An eight-minute chat with The Hollywood Reporter’s Andy Lewis is the talk of the town because the 90-year-old subject — Jerry Lewis — doesn’t.

Jerry Lewis during interview with Andy Lewis of The Hollywood Reporter. Image via hollywoodreporter.com
Jerry Lewis during interview with Andy Lewis of The Hollywood Reporter. Image via hollywoodreporter.com

Social media chatter about the King of Comedy’s curmudgeonly, monosyllabic replies on video goes two ways — Lewis is being nasty or the queries were boring.

“I would say, after at least 70 years of being in the public eye, Jerry Lewis is tired of stupid questions,” said one Facebook commenter.

The reporter says he had a bad feeling about how the chat would go the second he walked into the comic’s Las Vegas house.

“Throughout the photo shoot, Lewis complained about the amount of equipment in the house, the number of assistants and how the shots were set up,” Andy Lewis said. “By the time we sat down for the interview about an hour later, Lewis had worked up a full of head of steam, and it seemed like he was punishing THR by doing the interview but being as uncooperative as possible.”

The younger Lewis — not related apparently — said the interview demonstrated the legend is “vital and completely engaged. He’s just engaged — almost happy — in being difficult.”

Slate.com transcribed all of Lewis’ replies in a story headlined “Jerry Lewis Gives the Hollywood Reporter a Lesson in the Fine Art of the Hostile Interview.”

A sampling: “No.” “What do you mean?” “When my partner was alive.” “Yup.” “Yup.” “I’ll show you some material. You’ll know.” “It was teriffic.” “Get a day job.”
“Mmm hmm.”

In any case, the video proved entertaining to many, provoking far more chatter than a deep conversation might have sparked.

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