Warren Beatty and Shampoo

Although I didn't grow up with him, after reading about him it is clear to me that Warren Beatty is one of the most openly sexual promiscuous sex symbols Hollywood has ever known. And as Dyer and we in class have discussed his star persona perfectly matches up in one of his most well known film's, Hal Ashby's "Shampoo". In the film, Beatty is involved with many different women, some of which are married and it leads to a somewhat awkward/hilarious scene at the end of the movie when they are all put into one room. The ladies man Beatty plays in "Shampoo" is actually quite similar to his true self as he is famous for dating various starlets such as Natalie Wood, Julie Christie, Diane Keaton, Madonna, and now married to Annette Benning.

In his article on Beatty, Richard Dyer discusses how Beatty uses the method acting technique to play his characters, acting from the inside out. Beatty bedded many beautiful women just as his character George does in the film. Dyer also discusses how Beatty is probably just as famous for dating all the celebrities he did as he is for his film career. In a way his personal life and acting life enabled each other. Another aspect of Beatty that really fascinated me was that he wasn't very open to the public about his relationships, even though they were right out there in the open. To me it seems as if Beatty chose to discuss his views on sexual promiscuity through this film, as he did co-write it with Robert Towne. Many of the actors and actresses today who are famous for promiscuity are more open about it as Megan Fox has repeatedly talked about her affinity for intercourse in various magazine interviews. It is interesting to see how this dynamic has changed.

Dyer and Bozzola also explain how well Beatty marketed himself. Although he did not talk about his relationships, he did not hide them either, and before he was even famous for being an actor, he was famous for dating Joan Collins. It may not have been that Beatty was such a fantastic actor, but rather that he was so good in getting into the public's mind and establishing a desire to see Beatty and his sex appeal on screen.

1. Would you say being a sex symbol today is something that is frowned on or admired?

2. How do you think being a sex symbol has changed from when Beatty was one?

3. Do promiscuous sex symbols like Megan Fox even have the power to express their thoughts on the subject through a screenplay they write?