Rant incoming:
Why in the fuck do we care what any of these people think? Go pretend to be someone else and get paid more money than I ever will. All of your opinions are irrelevant, just stick to entertaining us. It reeks of mass public influence. “Michael Douglas thinks this. If you like him, maybe you should consider this point of view.” The transaction between celebrities and the public should end as soon as the credits roll. These asshole have mansions and private chefs, there’s no way they share much in common with the average person, so why should I care in any way what they think? Get back on the screen, dance until they yell cut, take your money, and shut the fuck up already.
I beleive the more successful actors tend to have greater levels of empathy. Great actors are able to completely transform themselves into a character and present a believable portrayal. With this increased empathetic ability, they’re able to more closely understand what other people are going through. So when these people talk about the struggles of the gen pop, it’s a little more relatable than the average patent-funded CEO saying just work harder. Of course, the great actors are still living cushy lives because they can. But on a talk show interviewing people for their opinions, who else would people listen to? They have to have some level of fame or else viewers won’t watch. I think the real question is: why do opinionated talk shows actually get so much viewership? I think that’s it’s own deep dive into the human nature of being emotional creatures. And yes, even unemotional humans are functioning on an emotional level; zero is an intention level.
I apply the same concept to musicians and even comedians. They’re successful when their art is well-received across multiple demographics. You could call them sellouts for making such content, but you could also say they’re good at finding content that resonates well with listeners. The acts that don’t adapt and run the same routine tend to fizzle out.
That’s my 2 cents on why unqualified actors continually get so much airtime on social matters.
