Five of the Best Interviews From ‘Inside the Actors Studio’

James Lipton, who died on Monday at the age of 93, made his name conducting in-depth interviews of actors, comedians, filmmakers and others on the long-running series “Inside the Actors Studio” when it was on Bravo TV. Though Lipton could come off as self-important or sycophantic, and was parodied more than once, there’s a reason the show was a hit. He got good stuff.

Here’s a look at some of his more memorable encounters:

Dave Chappelle

After abruptly leaving his Comedy Central series “Chappelle’s Show” and traveling to Africa in 2005, Dave Chappelle sat down with Lipton for a wide-ranging conversation to discuss, among other things, his thought process leading up to the walkout. “I had to make choices,” he told Lipton, adding later, “I like entertaining. And the higher up I go, for some reason, the less happy I am.” Below, you can see clips from the interview, and watch it in full here.

Robin Williams

To celebrate the show’s 250th episode, Bravo polled viewers about their favorite episode. The winner was Lipton’s 2001 session with Robin Williams, though the comedian hardly limited himself to questions about his craft:

‘The Simpsons’

One reason Lipton was ripe for parody was his serious, it’s-all-about-the-work demeanor no matter who the guest, and that included the voice cast of “The Simpsons.” He opened the episode asking Homer (Dan Castellaneta), Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and the rest “What is your full name?” The answers were hilarious but Lipton seemed to keep a straight face the entire time:

Bradley Cooper, Part 1

The show was ostensibly a glimpse inside a seminar for drama students (though it was also a marketing opportunity for the studio), and students did make up the audience. At the end of every episode, the budding actors were invited to ask questions of the experienced stars. In 1999, the newbie was Bradley Cooper and the veteran he was seeking insight from was Sean Penn:

Bradley Cooper, Part 2

In 2011, an emotional Lipton welcomed Cooper back as a guest. He was the first interviewee to hail from the Actors Studio program, and Lipton was clearly moved by the moment. He later called it “one of the greatest nights of my life.” See the opening below and watch the full episode here.