Interviewer makes Steven Spielberg realize one of his films was unconsciously about his mom and dad

The best interviewers have a knack for asking the right questions, sometimes leaving their subjects stunned with newfound insights into their own lives or work. People often had such enlightening moments with the talk show host, James Lipton. One such moment was with the legendary director, Steven Spielberg. Lipton made him realize something very personal about the last part of his 1978 film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." 

In that scene, the extraterrestrials on the mothership communicate with humans by combining music and technology. So, the question that Lipton asked Spielberg on his show "Inside the Actors Studio" in 1999 was, "Your father was a computer scientist and your mother was a musician, when the spaceship lands how do they communicate?" Spielberg smiled and responded, "That's a very good question I like that. You have answered the question." Then Lipton said, "They make music on their computers and they can speak to each other."

In the end, the director told Lipton something important. He shared, "You know I would love to say I intended that and I realized that was my mother and father but not until this moment. Thank you for that." There was a round of applause in the audience after listening to his reply. 

Though Lipton wore many hats, his in-depth interviews on Bravo's "Inside the Actors Studio" made him a Hollywood icon. He passed away in 2020, leaving behind a rich legacy. Another one of the most memorable interviews that Lipton had was with his student, actor Bradley Cooper. He was a student in the Actors Studio and auditioned with Lipton when he was the dean of the school. Lipton personally admitted Cooper into the program. During the interview, both he and Cooper got emotional, reminiscing how far he had come since his acting school days, reported The Wrap. 

Lipton said, “The night that one of my students has achieved so much that he or she comes back and sits down in that chair next to me will be the night I’ve waited for since we started this thing 23 years ago, and it turned out to be Bradley Cooper." “I auditioned him,” he continued. "If I had turned him down, he would’ve gone on to a different career.” He also spoke about the time he invited Cooper onto the program, "I went down to the stage and I said to him, ‘If we accept you, you’re ready for three years with us?’ And he started to cry and said "yes," and he cried again when he came on the show, as everybody knows. Wept bitterly,” according to the Independent. 

In his career, he interviewed 74 Oscar winners and reportedly on the 200th edition of his show, he interviewed himself, requesting comedian Dave Chappelle to ask him questions. After his fame on the show, he also got cameo roles on comedy shows like "The Simpsons" and "Arrested Development" and later appeared on Saturday Night Live, according to Yahoo!entertainment. Lipton hosted 23 seasons of 'Inside the Actors Studio,' captivating audiences with his insightful interviews.