Two sides of a coin

[dieastra]

When I saw this picture of William Shatner on a recent convention in Las Vegas, I suddenly had a déjà vu. The credit for the left picture by Ferry Teunisse is on the pic, the right picture of Richard Dean Anderson was taken by my friend Paya at Gatecon 2008. Posted with her permission.
What do you think? Two sides of a coin?

Comments

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

Oh boy, I wrote too much. This is part 1/2 of my reply.

Is he though really? What makes him awkward in your opinion? I won’t deny that he was difficult to work with when he was younger, always thriven by wanting to make a script, a show better than it already was, and ruffling a few feathers in the process. But ever since Nichelle told him how much she hates him, he has pondered it, and is very open about it, and also has changed. I think he is a very emotional man, wanting to make the most of every day, looking to the future instead of living in the past, being curious and open for new experiences. I like a man who says what he thinks, I can’t find fault in that. And even though he is 20 years older than RDA, he is way more active. In the few weeks I am at this now, he has done a bike ride for a good cause across the US (including the desert, where a lot of younger drivers dropped out as it was so strenuous), has published a documentary, has personally thanked every single fan who gave money for the son of Leonard Nimoy to make a docu about his father, and after having been to a con just last weekend he is now in Asia filming God knows what. I can’t keep up.

And on top of all that, he has this horse show, and helps children with needs with them. Is that something bad?

So what exactly is he being accused of? That he does not want to talk to people? There were plenty of pics from this bike trip where he is shown talking with ordinary people he met on the way. That he does not want fans to touch him for convention pictures? Just because some stars are more relaxed with this, we cannot expect it from everyone. We have to respect that. David Tennant has a no hugs policy as well, nobody calls him a diva for that. Are we measuring with two cups here? Would you want to be so close to thousands of people you never saw before? After having some weird experiences in the past, I’d be cautious as well. That he signs at conventions without looking up and saying hello? I’ve had that with David Tennant as well. It’s the convention organizers fault if they give them more to do than they are able to in a short time. And while RDA may sign slower and take his time with people he leaves a lot of disappointed fans behind that never even got a chance to meet him, just a few weeks ago in London at this awfully overcrowded con.

I think William Shatner has in fact a lot in common with Rick. The love for exciting sports, the more dangerous, the better. Doing all kind of stunts for TV and movies when he was younger. Keeping up the spirits of a long hour TV sets with jokes. At every behind the scenes picture from TOS you see them laughing. The deep love for his family. I think deep inside he is just an ordinary man who wants to work, do good work, but does not quite get all that hype for celibrities. Much like Rick who always was puzzled about that.

Have you read his biography? He had some very dark times, getting no work after Star Trek, having to literally living in a car as he could not even afford the rent for a motel. But he pulled through, and he is still here, with an impressive career of decades. He easily could have been pigeonholed as Kirk forever, but he created with Hooker and Denny Crane two more memorable characters. Much like Rick, who could have been only MacGyver after Legend bombed, but then came back big time with O’Neill.

Please see part 2/2 for the rest.

[wanderingsmith.livejournal.com]

he is way more active
I don't put spend much time researching actors' lives, even if they put them on display, but I do remember that a few years ago he had a nasty problem with his foot and was in severe pain.. not so sure was something that was 'fixed'

So what exactly is he being accused of?
speaking only for myself, only of having a public persona that is.. edgy. a little *too* forceful/forced humour/in your face.
and yes, I can well see it being a deliberate public act in reaction to too many years of bad experiences, etc, but that doesn't change that it is hte only side of him I would ever see being as I am 'public'. and as much as I'm a trekky, that kind of personnality doesn't appeal, so I have no interest in going to view it in person (and I could have. he was in town a couple months ago. all I'd have to do is grit my teeth and deal with a crowd of too bloody many people... no. *I* choose not to. he chooses to do so even if uncomfortable. *his* choice. not mine to judge, but it IS mine to decide if I want to watch him cope).
and for same reason rarely watch interviews of him. I'm sure some interviewrs have him more.. calm/real, but... the others make me not want to watch.
stallone creates the same reaction in me. that said, interviews with statham (or the whole gang) besides him I can handle better. offsets him. just like I'm more likely to watch an interview with shatner and nimoy. they play off each other instead of him against hte camera.

That he does not want to talk to people? That he does not want fans to touch him for convention pictures?
if I'd heard of those things (and forgot) I sure as hell wouldn't use them to judge him. sound like perfectly logical things, to my introvert self.

Keeping up the spirits of a long hour TV sets with jokes.
yes, both jokers, agreed. but rick.. never gave off to me that captain-ish 'in your face I need to be at the front' vibe. humour and joking I'm fine with. even awkward, really, I can handle (Dan Shea for example). but I have a dislike for forceful types. they make my teeth grind.
and even the pretend-forceful therefor inherit a heavy dose of that complete lack of patience. doesn't mean I think anything bad of them or their skills or even their kindness. just means I don't want to be near them or exposed to them

There is quirkiness, and there is oddity,
again, all fine. Shea is definitely an odd duck.
..hell. so'm *I*! lol

I don’t want him to be made fun of.
yes. true for all.
..and that's part of why shatner, and stallone, make me flinch sometimes. to me, they push too much, in the wrong way.. and end up in a position I know damn well too many people will make fun. is a flaw in the people who find it funny to laugh at someone, but.. I still don't enjoy watching them put on that act (almost as little as watching the f---ing typeA MBA ass who owns my new company make his empty grand statements that do nothing but demean the people around him and accomplish nothing. it's just watching that attitude that drives me nuts).

I do really ponder that.
-shrug- as much as I wish him nothing but joy.. I really prefer to leave them to their own lives. if they choose to share some bit, fine. but beyond that.. I have no right to knowledge of their actual personalities. what they hand hte public is their call. how I, as hte public, take it.. is mine.
..lol, and what RPF-likeness I choose to have running through my head from time to time instead of completely imaginery friends.. is nothing to do with anyone's RL

generally considered as “fact”.
as far as it is the 'fact' of his public face, then yes, I am influenced by something that is incomplete. but he has no reason to make himself available to be actually gotten to know. even as much as even hte most obscure person will actually let you get to know them. we always therefor much judge people on the face they offer. not accurate or often fair, but.. no option, either.

[dieastra.livejournal.com]

I do remember that a few years ago he had a nasty problem with his foot and was in severe pain.. not so sure was something that was 'fixed'

The foot, and there was also a heart condition he told us about at Gatecon in 2008. How he felt funny in the chest after playing in the pool with Wylie, and when he went to the Doctor he asked him what would have happened if he went to a planned dive trip without seeing him first. "If diving more than 10 foot you would be dead now" he replied.

You really think that still bothers him? There was a time when he actually started to look better again.

Granted, I haven't watched many Shatner interviews, nor do I plan to, I can't possibly catch up with 40 years of them. But in his book he expressed puzzlement about how suddenly the people viewed him differently after he played a few roles in thee Nineties where he poked fun at himself, and all of a sudden was considered to be cool and have a sense of humor - when he says he's been like that all the time. The humor may be awkward or not, I also often make a joke nobody gets, but apparently it has always been there and is part of the personality. Not something put on.

I also admit that I don't really "get" his humor and don't understand most of his tweets, but I put that down to not being a native speaker and many things lost between the lines. I really don't plan to become a full fledged fangirl, I already have gone boldly enough where I never wanted to go before LOL

Shea is definitely an odd duck.
..hell. so'm *I*! lol

Me too ;) And proud of it. As long as you accept yourself, everything is fine.

I have no right to knowledge of their actual personalities.

I don't think a "Dallas, I look forward to the convention at the weekend" or afterwards "You were a great crowd, Dallas, thank you" would be too personal? Why not tweet some impressions from when he went to Australia, how he liked country and people? I am not asking for super secret personal things! Like, when all of a sudden there was this tweet coming from South Africa and everyone was wondering, why is he there and what is he doing?

What is a poor fan supposed to talk about all the time? No wonder the RDA forum has tumbleweeds rolling through.