Sherlock fangirls ...?

[veronica_rich]

I was listening to a podcast and one of the speakers made the remark about Martin Freeman, "I guess if you want to like him as an actor, you really shouldn't learn anything about him as a person" and also referred to him as a douchebag.

So I'm asking you lot, what has this person done to be an awful human being? I don't keep up with actors' lives as a rule. And I'm not a fangirl, I just like watching "Sherlock" and he was ok in "The Hobbit" (despite my myriad issues with plot, i.e. why three movies, why the singing, why don't the eagles show up earlier and stay longer, etc.). I'm merely curious what the speaker is referencing, because to get me to say something like that sort of requires a Roman Polanski or O.J. Simpson, someone who's raped or murdered or drowned kittens for funsies. I'm not wild about Johnny Depp and I still would think that's kind of a strong statement about him - I mean, I'm just meh. But "you shouldn't learn anything about him as a person" seems strong feeling.

??

Comments

[slayitalldown.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about him but I have a friend who comes off quite strongly in the same way and to someone observing or who has just met him he seems like the worst human being alive. Once you get past that impression you discover a whole lot more but it's a lot like bitching into a rock to taste the gooey caramel - few people have the patience for such coarse language, crude behaviour and loud judgemental comments. He will happily tell you himself that he is prick but he's also a treasure and he can afford to be fussy. Such people instantly rub others the wrong way.

I get the impression that just like there are two broad kinds of fans - the 'fangirl' and the 'oh, I love that show!' - there are performers who see themselves as tradesman selling a service and limit themselves to their work, keeping there private life segregated and expect others to do the those who see themselves as a product that is sold as a whole package and invite the world in. It's hard to remember you don't 'know' someone you recognise, such as in the case of Wil Wheaton who seems surprised people will equate what he gives freely as an expectation should they recognise him. He pulled the line back to his private life and if you follow his twitter or blogs you can see that he hasn't had a thought or opinion in YEARS that he feels the public should have. Being accosted at airports shouldn't be so surprising to him. I was at Comic Con, there are SO MANY PEOPLE and celebrities are chunks of meat being dangled in front of starving wolves. It is the selling point, the very nature of the whole event - trotting out celebrities for fans to try and get close to. Thinking he could stroll about like any Joe Blogs is maddness. Is it right? No but it is what it is. Martin, on the other hand, comes across as 'Is this about my work? No? Then fuck off'. I don't think he's in it for the fans and therefore doesn't bother to pander to them.

I'm sure there are nicer ways to go about it. I hugely admire Jim Parsons and was genuinely shocked to discover only recently that he is gay and has had a partner of ten years. I assumed that they kept in a box somewhere between seasons, dusting him off and charging him up for filming. Part of this is probably his choice to be private, what I don't know doesn't bother me and it never occurred to me to be curious, I find that if I am not 'told' or rather, in the case of celebrity, communicated to somehow through articles and whatnot, I simply don't care. I imagine the podcaster had some sort of unpleasant interaction that he is basing his opinion on - one would hate to think that someone would bad-mouth a practical stranger, regardless of how eerily familiar that stranger might be!