Paparazzi for rent, "couch casting" and other dark secrets of Hollywood that viewers don't know about

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Recently, after the ins and outs of the famous producer Harvey Weinstein and other influential people in Hollywood were exposed, a lot of interesting things about the "dark" side of this industry came to light. If someone has wanted to become a real star and be famous all their life, they can completely reconsider their plans, having learned what it really is like to live in the spotlight. Hollywood is not only about huge money, fame, red carpets and millions of fans. It is also full of stunning pettiness, cruelty, grief and real crime. For our readers, 10 dark secrets and hard-hitting stories about the illustrious entertainment industry.

1. Paparazzi for rent

If you look closely at “amateur” photographs in a magazine or on a website, it almost always seems like the celebrity is posing on purpose. And this is not far from the truth. In 2016, one of the photographers said that many celebrities specially commission photos to maintain their image. For example, Kim Kardashian is one of such stars who constantly “keeps at hand” a personal pararazzi. She regularly takes a photographer with her on trips around the world to take pictures of her. Kardashian reviews every shot, and all the photos are worked on for a long time in Photoshop before they are sold to magazines.

Long before the Kardashians had their own paparazzi, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag of MTV's The Hills hit a 50/50 deal with Pacific Coast News. They supplied "scandalous pictures" which were then sold to magazines all over the world. The couple earned over $ 1 million from this. Celebrities consider this to be quite a "working relationship" that is mutually beneficial for all parties involved. And fans are usually unaware that "candid" photos are carefully crafted before they appear in public.

2. Illegal substances are completely legal

Sometimes all it takes to get the best possible result from an actor or actress is illegal drugs. It is known that in Hollywood all the stars are supplied with any drug, depending on their preferences, and this is done by the studios themselves. Legendary actor Dennis Quaid admitted that he developed an "accidental" addiction to cocaine, even before he became a star. When Quaid first moved to Los Angeles in 1974, he used drugs occasionally, but everything was "under control" until the actor began to be invited to shoot in major films. He also said that cocaine was included in the budget of films under the heading of "petty expenses", after which the drug was freely given out on the set, because it was the norm, and everyone did that. Recalling this time, Dennis Quaid called cocaine addiction one of his biggest mistakes and stated that drug addiction ruined his whole life. Even Jack Nicholson spoke frankly about using illegal drugs. In an interview in 1980, he said that "drugs are small things" and that he used them "a maximum of 4 times a week."

3. Publicity stunts

Hollywood doesn't shy away from public gimmicks, and there is no limit to how far the industry is willing to go to get public attention. Back in 2014, there was a lot of talk about Kanye West and Kim Kardashian battling for a spot on the cover of Vogue. When the editor-in-chief of the magazine, Anna Wintour, finally decided to place their pictures side by side on the front page of a fashion magazine, she caused a whole scandal. Some readers have threatened to cancel their Vogue subscriptions, calling the pair shameful and inappropriate for the cult magazine. Later, Wintour said that if the magazine published only photos of stars "with taste", then it would be boring. But by posting a photo of West and Kardashian on the cover, the editor provided the necessary publicity for the magazine. In the entertainment world, any attention is good, even if it is associated with a scandal.

4. Eating disorders

The need to always look beautiful and slim has led some stars to develop eating disorders. Being in the spotlight means people are essentially under a microscope 24 hours a day. At the same time, the actors are evaluated not only by fans and the public, but sometimes even agents and managers can put pressure on the stars to lose those extra pounds, and in the most unhealthy way. Actress Demi Lovato once recalled that "at the age of 2 or 3, she looked at her belly and thought that she would never be slim." As she got older, Demi increasingly began to experience eating disorders that got worse during difficult times in her life. Actress Naomi Watts also revealed that she was starving before appearing on the red carpet, and curvy model Ashley Graham said that the agent once threw her $ 20 and said that if she lost weight, she could earn "much more." …

5. Practiced for decades "couch casting"

Long before the Harvey Weinstein scandal, there were rumors of “couch casting,” a term used to describe stars who were given roles in exchange for sexual favors. Megan Fox gave an interview to GQ, in which she spoke about the facts from her life. The actress said that "Hollywood legends" invited her to a meeting and she was thrilled to "get to know them better." But when the actress arrived, she immediately realized that the meeting was just a trick, and many of the men almost immediately went to bed with aspiring actresses. Megan left the meeting indignant.

6. Mafia

Hollywood can be seen as a city full of glitz and chic life, but its past is far from glamorous. In fact, there is a much darker side to the Dream Factory that many people are unaware of. Rumor has it that a gangster named Mickey Cohen once ruled the entire Hollywood underground world. In 1950, Life magazine published an article entitled Trouble in Los Angeles, which featured Cohen and his thugs who ran the entire industry. This is one of the secrets of Hollywood that many would definitely like to forget about.

7. "Fixers" can fix anything

In an ideal world, a celebrity would have no problems and calmly build a successful career. But the truth is that all sorts of unsightly and questionable situations are an integral part of life. And when things get out of hand, they call in a "fixer" like Michael Sitrick. He has been known for years for successfully clearing up all the dirt in the industry by correcting negative press stories to positive ones. Sitrick has worked for various popular clients including David Lee Roth and disgraced NFL defender Michael Wick. He knows how to settle any conflicts, and if someone falls under the "fire" of the press, he urgently needs to call Sitrik. If, after a celebrity finds itself in some difficult situation, and suddenly the entire press begins to almost "sing laudatory odes" to this person, it is likely that Sitrik or someone like him worked.

8. Age

Hollywood stars always “have to be young and beautiful,” which is why some actresses feel the need to downplay their age a little. Margot Robbie had to get pretty nervous when rumors about her true age began to surface on the Internet. And a singer and actress named Yuni Hoang is suing the Movie Database website for publishing her real age. In her lawsuit, Hoang said, "The entertainment industry is ruled by youth," and she accused the site of reducing her chances of getting invitations to perform. Although the girl lost the lawsuit, the case attracted a lot of attention to how insanely important age is in Hollywood.

9. Cheating

Some actors spend most of their time on set. This means that they are essentially living not with their partners, but with colleagues, and for extended periods of time. Unsurprisingly, some stars have moments of weakness and ultimately lead to infidelity. Some of these romances end immediately after filming ends, while others turn into juicy scandals or even full-blown relationships and marriages. Angelina Jolie began to be called the "homewrecker" when she began a relationship with Brad Pitt on the set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston at the time, and their marriage fell apart after the news broke. Aniston filed for divorce, and Pitt later married Jolie. Kristen Stewart is another star caught in a cheating scandal. While dating her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, Kristen was caught hot with director Rupert Sanders on the set of Snow White and the Huntsman. These cases are just two examples of rampant adultery in the industry.

10. Love and children

Everyone was shocked when Eva Mendes managed to hide her growing belly from the public, but few people know how many celebrities hid their children, which they had "for love", from the media. And sometimes children are no less puzzled by this than everyone else. It wasn't until she was eight that Liv Tyler learned that she was the biological daughter of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. Her mother was young when she gave birth to Liv, and the actress subsequently said that she was "a little confused about where and how she was born" for most of her life. After her resemblance to the singer became undeniable, Liv had to literally "put her past back together like a puzzle." Once at a concert Liv saw Steve's daughter Mia, her half-sister, who was born 17 months after her, and said that she "literally saw my twin."

And More … Child Abuse

It was hidden for decades that Hollywood was full of perverts until some of Hollywood's finest performers and stars were literally kicked out of production for their alleged "misbehavior with young children." Kevin Spacey was recently suspended from filming for allegedly trying to sleep with the 14-year-old actor, and the actor Corey Feldman said that Hollywood bigwigs constantly harassed him as a teenager. After the Weinstein scandal, Feldman finally found the courage to accuse actor John Griss of molesting him in the 1980s. He also said that Grissy continued to mock him and saved a photo of the two of them on his Myspace page. Many believe that there are still a lot of secrets that will undoubtedly be revealed in due time.