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Issue Date: September 14, 2008
Interview: Anderson Cooper off camera
Millions know him from CNN, "Anderson Cooper 360." We go behind the scenes and interview him.
By Monica Collins
Roving reporter, world traveler, hipster, jokester, anchorman, rich kid, loner, geek -- CNN's Anderson Cooper is a Renaissance man for a digital age. Cooper, a three-time Emmy winner, stands up to politicians, stares down weather catastrophes, challenges the mighty, empathizes with the afflicted and collapses into laughter on live TV. The 41-year-old shows various colors, including famous shades of gray.
For more from our interview, plus exclusive photos of Anderson Cooper, on Who's News blog
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Our time with Cooper began in ABC's studios in New York City. He was there once again substituting for Regis Philbin and co-hosting "Live With Regis and Kelly," the breezy syndicated talk show. During "Live," Cooper showcases a lighter side of his personality, regularly dishing out personal details that have ranged from the humorous -- he hasn't been to the dentist in five years (he has since gone) -- to the serious -- in April, Cooper casually relayed how a stalker had shown up at his apartment that morning with suitcases. Because of incidents like this, a guard, hired by CNN, now escorts Cooper home each night after he finishes anchoring "Anderson Cooper 360."
The need for protection complicates the life of this anchor who, for the most part, attempts to live without pretension. "He doesn't want an entourage," says Jonathan Klein, president of CNN/U.S. He comes into the building in his T-shirt and knapsack." "Details" magazine editor Dan Peres, who has known Cooper for nearly a decade, seconds this notion. "You seldom meet him at a big, fancy restaurant," Peres says. "He doesn't care. If anything, he wants to fly as far under the radar as he possibly can."
The same can't be said for his work. Cooper is CNN's premier player, with a multiyear, multimillion- dollar contract. He is also a contributor to CBS' "60 Minutes." Cooper was selected to be part of the anchor team for both political conventions for CNN. In December, he hosts a two-hour special as part of CNN's ongoing ecological investigation series, Planet in Peril, with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and reporter Lisa Ling. His nightly "Anderson Cooper 360," which is a mix of hard news, interviews, analysis and lighter features, has seen steady ratings increases since he took over the time slot in 2005 after breakthrough reporting during Hurricane Katrina.
Meeting me in the lobby of the Time Warner Center after his stint on "Live," Cooper cuts the angular, steely profile you see on TV, with the exception of the eyes. The lens doesn't quite capture the full richness of his blues. The silvery hair is impeccably short. "I had no idea it was going to go so gray," he says later. "In my mind, I still think of it as brown, and then I'm shocked when I look at it."
As we make our way to his office off the vast CNN newsroom, both of which overlook Central Park, Cooper is dressed in the same Ralph Lauren black suit he wore on "Live." The only visible accessory is a Rolex that tells the time in two zones --
a must for a seasoned traveler. Cooper's corner space, modestly sized, is cluttered with personal mementos -- family photos, framed press passes and "The New York Times" best-seller list for the week his 2006 memoir, "Dispatches from the Edge," hit No. 1. He displays many curios from exotic places and relics from war zones, including a hand-painted restaurant billboard from the Congo, a Sarajevo license plate "from a car that got blown up" and a Handi Wipe (stored in a plastic bag) found in Saddam Hussein's jail cell. ("He was obsessed with keeping things clean. There was a bar of soap, but I decided not to take it.")
Here is more from our wide-ranging conversation:
USAW: You've been called the "emo" reporter because you allow your emotions to show. What's your "emo" reaction to this?
AC: I think I'm actually one of the least emotional people on-air around. If you look on any given night on the cable channels, you'll see people yelling and screaming and talking at the top of their voice -- not just guests but anchors of shows -- who are outraged about things, furious about things. That seems more "emo" than anything.
USAW: But you cried on-air during Katrina
AC: I think I teared up twice during Hurricane Katrina. And I certainly regret it. It's not something I planned. It's not something I've done since or ever done before. I find it interesting that it is somehow etched in people's memory of me.
USAW: Tim Russert of NBC was at the center of the elite chattering class. Where is your place?
AC: I wouldn't want to comment on where he was or in any way pass judgment on what he was doing because his job was completely different. I personally don't feel the need to know the people I'm reporting on in any social capacity. I'm not interested in going down to Washington and going to the White House Correspondents' Dinner even. I don't want to dance on the stage with Karl Rove.
USAW: Is there any country you haven't been to where you want to go?
AC: Yeah, there are a lot of countries. I've probably worked in 50 or 60 countries. I haven't been to Argentina, and I'd like to go. I've been all over Southeast Asia but never to China.
USAW: During your travels, do you partake of the native foods?
AC: I've been hospitalized in Kenya before, and it's not fun. I'm very careful about what I eat. I bring PowerBars and cans of tuna with me.
USAW: Describe your own social life. What do you do on weekends?
AC: My deal with "60 Minutes" is that I can only work for them on weekends and holidays. I've given up trying to have vacations.
USAW: You're mildly dyslexic. What does that mean in your daily life?
AC: It doesn't mean much now, but it did cause some trouble when I was a kid. And with my speech pattern, I have a slight stutter sometimes. I still can't say two T's together. I say "Manhadan." It sounds like a "D."
USAW: Are you a geek?
AC: I'm geekish. I don't have the technological ability to back it up, so I'm a geek without skill, which I think just means I'm socially awkward.
USAW: What's on your iPod?
AC: I have a million songs. In my car, I've been listening to a lot of Brazilian music lately. There's a woman, Marisa Monte, I like a lot. I also like Scissor Sisters, Arcade Fire and The Killers.
USAW: And on your DVR?
AC: I watch less TV than I used to. I've been watching "Weeds" on Showtime, the Kathy Griffin show ["My Life on the D-List," on Bravo] and "Law & Order: SVU" [on NBC].
USAW: Tell us about Molly, your Welsh springer spaniel.
AC: She's very much a human dog, so she wants to be with people. She'll follow you around the apartment. If you're in the shower, she'll sit outside the shower waiting for you.
USAW: You are the reluctant celebrity, aren't you?
AC: It's very easy in television to become very self-referential, and it's very easy in television to start to think of yourself all the time. I just don't want to do that.
USAW: As the child of Gloria Vanderbilt and Wyatt Cooper, you grew up with attention. Aren't you used to it?
AC: I know there's no value in it. Walking down the street with my mom when I was a little kid, people would stop and point at her. I got very used to it in that way, but it comes and it goes. If you start to want that type of thing or seek it out, it's a recipe for disaster.
Monica Collins is a freelance writer living in Boston.
Also:
 Q&A with Anderson Cooper
More from this interview and exclusive photos on the Who's News blog
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