But I Play One on TV: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

This problem is often exacerbated by tabloid news sources, especially gossip magazines and "news programs" that concentrate on celebrity and entertainment, who in their stories are constantly referring to actors by their characters' names rather than the proper name of the actor. This is generally an editorial decision, as it can make it easier for the audience to identify the actors involved, but at the same time contributes to blurring the line between fiction and reality in viewers' minds.

Not to be confused with [[I'm Not a Doctor But I Play One on TV]].

 

* [[Harlan Ellison]] wrote in the intro for his book ''Strange Wine'' that he talked with Dan Blocker (Hoss from ''[[Bonanza]]'') about this phenomenon. Apparently, Blocker once had a woman come up to him in a supermarket and ask him about how Hoss was. When Blocker replied that he ''wasn't'' Hoss and Hoss was fictional, the woman said, "I know that, all I want to know is if he's alright!"

* People today associate actor turned U.S. Senator Fred W. Thompson with being tough on crime more because of his role as District Attorney Arthur Branch in ''[[Law & Order|Law and Order]]'' than because of his career as an attorney and service as minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee.

* There are actually people who think [[Stephen Colbert]] really is that much of a [[Strawman Political|conservative whackadoo]], including the organizers (and attendees) of the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, who were, needless to say, relatively shocked when they found out otherwise. (Though apparently ''not'' George W. Bush, given the opening act.)

* Dennis Haysbert (who played President David Palmer on ''[[24]]'') tells a story about a couple of fans who freaked out when they saw him hanging out with actor Gregory Itzin (who plays President Charles Logan, {{spoiler|the man who ordered his assassination}}, on the same show). The fact that the two actors are good friends apparently never occurred to anyone.

{{quote|"Mum, he's got a [[Restraining Bolt|chip]] in his head!"}}

* Infotainment shows constantly referred to the star of ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'' as "Doctor McDreamy". Hey, you... yes, you the guy at ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]''! He's got a name. It's Patrick Dempsey! He's only been a fairly well-known actor now for the last 20 years or so.

* James Caviezel, who played [[Jesus]] in ''[[The Passion of the Christ]]'', reportedly had this happen to him while on a vacation in Mexico.

* [[Morgan Freeman]] reported in an interview that in the press conference for ''[[Deep Impact]]'' (where he plays the President of the US), many reporters called him "Mr. President".

* [[William Shatner]] tells a tale of being on a tourist cruise when another tourist fell into the water and began drowning. Like any normal human being, he stood aside while professional help was obtained. So many [[Viewers are Morons|people]] were staring at him, expecting him to act [[The Kirk|the hero]] that he eventually [[The Call Knows Where You Live|caved in]] to peer pressure and dived in after the struggling tourist. As any lifeguard will tell you, [[Don't Try This At Home|this is the worst thing you can do]]. Both Shatner and the original victim had to be rescued.

** Another Shatner example: several pages on Priceline.com are written in first person in the voice of Shatner's "Priceline Negotiator" persona. The "terms and conditions" link at the bottom of the page is introduced with the text: "I'm not a lawyer (I [[Boston Legal|played one on TV]]), but here is the legal information you need to know."

* Most [[Soap Opera]] actors say that this happens to them so often that they've become used to just going along with it.

** This trope is the measure Hispanic [[Soap Opera]] actors use to know how well they are doing in the role and how well the soap is going.

* In one of the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' DVD extras, [[James Marsters]] says "I'm not a vampire, but I play one on TV."

* In the 1970's, James Garner and Mariette Hartley did a number of commercials for Polaroid cameras. The way they played against each other, one would get the impression they were in fact a domestic couple, though this was never stated in the commercials. Mariette Hartley took to wearing these lettered sweatshirts that read "I am not James Garner's wife". Her baby has a shirt that read "I am not James Garner's child".

* Jerome "Curly" Howard has been assaulted in public simply because it was so funny when they did it on ''[[The Three Stooges]]''.

* People have often said "''Hello'', Newman" to [[Seinfeld|Wayne Knight]] in public. He hates it now.

* Fiona Shaw and Richard Griffiths, (who played Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, respectively, in the ''[[Harry Potter (film)|Harry Potter]]'' films) have noted that small children are sometimes scared when they see them. Shaw mentioned that one little boy was even reduced to tears.

** [[Tom Felton]] (a.k.a. Draco Malfoy) has noted that when younger children meet him, they tend to be afraid: "We get a lot of kids down in the studios all the time and are very excited to meet [[Daniel Radcliffe|Daniel]], [[Rupert Grint|Rupert]] and [[Emma Watson|Emma]], and they get the handshakes and the hugs! I try to be as friendly as I can, but no matter how much I try they seem to hide behind their parents legs or cower behind some object. I don’t get a good rap from the children! I take it as a compliment, if they think I’m evil then I must be doing something right!" However, there was also a bizarre incident with a not-quite-so-young fan. An American man legally changed his name to "Lucius Malfoy" and sent Felton paperwork which would allow him to disown his parents and be adopted by "Lucius", whom had additionally named his house "Malfoy Manor".

* Rhys Darby has been asked on multiple occasions to manage peoples bands, where he's given a response along the lines of "First, my name is Rhys, second, I only play a manager on TV, and thirdly, not a very good one."

* When Christopher Motlasanti was "whacked" from ''[[The Sopranos]]'', actor Michael Imperioli said that he had been receiving flowers as condolence - for his own death!

* ''[[Smallville]]'''s Tom Welling intervened and fought off men attempting to mug a woman. When she saw who had saved her, she reportedly said, "Wow, you really are Superman." She was kidding, but she apparently wasn't that far off.

* ''[[Star Trek]]'': John de Lancie, the actor playing Q, said at one time that he was, more jokingly or more seriously, randomly asked by people on the street how is it to be an all powerful entity. Reportedly, he'd answer them "It's just a role".

*** John (deciding his chances of survival are greater if he pretends to be omnipotent):"Um ... Yeah"

*** "Biker': "So can you bring dead people back to life?"

*** 'Biker' grunts and walks off and John thinks 'Trekkies come in all forms.'

* Amy Adams told the story on a talk show about how a young girl recognized her as [[Enchanted|Giselle]], and wondered why she was walking around as a regular person. Adams replied that she didn't want to draw attention to herself, and asked the girl [[Your Secrets Safe With Me Superman|not to tell anyone.]]

{{quote|''"For several weeks now, we have seen American citizens stranded on some Pacific island. We spend millions in foreign aid. Why not send one U.S. destroyer to rescue those poor people before they starve to death?"''}}

* According to [[Jimmy Stewart]], people asked if ''[[Harvey]]'' was around for many years after that movie. He usually said that Harvey was at home with a cold.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characters and Casting]]

[[Category:Truth in Television]]