Did you know there was a time when Sylvester Stallone was the most credible actor in Hollywood?
It was 1976, & “Rocky” had just won best picture. Western society had a new hero, to go along with Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, James Bond, & Snoopy. But this man was different.
Wait, which man? Rocky or Sylvester?
See, they were the same. Because Sylvester Stallone, unlike 99.9 % of actors in Hollywood, had actually written his own dialogue. The words that inspired audiences, coming from their new superhero, were actually written by the guy portraying the superhero. Not only did the guy on the screen save the day…he figured out how to save the day. Then again, he also wrote the crisis, so he knew how to get out of it. I wonder if I can figure out how to get out of this paragraph…
(Majestic leap to the floor below)
I sometimes wonder if we pump up our movie stars so high because we think they’re so deep…forgetting a skilled writer (or army of writers) probably spent years dreaming & crafting the perfect thing to say at the right moment. Obviously it’s a benefit to our psyche to see a heroic journey or a down & dirty morality play, so we can either identify ourselves up there, or try to be inspired within. But I wonder do we sometimes, even just subconsciously, think that the Anistons, the Depps, the Depardieus (huh?) are somehow a higher class of human being, with their perfect witticisms, their regal bodies, their classier morals. We’re not a movie star, so of course we can’t think or run or behave like that.
Heck, presidents don’t even really write their speeches. Too often they’re the biggest actor (puppet?) of all, parroting the talking points to cheerlead us into a possible oblivion. One of the best sayings ever is politics is just show business for ugly people. I wonder who wrote that…
Then again, in my quest to think that people are smarter than ever…I do notice we seem to be moving away from movie stars. Information is disseminated so quickly, we rely on word of mouth more than who’s above the title. So we have that.
As we’ve learned, some of our cinematic heroes get their life lessons from Xenu, or are only good at lifting weights & maid aprons. They actually didn’t come up with that snappy, deep philosophic phrase quoted so readily…some poor schlub (rewriting his past the way he wished it happened) did. & ironically enough…that reimagined past becomes our fantasy future…
Maybe the world’s just gotta keep spinning. Centrifugal willing…
chris schiefen 