Mel’s fury, Melissa’s compassion

I can’t watch a Mel Gibson movie anymore. I’m sorry; I’ve been tainted for life. The same thing goes for Tom Cruise, a man I used to have an enormous crush on. I know I should be able to separate someone’s talent from their personal life and actions, but—wait, should I really?

A lot of people tell me that I should. They make valid points. But I think that public figures—whether they are in movies, media or politics, and no, I don’t think the three really differ much—have a responsibility to uphold a certain standard of behavior, at least to the public. When they don’t, well, I’m just not interested in them anymore.

Okay, I’ll acknowledge that rockers are going to smash guitars. People make mistakes. But then there are people who make years of mistakes, and you have to wonder when these dozens of second chances are going to run out.

Then again, there are stories like this one that make me like people even more. Melissa McCarthy apparently booted an extra from her movie when the extra was yanking her child by her arm to control her behavior. I know people argue that everyone’s parenting decisions are their own business, but I think when a harm is happening you’ve got to step in. If a grown person were doing that to another grown person, would you step up, after all? Plus, it’s McCarthy’s place of business and she has a right to regulate it to a point, too.

Do celebrities’ actions and reputations affect your opinion of them?

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia