Sure, you'll have other things that you're known for. That dude had other achievements. For instance, he had great taste in sandals. FUCK, that dude could wear a sandal. And actors that star in these multi-billion-dollar epics will get quieter and more critically acclaimed roles. But to complain that they're recognized more for being a super person than being the award-winning star of a movie that barely made quadruple digit numbers ignores how human perception works. And it ignores a lot of sippy cups.

If I see Christian Bale on the street, I'm not going to yell "Hey! It's the 2004 nominee for the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Actor Christian Bale!" I'm going to yell "Hey! WHERE'S RACHEL? Haha. I'M HILARIOUS," presumably as I start to tear my own shirt off. And if I ever see that friend of a friend, I'm not going to greet him with vomit noises, but the first thing that will come to my mind is "There's that guy... that once ruined a party with the sheer power of his own stomach juices."

PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay
I can only imagine that he's still out there, regurgitating wherever he finds happiness.

But no matter what an actor is told or what they read in an initial script, they have to realize that the demands of a blockbuster (and especially a blockbuster with sequel potential) will overcome any sense of creative fulfillment that they might have. What started as ideal because of the dramatic range that it allows will inevitably turn into running from explosions... again. A promise to play a deep character means that you have to play the same kind of deep character repeatedly. These giant action films may promise to "redefine the action genre," but what that means is "redefine it in a way that can still be marketable when a trailer needs to be cut together."

geralt/Pixabay
"But really though, they're very thoughtful explosions."

Whenever an actor, five movies into a series, whines about the fact that they want more from the role, they have every right to. But that's like screaming about the lack of pumpkin flavoring when you're halfway through an apple pie. You can't sign on for a big action franchise in 2017 and expect us to feel sorry for you when your ninth Dogman film (Dogman: Inferno. It got 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) leaves you feeling like you're rehashing Dogman 8: City Of The Dogmen.

So, when people criticize actors, or even acting in general, it appears unfair. They're judging your value as a professional, and they were only around to see the very, very final results of your efforts. A finished film is so ridiculously small in comparison to the time everyone spent preparing for it, making it, and perfecting it, so when someone calls a performance "weak" or "underwhelming" or "a horrific glimpse into Jennifer Aniston's nihilistic view of the human race," it will always seem harsh. Always.

Warner Bros. Television Distribution
"Jennifer Aniston is like watching death take your loved ones from you. She comes quick, and leaves no goodbyes."

Most people don't hate actors. They make jokes about actors and criticize actors and wouldn't dream of attempting acting, but they don't hate actors. They're not out to displace the arts or support the "wrong kind" of acting. But the idea that your work will eventually be boiled down by other people into a showcase for, potentially, every person in the world, is outside of the realm of possibilities for them. As I said, it's literally one of the only jobs in the world that operates that way. At the end of the year, a plumber doesn't present the globe with a montage of his best bolt twists. The lady giving out samples in front of the Japanese place in the mall food court will never have to hinge her entire reputation on an annual "Best of Teriyaki Chicken Exchange" super event.

If a judgment of the acting craft seems particularly callous, it's probably due to the fact that it's hard to grasp every tiny intricacy of it. But that doesn't mean that an acting job is beyond opinion or reproach. To view things that way would be to put acting in a special category of work, outside of "normal" jobs. And if you think acting is something that non-Hollywood people have no right to offer their two cents on, I hope someone uses your Academy Award as a practice butt plug, because you're probably insufferable.

bykst/Pixabay
And then when you take it home, no one is able to smell the poop on it but you.

However, it's another thing entirely when an actor complains about being typecast as a television or movie actor. It's usually the former, as it's hard for someone to publicly complain "I have to make 60 million per film AND hang out with Charlize Theron? I don't want to get known for that!" without getting a nationwide chorus of "BOOOOOOO!" Every once in a while, you'll see someone talk about the mire of television as if it's an inescapable death march toward irrelevance, forgetting to mention that they're already wealthy and famous from being on TV. They're about as made as it gets, but woe is life, for they just read another pilot script about a half dozen friends that hang out in New York City. It's so difficult to be in demand.

Pexels/Pixabay
And they all love meeting at the same restaurant, every day, and no one ever questions it or hopes for a better life.

When I started writing to supplement my income, I worked a bit as a copywriter. It wasn't terrible, as, for a few hours each week, I'd bang out some stuff about why these new blue jeans are the comfiest, or why you should buy the living fuck out of this vacuum cleaner. But in the throes of the screeching birth of my career, I remarked to someone "I really hope that I don't get known for being a copywriter, as I'd like to write other things." And he replied with the best possible advice for that scenario:

"Oh, fuck off."

With TV shows, you can get tied into multi-season contracts. This leaves you watching, puppy-in-the-window style, as all of your friends snag those choice movie roles. But try telling anyone in the world who isn't doing what they want to do that you are, but it's not the right kind of exactly what you want to do. Sure, I was copywriting, but I was also writing articles for other websites, and just that. I didn't have a second day job. I was writing for a living. If anything, my side gig was apparently being viciously annoying because now I was complaining that I had achieved my dream job, but just not in the right way.

Unsplash/Pixabay
"I just wish someone would pay me to write about anything I wanted, all the time," Daniel thought, with absolutely no self-awareness.

I don't want to end this column with a big "Be thankful for what you have," so instead, I'll end it with a "Damn, people." A rich TV actor whining about not being a rich movie actor has taken on a great new character: the most unrelatable person on the planet. It's an awesome role, and despite what anyone says, in your own mind, you're always the lead.

Daniel has a blog.

For more check out 6 Things Rich People Need to Stop Saying (Update) and 6 Pissed-Off Actors Whose Demands Radically Changed Movies.

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