Ryan Seacrest Learns To #AskHerMore At The 2015 Emmys, Which Makes For A More Interesting Red Carpet
By Kadeen Griffiths
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Ah, award show red carpets. For the feminist viewer, it's like dodging a minefield of cringe-worthy moments in which phenomenally talented actresses with dynamic personalities are reduced to how impeccably dressed they are. I mean, don't get me wrong, everyone has to name-check the designer who loaned them the outfit they're wearing on the red carpet, but women more so than men have to go into the details of their outfits, their hair, their makeup, their nails, rather than the details of their projects, their acting methods, or the challenges of their craft. However, Live on the Red Carpet seems to have gone out of their way this year to change the game and #AskHerMore. In fact, Ryan Seacrest has learned from #AskHerMore, and many of his red carpet interviews of the night proved that.
The biggest way to tell that this is a more intellectual red carpet is the fact that both Giuliana Rancic and Ryan Seacrest had moments during Live on the Red Carpet where they almost let the celebrity walk away before they remembered they had to ask them who designed their dress. This is a complete turn around from the years where this would either be the first question asked before anything else, or the first question asked as a lead-in to a conversation about fashion. However, don't take my word for it. Here are just a few of the amazing red carpet interviews that Seacrest treated us to on Sunday.
1. Laverne Cox
OK, so Cox very clearly came prepared to discuss social issues, as she immediately began the conversation by stating that she was "honored and grateful to be a part of a show that means so much to so many people in a world where systems tell so many folks that their lives don't matter, that their stories don't matter." However, Seacrest easily rolled with her passion by asking her follow-up questions on Orange Is The New Black, and how it felt to be one of Time Magazine's influential people.
2. Heidi Klum
Instead of asking Klum who she was wearing, Seacrest started out by asking the deeper question of how does she decide who she's going to wear. That, to me, is a lot more interesting of a question to ask a model than just who designed her outfit, because it gives me deeper insight into her mind and preferences. Thanks to that question, we learned that Klum picked her dress of the Internet, just like the rest of us. Sort of.
3. Taraji P. Henson
Although the Internet was overwhelmed with the sheer awesomeness that was Henson's dress, Seacrest instead asked her about how he had read that she was initially reluctant to take on the role of Cookie Lyon, which led to one of the best moments of the night: Henson went full Cookie right there on the red carpet, much to the delight of both Seacrest and the fans.
4. Tatiana Maslany
Seacrest's questions to Maslany mainly focused on trying to weasel out of her the secret of how she manages to play so many different characters so flawlessly, a question Orphan Black fans have been trying to answer since, oh, the dawn of time. (Or, OK, the premiere of the show.) Maslany also got the opportunity to speak passionately about her background in improv and how that informs her acting, long before we ever focused on that flawless pantsuit she was wearing.
5. Mindy Kaling
Once given some time with Kaling, Seacrest asked her initially about how the move to Hulu will change The Mindy Project, moved to asking her about her latest memoir Why Not Me?, and then even asked her to share one of her "juicy Hollywood stories" — though she wouldn't reveal to us the subject of that very juicy stories. The best part of his interview with Kaling was the fact that Seacrest straight up didn't even ask her what she was wearing.
6. Amy Poehler
From this red carpet interview, we were teased of an "idea" that Andy Samberg and Amy Poehler have discussed that they will enact if they have the time during the ceremony. I didn't even hear anything else that was said, I was so excited about this single tidbit of the interview. However, it was an interesting interview, especially with Seacrest asking Poehler which was her preferred role in award ceremonies, now that she has been a presenter, a host, a nominee/winner, and an audience member.
7. Gina Rodriguez
Sadly, Seacrest did not manage to extract any Jane the Virgin spoilers about the upcoming cameo appearances of Britney Spears and Kesha in Season 2, but we did get to see a glowing Rodriguez discuss not only how excited she was to be working with both of them but also the memoir that she has coming out next month. Sure, this conversation happened after she discussed who she was wearing, but, hey, baby steps.
And I'm not the only one who has noticed how well Seacrest is doing on the #AskHerMore front. Twitter is also abuzz with praise for E!'s efforts, and Seacrest's efforts in particular. Thanks to him, I'm learning more about my favorite celebrities than I usually get to learn on the red carpet, and that's an incredibly exciting thing. Hopefully, the rest of the award show red carpets can learn from the example Seacrest gave on Sunday.