Consciously, you know that this is Brad Pitt. You know that he is rich and famous, earning millions of dollars pretending to be different characters while reading words someone wrote down for him.. whereas you sit on your couch in the dark eating junk food while you watch him pretend.
Subconsciously, however, it’s a different story.
Depending on what Netflix show you’re binging at the time, you might see Brad’s face more than you do some of your own friends. You might joke with your girlfriend about his current dating life as if he’s a mutual acquaintance and laugh along with a cackling late night host as Brad tells an ‘embarrassing’ personal anecdote from a recent film he worked on.
What’s weird about that? You have a job and funny anecdotes, and so does Brad. He just happens to work in Hollywood and you sell insurance. You’re not so different after all…
Actually, there are some pretty big differences.
Actors are professional liars
The word ‘hypocrite’ comes from the Greek word ‘hypokrite’ which means ‘actor’ or ‘stage player’. It literally translates as “an interpreter from underneath” since ancient Greek actors wore masks and spoke from underneath them.
So put simply, the actor’s job is to pretend, and pretend convincingly enough that you believe and empathise with them. They generate fake tears on demand, shock you with fake rage and endear you with fake vulnerability.
So that’s all fine in the context of a movie or TV show – like a pickpocket-turned-TV-magician they are using their powers of deception for the purposes of our entertainment – but what if the lying was to extend outside of that?
Actors have sponsorship deals
Let me ask you a question – do you think Academy Award Winning A-list actor George Clooney drinks Nespresso pods?
Do you think George is sitting on the set of his latest blockbuster, calling for an assistant to bring him a Lungo Stockholm Fortissio? I doubt it.
So what, is he lying?
Oh no this is different you say, everyone knows that brand deals are just for money and nobody honestly thinks Clooney REALLY drinks Nespresso. It’s understood that this is just some extra cash for George, nobody really buys it anyway, so there’s no harm done.
So what about when he’s on the red carpet telling the interviewer how passionate he is about covid vaccine mandates? Is that the real Clooney? Or is there something else going on?
Actors have PR agents who tell stories about them
Did you know that on the Matrix Reloaded, Keanu Reeves gave each of the members of the stunt team their own Harley Davidson?
You probably did know that, didn’t you? But why would you know something like that? Are you friends with him? Did you go to college together? Or is it possibly because there is a team of professionals who are paid to create and seed stories to the media to make you think Keanu is a nice guy.
I’m not saying that Keanu didn’t give the stunt guys motorbikes, that’s not the point and he probably did. The question is why this is what you have been directed to focus on.
On a totally different note: Did you know that Columbian druglord Pablo Escobar built parks, hospitals, schools, churches and sports stadiums?
Anyone who has done any sort of editing knows that by highlighting certain things and removing other things, you can make a psychopath look like a nice guy and pretty much anyone look like a scumbag.
Actors will live the lie
It’s pretty difficult to work out who these actors really are and how much of their purported backstories are in any way accurate.
Sylvestor Stallone has for decades told the story about how he was a penniless writer and actor who was so desperate that he sold his dog for $40 to a guy outside a 7-11 in order to buy some food, while he was trying to get his ‘Rocky’ script made.
The story goes: despite being a totally destitute non-name aspiring actor who had previously appeared in porn, Sly rejected the studio’s offer to buy his script for $125,000, because that offer was contingent on somebody else being the star. Sly knew this script was his ticket to stardom so it was him as the lead or nothing.
Then the studio offered $250,000, but again Sly stuck to his guns. The studio then upped the offer to a life-changing $350,000 but Sly stood strong.
Finally, the studio caved and Sly was able to star in the film, but they would only offer a measly $35,000 for the script.
Sly accepted. And what was the first thing Sly did with that $35,000? He went back to the 7-11 to try and get his dog back! The problem? The guy now claimed his kids were attached to the dog, and refused to sell it back to Sly for anything less than $15,000.
What to do? Well Sly the underdog with a heart of gold paid the man and was finally reunited with his beloved canine, who he even put in the film!
‘Rocky’ went on to be nominated for 10 Academy awards, winning 3 including best picture and made Stallone a Hollywood A-lister for life.
In case you haven’t worked it out by now, this story is total garbage.
Gabe Sumner, who was head of marketing at United Artists at the time, revealed just this in 2016:
“(the story) was horseshit! But it worked. It promoted the whole underdog concept and kept on going … they ate up the idea that this actor loved his work so much, and was willing to sell it for a nickel and a dime in order to make it, blah, blah, blah. It all became part of the underdog fabric that brought people in. Period. They just totally bought into it.”
Gabe Sumner, Head of Marketing at United Artists during production of ‘Rocky’
What a surprise! The people who tell manufactured stories for a living, also tell manufactured stories to help sell and promote those manufactured stories.
