The acting legend who despised Tom Cruise: “A midget, and he has eight bodyguards”
The Harry Potter series is a treasure trove of Britain’s finest actors, with the studio assembling a cast comprising the most esteemed and accomplished creatives in the country to realise the fantastical wizarding world. From the likes of Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes, the franchise was fleshed out with the talents of British heavyweights that elevated the story to new heights, adding colour and humanity to villains, teachers and monsters.
When looking back on the series today, it is touching to see how many performers have lent their voices to the story, joining together to portray something that has become inseparable from British culture as we know it. However, this type of filmmaking has now garnered a different reputation over the years, with studio filmmaking becoming a leech on creativity itself and corrupting those who are a part of it.
Richard Harris, who famously starred in the first two Harry Potter films as Professor Dumbledore, was vehemently against the idea of celebrity and the culture that surrounds it. The Irish actor was known for his work in films such as Red Desert, Gladiator, This Sporting Life and Camelot, becoming associated with this specific era of British filmmaking. However, due to the fact that he rose to fame during a very different era of the industry, the actor had strong opinions about the evolution of Hollywood and celebrity over the years, describing his dislike of one actor in particular who embodied these issues.
There are some actors who vocalise their discomfort with fame and the many downsides of being in the public eye, while some seem to revel in this and truly enjoy the constant spotlight. I personally do not trust anyone who enjoys being famous, and it is perhaps for this reason that I am drawn to performers and anyone in the industry who shares their contempt towards the inner workings of the business and the corrosive nature of fame. Being globally recognised and showered with praise is not a natural state of living, and the idea of celebrity destroys the ego and allows you to live in a bubble in which you seriously think that everyone cares about everything you do or say.
Harris was one of those celebrities who identified many of these issues, sharing his disgust with the elitist nature of the industry and the baffling level of self-importance on display from many of these people. When discussing this, Harris said that movie stars will “…go to the opening of an envelope — any big occasion, they’re always there. Anything for exposure. We can do without them. What I hate about our business today is the elitism. So-called stars ride in private jets and have bodyguards and dietitians and beauticians.”
The actor highlighted one star that he thinks of as the epitome of this problem, saying, “Tom Cruise is a midget, and he has eight bodyguards, all 6′ 10″, which makes him even more diminutive. It’s an absolute joke. Actors are unimportant.”
While he doesn’t personally have an issue with Cruise himself, it’s more the lifestyle that he represents, hating the idea that some people are seen as significantly more important than anyone else and not necessarily deserving of this elevated treatment. It’s a somewhat dystopian concept, and the world of Hollywood is a strange reflection of the way that humanity has evolved over the years to value some lives more than others, for no reason other than the fact that we have seen their face a few times and know who they are.
