Steve McQueen: The Last Interview
- RPK
- Apr 25
- 2 min read
Way back in 1979 when I was a high school senior, the biggest movie star in the world walked right past me at my school.
His name was Steve McQueen, and he was filming a movie there, The Hunter. I was the editor-in-chief of my school paper, and I wanted an interview. I approached his stunt double, Loren Janes, and asked about it.
"Steve McQueen never gives interviews," he said. "And he never, ever, lets anyone take his picture."
What followed is a story that continues to hold interest now, 45 years later. For the first time, I've written a book about my exclusive interview with McQueen (he refused cover story interviews with Rolling Stone, Life, Time and Newsweek) and how it turned out to be his last. He died less than one year later.
The book is about more than just the story of that interview. I tell stories about life at a high school newspaper and our sting operations. I share what's happened since that interview, and how McQueen continues to be the subject of the public's fascination. I bring humor and surprises into it.
Most importantly, I stress the importance of not letting one person's "no" get in the way of a "yes." McQueen believed in the importance of youth, and I wrote this book to inspire young people (and the not so young) that anything is possible. Putting yourself out there, risking rejection, trying new things—these all lead to unexpected places.
McQueen gave me the interview. He let me take his photo. And he changed my life.
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