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6 comments:
It’s kind of funny to think that there would be a unique set of rules or ways to interact with certain people, but it all pretty much boils down to being yourself and a normal human person and respectful of their space. Which ought to be self-explanatory. I really appreciate the insight that no matter who you’re working with, they are a creative partner; you don’t need to revere them as some kind of idol, but you can be respectful and treat them like you would anyone you don’t really know, by being as helpful as possible within the specifications of your position. You shouldn’t have to act completely differently around someone just because of the work they’ve done; your job remains your job and the things you need to do remain the same. The golden rule is to practice kindness no matter what and treat others the way you would want to be treated in their place.
I have always been in the camp that you should treat celebrities just like any other person. It is easy to be wrapped up in this idea that they are “greater than the common man” and above anything and everything, but a good majority of them (at least the ones I have interacted with) are just people. They have lives outside of their profession, families to take care of, and spouses to think about. They deserve to be treated as such. I know that at least personally I would hate if most of my everyday interactions felt more like business deals than just a simple conversation with someone. I also know it comes with fame, but I also think there is something valuable in offering normalcy. I understand why the common idea is to have a certain set of rules when interacting with high-profile people; especially when they are your superiors instead of your equals, but I generally think it is unnecessary to do.
As a college freshman, I have actually not ever worked with a celebrity, believe it or not. I think I can understand where this article is coming from, but maybe I don't - I've never experienced it. The article seemed strange to me at first, but it makes sense that people may want to know this information. I've never really looked up to any one celebrity so much that I think I would act differently around them, but I can imagine the stress one might have if they were working with someone they looked up to like that. Of course, it makes sense that you would want to impress them and cater to their every need, as described in the article, but at the end of the day they're just people and it's not the end of the world if you aren't best friends with them. As long as kindness and respect is observed, it'll be ok.
I find it really interesting that there needs to be an article that tells people how to treat celebrities and it needs to be this long. I think the best way to approach a celebrity is by approaching them how you would anyone else. We should make sure we are not putting people on a pedestal and treating them differently based on how famous they are or how much they serve us. I see that in essence that is what the article is trying to say but I think telling people to adjust based off of how difficult a celebrity may be and adjusting based off of what the celebrity wants is the wrong way to look at things. Anyone can be high maintenance or difficult to work with and their status within society should make someone put up with that stuff or try to put them in place. I think as long as you respect people and treat them with kindness that energy will come back to you.
In large part, this advice is pretty self-explanatory. Sure, these people may be big names or they may have a lot of experience and a big reputation behind them, but they are still a person. They have feelings, struggles, enjoyments, etc., same as us. The only difference is that people most likely won't mob me in the street because I was in a big movie or the star of a huge Broadway show. I've always wondered how it must feel to be in a celebrity's shoes, because it brings a huge host of issues and annoyances that I haven't even considered having to deal with in my everyday life. Sure, it also brings a ton of perks, but that doesn't necessarily mean that one's life is smooth sailing all the time, and there are plenty of celebrities that have worked insanely hard to achieve what they have. So don't be a jerk, don't harass them, and just do your job, and you'll get along fine. At least, that's always been my feeling on it.
Like have I ever met a celebrity to truly say how I’d react? No. But also just from a strong conjecture I don’t think I’d think the way the article suggests one would frantically think if they stood before a celebrity. I mean I’m also not that into celebrities so maybe it’s bias but as the other commentators have said they’re just people. Putting them on a pedestal feels weird and I loved the anecdote about Brad’s fresh orange juice. I mean to be fair he said fresh which feels a little demanding haha. In all seriousness I did appreciate the article’s take to not try to act out of the norm for yourself or you could just end up being more embarrassing. Also a celebrity with too many stories of being hard to work with from those around them may give them a bad look over time *cough Ellen* so I don’t understand why the celebrities would want to act entitled anyways.
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