Actors/Headscratchers: Difference between revisions

*** Dare away, hon, because some people value happiness over money and I'm one of them. If having that five million dollars meant living out the rest of my life in terror of gaining weight, aging or not being beautiful and losing my earning power because of those things, it just wouldn't be worth it to me. I'd rather work in an average job making an average salary and be able to eat a decent meal or not spend every moment of my free time exercising. But obviously everyone's priorities are different.

**** It's not the rest of your life though, is it? A film takes, on average, 6 months to shoot. Watching your weight for 6 months in exchange for millions of dollars? You'd never have to do another if it was too much trouble. Or you could be [[Hollywood Pudgy]] and flawed and do voicework or direct or produce or simply do independent films. So many choices that Joe Blow just doesn't have. The whining reminds me of a quote from a Friends episode:

***** That's the thing, though. It's not just for that six months. The self-denial is ongoing because after the movie is done shooting there's promotion, photo shoots, public appearances and things like that. When there's nothing to promote, that spartan lifestyle has to be maintained so that they can have the same look for the next meeting with a producer who could easily deny them work because they weigh more than the 20-year-old former model that wants to break into acting. And then there's the paparazzi photos that end up on gossip blogs where the bloggers and their commenters absolutely savage them if they have even a hint of cellulite or a few wrinkles. Having to live like that temporarily in order to win a huge payoff might be doable, but having to live like that day in and day out with no end in sight just wouldn't be worth it to me. But then again, the women who do this probably have enough money that if they said "fuck it" and quit tomorrow, they would still have enough money to live out their remaining years in luxury, so it's baffling why they keep it up. Like you said, if they age out of the ideal or gain weight they can still work if they really love it, they just wouldn't be the exalted MOVIE STARS. I guess I just can't wrap my head around the idea that someone is willing to punish themselves so they can be famous, win an Oscar, etc.

**** It's not even like that, though. It's not like someone says, "You're perfect for the part. Lose x pounds and keep it off and you have the part." Many of these people adopt a lifestyle early on and keep with it, fanatically driven by their goals. And, if they do make it and get a good role in a film or on TV, they're still looking for the next thing.