Movie Star Egos

I appreciate the art of acting and could probably never do it to save my life. I think it is interesting how many of the geeky kids in high school drama productions eventually develop into famous movie stars. I appreciate their talents, but it's obvious that our society gives too much attention to movie stars. As a result, many gifted actors have developed huge egos over time. We've all heard stories of Lindsay Lohan not showing up for filming on time and making directors and cast members wait for her, but I thought I'd focus on more accomplished actors who's eccentric behavior and pride have turned off many of their fans over time.

My intention is not to make a list of movie stars and their faults with this post. It honestly hurts for me to write this post because I really admire the work of each of the actors below. I'm sure it doesn't help their cause when these guys constantly have paparazzi in their face provoking them and every detail of their personal life is documented and criticized by the public. I guess that's the price you pay for being famous.

Marlon Brando is know for being one of the greatest actors of all time, but after experiencing success he became a demanding prima donna. He was known for demanding large payouts for his later movie rolls. In some cases his contract stated that he not be required to read the script prior to shooting and then he would show up out of shape.

Steve McQueen was the highest paid movie star in the mid 70's. I guess that will play with your ego because he was known for fighting with directors and producers and for arguing about who would get top billing for the movies he acted in. He turned down a starring role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, since he and Paul Newman locked horns over which actor would get top billing.

I really like Russell Crowe as an actor, but we've all seen reports of him losing his temper. He has been in several heated arguments and altercations over the years. I think he is one of today's better actors, but I would be scared to hang out with him in real life.

Mel Gibson gained fame with movies like Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, and The Patriot. I think his directing skills are even better than his acting as you can see in Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, and Apocalypto, but Gibson has been losing fans at a rapid rate over the last 5 years due to his drinking problems, anti-semitic remarks and his more recent sexist remarks towards women.  

Christian Bale is another one of my favorite actors and I was saddened to hear about his Terminator Salvation Tirade when he lost his cool and went off on the lighting engineer because he moved and distracted him during filming. There are also reports of him assaulting his Mom and sister last year which didn't help his reputation either.

On a lighter note, few people can deliver a dramatic line like William Shatner. He is very entertaining, but also has a reputation for not enjoying criticism. There is a line in Mystery Men where Mr. Furious says "don't correct me, it sickens me". This was attributed to a quote Shatner made on the set of Star Trek.

I love most everything these guys have done. It kills me when I hear negative news about them. When I become a famous movie star, I will be totally cool to everyone and directors and other actors will line up to work with me. I will have tons of  fans and they will love me. I will be way cooler than anyone else in Hollywood because I don't have a big ego.