Saturday, September 08, 2007

fantasy... reality. fantasy... reality.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Vanessa Hudgens, the star of the wholesome, made-for-kids TV movie hit "High School Musical," apologized on Friday for a nude photo of her on the Web and Walt Disney Co. said it was sticking by the performer.
"I'm devastated because I have an 8-year-old for which I now have to have an explanation," said another Los Angeles-area mother, Rosie Konkel. "She's always looked at this character as a very smart and proper young lady."

Here we have a problem. That is, these people seem unable to distinguish between the character played by an actress, and the actress herself, who has her own, (almost) private life. For example, just because the character is an unrealistically good, innocent girl does not imply that the actress playing her should be the same. That's why it's called "acting".
This seems like a fundamental division - character and actor - which should be understood by even young children, yet some adults can fail to grasp it.
I heard that an actor who played a rapist in "Fair City", the crappy soap opera, was spat at on the streets and threatened for his 'crimes'. Which is bloody ridiculous - do these people think all TV is a fly-on-the-wall recording of real life? How could they possibly fail to separate the character from the actor?

Maybe you should be forced to take an IQ test before you turn on your TV.