Put on the spot: Awkward film festival moments

The actress declared "You know we're all Berliners, we are all Africans, really" when asked about racial diversity in her all white seven-member jury. Based on the reactions online, it didn't go over as well as Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner," which she may have been referring to. If it's a consolation: She's not the only star who's faced embarrassment during a film festival press conference.

Asked about his German heritage at a Cannes press conference in 2011, Danish director Lars von Trier started making Nazi jokes and said he could understand Hitler. In the end, he was declared persona non grata at the glamorous French film Festival - and he decided to stop talking to the press altogether.

In 2013, Joel and Ethan Coen avoided a similar fate in Cannes when asked to define "Jewish humor" by a German reporter referring to Nazism."There's nothing like a Holocaust to put the stake in a certain kind of humor. I really don't know how to answer that," said Joel. This year, a more endearing questioner bemused them by saying she wanted to make love to their film "Hail, Caesar!."

Fans often grab the opportunity to make public love declarations during such press conferences. At the Toronto Film Festival in 2014, one fan asked: "Benedict, I actually think you're quite yummy. Would I be able to feast on your yumminess?" The British actor, there to promote his role as the gay codebreaker Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game," was quite flustered by the question.

International reporters also typically try to find out when stars will show up in their home country. For example, US director Woody Allen was asked: "Oh our darling darling Woody, when are you coming to Azerbaijan?" at a press conference in Cannes. The former stand-up comedian shot back "Isn't that Russia? I hate Russia."

Some stars know how to flip an awkward moment with their charm. Someone rambled a question for George Clooney at a press conference on Thursday - he had apparently spilled turkey meatballs on his shoes. The actor asked back: "Are you flirting with me?"