At its worst, the canon of celebrity profiles can feel predictable and sterile: profilists chasing clever turns of phrase and eye-catching quotes, while subjects come armed with the same PR talking points they shared with every other outlet that week. The performance on both sides can often overshadow what’s real. 

At its best though, profiles are an unfiltered snapshot of a subject at a very specific moment in time. Good profiles are a study in presence. 

When I write celebrity profiles, I prepare relentlessly—immersing myself in research, old interviews, and the cultural noise surrounding a person—but once I’m in the room, I let all of that go and watch the person across from me unfold in real time. It’s as much about what they don’t say as what they do. The way they pause before answering, how they fidget with a ring, where their gaze goes when the topic turns personal. You attune to the energy, and—if you’re lucky—earn enough trust to glimpse the human being beneath the persona.

Writing celebrity profiles has taught me as much about human nature as it has about storytelling. I’ve learned to translate the unspoken into something that feels alive on the page, and I’ve learned how to build intimacy in the span of an hour or two, with someone who is used to being seen through a lens. What I’ve learned, in short, is how to really see people. (Below you'll find only a few of my favorite profiles and interviews.)