James Frey to Craig Ferguson: ‘I’m happy to be notorious,’ plus what he said about Tom Cruise
Jun 27, 2009, 11:39 AM | by Ken Tucker
James Frey gave a rare and revealing interview to Craig Ferguson last night on the Late Late Show. The author, whose 2003 memoir A Million Little Pieces brought a hailstorm of criticism for charges of inaccuracy, most notably in a 2006 TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, has apparently come to terms with his reputation.
Due to his various addictions, “I didn’t remember [various details] so I just made it up,” was how Frey summarized his Pieces experience to Ferguson. “I’m perfectly happy to be notorious,” he said. He was put at ease by Ferguson, who has spoken openly about his own struggles with drugs and drink, and will himself publish an autobiography in September called American On Purpose.
Frey was promoting the paperback relase of his novel Bright Shiny Morning. At one point, Frey admitted that he “thought Tom Cruise” when he created the Morning character Amberton Parker, whom Frey described as “a gay movie star with children.” Strikingly, the studio audience laughed and clapped at this.
Frey made no reference to a deal announced this week, in which he will collaborate with another, unnamed writer on a six-book science-fiction series, the first of which, I Am Number Four, has been optioned by director Michael Bay.