to myself, wow, I haven't double faulted in two games. Boom. I double fault. And I say, oh, I just jinxed myself. So nobody's above superstition. Our special guest today is Steve Rohr. He's known as the communication code breaker. His latest book is Scared Speechless. Nine Ways to Overcome your Fears and and Captivate youe Audience out now by Career Press. We will link to that in the show notes as well. You can reach him on Twitter and tell him thanks for appearing on this show. Ealsteverohr and that's R O H R. Or you can go to his website realstever.com Steve, who else do you really like and admire for their acceptance speeches? I don't know if you do this in your training, but if a client came to you and said, hey, before we start, you know, let's say I'm the big time agent for Tom Cruise or manager, and I say, hey, we really want to get him up and prepped for this and psyched up for this. He's going to come in and spend a day rehearsing with you. But the first 15 minutes, can you just show him what you think of as the best Half a dozen acceptance speeches from the past. Who would you put in that all time success reel?

Well, I think people like Jamie Foxx. Jamie Foxx gave a really outstanding acceptance speech for Ray and he talked about his grandmother and being raised by his grandma and there really wasn't a dry eye in the house. So he's one that I would look at and say he told this incredible story and that's, that's really, you know, what resonated with people. Storytelling is amazing. We know that we've told stories forever before written speech. This is how we shared our history, our morality, even nursery rhymes and the like. So storytelling is really part of our DNA. So when we hear stories, it really touches us. And I know that when I hear a lot of numbers or statistics, you know, those are fine. But I tend to remember the story much, much later on. And it's the story that really counts for me, especially if it's one that's universal, like somebody's grandma or somebody's mother who is very inspirational. Halle Berry gave a great speech for Monster's Ball and again, she was very emotional. Go ahead.

I definitely remember the emotion. I don't remember what she said, but it was right up to that level. Tears were welling up, but she kept it together. She didn't go over that threshold of blubbering. I don't enjoy watching someone just blubber, but when they're just keeping it in, you can tell they're overwhelmed. It is interesting. It's dramatic.

It's very interesting. It's very real for people. I think that it's very hard not to feel anything when you see somebody who has worked very, very hard. And we know that to get to the stage to be nominated is such a journey. And a lot of us think, well, I've never heard of them before this. Well, they've been working forever to make it happen. And very few people get to this place. And being celebrated by your peers, being celebrated for their work and your craft can be very, you know, emotional for them. And when you can tell, look, she's a wonderful actor, but, you know, she wasn't acting, there's a difference. There's a difference.

And that's what's hard for a lot of them, is that acceptance speech is not an act. They have to show their real self.

And there's usually something along the lines of, you know, a breakthrough moment when we see these really compelling speeches. I believe that Halle Berry was the first African American woman to receive this award in this category. And, you know, Viola Davis, first woman to receive. First African American woman to receive this award in this category. And it's, you know, there's the feeling of gravitas. There's a feeling of history in the making right before our eyes. So there's a larger story that's unfolding and that adds to the drama of it, for sure. And if the person calls attention to that, like these people have done, then it's even more compelling for us. And, you know, honoring people from the past, people who have been the pioneers or the people that have really opened up the doors. That's one way to really engender a lot of emotion and enthusiasm for speech as well, because you're not saying, well, look at me. Look what I did. Look how fantastic I am. That's not what this is about. This is about honoring those people who have come before, you know, family members to movie stars that have passed on several years ago. Whatever it is, it's honoring a legacy and being part of that legacy and that continuing story.

What's your advice to clients and people you work with as far as the right number of people to thank in the main speech and then tell our Listeners about the thank you cam. Not everyone is familiar with that.

I think you better thank your wife.

Or husband.

Or spouse. Thank your spouse. Yeah. Or husband or spouse. I think you need to make sure that whoever has been there for you is thanked appropriately. I think it's okay to thank your kids, especially if they're watching at home. That's a universal thing. And certainly we, you know, a lot of people have kids. They understand what family means. That makes you very human. But other than that, tell a story. Tell a story and really cherish that moment. You don't need to thank everybody. And if you get into the laundry list, you can get into real trouble because if you thank two people, then you inevitably, you leave three people out. So it's impossible to thank everybody. It's just absolutely impossible with how many people are a part of getting this person to that stage at that moment. You cannot. You'd be up there forever. And as you mentioned, the Academy Awards, the Oscars, have put together this thank you cam, which is. Put it there so that people can walk off the stage if they've forgotten somebody or they really just need to list all these people who've helped them. They can stand there forever and really speak this out and have it archived, have it be seen, and there's a record of them doing it, and it's still very, very emotional.

Let's describe that in more detail. It's behind the main stage. You're not on live broadcast TV in front of people. You can thank as many people as you want. You still have the trappings and the logo and the symbols behind you. And I'm assuming every. Every winner is given the video footage so that they can then give the footage to their agent, manager. Agent and manager can have that loop going on in their office lobby and use that for their own marketing benefits. Am I getting the gist of it?

Well, certainly people will have different uses for it, for sure. But it is located right off the. It's on the stage, actually. It's still on the stage. So they walk off where people can see them past that curtain, and they're still on the stage. And the thank you camera is set up right there. And they're brought up to the camera. There's a microphone. They're holding their Oscar, and they're encouraged to say their piece. And again, you know, people can use it for whatever they want. And certainly, you know, it's that moment that can be shared in so many different ways. But this is also. I want to talk about just quickly, that if there's more than one winner. If you don't prepare, one person can get all the airtime and then 45 seconds is up and the other person has thanked nobody because they didn't have an opportunity. And it's really a shame. So if there are people winning, you really have to plan out. You really do.

And just for our audience, how is that orchestrated? Are they told in advance? You have exactly this amount of time. Music will come on. If you go 15 seconds into it, the mic just goes dead. How are people briefed in advance?

Well, the mic doesn't go dead necessarily. It's really. The music starts coming up at about 45 seconds and that's the cue that it's time to go. And occasionally in certain categories, you'll see things go a little bit longer. It depends on the rhythm of the show and how much time people have. In the show itself. It tends to go long, the Oscars and it's because it's a live show, it's a live broadcast and anything can happen again. You'll see people go a little bit longer. Some people go very short. And it just depends on how the whole evening is playing out.

So, Steve, walk us through more of your techniques. Let's imagine the following scenario. I have been nominated for best supporting actor and I should say I am the world's worst actor. My one stab at chope is I was being. I won't even say I was cast. Some low level assistant to the deputy assistant deputy assistant producer for Ben Affleck's movie Runner Runner called me. They wanted me to do the introductory little news clip they wanted. It's supposed to be an Internet newscaster talking about the rise of college, online gambling, college students. It was probably about nine words. I flubbed it, I missed it. I didn't got this right. I did 103 takes over the course of a week. All of it considered unusable and they didn't use. So I'm not going to be winning anything any Academy Awards. But let's say that I actually did become a great actor, got nominated for best supporting actor. I come to you and I just say, oh, Steve, I know I'm nominated. I don't think I'm going to win. I'm nervous, I'm scared. I don't want to jinx myself. What do you think? How are you going to work with me?

Well, the first thing you have to look at is what is the role? What is the role and what is the message of the film? Why did they take the role? In the first place, what was it that was compelling for them in that particular character? And as they worked that character, what began to resonate with them in a universal way or in a way that perhaps they didn't see in the beginning. So sometimes there's a theme around women's rights or there's a theme around African American struggle. And you can start there, I think. And why was this important to you? And is there a bigger, broader message? And can that bigger, broader message connect with the modern world? And usually it can, because if it's not a message that is applicable to how we live today, the movie's probably not going to be made. So what happened in that film? So now the focus is off them. The focus is on the character and the role. And that's exactly where they're used to being. They're used to being thinking about that role, thinking about their role in the context of the bigger story. And if you start them there, that's a comfort zone for them. That's a safe zone for them. And so they may start thinking about, oh, my gosh, you know, I didn't realize that the women's movement started here or that there were so many African Americans who were. This happened to them over here, and suddenly it becomes more shaped for them. And so you say, okay, is there something that you can say on that night, should we be so fortunate that could speak to that theme? And can you relate it to how the world is working today? Can you and be inspiring, you know, find something really encouraging or inspirational to say? And look, people get political, people get religious, people get whatever. But you're not running for office. You're not running for sainthood here. It's okay to have a platform, but make sure that it reaches the audience. Make sure your message is not clouded by politics or clouded by religion so much that the true message doesn't get through. So you try to find that balance. You try to find that balance, and it's okay if you have a point of view, not a problem, but do it in a way that's going to be accessible to the greatest number of people.

So great advice, Steve. If I win, I'll be in a real dilemma whether to thank you on the main stage or the thank you camp.

I'm definitely nominating you. It was runner. Runner. I don't know if the eligibility has run out on that.

I think it's long gone. Well, the only good news about all of that is the movie quickly went to video and was a complete bomb. And no one remembers It.

Well, they can't blame you for that. T.J. come on.

It's not like, oh, I almost got into Citizen Kane. I would have been immortalized. And I don't get any of the blame for it either. Now, Steve, a lot of people in our audience are publicists, PR people, communications people. And for 99.9% of people in those jobs, the biggest task quite often is getting media interest. If you're launching a new product for some aspect of it, getting media attention is a challenge. If you're head of communications for a local water utility or energy company, getting media attention is a problem. I would certainly think that you have the reverse problem. You have so many reporters dying to get in. You have bloggers, and you don't necessarily know if they have traffic of five people or Perez Hilton. How do you manage the onslaught of people trying to cover this event?

Well, about 2,000 people are credentialed for the Oscars, for the day of, for the red carpet. And then prior to that, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds. So you look at the, you know, the outlets, you're trying to make sure that you are being fair, whatever that word means. But is being as fair as possible? For example, we have 225 countries and territories where the Oscars is broadcast. So even small territories or small countries, if they have someone who has been nominated and it's the first time ever, and they're very tiny and they have a very small viewership, you do everything that you can to make sure they get coverage and they get access because it means something to them. It means something to them. They might not be the biggest outlet in the world yet it's the biggest thing for them at this moment in terms of entertainment and certainly if they are getting a first time nomination.

But with 2,000 people, though, how do you make a star a winner available to them for interviews? If you've got 2,000 reporters who want.

A piece of them, well, that's a great question. You've got the red carpet which is inundated with stars. Those are, you know, all the interviews prior to the announcements. And then we have press rooms in the back. So when the stars go up to these press rooms, then there's a whole system in place for photographers to get their shots and for reporters to ask their questions. And reporters can use answers that other people have asked for the questions that other people have asked. So if I ask a question and the winner gives a great bite, then I can use that bite as well. I'm sitting. It's a press Conference type of setup. But then you have one on one interviews as well. But it's a lot. It's a lot. And they're walking off the stage and have just achieve this incredible honor. And you know, it can be very overwhelming for people as they walk back there and greeted with an onslaught of media.

And what's the pecking order as far as Ryan Seacrest gets this position, the other person at ABC gets. How do you even set up who gets what spot on the red carpet?

It all depends. It all depends. We have licensees, we have people who broadcast the show all over the world. So if they are broadcasting the show, it makes sense for them to get some great interview spots. If it's CTV in Canada or sky in the uk, well, they're broadcasting it. So there's probably a larger platform to tell the story. So we look at all of that. But again, we do our best to keep it as fair as possible. Is it always fair? I hope so, but probably not. But I know that a lot of people on the team make this concerted effort to make sure we're doing the very best we can. And it takes months, takes months of planning. It takes five months that I work on the show throughout the year. So that's a big chunk of time to really make sure we are doing the best we can, you know, with the outlets and with the placement. And we take it very, very seriously.

Again, we are speaking with Steve Rohr. He's known as the communication code breaker. He is the author of scared speechless 9 ways to overcome your fears and captivate your audience. And he is the publicist for the Oscars. How do you sift through the varying requests? Obviously, if someone is a big TV network and they're paying for the rights they have to get in. But how do you determine the difference between say, a small town NBC affiliate in Tallahassee who may have an audience of 10,000 people wanting credentials versus a 21 year old blogger that you and I might not have ever heard of, but it turns out 20 million people are getting this person's content from Instagram. How much of your time do you have to spend measuring and analyzing media just to see who gets in?

Well, there's an entire team that does that, thank goodness. And we know that if you're an affiliate, we want to make sure everybody can get something if possible. So if they can get a feed from NBC national from the network, if they can get something that the network does and they can feed it to the affiliates and they can get something there we also know that digital is really, really critical, especially leading up the show and the day of show for tune in. And so digital has really changed a lot for us. And we know that many things are repurposed. So if something is shot, broadcast or television, it can end up online as well. So that's a double dip or sometimes a triple dip. And we're looking at how we can layer in and maximize everybody on that carpet.

What is the maximum amount of interviews a big star could do? I mean, let's say you're Tom Hanks, you've won an Academy Award, you have a new movie out, the producers of the movie are paying you this 20, $25 million in part because they know you can get a lot of publicity. How many interviews can a star do if they win? You know, the whole enchilada and they're committed to just doing as many interviews as they can.

Well, you know, it could be a very long haul if you are in a film and you are carrying that film like you carried Runner. Runner, obviously, tj, if you're carrying the film, negotiated somewhere in your agreement is the idea that you'll be doing some kind of press. It could be a very specific agreement saying you'll do three national television shows and you'll do an interview with the New York Times and with the LA Times, say. Or it could be a more general idea. It can also be, hey, you'll show up at the London premiere as well as the Berlin premiere, but you're not going to Istanbul, whatever. So this is negotiated. Usually if you are, you know, a big star up front because you have so many different projects going on and you are filming the movie for three to six months and then they edit it and they put it together, you're moving on to other projects. So everything has to be timed very carefully so that you are available. Because if you are on a set far, far away and they need to use you for press back in la, well, that can be problematic. So everything is very carefully scheduled, I guess.

I mean, I apologize. I mean specifically the day of and the night of the Academy Awards. How many interviews can someone do just in that, you know, 12 hour period or so?

Depends on how much they want to do.

Is it basically an unlimited supply? And if so, what percentage of actors just say, hey, I'm here, Might as well make the most of it. I've certainly heard that people like Arnold Schwarzenegger were very aggressive about just doing every single interview possible, whereas others, they just want to stick to the minimum, contractually obligated number.

Well, there really isn't a contractually obligated number. It really isn't. So you can come in and not even be in the show at all. Not be a presenter, not be a performer and not be a nominee and not do any press at all. Or you can also do press. It depends on who you are and what the timing is on the carpet. But you could win. And the Academy asks you to go up and take a photo. Chances are good that you'll do that. Everybody does. And then, you know, you are. You go into this room and then you're asking questions, but then you can stop. You can really stop. It just depends on who you are. A lot of people, you know, this is so overwhelming and it's exhausting. And the reason I was mentioning all that press in the beginning is they've been talking about this film for a long time. They've given countless interviews, especially if they've been nominated for Screen Actors Guild or for National Board of Review or any of these other Golden Globes. They've done so much, and I don't want to call it campaigning, but that's really what it comes down to. They've done so many interviews up to this point. You know, what other questions can possibly be asked?

What has to be incredibly boring for them? In the same way a political candidate has heard all the same questions for several years and if they say something different each time, they're not helping themselves. They need some assistance.

They need to stay on message. Absolutely. And so the good, the good, and that's in quotes, the good media folks, the good actors who are great with media, can make every interview sound like it's brand new. I have a client named Marina Sirtis and she became very famous for playing counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek Next Generation. And we were in London doing press for a film and she did 75 on camera television interviews in one day. 75. And that's a lot. Yes, it's a whole lot. You know, these are five to seven to ten minute interviews. That's a ton of energy. Unbelievable energy. And I will tell you that every single interview sounded like she was saying these words for the first time. Yet, you know, she has given these same answers for years and years and years and years. And by the 75th interview, you're just marveling because she's such a pro and there are many people like that. Unfortunately, a lot of the younger actors have not perhaps been coached on that. And they don't understand what their job involves and their Job involves making the moment count for every journalist that they're speaking with. Because those journalists are helping them. You know, it's a two way street. And if those journalists are care enough and are interested enough to be there, look, give them respect. At the same time, you know, you've got to think about who you are and how you want to come across and, you know, respect yourself. Being snotty or being tired is not, you don't have the luxury, you don't have the luxury of not showing up and being the very best in every single interview.

If you're already a huge, huge, huge star. I guess some can get away with that. But how does the market, you're a Hollywood insider. How does the marketplace put a value on actors who are great at communicating and promoting in the media? Because I would guess that there are some actors who are considered, you know, if you're a horrible actor, it's not going to matter. They're not going to want you. But if you're a middle to little better than middling actor, but you're just world class at promoting, it would just seem to me that there would be a huge career dividend with that over time where producers are looking for, they're looking for promotion.

And it's also, if you are a media draw, you could be an Oscar winner and not be a media draw at this point in your career. Careers, they, you know, they ebb and they flow. So as marketing budgets shrink, as production budgets shrink a lot, I think a lot of producers are looking at how can we maximize our marketing. So if you have a great social media following, that could make a difference. Especially if you're a young actor and there you're competing against two other actors and all things considered, you have a far more robust social media following. They're looking at that, make no mistake. And if you can go out and you're willing to do press now some people don't like to do a lot of press. That's the way it is. They don't feel comfortable doing it. So I think you're right that it is a huge dividend. If you can go out and promote and you're likable and the media wants to talk about you. Because it's not just about calling up an outlet and saying, hey, I have so and so and assuming they're going to take this person. It doesn't work like that, rarely works like this. And so you have to look at how this person is going to present and promote the film. And if they're going to get in front of the film. And we've seen instances where a director or an actor gets in front of their film with a personal scandal or a personal issue or a professional issue. And suddenly we're not talking about the film anymore or the television show. We're talking about the problems of this star. And that's really bad. That's really bad because you're getting in front of the project and it can be detrimental when it comes to award season and even, you know, tune in because then you're perceived negatively and your projects are also perceived negatively.

Are there a little background? You know, I've some. I'm someone who's just clamored for media attention my whole adult life. So it almost causes me physical pain. The idea of winning an award, having thousands of reporters there and turning any of them down, it almost causes me pain. It's so anathema to what I stand for. But I understand not everyone is the same. But I am wondering, do you have any particular stars who say, wow, this is my opportunity. I don't know when the whole world's going to want to talk to me again. And they'll just sit there and do interviews till 6am the next day. Are there any like that?

Well, here's the issue with that. You really need to be able to make sure you're maximizing your time. 10 minutes of your time is valuable. Everybody's time is valuable. And if you're giving one on one interview, say to outlets that don't really have a following, you know, perhaps that is not as valuable as giving one great interview to an outlet that has millions and millions of people watching. And sometimes these outlets, and I'm not saying any at the Academy Awards, but some outlets are not that kind. And they're really looking for their own, you know, looking out for their own agenda. They're looking for whatever it is. So you have to.

Gotcha. Tell me about why your spouse is cheating on you.

Well, that sort of thing. And it doesn't really help you. You know, not all press is going to help you. And if you only have a finite amount of time, because you've got to go, there are other things you need to do. After the Oscars, there's the Governor's Ball, which is happening on site. So you go there and you have the opportunity to have your name nameplate engraved and put on your statuette. That's huge because in the olden days you, you had to mail it in and they had to put it, you know, then where is it and where's. But you get, now you get to walk out the door with your name on it, which is tremendous. And there are other parties going on. And perhaps you've also set up some sort of deal with one of the late shows where you're going to then get in the car and go over and be a guest on one of these shows, or you've set something up with the live show, Live with Kelly show, and you've got to be up super early, you know, at 4:30 in the morning to be prepped and ready to go for that show. So there are a lot of moving parts here. A lot of moving parts. And guess what? Nobody eats for two days before the Oscars to fit in their tux and their dress. So these, a lot of these girls are so fun.

Oh, that doesn't, that doesn't sound like fun.

They're starving.

I was going to ask, I was going to ask you to invite me, but now don't invite me because I'm not going. I'm not going. Two days without food.

Everybody's really hangry, hangry because nobody's had a morsel of food. So people want to eat and look. They also want to see.

So don't get between John Goodman and the buffet bar at Spaga. He's skinny now.

And people want to see their family and their friends. And when you're whisked off the stage, then you're reunited with all these people who love you. And that's really a special moment after. So this is very public, but it's also extremely personal. And you really want to honor that, that, yes, it's great to be out in public. And yes, you just won this incredible award. And I'm speaking just for the Oscars right now. But wouldn't it be nice if you go give your mom a hug or your husband a kiss or hug your kids and share that moment with them? And so we do try to respect and honor that for sure.

Steve, you just mentioned two things that stuck out to me. You mentioned the word huge, which of course makes me think of Donald Trump. And you mentioned the concept not all publicity is good publicity. Donald Trump seems to disagree with that. He famously quoted this past summer that it was great that Melania Trump's plagiarism incident got so much attention. All publicity is good publicity. He certainly, historically, with politics, that has not been the case because you have to have a favorable view by typically half the electorate. The world of showbiz is a little bit different. Think of someone like Russell Crowe who's had a lot of bad press over the years, still a big Hollywood draw. It almost seems as though a little scandal can spice something up. And yet others, like Tara Reid, have gotten so much negative publicity that they and Lindsay, you know, I'm talking about, have gotten so much negative publicity that they become sort of pariahs and can't be hired. But does a star necessarily need to worry about an interview being totally positive, or did they gain something by a little controversy?

Well, you know, what we're doing, we're making movies, we're making tv. You know, this is not foreign policy. So I think there's a huge grace period. You know, I think that you can come back from almost everything. And when you talk about publicity for. I think you were talking about Lindsay Lohan and the rest. And this is.

Yes, yes.

This is not specifically for her, but it's about, are you insurable? Are you going to show up? Are you going to slow down production? And so I don't know if it's really the negative publicity as much as are you good for the job? Are you able to do the job? Because you have to be insurable or you can't get the picture made. So I think the only thing that you really can't come back from, the only thing is if you touch a child inappropriately, I think if you touch a child inappropriately or have any kind of accusation about that swirling around you, it's impossible to come back. It's impossible.

Definitely a career killer. You mentioned a moment ago, though, hey, we're making movies, not foreign policy. Well, what about George Clooney? And I'm a George Clooney fan, both on the screen and off the screen.

I love him.

But he does appear to be making movies and foreign policy.

Right. He does a little bit of both. His art informs his own agenda of things, which is fine, but not strictly, and certainly a lot of things that he does off the set. And I can't speak for him, certainly, and I don't represent him, but what I've experienced, what I've seen is he's spending his own time doing that. And that's the benefit of great work. You know, Clooney's extraordinary, and he has a fantastic reputation in the industry as well as in the media. And of course, he's very, very popular with audiences all over the world. So this platform affords him the opportunity to talk about things that he cares about. But I don't think he does it in a way that is. That's really going to be harmful or negative ever. It's always something that he's doing as a selfless act or even if it's a project. I don't think we're ever hit over the head with it so much that we're turned off by it because he's still an artist.

I'm not turned off by it, and I share your assessment. But certainly George Clooney is attacked by the Bill O'Reilly's of the world, the Rush Limbaughs of the world, and it doesn't really seem to hurt their career. But there are some stars. I mean, he's not a Hollywood star, but Michael Jordan famously said, you know, Republicans buy tennis shoes, as to why he didn't want to be involved in endorsing Harvey Gantt, the first black man to run for the United States Senate from North Carolina. Many stars used to try to stay above the political fray. Others, like George Clooney, Ben Affleck are in it. They're often attacked, they're often vilified on places like the Drudge Report. How do you think other stars assess whether they want to weed into those territories?

Well, it's a combination of things. But first I'll say that if you are a baby star, if you're someone who is starting to rise, you want to avoid any of that. You want to stay as clear from that as possible because again, you're not running for office. Why would you make things harder for yourself as you're establishing your career? So I would absolutely not go down that road if I was a baby star. And again, you have to make your own decisions. And you usually make your decisions with a team and you look at the pros and cons of doing what you're doing. Now, again, you're not a politician, you're not a bishop, you're not a priest, you're not a rabbi. So do you really need to be saying all these things? If you're speaking as a citizen, then of course everybody has a right as a citizen to do something. But you have to look at also what it costs, not only you, but everyone who is supported by what you do as a star. If you're carrying a film, you really are responsible for a lot, not only for the financial considerations. If you have a bomb at the box office, that's millions of dollars. And beyond that, it's the people. There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people who depend on you to get out there and promote this film. And these are people who need to put food on their table. These are the people who are saving money for college, these are the people that need to pay their mortgage. And so you have to look at that beyond your own sphere and you have to say, look, how is this going to ripple beyond me personally? And if that ripple turns into tsunami, then you really should question whether it's a good idea to do certain things.

Who else? I want to hear your top two or three examples of Hollywood stars you think really get it right. As far as great communicators, speeches, media interviews, using their spotlight in a way that helps other people but also enhances their image. I think of someone like Angelina Jolie and her work with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, because this isn't something she just shows up for a photo op once. She's been with this organization for 18 years. I mean, she really, frankly wasn't even that well known when she started. It's a lot long term commitment. It doesn't seem to be something just driven by headlines. And it certainly, I think, helps burnish her reputation. Bono is another one, although he's not a movie star. Who do you respect as someone who is a great communicator and uses their spotlight for things other than promoting their latest movie?

Well, I had the great privilege of representing Martin Sheen and Martin is one of the finest human beings I've ever met. He wants, he really, he inspires me to be a better person is how I think I can put it. Because he is so humble and he's so genuine. Genuine on the set, genuine in person, genuine with everyone. He does not have pecking order. He does not have an idea of, well, you're a movie star and you're a valet parker. So somehow the movie star is better or different. You know, he just doesn't have that.

He's extremely humble, certainly one of the greats, whether Apocalypse now or Wall street or the West Wing, an actor who can play the humblest or the most powerful. But he's very political. He is. And certainly. But I will tell you, bothered a lot of people.

But I'll tell you this, people respect him. It does, you know, and he. Because he's authentic, because he's consistent, because people know, I believe they know, that even if they disagree with him, he's doing it from a place of love and kindness. This is the truth. This is the truth. I believe that people really do respect him. I've seen it. I've seen it. They may not like or accept what he is saying, but boy, do they respect him. And it's undeniable that He's a great actor. He's a fantastic actor. But again, he's very consistent. He's very humble and it's never about him. It's never about him. And that's the other thing, you know, he's, and I'm not going to tell stories on him because, you know, out of respect for him. But he's done so many things that have never been publicized, so many wonderful, good, unbelievably tremendous things for strangers, for people who will never be known out in the world. And he's consistently doing this. He's always speaking up for the underdog. He's always speaking up for the person who is voiceless. And I think that is something that people respect regardless. Now, does everybody respect him? I don't know, but I certainly do because I've seen consistency and I have never once seen him disrespectful. I've never once seen him have an ego or put out any kind of errors, not one time. And I've spent a lot of time with him. And again, he's, he's that person. You think, wow, gee, I really, boy, if I just was 10% of what this guy was and you know, it's hard earned and I think he'd be the first person to tell you that it's hard earned and he certainly worked to get to this place in his life. But he's tremendous and he's a fantastic speaker. If you've ever seen any of his speeches, and he gives a lot of speeches around the world, you can just go to YouTube and they're unbelievable. They're absolutely unbelievable.

Very, very passionate speaker indeed. If you want to not speak exactly like Martin Sheen, but learn how to capture your own passion and to speak without fear, then check out Steve Rohr's latest book, Scared Speechless 9 Ways to Overcome youe Fears and Captivate youe Audience. From Career Press, Steve Rohr. Thank you so much for being our guest today.

TJ it's been my pleasure. Thank you.

Thanks for listening to Speaking with TJ Walker where the communication skills in practice practices of world class leaders are dissected.