Newsweek recently interviewed the six actors they felt were some of the most talked about for Oscar-worthy performances this year: Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Mickey Rourke, Sally Hawkins, and Frank Langella. Some interesting confessions (and a few lies) came out, like who Googles themselves, and the fact that Robert Downey Jr. is – in my nonprofessional assessment – probably crazy. Something about Japanese beef.

NEWSWEEK: With the Internet, it’s becoming harder for actors to draw the line between public and private. Do any of you guys ever Google yourself?
Pitt: Dear God. No.

Never?
Pitt: Never. First of all, I don’t really know how to operate a computer.

Do you have a BlackBerry?
Pitt: Oh yeah, I have a BlackBerry.

Anne, what about you. Do you Google yourself?
Hathaway: No.

Langella: It’s not a good idea. It can be painful and it can be self-aggrandizing.

Hawkins: What do they say about don’t believe any of it?

Downey: Oh, I love all that s—-, personally. Sorry. I love just it. Because it’s a hoot. Some people overstate their support, like they know you. Other people are busy doing something else and just want to go on this chat site and say some despicable character assassination, which I honestly think they kind of nailed it. I do have that shortcoming. It’s really fun.

Hathaway: OK, I have a confession. I lied before when you asked if I Googled myself. I do. I embarrassed by it because I know how terrible it is.

Downey: Wait a minute, should I feel s—-y that I Google myself?

Hathaway: You should feel s—-y about other things, Robert. For a while, it cracked me up. I found a ton of humor in it. But recently it’s changed. There’s a big difference now where information is being reported as news. And I’m very uncomfortable with that. And what you were saying, Brad—and God knows you deal with it worst than anyone—the idea that you blink your eyes and it’s all over the Internet? It’s a strange thing to be part of.

[From Newsweek]

I’m not surprised Brad Pitt doesn’t really know how to use a computer. He’s a busy guy who’s had no reason to learn much about them. I really loved Anne Hathaway’s bitchy, “You should feel shitty about other things, Robert.” What I thought was most interesting about Newsweek’s interview is that it looks like Robert Downey Jr. might be totally insane. A litter further on in this conversation, Brad Pitt says, “‘I feel for the people who are just getting into the business. It sets the wrong focus.’” Without any segue or explanation, Downey launches into the following:

Downey: I got a story for you. I go to Japan. “Iron Man” is opening there. I’m like, dude, this is my walk of fame. I go there and they go, [he mimics a Japanese accent] “Small problem with your passport, it links up to some incredible criminal activity.” I’m like yeah, yeah, yeah. “You did not make claim of said activity.” I was like, “I got tired.” “We would like to interrogate you.” I was like, “Interrogate? Fine, great.” Six hours later, I’m sitting there in the Japanese interrogation suite. A lady comes out, “So were you in jail or prison?” I go, “Both.” “How long?” “Sixteen months.” “Do you know the name of the first infraction you had in 1995?” I was like, “It’s hard for me to remember because I’ve been arrested so many times.” “We cannot let you enter our country.” They decided later that I can come in to do the press, “But I must please never come to Japan again.” So I’ll wrap this up quickly. We go to the Iron Chef restaurant. They give me the finest Kobe beef, and I am doubled over for yoo-hoo status for the next two days.

Langella: I don’t know what that means.

Downey: I ate a piece of beef that was super-expensive, I got a parasite, and I was yoo-hoo. I was Brown Betty for two days.

Langella: See, he has his own language.

Downey: Then what happens, a Japanese robot shows up on the red carpet. He carries in a 500-pound barrel of sake. I’m going like, I kind of have plans for Christmas, you should keep that away from me. They wanted me to smash the sake cast [sic] open with the robotic Iron Man.

[From Newsweek]

Um… alright, crazy pants. The randomness of his story makes me wonder what’s going on with Downey. Clearly he just wanted to share his story, whether or not it had anything to do with the subjects they were all talking about. He strikes me as someone who probably has a frenetic (and possibly exhausting) energy to him.

It was definitely one of Newsweek’s more memorable Oscar interviews. All of the actors seemed to have a real distaste for fame, but that’s nothing surprising. Anne Hathaway said she was genuinely shocked she became so famous, and subtly acknowledged that some of it was infamy (presumably due to her jailbird ex-boyfriend). No one seemed obviously put off by Robert Downey Jr., so maybe it just came off oddly in print but made more sense in real life. Or maybe he just had too much Kobe beef.

Here’s Anne Hathaway on the red carpet at the Creative Coalition event in Washington on Tuesday. She also brought her dad Gerald along. Images thanks to Splash.