Fame
With the money comes fame. Or, more accurately stated, because of fame, the money comes. There is almost no fame in the world equal to that attained by top film, recording, and TV stars. It is ironic that among the many powerful and influential people who have helped to shape our very lives, only a few names are household words throughout the world. Franklin D. Roosevelt's name is remembered, as are those of Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, and recent presidents of the United States, but not too many others. However, there are many film stars whose names are as well--or perhaps better--known than any of these people, even stars who are no longer active in the profession.
How many people remember that Shirley Temple Black served as the United States Ambassador to Ghana and Ambassador to Czechoslovakia? Although today she is an informed and dedicated woman committed to the service of her country, we usually think of her as a child movie star; such was the impact of her fame as a performer. Even people who were not yet born when Shirley was dancing her way across the screen know who she is because of those early films.
During World War II, I spent some time on Saipan, a remote Pacific island inhabited by a people called the Chammoros. They spoke no English and had never been off their island. Most of these people had heard of President Roosevelt; some knew who Winston Churchill was, but they all knew Shirley Temple, and a few of them would even stare at me because they had been told that I worked in a film with her when we both were adolescents. True, Shirley Temple attained a stature seldom achieved even by Hollywood stars, but this kind of recognition is not an isolated thing. On one of Marlon Brando's trips to the Far East during preliminary field research for a film, he was so mobbed by natives in the Philippine jungles that he had to spend most of his time in his room at a Manila hotel. Michael Jackson and Julia Roberts can't even go out in public.
Clearly fame of this magnitude may cause problems. At times fans can turn from an advantage to a distinct disadvantage. The newspapers often report that celebrities are being stalked, or otherwise harassed, by obsessed fans. None of the performer unions will give out addresses or telephone numbers--even to other members. Only the phone numbers of agents, answering services, and business managers are given out to callers. If members receive a great number of calls, the unions will notify them that someone is trying to reach them. In 1990, a law went into effect in California permitting California residents to keep their home addresses private when registering with the Department of Motor Vehicles because it was through that department that an obsessive fan of TV actress Rebecca Schaeffer, then appearing in My Sister Sam, a popular weekly TV sitcom, tracked her down and killed her at home.
While fame rarely results in this kind of tragedy, it is often a burden-some inconvenience and responsibility, not nearly as pleasant as the notoriety itself. Most public actions--and many supposedly private ones--are served with breakfast by the newspapers of every major city. Marriage, divorce, romance, legal problems, finances, and personal affairs become public property. Just how much deference a star owes an adoring but curious and fickle public remains a point of frequent disagreement between stars and the tabloid press or paparazzi.
In the old days of Hollywood, a widely syndicated columnist could help make or break a star, and many of them used this power ruthlessly. The fine line between legitimate publicity and tasteless exploitation was erased in many cases. People in other professions are relatively free to live their lives as they see fit with little fear of public recrimination, simply because their names aren't news. But the well-known performer is constantly exposed to the searchlight of publicity. Even an actor's preference for a political candidate can cause comment and make enemies.
The studios' desire to offend no one, to placate pressure groups, and to strive constantly for the stereotypical image of respectable conformity was perhaps symptomatic of the reaction away from the ostentation after World War II. And the stars, whose stardom was based on their very individuality, in turn reacted against this new, and equally artificial, stereotype. Fame, like power, is a two-way street; one is almost always compelled to do something with it. Too often, people who are attracted to the entertainment profession by a desire for personal fame fail to understand that fact.
Celebrity and fame have both advantages and disadvantages for performers. Phil Donahue, the popular television talk show host, included a chapter on "Celebrity" in his best-selling autobiography. One of the advantages, he noted, was that "with minimal effort, a celebrity... could go for weeks without picking up a check." On the one hand, it's nice to be recognized and given special consideration. But on the other, one has absolutely no privacy, and the press and public invade every aspect of one's life. While a celebrity may fear being recognized and mobbed in public, "a bigger fear," says Donahue, "is not being recognized and mobbed, and experiencing the embarrassment of an approach by someone who says, 'I hear you're a very famous person.... Who are you?'"
Freedom
One of the most obvious advantages afforded the successful actor is, of course, the freedom from routine. While the study of acting or the repetition of a specific role may be routine, certainly the overall life is not. There is no sitting behind a desk from nine to five. Opportunities for travel are relatively great, and the opportunities for increasing one's overall capabilities are exceptional. Actors are sometimes placed on salary weeks before rehearsals or production begin, in order, to learn new skills such as sign language or horseback riding.
There are other rewards, too, more important, though seemingly less material. Asked what the theatre had given him, the late distinguished actor and playwright Howard Lindsay answered:
It has been my education. Where else could I have traveled so far? I have been in the streets of Corinth when Jason and Medea were throwing harsh words at each other. I was at Aulis when the Greek fleet sailed to Troy. I was in Mycenae when Orestes came back to kill his mother, Clytemnestra. I have been in the drawing rooms of Lady and Lord Windermere of London. And I shouldn't forget to say, I have ridden into western towns with the James Brothers! Where else could I have done things like that?
