A Bit of Rambling on Fanning

[kriadydragon]

I've come to realize why I've never let myself uber fan on anyone or anything.

I'm an odd fangirl, in that when I fan on an actor I'm not really one to seek anything out about that actor beyond what they're going to star in next, what they have starred in and, sometimes, when they were born. I like to keep my knowledge of them to a minimum, in part because ignorance is bliss (I dread accidentally finding out something about them that's going to make me dislike them) and mostly in part because their real life is none of my business.

But I often find out a ton about them, anyway, and always - always - by accident. And it's always because I'm trying to find something else out, or confirm some bit of info I heard about them (I have a tendency to find out a bit about an actor when all I'm trying to do is find a couple of screencaps or some past project they did).

But as interesting and harmless as those tid-bits I accidentally learn of often are, it also often reminds me why A) I'm not a hardcore fan of anything and B) why I never used to be one who tried to follow an actor in their career. It's such a roller coaster ride - fun at times but nerve-racking at others, and not just because of what you might find out. Following an actor is tricky, especially when it's an actor from a TV series that you adored. For one, it's usually a while before they manage to land a new project, and that project is usually a one-shot deal - either a guest role or a made-for-tv movie that, once finished, it's time to find a new project. There's also a certain amount of dread, I think, for what they might star in next. You became intrigued by them because of the show they were in and the character they played, and a part of you hopes like crazy that they land a gig that's similar. Except that's not always the case. In fact, the majority of the time it never is the case. Most of the time, it seems like they're forever bopping around doing guest shots or starring in stuff you can't get your hands on, or doing voices for cartoons, or parts that make you miss even more the show and character that made you smitten with the actor in the first place.

But if you're both lucky, your favorite actor finds their way to something interesting or excellent, and it's all kinds of awesome. But it still takes a while, and there's still that bopping around in between.

But the long and short of it is... fanning is hard! And I understand now why I've always done it sparingly. The more you fan, the more it seems to come with a lot of unnecessary stress, and the more emotionally involved you get the weirder it can sometimes get (and it's made me understand a little why there are so many rabid hardcore fans losing touch with reality, because that emotional investment could so easily turn into a sand trap pulling you down into obsession). I'm not saying that's the direction I'm going in, because I'm not, just that I understand a little better why I've always been so careful about it.

Comments

[nefhiriel.livejournal.com]

The emotional investment in a fandom, alone, really can be draining... So, no, adding to the potential for unhealthy levels of obsession by following actors has never appealed to me either. And, without condemning it wholesale (because I simply don't know much about it), RPF has always sort of boggled my mind. Some of it, though possibly not all of it, seems more than a bit...invasive to me. I would certainly feel uncomfortable knowing someone was writing that sort of thing about me. :s

But quite aside from that (because I think a lot of actors do intentionally not find out what people are saying about them online), although I will look some interviews/facts up, fanning over actors has never really appealed to me. I tend to think too much of the actor and character as being the same person, and I don't like finding out that a character is a jerk/irresponsible/what have you. XD

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I tend to think too much of the actor and character as being the same person, and I don't like finding out that a character is a jerk/irresponsible/what have you. XD

Yeah, this is what makes me wary about fanning, because it is easy to forget that the actors are not their characters. It's almost easy to assume that part of the character is part of the actor (because some actors do admit that bits and pieces of their own personality shine through). Then you find out just how far removed the actor is from their character (take David Tennant, for example. He's really good at playing high-energy and manic characters, so it was easy to assume he was just as high energy and manic in real life. But he's actually a very mellow and calm person, which really surprised me - in a good way, of course :D)

I like a little fanning, and don't mind finding out more about an actor than I intend to. But I've been pretty lucky in regards to who I've majorly fanned over (and by majorly fanned I mean finding out more about them than intended). They've always come across as very down-to-earth and decent people, either family oriented or just plain polite, and I really hope it stays that way.

RPF... I know there's some pretty harmless RPF stuff out there but... I still feel it crossing a line even when it is harmless. I read an RPF the other day, just out of curiosity. It didn't involve pairings or anything skeevy but it still made me squirm. There were a lot of assumptions being made about the characters and I just... really didn't feel comfortable with that (even though I did like that the story was addressing a rather serious fanning issue).

[sholio]

You know, for the longest time I tried really hard NOT to find out anything about the real-life actors behind the characters I enjoyed. (And the authors who wrote my favorite books, too.) I'd been burned a few times by people who turned out to be not nice people at all, or just finding out that things were incredibly unhappy backstage; it hurt my ability to suspend disbelief and enjoy the illusion.

Somewhere along the way, that seems to have changed, and I'm still not sure what happened. Maybe it's just that it's so hard to avoid now; you basically can't NOT encounter lots of actor information in fandom. I guess I've been mostly okay with it, and even seeking it out, because I've been really lucky in the things I've fanned on -- in most of the shows I've really enjoyed from the last few years, the actors seem to be really nice people, and they seem to really like each other and be friends in RL. I'm still kind of wary of getting into something where the actors are jerks or they don't get along, and having that hurt my ability to enjoy the show, though.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's just that it's so hard to avoid now; you basically can't NOT encounter lots of actor information in fandom.

I'm thinking that's the case as well. I recall back in my SGA days finding a ton of stuff out about Joe F, not because I was actively looking but because it was simply part and parcel to interacting with other fans.

because I've been really lucky in the things I've fanned on -- in most of the shows I've really enjoyed from the last few years, the actors seem to be really nice people, and they seem to really like each other and be friends in RL.

Yes, definitely! Because the stuff I do find out has either been harmless or made me respect the actor even more. But be that as it may, and despite having never come across anything that has left me supremely disappointed, I'm still cautious about it all. There's always this little bit of dread over what I might come across.