Broadway Actors Who Avoid Fans- Page 4

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:00pm

Fantabulous - Look who has become famous in the world in which we live. Does people like Paris Hilton or Britney Spears have so much talent? Would you go see them in The Sound of Music? Of course not. People will, though. Why? For the thrill of seeing someone famous. To get an autograph from Britney Spears. To be able to go up to their friends and say "Hey, look at this neat picture I took of Paris Hilton's left earlobe!."

People aren't flocking to Broadway for the artistic value of it. They're going to see celebrities or something familiar to them. If they were flocking to see it for the show, that revival of Mame would be setting up shop. In the current society, it's pointless. No tourist crowd would go see Mame with Christine Baranski, no matter how good or bad the show is. Updated On: 7/3/06 at 02:00 PM

[morosco]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:01pm

"Is it in their contract to sign autographs? No. Should they? 100% Yes. Actors aren't made by the parts they play. They're made by the fans they gain. If an actor walks around like they rule the roost, thinking they're better than everyone else, who would want to be a fan?"

Uh-oh. Things are starting to turn creepy.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:02pm

Well, I'd think they were assholes, but I think I have a fairly decent enough head on my shoulders to recognize that regardless, they still do great work. People are going to slap my proverbial wrists and tell me this is an idealist lie, but I love them for their work. The fact that they've been nice to me is an added bonus. I certainly didn't, at thirteen, sit around with a list of actors who were notoriously sweet to their fans and decide that I was going to go flail about and fangirl Adam Pascal. I was a shy, frightened, out-of-place child, and he was nice to me. But that didn't win me over, or make me remember his name; it was his voice. So to answer your questions, I would think less of them personally, but (even for how much I love meeting people whose work I love, and for how much fun it is), I think I can separate their talent on stage from their personality flaws. I've seen them both be extremely difficult, and it doesn't change how I feel about their work, or how I think of them overall. And, to assume that that would be the case is to consider someone awfully dense and shallow, if you ask me.

If you're going to allow something like that to really alter your overall perception of these people, then you admire them for the wrong reasons, or your admiration is at the very least imbalanced, with far too much weight on what they give you off stage.

As much fun as it is, that's just not what it's about.

The fact that most people bought tickets to see Three Days of Rain has nothing to do with this. It's got nothing to do with stage door entitlements. Honestly, most people who say Three Days of Rain probably DID buy tickets only because they wanted to see Julia Roberts, so yes, it's "as we all know." But that's got nothing to do with this -- that's about justification of stars as vehicles for plays that otherwise wouldn't be produced. I don't even see the correlation you're trying to draw.

ETA --

Fantabulous - Look who has become famous in the world in which we live. Does people like Paris Hilton or Britney Spears have so much talent? Would you go see them in The Sound of Music? Of course not. People will, though. Why? For the thrill of seeing someone famous. To get an autograph from Britney Spears. To be able to go up to their friends and say "Hey, look at this neat picture I took of Paris Hilton's left earlobe!."

Fine. Okay. So that's something to be said about the state of the audience. But just because you've given us the best possible everyday example doesn't make it acceptable! And, further, you're using this to show how and why talent isn't part of the equation, but the problem is that you're saying, in terms of Broadway actors and autographs, that it's not about the talent. This isn't on the level of Paris Hilton mega-stardom, and people don't love these actors for their fame.

Updated On: 7/3/06 at 02:02 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:06pm

Em - I was referring to the last part of one of your previous statements....about people going to see shows for the actors and not the shows itself. Thats why I brought up 3 Days of Rain.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:07pm

I agree. Actors and actresses are made of hard work, choice parts, great skill, and a fair amount of luck. Cinema stars do not come to screenings and sign ticket stubs but are known around the world. Theatre actors would do just as well if they just gave killer performances and did not sign memorabilia. It's simply a theatre tradition.

The examples of Cyndi and Ali being kind to people are examples of them being human beings, which most fans and stalkers are not when faced with a celebrity. People snapping photos in your face is rude when someone is speaking but it happens all the time. Many people who do stage door are animals, and I mean animals. Many have not even seen the show. Ian (from Faith Healer) told us that guys would show up with loads of Star Wars stuff for him to sign. That is abusive. He said he had to begin declining because he though that was unfair. To even put an actor in such a position is rotten. The pregnant woman who got Ali's number was probably a humble person who was simply seeking an autopgraph and Ali chose to engage her. Not the person on this board asking if she would sign copies of Love Story DVDs. Oh brother.

All actors and actresses do it, as Cyndi said, "for the audience." Of course they do. However, offering audiences quality performances is not equated to meeting them after the show. That is going above and beyond. Be grateful for the honor to meet an actor and NEVER expect that it is an expectation.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:07pm

Then what say you (Yankeefan) about people who are fans of actors they haven't met or haven't even seen them on stage? They're not any less of a fan because they don't have that autograph or picture. They're fans of the talent, which is what should be the case for everyone, regardless of how nice the actor is.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:09pm

Certainly, as Emcee has said, it alters your perception of the person if they're nasty to you. If I misspoke in an earlier statement, I apologize.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:09pm

Yank, that's not what I meant -- I didn't mean for that comment "when did it stop being about the talent" in terms of people going to see shows because they have big stars.

I meant... when did how nice an actor is at the stage door override the talent. When did *that* become the way to get fans? In your post, you said they're made by the fans they gain, and you claim that they get them not by their art, but by being nice to people.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:12pm

As I said, I misspoke and I apologize. Of course they're talent gains fans, but their personality does, too.

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:13pm

Honestly, I don't care how big of an a**hole a person is. I pay to see them perform and that is it. If they're a good performer, my butt will be in the seat.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:13pm

Whoaaa. Whoa. Don't put words in my mouth! The way in which I said it alters the perception of the person is *completely* different from the way you claim is alters the perception. Your claim is overall and makes people look like idiots, and your post makes it look like you asked the question and I agreed with you, which I do not.

Updated On: 7/3/06 at 02:13 PM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:33pm

I think Yankeefan has a point, but not in the words he chose. He said it alters your perception of an actor if they're nasty to you. I don't necessarily agree with that, like others have said. I realize if I'm a fan of someone's talent, that their talent has not diminished by them being rude to me. In fact, lately I've been working on some Broadway-related events and have befriended a few people who work in the business who aren't actors, and I've both observed and heard stories of actors that I'm huge fans of being nasty. But I've realized that I need to separate the talent from the personality, and I still think they're all incredibly talented--so no my perception is not changed.

However...I think perception is changed when actors are incredibly nice to you. Not to say if you despised an actor's performance and that if they come out and start talking to you that you suddenly love their performance, but I think it's just human nature that if there's an actor who you already like as a performer and they are incredibly nice and accomodating at the stage door or in other venues, then you're going to like them more...and possibly even think they're a little more talented than you once did. It's very very slight though, hardly noticable. And people may more willingly declare themselves big fans of said actor who was nice to them instead of before meeting them when they might have simply said oh yeah, he was good. Or it's just like...them being really nice to you makes them stand out and you go back and think about their performance and say wow, they were really really good...they suddenly stand out in your mind.

So it certainly can benefit an actor to be very gracious and accomodating at the stage door, but I agree that no one should have to do it.

[leefowler]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 2:37pm

I think it's true that your perception of an actor is changed if they are nasty to you. This is why, if I see a famous person in the street, especially someone I admire, I won't go up to them, because I'm afraid the interaction might not go well, and then I'm stuck with an unpleasant memory for the rest of my life.

[VivaBohemia]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 3:08pm

As far as I'm concerned, an actor's job is finished when they walk off that stage. Nowhere in their contract does it say "Must stay an extra hour before going home to sign autographs."

Is it nice? Absolutely! Is it YOUR given right as a theatre go-er to ask for an autograph? Absolutely. Is it their right to turn you down? Again, absolutely. They are doing you a favor. And I will be the first to admitt, I stagedoor. But don't be bitter because they walked away..that's just childish. Actors are allowed to have bad days too, where they'd rather get the hell out of there and go home and get into their pajamas.

Would you stay an extra hour off the clock to do extra work for your boss? I wouldn't. Not unless I was getting paid extra.

[elphaba.scares.me]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 3:09pm

One thing that often gets overlooked in this discussion is that there are different reasons for people to come out the stage door or go out a different way. You can't assume that people who sign are the "nice ones" versus the "mean ones" who don't sign.

There are people in this business, even people whose names you recognize, who have an unhealthy need for attention. Some of them will stand around and talk to people at the stage door, sign anything you want, take a thousand pictures, and then run home to see if anybody posted about how nice they are on the boards. It has nothing to do with the work, or with their gratitude to you for coming to the show; it has to do with them wanting a crowd of people to make them feel like a star.

In contrast, someone who avoids the stage door may be on the verge of having to go on vocal rest if they don't take it easy. Believe it or not, that extra half-hour of sleep can make a big difference over the course of a few days. Now that people relentlessly, openly, and publicly (i.e., on the Internet) criticize you for taking a show off, performers have to be more careful. If you go on and sing badly, people "review" you poorly on their fansites. If you miss, people complain about that, too. It's not just fans who will be disappointed...you place your career at risk if you get a reputation for being out a lot (whether or not that's accurate, rumors make their way around the industry pretty quickly.)

Finally, I would echo those who say that there are just some crazy fans out there, and you never know what's on an actor's plate. There are plenty of people who stalk/harass Broadway performers. I once had a fifteen-year-old girl come to the stage door each day when the tour I was in came to her town, and she proceeded to call my hotel in every city the tour went to after that (I assume she found our schedule online, then called every hotel in town until she found out where I was checked in). She would then call several nights a week, sometimes ten to fifteen times an hour if I didn't answer. I was never in fear for my safety, but that kind of thing does get taxing. And you can bet that if I were on Broadway instead of on tour in a new city each week, and if it was an adult doing this instead of a teenager, I would have been thinking up ways to avoid that situation rather than confront her about it. Sometimes one person can ruin it for everyone else.

And some people are just a******s and don't want to talk to people, but they're in the minority. Believe me, even shy actors understand the reasons for and benefits of taking a moment to meet people at the stage door.
Updated On: 7/3/06 at 03:09 PM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 3:30pm

I'd like to clarify some things that I've written, since I clearly misspoke often.

Actors, many actors, are, in many cases, made by their fans. Would my perception of that person change if they were nasty to me? In many cases, yes. Am I the type of person who runs up to someone on a street corner to bother them? No.

However, if the actor chooses to exit through the stage door, then they SHOULD sign autographs, if the crowd wants it. As elphaba.scares.me has said, many actors love basking in the post-show glory. They love taking a million pictures and signing a million programs (many of which end up on EBAY). Others aren't as talkitive, but sign anyway. Why? Because the crowd wants it. They know they'd be disappointing the crowd, who clearly took time out of their own schedules to wait. If they didn't want to sign, there are obviously many other doors for the actor to exit from. Should they have to? No. However, if they know there's a crowd they wish to avoid, they must.

[Caseywouldwaltz]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 3:39pm

elphaba.scares.me said:

There are people in this business, even people whose names you recognize, who have an unhealthy need for attention. Some of them will stand around and talk to people at the stage door, sign anything you want, take a thousand pictures, and then run home to see if anybody posted about how nice they are on the boards. It has nothing to do with the work, or with their gratitude to you for coming to the show; it has to do with them wanting a crowd of people to make them feel like a star.



This is so true. You can tell when a cast member is genuinely happy to sign Playbills and chat and when they're looking for people to tell them that they're brilliant. I've witnessed this once and it totally changed my perception of the actor.

[OnMyWay]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 3:51pm

Well said, elphaba.scares.me.

[SCBWannabe]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 4:24pm

"I went to see Rent when Jai Rodriguez was in it and he only talked to thin people. It was my turn cause I waited patiently, wasn't screaming or crying over him and then he just runs off. I was just like whatever. I almost talked to him 2x and both times he ignored me."

That is absurd. I happen to be heavy and all of my friends that were with me were too and we have talked with Jai numerous times. Hell, I have seen him just walking down 8th Avenue and he has said "hi" on multiple occasions.

Updated On: 7/3/06 at 04:24 PM

[beacon1]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 5:08pm

I wonder if the actors ever consider that the person they are signing for--or snubbing--might be related to someone whose perception they DO care about. You never know "who knows who" just by how they look, dress etc at the Stage Door.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 5:46pm

This is such an interesting discussion. One thing that should be brought up is the complete lack of security in most situations at stage doors. Many probably would not feel overtly alarmed but I have heard and read stories of serious stalking cases. They are extremely vulnerable at the stage door most of the time. I feel a little nervous for them if there is such a huge crowd.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 9:13pm

"Actors are under no obligation to talk to you at the stage door. Do you pay their salary? No.'

Actually, that "No." should be a Yes. Where do you think the money comes from to pay their salaries? A tree?

[VonTussleGirl]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 9:20pm

I recall standing outside 3 Days of Rain and hearing more than one person say "gee, this really sucks! Julia's not in it enough. Did you know what it was about when you bought the tickets?"

I would have hated to have been Michelle Federer had Roberts missed a show. How many audience members would have turned in their tickets as soon as they saw the understudy slip?

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 9:22pm

Can you really trade in/sell back tickets if a big name star is out (ie: Sutton Foster, Jula Roberts)?

Yes, it's sad to miss them but it's also rude to the understudy. If you buy tickets, you are taking the chance that someone is going to be out- it's life.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/3/06 at 9:27pm

If the star is billed above the title, you may get a refund or exchange.

People who have paid $100 a ticket aren't really worried about being rude to the understudy.