Two Irish teens landed a rare, exclusive interview with Oprah. How they did it is the best story.

Eighteen-year-old lads Ben Hanlon and Glen Anderson from Dublin, Ireland, have done something extraordinary. They started the Back of the Class Podcast and landed an interview with an A-list celebrity simply by showing some gumption. Their determination paid off, and now they’re entering a new realm of celebrity, which many feel is justly deserved. To add some background, the two were classmates and decided to enter the highly saturated podcast space simply because they love talking to people and discussing current events. As part of their online content, they create what they call “class questions” to get quick snippets from people they want to speak with. So when they landed Oprah Winfrey for a guest interview, they became celebrities themselves. Gayle King helped Turns out Anderson spoke with journalist (and Oprah’s bestie) Gayle King, though he was unaware of her strong connections to Winfrey. The boys explained how it all went down on The Six O’Clock Show. Hanlon explains, “I didn’t actually know Gayle at the time, and Glen rang me and kind of just described who she was. And I don’t think we realized how close her and Oprah were.” After explaining that King sent a video to Winfrey, Hanlon reveals what happened next: “All of a sudden, we get that text on the Instagram page from Oprah’s personal security guard, and me and Glen were like, ‘We’re on, this is it!’” He says the security guard simply wrote, “Hi Ben and Glen. Are you the kids looking to interview Oprah? Come to the hotel at 7!” Understandably, they were over the moon to get the chance to meet who they call a “legend.” But it’s what Winfrey said that really stuck and got them going. On their Instagram page, they share that during their brief chat with her, Winfrey, straight out of the gate, said, “The reason why I’m doing this interview is because when I was 21, 22, there was a very famous poet/author named Maya Angelou.” Preparation met opportunity Anderson mentioned he knows Angelou’s work, impressing Winfrey. She continues. “And I asked my news director if I could go interview Maya Angelou. I didn’t have an appointment with her. I was just waiting backstage for her to show up. She comes out of the door and I did the same thing that you just did with Gayle today.” After their questions, King reminds Winfrey that Anderson had told her, “If she met me, she would like me.” Winfrey wholeheartedly agrees, saying, “I like you so much! I like you because you had the chutzpah, you had the tenacity,” which seems to be one of the many threads they share. Oprah didn’t have a ‘big dream’ They start the interview with a laugh by pronouncing Winfrey’s name in a posh English accent. Hanlon then says, “The first question I have for you is: if you could see the steps that you took when you first started to get where you are today, do you think you’d still chase that dream and take all the same steps again?” Winfrey answers beautifully. She says she wasn’t chasing a dream. “I was just doing my best in every moment, and this is what I try to share with everyone. You can have a dream, a big dream, and a vision, and that’s a wonderful thing. But I didn’t have a big dream.” She continues, “I was gonna be a 4th grade teacher. And because I was excellent as a reader, when I was in this contest for being ‘Miss Fire Prevention,’ I went back to this radio station where it had sponsored us. And I was sitting there, and the guy offered me the opportunity to read.” Winfrey shares that he was impressed. “He said, ‘Have you ever heard your voice on tape?’ I was sixteen. He said, ‘Come here and read this for me,’ and I started reading. But because I’d been reading since I was like 3, 4, I read so well, and he then called everyone else in the room and said, ‘Listen to this kid read.’ And by the end of the day, I was hired at 16 in my first job in radio.” They impressed her For Ben, Glen, and Oprah, preparation met opportunity and luck. Many Instagram commenters agree and are impressed by the event overall. One writes, “Well done lads. Great to see young lads having dreams and chasing their goals. I always watched the Oprah show. She’s a great lady, always encouraging. Crazy that she had a similar incident with Maya Angelou. You impressed her with knowing who her idol was.” Another notes, “Remember this interview in ten years when they make it.” It seems they’re well on their way.