My Worst Interview Ever and Ben Solo: Let’s Answer Some Electronic Mail Questions

It's Friday, so let's answer some mailbag questions, including one that's been staring at me for a few weeks now but I've been putting off because reliving "worst interviews" isn't really pleasant. I've already written about my worst interview experience, but that's different than just plain worst interview. And there's no "worst interview" for me than an Academy Award-winning actor hanging up on me. An interview so bad that, to this day, it's the only interview I've ever done that has never published in some capacity.¹ But, alas, no one wants to really hear about best interviews. "Oh, we just got along swimmingly," doesn't make for the best of stories.

¹The next closest was an interview with Scarlett Johansson for Captain America: Winter Soldier when I was at HuffPost. This is a much longer story that I'm not going to fully get into right now, but the interview itself went pretty well. A portion of it was deemed "newsy" and broken out as its own post. Before the rest of it could publish, I was laid off. When interviews are approved, they are approved for both the outlet and the writer. Disney was actually a little mad at me that it was no longer publishing at HuffPost, which I kind of get because a lot of work and effort goes into getting all this stuff arranged. I had to explain I no longer worked there and there was really nothing I could do about it. I did place the interview at another outlet, but Johansson's publicist wasn't into that idea and I gave up. So there's part of a Scarlett Johansson interview somewhere on an old MacBook of mine where she discusses her "Unstoppable" SNL sketch at length that just never published.

And before we get into all this, thank you, again, for reading The Hard Pass. If you are not a paid subscriber and want to become a paid subscriber, the next person who signs up for a year long membership, I will mail you this beautiful Chewbacca mug from Disney Parks, if you live in the United States. For the record, it has never been used. It has just been sitting in a cabinet since it first showed up in the mail. If you want this, email me first at mike@thehardpass.net to make sure I still have it. If you want to become a paid subscriber and do not want this mug, there is no law that says you have to take it. I will not force you to live with this Chewbacca mug.

Okay, onto the questions. We will get to the worst interview question at the end. But, first...

Hi, I thought I'd help fill the mailbag. The Ben Solo fandom is still going strong. Outside the Mandalorian premiere, they had a billboard truck that read “Where's Ben Solo?” On social media, they were positive about the stunt, praising the new Star Wars film while still advocating for their favorite. Another fan posted a picture on Bluesky standing in the Lucasfilm lobby, holding a "Missing Ben Solo" poster. And at the end of March, a professional skydiver jumped over Arizona and deployed a Save Ben Solo flag. While I believe we will see that character again, I know the wish is for him to be alive somehow. Do you believe we will ever see Ben Solo alive again? Or are the efforts in vain? Thanks for taking my question – Bri

I haven't really liked the last two Star Wars movies that have played in movie theaters. Compounding this frustration is when I hear about projects that have been rejected that sound pretty good. Even privately, and I'm in no position to talk about the specifics, I've heard about multiple pitches to Lucasfilm that were rejected that sounded, frankly, awesome. I truly don't get it. So when Steven Soderbergh went public about his rejected pitch for The Hunt for Ben Solo, with Adam Driver seemingly interested, this seems like money left on the table?

Honestly, I wouldn't get my hopes up. Adam Driver is a guy who takes a lot of pride in his work and who likes working with auteurs. After the reaction to The Rise of Skywalker, I would never have expected him to be in another Star Wars property ever. Actually, I could see him pulling a Harrison Ford and returning 32 years later, so mark your calendar for The Hunt for Ben Solo hitting theaters in 2051.

Anyway, the fact he was at all interested in returning seems like a small window of interest kind of thing. Driver was interested in working with Soderbergh and, I'm guessing, there was something appealing to him about redeeming the narrative arc of a character he spent a lot of time and effort on that ended in a movie no one likes. But, right now, Lucasfilm does not seem at all interested in working with an esteemed director and outsider like Soderbergh. And I can't really see Driver wanting to do this without Soderbergh. At this point, I think your best hope is some sort of animated series where Ben Solo returns, for sure not voiced by Adam Driver.

I really your behind the scenes stories and I'm wondering what your absolute worst interview was like. – Matthew

Like I said, I've been sitting on this one for a few weeks. I do know the answer but I haven't thought about it in a really long time and wasn't sure I wanted to relive it or not? Plus, I didn't know how to present it, because I can't really just get into a story like this that's not behind a paywall. So, yes, I do need to make this answer for paying subscribers only. Plus, this involves me digging up an old audio file and transcribing part of an old interview with an Academy Award-winning actor that never published because it was so bad. I find this embarrassing because I messed this one up, but I will write about this for you...