How To Put Me Off Watching A Film
This particular opinion piece could equally easily have been titled:
Why I don’t Want To Know About Actor’s Personal Lives
The recent media blitz that has been Tom Cruise’s promotion of his new film War of the Worlds has had the exact opposite effect on me that I think it was supposed to have. I’ve gone from being disappointed that it didn’t look like a faithful version of War of the Worlds, but still interested in the film to now just wanting it to go away. And the problem is entirely with Tom Cruise and not with War of the Worlds.
Normally I pay very little attention to the personal lives of the actors in shows or films I watch. Mainly its just general disinterest in someone I’ll never meet anyway. But it turns out there’s a significant bonus to this approach. It doesn’t contaminate my view of the character the actor is playing.
In the last few weeks I’ve been subjected to details of Tom Cruise’s love life that I really don’t care about. Lets give him and Katie Holmes the benefit of the doubt and say this isn’t some giant publicity stunt, I still don’t need to see her dragged out every time he appears on screen. How about you go on a show and talk about the movie you’re promoting instead?
But that isn’t enough, then we had to listen to all of his ex-wifes chiming in on this relationship. Well not only do I not really care about the relationship, I really don’t care what this exes have to say on the subject. So I’m already getting mightily tired of Tom Cruise. Which of course doesn’t encourage me to go and see him in a movie.
But that isn’t good enough for Tom. No he has to start beating people over the head with his religious beliefs. Well just make my position clear. Scientology is bunk. It’s a scam created by a hack sci-fi writer. But if Tom wishes to believe in it, thats his right, let him.
Where he really annoys me is when he starts inflicting those beliefs on the rest of us. Not only does he have the never to criticize someone on national television for taking prescription medication for depression. Then after having done that, he gets upset and harangues people who have the nerve to question him on the issue.
He presents himself as some sort of expert in the fields of psychiatry and pharmacology. He is neither. He is at best and interested amateur. And given his public statements he is probably just a misinformed do-gooder.
The end result is simple though, I find it hard to see Tom Cruise on screen right now without being angered by his self-importance, ignorance and selfishness. I don’t think I’ll be seeing War of the Worlds any time soon.
Nice work Tom. Great bit of PR. Next time, how about you keep your personal believes to yourself. Thats why they’re called personal.
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
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