To celebrate Sunday’s 20th anniversary, Alex Casey digs through the archives and unearths some early 2000s celebrity interview gems. 

Sunday is a current affairs institution in Aotearoa, remembered this week for two decades of groundbreaking investigations, explosive interviews and agenda-setting stories. But a lesser-celebrated element of the show is its longform celebrity interview slots, where some of the biggest names in journalism go deep with some of the biggest names in show business. 

For the past 20 years we’ve seen Michael Caine attempt a New Zealand accent, Cher lament the property prices in Godzone and Jerry Seinfeld promise to tip 100% of the bill to every restaurant he visits in the country. But back in the early 2000s, a plucky journalist by the name of Mike Hosking met two genuinely iconic trios in a pair of interviews for the history books. 

Hosking remembers them fondly himself. “Probably the part I enjoyed and remember best are the Charlie’s Angels type interviews,” he writes for 1News. “I strongly suspect I got most of them based on the fact the other reporters on the show didn’t fancy dealing with ‘fluff’.” Look, I don’t know about you, but I could do with more “fluff” at the moment, even if it is 20 years old.

So, let us take a trip back to when the world was simpler. Fashion was shiny, entertainment news was weirdly long and famous people and Hoskings alike could come and go as they pleased without thinking about vaccine passes and masks. Let us go back, back to 2002. 

The styling

Much to discuss here, not limited to but certainly including the fact that Drew Barrymore is wearing an extremely large stripy tie. Both Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu are rocking a deep side fringe, while Barrymore appears to have adopted a half up, half down approach. Take note, Y2K-inspired teens reading this in 2022. 

For Destiny’s Child, Hosking goes full Johnny Cash. Black pants, black turtleneck, black jacket. Destiny’s Child are all rocking the jeans of the moment – bootcut – and Michelle is wearing a cream-coloured pleather jacket with maybe matching shoes. Beyonce is wearing a slouchy boho tunic, and Kelly Rowland is wearing sneakers with that unmistakably rugged Y2K grip.

The introductions

The Destiny’s Child interview begins, as a colleague pointed out, like a pure Alan Partridge tribute. “Sex, sass and sussed: three words that absolutely nail Destiny’s Child,” Hosking drawls from the passenger’s seat of a bright yellow Lamborghini. “And when you’re worth so much money, you can afford Lamborghini Diablos with just your lunch dough.”

Is the Diablo… his? In which case, is he the fourth member of Destiny’s Child? Hosk makes things clearer when he meets the Charlie’s Angels in 2003. The cameras are rolling when the guests walk in, so we can see the celebrities at their most unguarded. Unfortunately, the least guarded celebrity is Hosking, who exclaims “woah I bumped the light” as the Angels walk in. 

The banter

Before the Angels interview begins, Mike points around the room at the (presumably male) crew. “You want an autograph, you want a photo, he wants a date.” The Angels all laugh without smiling. He does not do the same gag with Destiny’s Child. 

The questions

We’re very used to seeing Hosking play hard ball in 2022, and with Destiny’s Child he was no exception. “How do you balance god and the cleavage and the skimpy clothes?” he asks. Kelly and Michelle begin explaining that they dial things up for their stage persona. Beyonce is less diplomatic, gesturing exasperatedly at her clothing. “Do we have cleavage now?” 

They don’t, but Mike is arguably the most chaste of them all – his turtleneck is nearly covering his chin.

With the Angels, Hosking is deeply concerned about Hollywood gossip. “How much should I believe?” he asks. Drew Barrymore has a theory involving hair, but the analogy quickly falls apart as she realises she doesn’t know how many hairs there are on a head. “Let’s say theres a billion, two billion hairs – there’s one hair of truth.” There are 100,000 hairs on a head.

The sign-off

No entertainment package is complete without a snazzy sign-off. Hosking’s time with the Angels gets cut short by shuffling publicists, but he gets a proper outro for Destiny’s Child. “There are certainties in life like rain, and the weekends, but pop is about as reliable as the weather,” he muses, slamming the Lamborghini door. “Destiny’s Child know that truckloads of hype… can be quickly followed by mass indifference.” Hosking throws up his arms and the Lambo drives off. 

Now… what ever did happen to that “Beyonce” joker?