5 Hilarious Ways Celebrities Messed With Paparazzi
They can dry their tears on all their money, no doubt, but being documented everywhere you go is such torture that it’s the basis of several episodes of Black Mirror. It’s only natural to develop a somewhat antagonistic relationship with the hordes of photographers who follow a celebrity. Many of them just throw punches, but…
Paris Hilton Wore an Anti-Photography Scarf
Apparently, 2016 was the year Hilton got sick of getting attention. She began wearing a scarf designed by Saif Siddiqui to reflect so much light that it causes a camera’s flash to backfire, leaving everything but the scarf in the dark in the resulting photo. Then she posed for a bunch of paparazzi photos. Honestly, queen behavior.
Daniel Radcliffe Wore the Same Outfit for Six Months
At the height of his Harry Potter fame in 2007, Radcliffe signed on to a West End revival of Equus, and he faced London paparazzi waiting for him every night as he left the theater. At a certain point, the grueling rehearsal schedule left Radcliffe without the energy to pick a new outfit every day, and he noticed something strange: When he wore the same clothes more than one day in a row, the paparazzi left him alone because the photos would look like old news. As a result, he wore the same outfit for six months. Let’s hope he had either a “cartoon character wardrobe” situation or a very dedicated dry cleaner.
Britney Spears’ Whole Posse Wore Alien Masks
It might not have been her most extreme interaction with the paparazzi, but the night in 2004 when Spears took her friends out for Sonic milkshakes in twinning alien masks was definitely the funniest. In fact, they may have ordered them specifically to throw at the photographers, as Spears has a history of hurling beverages. What a delicious waste.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Turned the Camera on Them
In 2006, a pair of paparazzi were harassing Gordon-Levitt when he decided to pull out his own camera. It turns out everyone hates being followed, even professional people-followers. They insulted Gordon-Levitt, implied that he wasn’t a big enough star to vocally not enjoy having randos take his picture, and when he asked what their job is, they said, “We take pictures of assholes.” Fittingly, Gordon-Levitt called the short film he made from the encounter “Pictures of Assholes.”
Anita Ekberg Shot Them in a Different Way
It’s interesting that one of the photographers in Gordon-Levitt’s film cites La Dolce Vita, because the star of that movie was no fan of paparazzi herself. In fact, one night in 1960, she was so enraged to find photographers waiting outside her villa when she came home from a night club that she went inside, picked up the bow that she’d been training to use for her next movie, and started shooting. She got one in the arm, and another took two arrows to the back. The paparazzi left her alone after that.
Don’t mess with the Swedes.
