Being a Star

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how in an age of celebrity magazines and constant media coverage, it is easy to forget that the celebrities whose faces we see every day are, in fact, real people too. It examines how a lot of work goes into shaping their careers and their personas and how this has an inevitable effect upon the person behind the persona. It attempts to analyze if this effect is a positive or negative one and whether the actor and his personality can become absorbed by his star persona, so they become one and the same. It examines the problem of stardom from several different ages including the great age of the Hollywood star in the 50's all the way to the present day, using examples as varied as Marilyn Munroe to Winona Ryder in order to show the varied pitfalls of celebrity and it's psychological effect on the individual performer.

From the Paper:

"There are many, many actors in the business, most struggling to make a living in minor roles and bit parts. None of these are stars, so the terms are clearly not synonymous. A star must be created: "A star has two things an actor doesn't have: charisma and the ability to sell tickets." In the past, a star was usually created by the studio he was signed to, and plenty of work went into the image the public saw. Information about the actor in question was tightly controlled, far more so than today. Studios would distribute pictures of the fledgling star to promote interest, and perhaps start rumors about their first major role, or a love affair with an already established star."

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