Jonah Hill is refusing to promote a film because he has anxiety. He’s bailing on his job. He’s calling in sick. I can’t come to work today because I’m anxious. He’s ignoring his responsibilities to others because “If I made myself sicker by going out there and promoting it, I wouldn’t be acting true to myself or to the film.”
Oh, okay, Mr. Rich and Privileged: please do remain true to yourself by binging Netflix and eating ice cream and talking about yourself in therapy while everyone else carries your load.
You want to know what makes everyday people anxious — you know, normal people? When we let others down. When we can’t fulfill our obligations. Oh, and the very idea of dropping our pants in front of the whole world about our personal issues — especially when the world is our oyster.
Everywhere you look now, some rich actor or celebrity is whining, crybabying, and playing the victim. Oh, woe is me; I’m wealthy, famous, healthy, free, have a dream job—and most of all, I’m a victim.
Just take a gander at the far-left Hollywood trades on any given day, and you’ll read about some wealthy and famous actor moaning about how tough their life is, how they are a victim of oppression or racism or sexism, or whatever else they can manufacture to play that particular card.
Here are some recent examples…
That list is just a quick perusal through the last few days. But you know what I’m talking about… Every day — every freaken day — some genetic lottery winner, some wealthy and famous celebrity living the dream, is running around whining and complaining about how awful their life is.
Compare those babies to Bob Odenkirk… Watch this… This is pure class from just a few days ago…
Finale thank you from Bob Odenkirk pic.twitter.com/IFODl4bcLD
— Mr. Bob Odenkirk (@mrbobodenkirk) August 16, 2022
Odenkirk had a heart attack during filming last year, but here he is full of gratitude and humility and appreciation. Now, he might have turned off the camera and laughed at everything he had just said. He might hate the fans and think he’s bigger and better than any stupid TV show or co-star. Bob Odenkirk might be the most egotistical, insufferable, ungrateful narcissist in history. (I would bet my house he’s not, but I’m trying to make a point here.) Yet, he’s still smart enough to play it humble and grateful.
It doesn’t matter what Odenkirk is like in real life — although, by all reports, he’s a genuinely decent guy — because we love his public persona. He’s likable, normal, decent, humble, generous, and appreciative. On top of his remarkable talent, that goodwill has a lot to do with his success and longevity.
You know, I read a lot of biographies, dozens a year, and can tell you that plenty of the legends of old were vain, egotistical, prickly, selfish, and unappealing. But back then, those same people were smart enough to hide those qualities, and the studios worked overtime to burnish their images as nice people.
You see, one of the reasons so many of those fallible people became legends is because they had something called class. Whenever the public was around, they smiled and thanked and were self-deprecating. They knew those qualities were vital to earning the public’s goodwill, which is what you need to enjoy a long career and become a legend. Back then, they were all Bob Odenkirks. Once upon a time, Bob Odenkirks were the norm, not the exception.
Today, though, they are almost all whiners and victims, and Oh woe is me, and My life is so hard. And that’s why their fame is limited; why outside their little fame-bubble, the general public has no idea who they are, why their expiration date will never equal a Denzel Washington or Sandra Bullock.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
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