<p>In America, movie stars are reluctant to do any kind of advertising because the public hates to see their idols “sell out” by hawking merchandise. Therefore, even marginally talented actors like Cameron Diaz appear on Inside the Actor’s Studio but won’t appear in a Chrysler commercial. In contrast, in countries like Japan, it is not uncommon to see their biggest movie and TV stars endorse everything from fruit juice to antibiotics. Therefore, when American movie stars need another source of income, they discreetly film advertisements in Japan with various secrecy clauses. The benefits go two ways: the Americans get their money, and the Japanese get the ringing Hollywood endorsement. </p>
<p>All this got me thinking: just why exactly are we so concerned about our movie stars “keeping it real”? Okay, nobody wants to see real artists like Sean Penn or Martin Scorsese doing ads, but when I have to hear people like Drew Barrymore talking about “their craft”, it just makes me puke. There’s a big fat red line dividing entertainers and artists, and 97% of Hollywood falls into the former category. Just because you headlined Transformers doesn’t mean you suddenly have the substance to actually sell out, because in order to sell out, you need to have ideals in the first place. Would it really disillusion us to see a great entertainer like Will Smith appear alongside Tiger Woods in a Buick commercial? Why is it okay for Peyton Manning to pitch cell phones, but not Brad Pitt? Is Brad Pitt’s calling (headlining many moderately entertaining wannabe blockbusters) so much more meaningful than Peyton Manning’s, or Kobe Bryant’s?</p>
<p>So my question is, why do we hold movie entertainers in such high esteem? There are certain noble professions that you’d hate to see intertwined with commercialism: medicine, public service, etc. But I don’t think big budget Hollywood blockbuster enabler is one of them.</p>