Lacking Luster
I guess I’m just not star struck enough. I walked up to the movie set today to watch from the crowd, and while it was fun to see how these folks work, I wasn’t gaga. I wasn’t all oooo and ahhhh over the fact that the stars looked our direction or waved (Mark Wahlberg seems quite nice – he does interact with his fans and shook hands and chatted with my daughter). I certainly wasn’t like the cougars who were dolled up and waiting to be noticed, especially the middle-aged housewife who shows up in her exercise clothes, presumably while running, in full makeup. Yea, you never planned to be seen with your abs exposed and your eye makeup done to perfection, were you? I showed up in my usual clothes, no makeup, and just watched. Making a spectacle of yourself when others are trying to get work done doesn’t seem appropriate to me. I’ll take photos, sure. I’m not completely unaffected! And it’s something I regret not doing when I saw Jimmy Stewart in a parade in his hometown.
It seems odd to me that people will hyperventilate, scream hysterically or faint or otherwise cause a fuss when someone famous is around. The closest I came to true fan behavior, separate from my 5th-grade Osmond concert experience, was last year in Nashville when my daughter shook the hands of the Van Zandt brothers from Lynard Skynard. Mind you, Freebird was my generation’s anthem, so you can understand how it came to be that I let out a “Damn right!” during one of their country songs.
What I feel is wrong is the media’s hype-building that makes celebrity almost godlike. Performers are raised to unbelievable heights, put so far up on pedestals so small, they’re doomed to fall. They perform, yet we feel we have a right to invade their privacy, to know everything about them, and to basically learn how to worship people who are performers, not gods. And we get disappointed when they “let us down”, as though they owed us more than what they’ve been paid to do. The media should be ashamed – for what else explains the celebrity of spoiled rich waifs who are famous for being rich, or the stories of fallen pseudo-heroes who can’t be human or simple (anyone remember the debacle John Elway’s family went through when his wife gave out “ordinary” treats for Halloween and didn’t splurge on the greedy neighborhood?). Admire the work of your celebrities – don’t idolize them to the point of misplaced worship. I guess it’s exciting to see your favorite star right there in front of you. I guess some fans can’t help but scream and carry on.
But I guess it’s the fans’ way of showing their appreciation and respect for the actors’ and directors’ work. That they act like this after the director calls for quiet on the set seems like lack of respect to me, but I guess some people can’t contain their excitement.
Then again, if I’d ever come face-to-face with Johnny Depp, I feel I would drool or babble uncontrollably. Some things just can’t be helped.