Sylvester Stallone was not happy. The star of the Rocky and Rambo movies had just arrived in Australia to find Customs officers had discovered what they called "prohibited items" in his luggage.
When it was time for an interview before the premiere of Rocky Balboa in 2006, his publicist decided to get in before any awkward questions were asked. "Can you do me a favour?" she whispered as we headed to his hotel room on the Harbour. "Don't ask about the Customs thing or we'll stop the interview."
There was no time to object before Stallone - a pumped-up action figure come to life - was ready with a warm handshake.
But there was no avoiding the airport controversy. So after an opening question about playing Rocky for the sixth time, it was time to ask what he had brought into the the country that had upset Customs.
Like an old pro boxer in the ring, Stallone cheerfully denied speculation he had been carrying steroids. "It's something that I've taken for years", he said, adding that "it's not dangerous." He put the airport drama down to a clerical mistake: "I didn't understand there are certain rules that Australia have about filling in certain forms and I didn't," he said.
The interview went smoothly enough but the publicist went all Full Metal Jacket in the corridor afterwards. "S???IX MINUTES???," she hissed. "Everyone else agreed not to ask. But it took you SIX MINUTES!"
Later that day, the controversy became front page news when ???Customs raided Stallone's hotel room and members of his entourage were seen throwing objects out of the window. Presumably not leftover sandwiches for the seagulls.
What a thankless job it is being a Hollywood publicist.
You expect a movie star to be able to handle whatever gets thrown at them - they're mostly articulate, intelligent adults after all - but sometimes you have take control. And that can mean putting pesky journalists in their place.
It happened during a phone interview with Richard Gere about new film Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer, this month. The veteran star was deep into talking about how his passionate support for Tibet had hurt his career as Hollywood studios voraciously chased Chinese money when his publicist suddenly came on the line - like the voice of God - to insist on returning to questions about Norman in the few minutes left.
In other words, just plug the movie.
Over the years as a film writer, I've encountered a few publicists who have gone in too hard for their famous clients.
One virtually threw herself in front of an actor - like a secret service agent taking a bullet for the president - over a question about a front page story that very morning on his heroin problem. Another wanted me to hand over my dictaphone when she didn't like the way the interview had unfolded.
In a movie star interview - think about it next time you read one in a newspaper or magazine - the publicist is the forgotten third corner.
The interviewer wants to ask thoughtful questions. The actor wants to talk about the movie.
The good publicist sets it up then steps away. Others - the not-so-good ones - want to avoid issues rather than deal with them, trying to micro-manage the star's image.
But when it all goes wrong - when Hugh Grant gets arrested with a prostitute in his car, for example - that's another story.
When there's a mug shot and a court case pending, that's when Hollywood publicists really earn their money.
Twitter @gmaddox
