This is the only thing in your post I take issue with. There’s a lot of mythology about acting. The biggest myth is that it is glamorous. No, the media attention, ceremonies, events and perks can be glamorous (in some cases they’re a nuisance), but what most people do not know is that acting is tremendously hard work. And I don’t just mean the aspect of character-acting. I’m talking about the everyday. It is a Very. Physical. Job. Unbelievably physical. It’s physically exhausting. I know because I had to do it when I worked in advertising. If a scene is complicated, setting-wise or timing-wise, it can take a long time to set up that take, and that in itself can be achingly tedious. And because the whole operation is expensive, directors loathe re-takes. That fact virtually forces actors to work extremely long days because bringing back the crew again the next day can break the film’s budget.
The very fatigue factor in acting – whether on location or for TV series – has strained many, many a Hollywood marriage and family life. Many couples trying to maintain their relationships decide to forego projects and turn down many offers (intermittently, or for an extended period) so that their marriages will not implode. It is not just the epic films that are tiring, but a single film or a single TV series can be just as tiring. You can never just relax on the job. Every movement, facial expression, posture, etc. has to for the most part conscious and vigilant. That requires lots of energy and creates lots of tension in the body.
Straying from the topic for a moment…
First off, let me clarify that my comments refer mainly to the more successful leading actors and actresses. I’m aware that the others get paid far less and don’t get the perks.
That being said, I have a hard time feeling sorry for someone who gets tired at a job where they make piles of money. Joe Average has exactly the same problems, having to move to find work, strain on the family, etc. for far, far less. And nobody gives them a trophy for being the best Walmart clerk of the year. Their actions are under scrutiny daily as well…from customers, many times grouchy, impatient customers and their supervisors, who’s job it is to keep such customers satisfied.
Bottom line for me is that I don’t buy that acting is SO much physically harder than Joe Average’s job on the assembly line, Sue Average’s aching feet at the end of her cashier’s shift, or evern Bob Aboveaverage’s job as a surgical tech, standing over a patient for 4 hours without being able to sit down (as actors can do between takes).
Acting takes talent, for sure, and having the talent to entertain is worth something in terms of money and compensation. But again, I don’t feel any sympathy for someone who can work for a couple of months and make more money than the rest of us can in several lifetimes.
Anyway, back to the topic. Such money and fame seem to make actors think that we are interested in what they have to say, mostly politically. Personally, I couldn’t care any less what some wealthy, relatively uneducated actor has to say about anything besides, perhaps, a movie that they are or were making. (I do have an interest in how movies are made…just love that TV show “Science of the Movies”).
So yeah, pretty much these shows are a waste of time for me, especially when we all know some actor is going to say something about gay rights, euthanasia, etc. I’d like once, just once, to see a major actor winning an award give credit to the Lord who is, after all, lending him or her their talent.
