One of the key points I have derived from this class and the readings is the importance of the authenticity of stars. The reading on Rock Hudson only further pushed this point. Rock spent most of his life projecting an image of a man that women desired and men wanted to be just like. Obviously, this is more of a heterosexual image, and clearly it wasn't authentic. This cannot be blamed on Rock, but instead the people managing his career as well as the conservative American people of the 1950's who would never allow an openly gay man to become a household name. If you think about it, the same is basically true today, it is hard to come up with many HUGE stars that are openly gay. Tom Cruise actually gets quite offended when asked about his rumored homosexuality. The film we watched last week “A Star Is Born” deal with the same issues of image we are talking about now. Judy Garland’s character is brought to the public eye by James Mason’s character. She becomes popular through her rise from a nobody to America’s sweetheart, even changing her name to Vicki Lester. Her image is only strengthened with the more movies she takes on and the public even begins to sympathize with her after her husband drunkenly makes a fool out of himself at the Oscars, where she wins the award for Best Actress. There is a role reversal in the film, with Mason bringing himself down due to alcoholism and eventually dying, quite a departure from Mason turning Lester into a star. This did nothing but remind me of Rock Hudson falling from America’s graces as Meyer talks about from his diagnosis with HIV. Garland’s character in the film is also inauthentic as in her personal life she was a very depressed and troubled soul and ended up dying from a tranquilizer addiction. It is amazing how contradictory a star image can be from the real actor/actress.
1) What actors/actresses today would you say are authentic? Not authetic?
2) What household names can you name that are gay?
3) Is there a modern day Rock Hudson?
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