Celebrity Life, Big Willie Style - It Ain't All Gravy?
Ahhh... celebrity life! Borrowing from mobster Johnny Caspar in the Coen Brothers' classic Miller's Crossing, after he discovers just how hard it is to be top dog, “runnin' things... it ain’t all gravy!”Or maybe a more familiar phrase inline with the sentiment would be, "more money... more problems?" Not quite, but I'm sure you catch my drift.
But who's complaining anyway? I'd trade lives with Will Smith any day, even if it's for one day, to experience what it's like to live the life... the celebrity life, or more specifically, HIS celebrity life.
All this came about as I was scouting YouTube looking for something humorous to post on this blog as part of my usual "Friday Funnies" series, and I stumbled upon several clips of Mr Smith going through one Hancock premiere after another, each one in a different city, all within a span of about 5 days. And each time, he looked just as euphoric with the myriad of anxious fans, as he did in the previous city's premiere, even if it was just the night before, several hundred, if not thousands of miles away. He stops to sign autographs, shakes hands, honors kiss requests, and even dances with a band, all-the-while maintaining his signature Big Willie smile, seemingly thoroughly and gladly drowning himself in each moment!
First he's in Paris, then a few days later, he's in London, and the following night he's in Moscow, and so on, and so forth, maintaining his intensity each time, leading up until the US premiere next week, where you can guarantee he'll be present, Big Willie style, as usual, as adoring fans clamor for a mere sighting or touch of Hollywood's biggest star.
But the magic doesn't end there - from now through September, Hancock premieres will follow in other European as well Asian territories, and Big Willie will likely walk the red carpet at each locale, flashing that smile, satisfying old fans, and winning new ones over with what feels like an unpretentious charm.
Is it any wonder that he's the biggest star, not only in America, but in the world? One can attribute his popularity partly to the fact that he is also one of the hardest working celebrities today. Making the film is half the job. Promoting it is just as important, and Will certainly doesn't take that phase of the process lightly. He's smart enough to know that not only is he promoting the movie, but he's also promoting himself, which will help when his next film begins its release schedule, whenever that will be.
Despite the relentless, unwavering smiles and charm, it can't all be fun, can it? I think I'd get tired of the press junkets, the cameras, the people, the fans, the pomp and circumstance. It'll start to wear me down after awhile - not to mention the frequent trips, jet lag, etc... London one night, Moscow the next, New York the next, L.A. the next, and so on, and so forth... and I can't forget about family left behind! There's a reason why Will's approach to celebrity isn't a popular one amongst the general celebrity population. It's work! It's well paid work, but it's still work. And he's definitely enjoying the fruits of his "hard labor."
As I started out saying, maybe "it ain't all gravy" all the time. However, I also said that I would trade places with him, even if it's for a day, and experience the thrill of being Will, the world's biggest star!
Here's a video clip of him in Moscow, during the premiere of Hancock, last week, in all his Big Willie style glory. A search on YouTube will reveal other similar moments in other cities, all within a few days of each other:
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