Fame

I’ve been thinking about the portion of Teri Garr’s book that describes her experiences as a celebrity.  It seems to be what I’d suspected – like living life in a glass box.  She didn’t do much complaining about it.  As I said earlier, I get the impression she really likes her chosen career.  But, reading this book does confirm to me that living a life of celebrity has its drawbacks.

From what I’ve vicariously learned about being famous, you must be intuitive and cautious, for relationships may not always be true.  Ulterior motives lurk around every Hollywood corner.  One would constantly be asking, “Does this person want to be my friend because I’m famous?” 

I’m reading Montel Williams’ “Climbing Higher” right now.  He has this to say on page 148: “Ever since I became a celebrity I’ve had to wonder if someone likes me for me or because I’m well known; when she got to know the real me, not the TV personality, would she still like me?  Now the real me is sick, vulnerable; who could possibly love that person?”

And, as Teri Garr found out and had to announce her MS before she was ready to do so, if someone has information on a star, it makes the informant feel important to share it with the world. 

Performing artists are also under a microscope of judgment at all times; so, they must be determined and thick-skinned.  It can be rough on a person’s ego to be passed over because of body type, facial features, height, etc.  Yet, many find a niche, stick with it, and enjoy success.  There are perks to the job, too, of course, but I do have empathy for them on the pitfalls.

Oddly, I’ve encountered several celebrities so far in my life.  I will share a couple of the stories.

We’ve seen celebrities attending the same art shows we do.  I heard one before I saw her.  She was behind us, looking at the same piece of art we were.  As soon as I heard her, I thought to myself, “That voice is familiar.”  I figured it was someone from our hometown.  She was walking away to our left, and I turned my head to see if I could identify her.  It was then that I realized she was one of my favorite actresses.  I whispered her name to my hubby and nodded my head toward her, trying to be discreet.  Unfortunately, she realized she’d been spotted.  She froze for a second to see what I’d do.  I simply smiled and turned back toward the artwork.  She turned and walked on.  I think she made it through the rest of the show without getting mobbed.

I saw another actress at a major airport.  Some famous people must acquire the ability to know when someone recognizes them.  When our eyes met, she took a step back toward the huge guy behind her.  I’m assuming he was her bodyguard.  She looked concerned, like she expected me to shout out her name, point, and start a mass of people her direction.  I gave her a look of empathy, smiled, and shook my head slightly so she knew I wasn’t going to draw attention to her.  Her body language turned toward relief, and she smiled back.

It seems that some love acting but aren’t particularly fond of the consequences of fame.  I don’t blame them.  I’d be the same way.  Others seem to take it in stride, being tirelessly gracious about the throngs wanting photos and autographs.  Paying attention to fans is good self-promotion/marketing, but I would think it is exhausting.  Perhaps it is an introvert/extrovert thing on how well they shoulder the fame.

Each artist (and that’s what actors are) has her own reason for choosing an acting career.  For Teri Garr, I get the impression that it was a little because performing was in her family, but I think she stuck with it because of her love for the job.  She seems pretty down-to-earth.  At one point in the book, she wrote about longing for a small-town life out here on the Plains.  She seemed to wonder if it really is neighbor-helping-neighbor out here.  I smiled when I read that.

Yes, it is.  Yet, as we have travelled America, we’ve found many “Mayberry” communities in every region.  We’ve found friendly, helpful people everywhere.  I feel fortunate to have been born and raised here.  Oh, our nation has some problems for sure, but we'll be all right.