Fandom Realizations and What I've Learned
Once I became involved in online and real world fandom, I had many ideas about actors and celebrity. How they should be treated and what they thought about their shows, fans, etc.
And then I moved to Los Angeles and started working at the Screen Actors Guild. Man, my illusions were shattered. I used to get nervous upon meeting an actor that I really liked. I don't know why, maybe just the excitement of it all. The first time I met Michael Rosenbaum at a Con, I couldn't even look him in the face. And now? Chris Rock passed me in the lobby the other day, and I didn't even blink.
But now, I'm around actors every day. Actors of every level and stature. And I used to think that actors must think about their characters and continuity and every little minutae that we onliners think about. They don't. It's a job. I used to wonder why respected actors took jobs on, what I felt were, lesser shows. At a party one time in Texas, I met Harry Shearer. I asked him why he on Dawson's Creek, a show that I watched but felt was beneath his talent. He said simply - they offered him a job.
And that's what I've learned. We have around 250,000 people in SAG. Only about 10% actually make a living as an actor. It's not an exaggeration that every waiter and clerk out here wants to act/direct/produce/etc. When I joined up at my gym, the guy asked where I worked. I told him, and he told me he was a member. Who worked at 24 Hour Fitness.
I've been to countless "Conversations With..." now, a program our Foundation puts on which brings in cast members of various television shows and movies for a screening and talk. Something Jack Coleman (HRG of Heroes) said stuck with me. Someone asked about some of the continuity blips on the show. It was a specific one about when one of the characters flew to Texas, how there weren't any planes that would have flown into an airport that would have gotten them in at that time. He flat out said for the people who care about such things to get a life. And he didn't say it maliciously.
And I have to say, it's made my viewing experience a lot better. Yes, it still annoys me when there are glaring errors, but I don't get worked up about it like I used to. Am I a better writer than those who work on any given show? Maybe. But I haven't tried to get hired. It's easy to sit at home and bitch. I imagine it's much harder to deal with budgets, time limits, actor's egos (and oh yeah, do they have them), unions and all the other rigamarole that goes into making a piece of entertainment.
I saw a clip the other day of two actresses from my favorite soap opera. Now, I am obsessive about this show, and pick it apart on TWOP daily. The majority of the time, I truly think one of the smarter breeds of dog could write better. And yet, as much as I complain, I still watch it. I think that makes me the bigger sucker. Anyhoo, these two actresses were asked about their storyline and about a new spin-off show and fellow castmates contracts, etc. And they knew nothing. They had ideas about their storylines but nothing definite (and yeah, that could be due to confidentiality and not spoiling the show), didn't know if the spin-off had even started airing yet, and didn't know whether an actor that one works with fairly recently had been given a contract.
That's when it really hit me. It's just a job. A job with great pay and some nice perks. But they're just people who chose to act who have lives and families and busy schedules. They don't have the time nor the desire to pick apart every little thing wrong with their show. And that's okay. I can still do it, but now, it's out of fun. That doesn't mean that I don't think shows should be criticized. I just think, as a fan, I didn't truly realize all that goes in to creating something that's broadcast.
And like US Magazine likes to say, celebs are just like us! They call, and some are nice (I'm talking about you Alexis Bledel), some are unbelievable assholes (can't tell you how many people actually say 'do you know who I am? yeah, I know, and I don't really give a damn), and many more who are just flat out crazy.
I don't know how much longer I'll stay in this industry. My bleeding heart seems to be dragging me back to working with children, but I intend to have fun while I'm here. And if Sam and Dean drive across Texas in 4 hours, or I wonder, why didn't Peter fly off on his own when he went all nuclear, I just relax and tell myself - it's just entertainment. And if I'm eating at Toast (mmmm....Toast), and some random celeb is waiting for a table just like me, I don't stare, and I don't say anything. They have just as much a right to eat without being disturbed as I do.
But don't think I'm too jaded. I can still be outraged and bitch my co-workers out when they don't call me to tell me they're eating lunch right next to my hero Mandy Moore and Kelly Clarkson. Especially when I made the stupid decision to run to Target that day instead of going to Doughboys with them. So unfair.