15 Weird, Awkward, And Unhinged Celebrity Moments From Movie Press Tours That'll Make You Say "OMG, I Can't Believe That Happened"

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I'll never forget when the entire internet was convinced Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine. Those were the days.

What's better than a much-anticipated movie release? Simple: the tea that happens during celeb interviews after the fact. AKA press tours.

It's widely known that the goal of a press tour is to promote the movie (although I'm no PR exec). But sometimes the whole press tour is so weird, messy, or awkward, it becomes even more entertaining than the movie itself.

So because there have been soooo many unhinged press tours — a few of which you may have forgotten about by now — we're gonna recap some of the most interesting ones.

NBC / Via giphy.com

According to me, that is. I did do a bucketload of research, though, so you don't have to.

1. It Ends With Us (2024)

Person in floral gown stands in front of large "It Ends With Us" sign on flower-adorned backdrop

Jeff Spicer / Getty Images for Sony Pictures

THE DEETS: I had to start with this one. In case you've been living under a rock, this press cycle has sparked a TON of dram, starting with the initial backlash against Blake Lively and discussion around the movie's depiction of abuse. 

And of course, The New York Times recently revealed that Blake is suing It Ends With Us costar and director Justin Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment. So that whole situation definitely provides colour as to why the press tour was so tension-filled.

2. Don't Worry Darling (2022)

Group of actors pose on the red carpet, wearing formal and stylish attire, including suits and elegant dresses

Stefania D'alessandro / WireImage / Getty Images

THE DEETS: Between the "did Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine" debate (which still keeps me up at night), to the Olivia Wilde-Florence Pugh drama...there's just too much to cover here. All I'll tell you is, this one is complicated and messy AF.

It's a shame there was so much drama, because can I just say it? I LOVED this movie. And I feel like people don't remember the movie enough. Like, I kind of agree with Harry when he said his favourite thing about DWD is that it "feels like a movie." Which is another iconic moment from the press tour.

3. Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy (2015-2018)

Two people pose on the red carpet; one wears a floral gown, the other a gray suit with a tie

Samir Hussein / WireImage / Getty Images

THE DEETS: This one isn't as complicated as the first two — basically, these press tours were quickly dubbed as awkward by the public. Why? People were adamant Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson "have zero chemistry." This made the interviews...interesting...to watch, to say the least.

4. Wicked: Part One (2024)

Two individuals pose on a red carpet. The first wears an off-shoulder gown, and the second wears a high-neck, sleeveless dress with gloves and an elaborate skirt

Karwai Tang / WireImage / Getty Images

THE DEETS: Yes, there was a handful of social media drama that came from this movie's press cycle. That includes the controversy surrounding that one fan-made Wicked poster, amid other interesting moments from interviews. And don't forget about all the tears between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo throughout the press tour, which sparked controversy, too.

There have also been so many memes just from this one tour that, TBH, live rent-free in my brain even more than the movie itself. The "you have been the light of the day" clip is my fave, amid other countless viral, memeable moments from interviews. So let's all *hold space* for this one.

5. Twilight (2008)

Two people pose at a "Twilight" event. One is in a dark suit, and the other is in a strapless dress with a geometric pattern

Dominique Charriau / WireImage / Getty Images

THE DEETS: Fans noticed Robert Pattinson didn't seem too...passionate...in the press tour interviews for Twilight. And guess what? It made sense, and the public was onto something! Because Robert himself later said he was "wasted the whole time." Go figure. I'll admit, this makes those interviews even more fun to watch.

6. Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Person in a black suit holding a large award plaque at the DGA Awards

Lionel Hahn / Getty Images

THE DEETS: This one is probably the least unhinged out of this bunch — it was only unhinged in that it was just so different from what we're used to seeing. 

Because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, director Martin Scorsese decided to promote the movie by posting Letterboxd reviews and appearing in his daughter’s TikToks. Which is actually really adorable, TBH.

7. Madame Web (2024)

Person in a formal, deep V-neck dress stands in front of a "Madame Web" sign at an event

Hector Vivas / Getty Images

THE DEETS: This one also involves Dakota Johnson, who starred in the Fifty Shades trilogy (duh). The low-down on this one is that people started noticing Dakota appeared "notably disinterested and dismissive" during the movie’s press tour, including admitting she hadn't seen the movie yet. The movie ended up "tank[ing] at the box office." 

Not to mention, an earthquake hit in the middle of one of these interviews. That's pretty unhinged, if you ask me.

8. Mean Girls: The Musical (2024)

 formal suits, elegant dresses, polka dot and corset details

Variety / Getty Images

THE DEETS: Let's talk about my girl, Renée Rapp. This press tour was dubbed “unhinged” because of her blunt comments throughout the interviews. It's through these interviews that many of us discovered Renée's openness and honesty in her interviews, which the internet had mixed opinions on. 

For example, there's one moment where Renée calls herself “ageist” in an interview with Andy Cohen, which spun into an online debate.

9. Wonka (2023)

Two people pose at the "Wonka" premiere. One wears a shiny suit, the other in a traditional suit. They stand in front of a background with "Wonka" text

Gilbert Flores / Variety / Getty Images

THE DEETS: Hugh Grant was super open on this press tour, particularly about his feelings toward the movie — and "hat[red]" for his role as an Oompa Loompa. 

"I couldn’t have hated the whole thing more," he said in regards to the movie. "I slightly hate making films, but I have lots of children and need money." These comments, of course, turned lots of heads.

10. War of the Worlds (2005)

Person in a suit waves on a red carpet, surrounded by a crowd and event staff

Franziska Krug / Getty Images

THE DEETS: This one happened 20 years ago (!!!), and mainly involves some unhinged Tom Cruise moments. Like, you probably remember that one viral moment where Tom jumps up on the couch during an interview with Oprah...that was during this press tour. 

We also saw him get into a widely-discussed "quarrel with Matt Lauer," which happened around this movie's release, too.

11. Two Lovers (2008)

Three people pose at a "Two Lovers" event. The person on the left wears a blazer, the center person a suit and sunglasses, and the right person a strapless dress

Mark Von Holden / WireImage / Getty Images

THE DEETS: Let’s just say Joaquin Phoenix — who stars in the movie alongside Gwyneth Paltrow — got people talking, and had interviews that went on to become “infamous.” 

Why? He said that he was retiring from acting. He also was visibly “unkempt.” But there's an easy explanation for this one: it turns out this act was a “performance art” for his role in another movie, I’m Still Here.

12. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Four people in formal attire at a movie premiere, posed in front of a film poster

Lester Cohen / Getty Images

THE DEETS: This one is…very messy. At the time, Kristen Stewart — who starred in this movie — was dating Robert Pattinson. 

But people were shocked when Us Weekly revealed, about a month after the film released, that Kristen had cheated on Robert with the director of the movie, Rupert Sanders, who was married at the time. DUN DUN DUNNNN. This obviously took off and set the internet ablaze.

13. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Four actors pose on a red carpet at a movie premiere; one wears a blue dress, another a suit, the next a red gown, and the last also a suit

Dave J Hogan / Getty Images

THE DEETS: I had to mention the press tour that started the Sad Affleck meme — AKA *that* photo of Ben Affleck looking super sad in a press junket. 

I'll explain: the movie had just come out, and critic reviews were pretty low. In one interview in particular, when asked about the movie’s ratings, fans noticed how, uh, SAD Ben looked. This became a meme. 

So I guess you could say this was just one important interview MOMENT rather than the whole press tour, but like, that meme definitely stole my heart.

14. A Star Is Born (2018)

Two people smiling at each other on a red carpet, both wearing elegant, dark outfits against a backdrop with large yellow text

David Livingston / WireImage / Getty Images

15. Suicide Squad (2016)

Group of four actors on a red carpet promoting "Suicide Squad." One wears a floral dress, another a leather jacket, another a green suit

Dave J Hogan / Getty Images

THE DEETS: Throughout the press tour, the cast (including Will Smith and Margot Robbie) discussed the intense ways in which Jared Leto, who played the Joker, stayed *in character* on set. These comments raised some eyebrows. 

This includes giving costars “disturbing gifts” like an actual rat and Playboy magazines. Leto later clarified these gifts were just a “jest.” So who knows what actually happened? All we know for sure is that the whole thing became “infamous,” and those anecdotes made some people cringe.

What's your fave (or least fave) celeb interview moment? Tell me in the comments below.

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