Warren Beatty became famous as a sex symbol and his leading character, George Roundy, in Shampoo is known for exactly the same thing. A film about sexual exploration and freedom Beatty embodies Roundy. (Bozzola)
Bozzola explains how Beatty became famous for his relationship with Joan Collins before he was even in his first film. This is an interesting concept to grasp, because it is so rare. This clearly had a great deal to do with how Beatty was perceived throughout his entire career. Dyer goes through the different trends in stars performances, whatever medium and actor is performing in, there are trends that they follow to help keep up their persona. The choice to be an actor is choosing to market an item, but in this instance the item being marketed is yourself.
King discusses the incredible overage of “actors” in Hollywood. The only difference between the 90% of those actors earning less than a living wage and those who are making a living is the ability to market oneself successfully. We have seen in both historically and in modern cinema that ones ability to act is not necessarily what makes someone a star.
Beatty, like many stars do, chose to not speak about his personal life and attempted to keep it personal. Many stars make the choice to do this, and while it appears as though they simply want to have a personal life, one has to wonder if this is a strategic marketing strategy. By not saying anything about ones personal life, the public is forced to seek it out even further. Regardless of why Beatty did what he did, it is clear that his tactics were successful.
Can you think of a modern day celebrity who became famous due to a relationship they were in and how did this influence their star person?
Think of a star who has become famous as a film star not because of their ability to act but because of their sex appeal.
How did Beatty’s choice to not speak of his personal life increase his stardom?
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