Why do we care about artists, especially those who are in the business of movies?
I brought up the question a couple of days before in a family setting and interestingly got an array of answers from sheer professional curiosity to appreciation of art and even a few crushes, (And who am I to judge here? Honestly. I think I'll most probably giggle like a bashful teen if I ever see Jude Law in person!) And funny enough, the attraction seemed to basically go to opposite sex, namely, my almost eighty-year-old mother-in-law expressed interest in Humphrey Bogart!
photo from Wikipedia
But seriously though, where does the attraction come from?
When we're dealing with the western culture, which is heavily impressed by Greek mythology, I can draw similes. Since Olympian gods' interactions with mere mortals almost always yielded in less than desirable outcomes for the poor humans, demi-gods who came into the playground were of different matter.
They seemed more attainable, more understandable and they also brought in a hue of hope, if I may call it that way, that you're not doomed to crawl with worms underground. They somehow presented a chance of grandeur and maybe that's what we appreciate about actors in the more specific field because we consider them as demi-gods of our mundane life.
I can understand and even somehow relate to that because of my rebelling bone but in this side of the world, where mythology has always kept its distance from mundane, the fascination takes another color and results in more severe shocks when an artist, being only a human and not a divinity, either commits a crime or breaks a norm.
Such rule breaking always brings a ripple in any society it seems but the gasping and gaping and finger pointing seems to go deeper and more lasting when it is in Iran for instance.
Personally, I see it as the old default of Persian attitude and approach which in turn has its own roots in the black and white look of its mythology in which you're either with Ahura or Ahriman. There's no middle ground and when you fail, you're doomed.
As someone who believes in second chances, I should feel closer to the Greek approach because who among us is to say that has never done any wrong.
But aside from extremes, another fascination element could be being given a second chance of a life. Some characters, albeit unreal as in the sense of living in flesh, provide us another opportunity at living a life we might never have. As for me, I know I’ll never be John Keating but as I’m a teacher/ instructor I love to see a bigger picture of what’ll happen to my students and how they are affected by what they learn whereas in real life I might not even hear from them ever again.
Obviously that attraction makes more sense to me but then at the same time, it scares the bejesus out of me when I find myself interested in say Leland Townsend!
photo from the fandom.com
For that sort, I blame the artist to have made the character interesting! 😁What your excuse?
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