I try to rise above the act of following celebrity gossip, celebrity affairs, or anything to do with celebrities in general. But I'm only human and just can't help sometimes but to be sucked in to that world of gossip and best dressed lists. Yes it's mindless and petty, but there are definitely worse ways one could spend their time.
I happened upon an article today on the Huffington Post website that kind of gave me pause. In said article, Kristen Stewart, the notorious female star of the Twilight movies, was essentially blasting her critics (of which there are many, apparently) for complaining how she doesn't look "perfect" in every picture that is taken of her, or that she doesn't open up in interviews and talk about her process for getting into character and reveal her acting secrets. If you are so inclined, you can click here to view the article, which is more of a blurb, really.
Now, while I definitely know who Kristen Stewart is, I have never seen any of the Twilight movies so I can't speak to whether her acting abilities are top of the line and worth paying the small fortune it costs these days to go to the movies. But I have noticed she seems catch a lot of flak for red carpet fashion choices and lack of personality (both on and off screen). As a celebrity I assume all this comes with the territory. People love you or they hate you. Sometimes interchangeably. But I was somewhat impressed by Stewart's response to her critics.....which was essentially "screw you."
Maybe it's easier to take that attitude when you have been lucky enough to star in a multimillion dollar movie franchise, I don't know. But I found it refreshing that she doesn't really care if she doesn't look perfect in every photo that's taken of her, that she cares more about people perceiving her as honest rather than a beauty queen. And while I realize she isn't the first starlet to utter these words, something about her curse laden quote and her comparison of the gossip mongers to "voracious, starving shit eaters" just added a level of sincerity.
And Stewart did not for one second endorse the celebrity lifestyle, in fact she says that nothing about it is desirable. She also doesn't feel that every detail of her life or her acting process is the business of anyone else, stating that acting is like sex and should be done, not talked about.
What an intriguing thought.
Because this is what we do to actors, isn't it? We make them celebrities and celebrate them for their fashion choices or their crazy antics at parties instead of for their so-called talent. I'm not sympathizing, but I think Stewart is onto something, and I for one am giving her a big bravo for not playing into the whole celebrity song and dance. She apparently wants to be recognized for her abilities as an actor, plain and simple, and I can respect that.
The information age and the world of the celebrity are a dangerous combination because we now have access to so much information about people we think we know simply because we see them on the cover of a magazine. We crave details about every facet of their lives, and don't even care anymore about whether or not these details are true. Honestly, it's pretty sickening, and while I don't necessarily feel sorry for these actors and celebrities (okay, I don't feel any sympathy whatsoever), it's hard not to be disgusted with the entire soap opera when you step back and really look at things. Then again, maybe it's not the soap opera that is disgusting but instead the general public that has made the demand for information....all information....gimme, gimme, gimme.
Maybe Stewart's comments were made at the suggestion of a lowly PR rep, maybe they were hers alone, uncensored and off the cuff. These days you can never be sure. And while it remains to be seen how much truth was actually behind her words, so far she seems to be living up to the challenge of not being the cookie cutter movie star. I mean, I guess if most of the critics and general public are criticizing you for not being what they want or what you should be, you must be doing something right.
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