Samantha Armytage Recounts Difficult Susan Sarandon Interview and Tom Cruise's "World Scoop"

Samantha Armytage, a seasoned journalist with nearly 30 years of experience, has identified Susan Sarandon as her most difficult celebrity interview. The encounter occurred in 2009 when Sarandon was promoting the film "The Lovely Bones."

"She was a bit prickly," Armytage recalled in an interview with the Daily Mail. She attributed Sarandon's demeanor partly to the somber nature of the film and acknowledged that celebrities, like everyone, have personal lives that can influence their interactions. Sarandon's separation from her long-time partner, Tim Robbins, was publicly announced shortly after the interview.

In contrast, Armytage described her interview with Tom Cruise in 2017 as her best. During the segment for the morning show "Sunrise," Armytage asked Cruise a spontaneous question about a potential "Top Gun 2." To her surprise, Cruise revealed that a sequel was in the making, a moment Armytage described as a "world scoop."

"When you're sitting with someone like Tom Cruise that close and you can see into their eyes and how he sort of had a moment where he thought, 'Should I tell? Am I going give these people a big scoop?'" Armytage recounted. She noted Cruise's awareness of the situation, stating, "But he's not stupid, he knows what he's doing."

The film "Top Gun: Maverick" was later released in 2022.

Armytage has recently launched a new podcast called "Act Two," featuring interviews with notable figures. The podcast, which debuted on October 13, has secured Myer as a major sponsor and is in discussions with other potential partners. "It's been liberating to a degree to start something in my own name and for myself," Armytage said about the venture, which represents her first independent business after 28 years with commercial networks.