Interview With Anthony Edwards

A bunch of women bloggers and I sat together in our respective homes, cars, water closets, etc., on a conference call the other day, waiting for the television and film star to come onto the proverbial stage so we could barrage him with questions. Do you have any idea how hard it is to shove eighteen microphones into someone's face over the phone?

"Just a few minutes", the moderator told us, "and we'll bring Anthony in on the call."

Anthony Edwards: Goose in Top Gun. Dr. Greene on ER. And now he's playing a distracted husband to Uma Thurmond's Eliza in a new movie coming out October 23rd called Motherhood.

And Nanny Goats in Panties had the opportunity to interview him. We had previously submitted "up to 3 questions each" and then the moderator would decide which questions could be asked during the interview.

I had agonized over my questions. What could I ask? It had to be something different. Something that you guys might think funny. This is, after all, a humor blog, right? I had MY PUBLIC to think about. But I also had to ask something that would make it through the censors. I ran out of time, but came up with something like this:

1. What are you wearing right now?
2. Some question that actually relates to the movie or parenting.
3. Some other question that actually relates to the movie or parenting.

OK. Anthony Edwards gets on the call. He's currently wheeling his seven-year-old daughter's bike to the shop to repair a flat tire. There was a mixture of collective sighs and parental approval of every woman on the call. He is already the perfect father. The street sounds of New York City can be heard in the background. You know, honking horns, hissing buses, the occasional mugging of old ladies.

The moderator begins directing who can ask which question they submitted. I'm chanting under my breath while also holding the MUTE button: what are you wearing what are you wearing what are you wearing.

We were supposed to only ask questions that related to parenting, the movie, etc. And my silly wardrobe question could have potentially offended the moderator, as if I was asking as a heavy-breathing middle-of-the-night phone caller, and with a blog name that incorporates "Panties", I could have been booted from the call or worse, banned forever from the "Movie Star Interview Network". They could have made sure that I never did business in this town again.

Or, they could have taken it in the way it was intended. Just an innocent silly question, trying to be funny. I like this question, actually. Because if you recall, every time you read an interview, the writer always describes where they are and what the celebrity is wearing. To set the scene for you, the reader. They would probably also be addressing Anthony as "Edwards", and not be breaking the fourth wall, but I never went to journalism school, so I don't know anything about that. And just whose blog is this, anyway?

Now where was I...oh yes..to ask, or not to ask, what someone is wearing.

This was a phone call interview, so I'm actually asking about clothing with some sincerity. Is it really too much too ask? Quinn Cummings didn't think so when I interviewed her. 

Suddenly the moderator is calling out my name and the name of my blog. Anthony laughs when he hears "Nanny Goats in Panties" - Yay! The moderator and some of the other bloggers laugh too, which might be a good sign, right? I'm waiting for the moderator to tell me which question I can ask, but there is some discussion about the naming of blogs and joking about hiring us for our creativity.

what are you wearing what are you wearing what are you wearing 

The moderator says: "Although we'd love to know what Anthony's wearing right now, I think we should go with Question #3."

More laughter.

I ask my moderated question: "When you think back on the shooting or the production of the film, what's the greatest moment or the first thing you remember about the experience?"

And Anthony says, "It was really being in the world of the West Village. To be able to shoot a film in the West Village in New York - it's kind of a magical environment...it meant a lot to the filmmaker.  That, as an actor, made it a lot of fun because you were just so immersed in the world. And the kids were a blast."

So I guess you could say I got in two questions and one answer. Woo hoo! Move over, Katie Couric!

That was like a courtroom drama, where the lawyer asks the defendant accused of murder, "Isn't it true that you repeatedly threatened to kill your sister's pet hamster?" and the defendant's lawyer yells, "Objection. Irrelevant. He was three years old at the time, your Honor." and the judge says, "Objection sustained, please strike that from the record" except that everyone heard it and can't strike it from their minds, so you see what I did there? Everyone knows I wanted to know what Anthony Edwards was wearing.

Woo hoo! Move over, Perry Como!

When Anthony is later asked what it was like to work with the kids in the film, he says, "When you speak your lines, they are mouthing your words along with you and look at you funny if you forget a line".

Motherhood is a movie produced by women. Anthony had a "strong mother" growing up and has three daughters (and a son) now, so "being on a set with five female producers was like being at the dinner table".

He tells us he has been training for weeks to run in this year's New York City marathon on Nov. 1. He and others are spearheading the fundraising for shoe4africa.org, an organization dedicated to empowering women in Africa through the sport of running. They plan to build the first public children's hospital in Kenya. (You can give via Paypal on their website). The organization is 100% charitable, in that 100% of your donation goes directly to building the hospital. There is no overhead, yet there is transparent accountability. How often does THAT happen?

The final question by another blogger to Anthony is: "What is one thing that you think dads would like moms to understand better about being the dad?"

He says: "That it's really not intentional that we forgot what you said. There is no intentional passive-aggressiveness in the fact that we forgot."

All the mothers on the call giggle knowingly.

It's been about half an hour. The interview comes to a close with perfect timing as his daughter's bike wheel is now fixed and they can go to the park.


Thank you, Anthony Edwards! And thanks to the good people at 42West  for coordinating the interview. And for deciding against pressing charges for inappropriate questions by one goat lady.

However, if I could have submitted one more question, it would have been:

"You're a father of four children. Do you ever feel the need, the need for speed?"


What?




For more information about Motherhood including a trailer, you can go to the Motherhood film website.

(All pics lifted from motherhoodthefilm.com)











Yes, I've been sending out NGIP pens to people, but I never expected someone to send me something back. And while Lisa of Pink Porches said she would, I thought she was just trying to bribe her way into getting a fabulous pen (haha!). But over the weekend, I get this in the mail.



This 12-inch handmade bag has a thick canvassy quilty feel and it's gorgeous! Plus she attached a notecard with a picture of a goat with the very bag she sent. Way to blow me away, Lisa! In the words of Kevin Costner from Dances With Wolves: "Good Trade".


And speaking of those pens, I'd like to thank the following faboo people for spreading the NGIP love by blogging about the awesomeness that is the NGIP pen:

Mary at Writes Phillipia

Melodie at Laughing Duck Farm

Collette at My Babcia's Babushka