When I was a young actor working on a soap opera, I'll never forget getting my first paycheck from the advertising agency that sponsored the show. The company's motto, printed boldly on the check under their logo, read: "It's not creative, unless it sells." As an artist, I was mortified by the blatant admission of commercialism. But, the reality is, entertainment is also known as "show BUSINESS."

I'm heading off to Toronto this week for the International Film Festival and while I'm there I will be interviewing some of the biggest stars in the motion picture industry. The good news is that these showbiz icons have agreed to sit down and chat with me. The not-so-good news is that some stars notoriously despise having to go one-on-one with journalists when it comes time to promote their movies. Often it's contracted that they do it and many times they want to...either because they're proud & enthusiastic about their work, or because good PR usually translates into box-office bucks, which in turn makes everybody a winner.

Seasoned pros know that it's a necessary part of their job as well paid/compensated celebrities. And the more engaging they are in interviews, the better press they will garner...in a biz where image is everything, the real superstars suck it up and give it their all throughout the publicity grind.

Catherine Zeta Jones, John Travolta, Nic Cage, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Eva Longoria, Zac Efron, Hugh Jackman, Julie Andrews, Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Josh Duhamel, Rachel Griffiths, Will Ferrell, Michael Caine, Queen Latifah, Meryl Streep and Geoffrey Rush, for example, are absolute pleasures! Michael Douglas even takes the time beforehand to find out a reporter's name, outlet and background to make him/her more at ease...now that's a class act! Some are more challenging and may need to be cajoled into loosening up for a chat. I'd put Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Matt Damon, Shia LaBeouf, Jennifer Connelly, Cate Blanchett, Mattehw McConaughey and Robert DeNiro into that category. And then there are the ones who should agree to take a pay cut so that they DON'T have to subject themselves to the obvious "torture" of having to talk to the press...the ones who have made it so glaringly obvious that they dislike the rigors of publicity that they have (arguably deserved) reputations for being lousy/difficult interviews. I won't name any names, but I will tell you that I regret shaving my head to "become" Lex Luthor for my SUPERMAN RETURNS interviews because of a certain Oscar-winner's cold and humourless reaction. Oh well...you can't win ?em all! But I always like to walk into an interview situation with an approach that will liven up the routine and make it a more enjoyable time for all concerned.

My Publicity pal, Stacey Kumagai, says: "By being generous with interviews and giving a bit of insight as to what their passion is, actors will find this process to be fun in addition to being valuable for the box office. It's important to keep the machine 'well-oiled' as it is a vital part of the career process. While actors may not find the [publicity process] interesting, film junkies and their fan base DO! ...And are usually hungry for anything new they can learn about a particular film and/or actor. "