Alex, Success and Fame

[PNWgal]

I stumbled across this in my Google alerts and found it a highly interesting read:

http://www.olaughingpress.com/2011/01/w ... ghlin.html

I have my own theory when it comes to Alex's success and fame, but I'm super curious to see what y'all think!

[Lucy]

Well, being an actor as a profession is a bit of a dichotomy IF you say you don't SEEK fame. You need the fame to get the parts you WANT....it's always a trade off. (EVERYONE of us trades something to lead our lives)

If you want to act and NOT be famous......go home.....be a plumber/dr/lawyer and join a community Theater. Community Theaters can be amazing.

Once you are ON the professional treadmill it is hard to ramp it down.......

[francis]

I agree with Lucy.
And there's a choice of how you enter the media. You can be famous, and being approached by people, and being snarked at TMZ, but you can still keep your private life private. Alex managed to do that up to now, for the most part. He managed by keeping his nose out of the "in" parties and clubs, by not getting arrested for DUI or brawls, and by not flaunting his girlfriend, kid, or his own half-naked body while not on the job.
The paparazzi have been very respectful towards him up to now, due to the fact that he is a nice fellow, smiles and does his thing. He doesn't rage about being approached, he doesn't give them anything else than a smile either. He indulges the autograph hunters when he's on a promotion tour, but keeps to himself any other time.
Being the real deal is what garners him respect.

I think a lot is about having the right publicist and management, or choosing it in a way that it does what you want. You can be in the media all the time with scandals or adopting a child or having a fight with someone. Or you can be in the media strictly for promotional tours, and for your work. Alex managed to do the latter up to now.

[Luxe de Luxe]

I wonder what the person meant by saying that they thought he didn't have a manager? does this mean that they think he's been appearing in rubbish, or that he could be a lot bigger than he is, do you think?

[allegrita]

I think that Alex would like to be respected as a professional who does a good job in his chosen field. He would prefer NOT to be a "star" in the sense that he has no privacy and no ability to ever be off the clock or to relax and just be himself in public (unless he goes home to Australia, where they don't treat stars the way they do here). I believe that it was once possible for most actors (except true "superstars" like Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor and their ilk) to do that. They were well known in Hollywood circles, and so the important people knew who they were; there were official events where they were treated like "stars," but they were able to stay pretty much out of the spotlight during their downtime.

Unfortunately, that has become almost impossible to do anymore, thanks to paparazzi and TMZ and the Internet and the (to me, saddening) mindset that it's perfectly okay to invade people's privacy. just because they happen to be a "celebrity."

Alex might be perfectly satisfied to be a character actor rather than a leading man, but he's been blessed (or cursed, maybe) with spectacular good looks and enough charisma to power a large city. So he's on the "star" track, and well on his way to true stardom. He's also a realist, and he knows that publicity makes the world go 'round these days. He may not like his loss of privacy, but he is extraordinarily gracious about it. He is unfailingly polite to his fans. He says over and over that he appreciates them and that they have gotten him where he is. Sadly, he's lost a lot of that refreshing lack of polish that he had before Moonlight. We were all so lucky to "meet" him when he hadn't yet put his guard up. But even with the changes he's had to make as a result of his celebrity, he's still an amazingly natural, genuine-seeming guy. I'm so grateful to him for that accessibility, because I really do think that it is a burden on him personally.

I absolutely agree with francis that Alex has chosen to live his life in such a way as to preserve what privacy he can, and that he is very smart about how he portrays himself and how he acts in public. He's grounded and smart. I think he'll do just fine.

Luxe, that part struck me too, and it made me think she may just be ignorant about how things actually work in The Biz.

[jen]

Seemed odd that an individual who has chosen a profession where the main emblem of success is a status that that individual claims not to seek. To pursue a craft for the art alone is a fine goal, but it does not exactly mesh with other things he has said.

Judging from what I have seen, I believe Alex O'Loughlin values excellence in his craft as, at times, I sense frustration from him when he does not have the opportunity to exercise his range and stretch his acting abilities.

Perhaps he is pursuing a path where he feels he will gain the clout to call more and more of his own shots. That would definitely be a win-win for him.

Just my opinion.

Jenna

[wpgrace]

Hmmmm... well, as one who is constantly whining about Alex's people needing to get him out there more...

I do think he consciously tries to keep his personal life private. And I cannot imagine anyone would be other than supportive and admiring of that.

But there is, as others have said here, a not so delicate balance in the current Hollywood. To get the parts you want, to act enough to earn a living at it, you gotta show you have some "celebrity", i.e. those IMBD or whatever numbers dear Lilly posts every week, hits on websites, Nielsen ratings, movie ticket sales. Actors gotta pay to play. Meaning you gotta do the publicity thing for your projects, and Alex does those in spades.

But you also need to work on publicity for yourself, you gotta sell yourself in a very crowded marketplace.
And that part he does seem to resist. Or he doesn't have a manager working that kinda stuff for him.
Given that fame is fleeting, and projects may well be fleeting with it, I do wish he'd get a few self-publicity gigs going on...
Cos I'd like to be able to see him bring many new characters to life over many years... but we'll see.

And Alle, you are so right. His public demeanor has changed a bit... he's not so wide open as he once was. But then, how many of us are?

[jen]

I certainly didn't mean to imply that I'm not supportive of keeping one's personal life out of the public domain.

That is his business and, personally, I think everyone should have a right to a little privacy.

Best of luck to him. I wish him every luck in the world in a scarey business.

Jenna

[wpgrace]

I certainly didn't mean to imply that I'm not supportive of keeping one's personal life out of the public domain.

That is his business and, personally, I think everyone should have a right to a little privacy.

Best of luck to him. I wish him every luck in the world in a scarey business.

Jenna

Oh I know, Sweetie... and actually I think your comment here...

Seemed odd that an individual who has chosen a profession where the main emblem of success is a status that that individual claims not to seek. To pursue a craft for the art alone is a fine goal, but it does not exactly mesh with other things he has said.

... is really quite relevant. Yes, there does seem to be something at odds with wanting to be a successful actor in today's world, but not wanting fame. Kinda a Houdini act that I'm not sure he can pull off.

[cassysj]

I wonder what the person meant by saying that they thought he didn't have a manager? does this mean that they think he's been appearing in rubbish, or that he could be a lot bigger than he is, do you think?

I think they mean he could be bigger than he is. An agent gets you auditions. Managers arrange your interviews, publicity, etc. They can make you big stars but it's not cheap. An agent gets 10% of your earnings a manager can get up to 20 percent.

[wpgrace]

Interesting to know, Cassy... tho I'd do it for free... just sayin'...

[Moonlightsonata]

This is a very interesting discussion. I do agree that to be successful in the business Alex has chosen automatically brings with it some degree of fame and the loss of privacy. I also agree that if all someone wanted to do was act rather than be a star, there are plenty of local community theaters or touring companies of Broadway shows, or even for that matter not everyone who stars on a show on Broadway is well known on the street. I don't know for sure but I get the impression that actors who live in New York are given more privacy than those in California. He could live there. Actually an actress who used to live not far from us and who went to the same high school as my daughter and who has family credentials that involve a well recognized name in politics, thought the Broadway route was too much in terms of some loss of self. She is involved in more local theater.

None of us really knows what Alex wants. Maybe he just wants to do his craft and make as much money as he can so he can retire to the beach or 10 or 15 years. Didn't he say that once? Of course, now he is on a beach but really working a lot. I think what he meant was to relax on a beach.

I am happy for Alex for his fame. And to the extent that he fears the loss of his personal identity, than maybe it is better that he doesn't have a "manager." When I look at some of the magazines out today and the so-called "stars" that get all the publicity half the time I have no idea why? Yes Brad and Angelina I understand but people like the Kardasian's (spelling may be off) and some of the others, I just don't get it.

Finally and to be honest, I do admit that I miss the way Alex was a few years ago. Not sure how much of that is due to the change in Agent or the fame from Hawaii 5-0, but I miss when he used to send periodic messages on his My Space account, when he mentioned fans in interviews, and most of all, when some of us received autographed pictures as a thank-you for a birthday gift. I should have known it was too much to expect an acknowledgment the second go-around, and probably shouldn't have gotten involved with a second gift, but I did and it was a little disappointing not to receive another thank you, but then he didn't owe us anything.

I only wish for Alex that he gets what he wants and that maybe someday, he will be in another role that I care about almost as much as I did about Mick. Sorry for rambling.

[Moonlightsonata]

I just have to add one more thing. I also miss how excited Alex looked and how excited those of us who were there felt, when Alex peered out at us from the window at the Paley Center where we had gathered for the Moonlight event almost 3 years ago. Wonder if we will ever see him look like that again?

P.S. Really getting off topic but I have gone to basically the top executives at the Paley Center to try and get a copy of a DVD of the Paley Moonlight event but have struck out. I can truly say I tried.

[darkstarrising]

Most of my reactions have been covered by many of the above comments, but I'll add one or two more thoughts.

Over time, being an actor in America has come to mean that personal privacy is a luxury, not a right. As others have said, to get the roles you want, you have to put yourself out there. You have to be recognized. The only problem is controlling just of much of yourself gets put out for the public to view, and in what manner.

A half century ago, there were paparazzi, just not as plugged in (thank the internet for that) nor as rapidly destructive. Then, one had to work hard to capture a celebrity in an 'indiscreet' or very private moment. Even so, some time would elapse between taking the image and circulating it. That time might be spent 'negotiating' with a studio or the individual itself to bury the image, for a fee. In short, there was more restraint.

Today, we are all paparazzi. A picture taken on a cellphone can go worldwide in a matter of minutes. No explanation of context, no time for negotiation, no restraint. In a matter of minutes, a career can be ruined. In a matter of minutes, a private live can be made more public than desired. And regrettably, there's no 'delete' button. Once the damage is done, there's no recovery.

As for Alex and others like him, I wish we could be more respectful of their time and privacy. Despite what Mel Brooks says, actors are people, too.

[allegrita]

You have just stated how I feel. Thank you for putting it into wonderful words.