For actors, there is one interview that you dream about. There is one chair that all of the greats have sat in, including Deniro, Pacino, Streep, Washington, Hanks, Hoffman and the list goes on and on and on. Inside The Actor’s Studio with James Lipton is the creme de la creme of all interviews. If you ever get the invitation, you don’t turn it down. It is the highest honor an actor can receive, outside awards and tributes.
I had the great privilege of speaking with James Lipton’s next guest, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who had sent me an email earlier in the day, which read, ‘This is 1 of the proudest moments of my life and prob. My best interview ever.!!!!!! It represents who I am. SEAN!!!!!’ The episode airs on Bravo on Tuesday night at 7PM EST / 4PM PST, but before it airs I wanted to hear from Diddy himself, why this meant so much to him. I got the chance to peep ‘Get Him To The Greek‘ at a special screening hosted by my man, Ben Lyons, last week in NYC, so I know that Diddy has just given the performance of his lifetime. We both picked up our cell phones and spoke about this transformational meeting with the best interviewer in the game.
Peace Sean…What did it feel like to be a guest of James Lipton, and interviewing you, Sean Combs, as an actor?
I mean, it was such a humbling experience, it was really like kinda surreal. He had been following my acting career since Monster’s Ball, and he had seriously tried to get me on there since I did Broadway, but I really felt it was like too early in my career. I’m like seeing all of these greats there, Academy Award winners, all of the greatest actors around and I’m like, ya know, I’m not really worthy. And his whole reason behind it, was he was like, this is for the students…like, the students can relate to more to where you’re at than they can relate to some of the big movie stars we’ve had here. Because you’re like at a similar point as they are, you’re getting better with each film…and you’re still on your road. You know, you haven’t reached greatness, but you’re on a similar road that they’re at and they can really relate to someone who is at that point…and it kind of made sense to me.
[pagebreak]
When I got there…the interview was so in depth and so in…no one really asks me about Sean. Ya know what I’m sayin’? Everyone just always asks the questions they hear from the tabloids and this and that…and it wasn’t none of that. It was really an interview about me as an actor and also my impact on different things. But also me as a person, my mother, me and my mother’s relationship and how all of that comes into play of how that makes you an actor and an artist.
It was such an honor, especially coming from the community of hip-hop and the way it was done. And when I saw the preview of it, earlier today, it literally brought tears to my eyes…it was something that you dream about.
Sean, was there a ever moment when you watched it that made you realize that, damn, I’ve really made it?
It just felt … I worked hard for a reason. Seeing like, the people that I do it for…a lot people think do it for money. I make money, but I don’t do it for money.
