What’s the difference between an actor and a star? it depends on who you ask. In Hollywood, a star is a celebrity. A star is the name above the movie’s title. A star is the main reason why you want to go see that movie. An actor is merely the person in the movie or TV show.
Our Brave New Hollywood views.
Stardom really depends on the audience. If you want to see the latest Brad Pitt movie, than Brad Pitt is your star. If you want to see a zombie movie that just happens to have Brad Pitt in the lead, then he’s an actor.
Other people measure stardom by panic attacks. If Ryan Gosling walked into a bar, would everyone crowd him? Try to shake his hand or get his autograph? Or could he quietly sit at a table, undisturbed?
But stardom is also how you hold yourself. Sophia Vergara knows how to walk the red carpet and vogue for photos. Meryl Streep works the red carpet, but outside of a premiere, you’d probably never notice her in every day clothes and a baseball cap.
After you’ve managed to build a regular career in acting (see Hollywood and Ambition Part 1 and Part 2), sustaining a following is all about maintenance. And maintenance is all about carefully managing your public and private personas.
The public is always nosey about the private lives of stars, but a smart celebrity knows how to craft a good public image. In the long run, people tend to like stars who are perceived to be nice people. This is where Too Much Information (TMI) can easily turn you into a reality celebrity, and that’s a fast downward spiral to C-list celebrity. (Read or don’t read the new Corey Feldman memoir.) So how do you manage your image?
Charities. Hollywood loves charities for self-promotion. Fund-raising for a good cause is important in itself, but if a celebrity decided to associate his/her name to a charity, all the better. You get to absorb the values and traits of your charity – you become good by mere association. But be careful of any perceived hypocrisy or else your charity will want to dump you, and your fans will question your next public move.
Back in the 1980s, pop rock princess Pat Benatar had a huge hit with the song “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Good for her, right? Well, she was also the celebrity spokesperson for an organization against Child Abuse. The press and public quickly pointed out the irony. Christian Bale promoted vegetarianism and animal rights, but was photographed with turkey leg in hand. Leonardo DiCaprio was blasted for taking a private jet on a press junket when he was campaigning for smaller carbon footprints.
Foundations. If you want to demonstrate to the public that you’re giving back, why not create your own foundation so you don’t have to share the limelight with an existing charity? You can put your own name on it. But the same rules apply – be consistent or else the public will have a field day with any perceived lies. Lance Armstrong and Livestrong anyone?
Stars and Privacy
Social Media. You can reach out and address your fans directly on the World Wide Web, but don’t forget to self-edit the irony clause. Does it make sense to tweet, like Neil Patrick Harris, that you’re expecting twins but then in the same breath ask “hoping the press respects our privacy?”
Conventions. If you become known in a genre – especially science fiction – you can take the time (and get paid) to meet your fans in public. But let’s make sure we understand the definition of “fan.” These are people who PAY to watch you act, sing or entertain them in so way, shape or form. So you may sneer at the person who’s dressed like a movie character you did 10 years ago, but this person has bought every DVD you’ve made and tells his family and friends that they really need to get into your work. So be nice, sign photos and pose for pix! Once the convention is over, you can catch your flight back to L.A. and go for a stress-relieving mani-pedi and massage.
Remember the negative reaction to Tom Cruise’s infamous interview on Oprah? The normally congenial Cruise – a long time star well versed in controlling his public persona – decided to go a little nuts on Oprah when he was talking about his future wife, Katie Holmes. TMI. If you want to see a changing public persona over the years, check out Justin Bieber interviews on Youtube. When he started his career, he was a polite, gracious guest on talk shows, grateful for the opportunity. The more recent coverage? Well. See for yourself.
Harrison Cheung is the award-winning author of the Christian Bale biography, THE INSIDE STORY OF THE DARKEST BATMAN. Learn more at bale-biography.com