I enjoy watching TV series at night while I eat dinner. For me, it’s mindless entertainment where I don’t have to concentrate. Sometimes the shows surprise me with a plot twist or make me smile or even tear up. When I’m watching, I often see actors that I recognize from something else. I’ll check them out on IMBD or Wikipedia during commercials or slow scenes when I can’t put my finger on where I’ve seen them before.
Sometimes, a recognizable actor will have a long list of credits with similar shows. I’d guess that producers and casting directors often hire people they’ve worked with before. This is especially noticeable with crime dramas like Law and Order.
Other times, I watch a series I have never heard of before. These actors are new to me, even if the series was a “hit” 10 or 20 or 30 years ago. Many of them have sparse acting resumes – especially the bit characters. This even happens with actors who played lead roles in hit series.
They are no longer famous. Sometimes they are no longer even acting.
Like most of us non-celebrities, they appear to be living normal normal lives. They get married or divorced. They have kids. They get a normal job. They don’t have a big “blue check” social media account. Their old Twitter account lies dormant. They aren’t part of the “scene”.
Occasionally, people like this will pop back up.
I remember watching a VH1 show that would track down members of old bands that broke up and try to convince them to do a concert. One women’s rapping trio didn’t reunite. One member had become a devout Christian and wouldn’t sign her old songs. Another had gotten old and fat and was working in a call center. I can’t remember what happened to the 3rd member.
As for actors, I read that some moved to the other side of the camera as low budget directors, producers or writers. Another became an interior decorator. Another a housewife.
Some retired. Some died.
Just like all the rest of us.
It strikes me that it’s helpful to see this information as a reminder that very few people are able to capture fame and fortune, much less sustain it. What makes a Kim Kardashian, Elon Musk, Beyonce, Tom Brady or Tom Cruise stand out is how rare they are.
Jacob Lund Fiskar calls careers like acting, professional athlete and CEO “Rockstar careers”. He wrote a brilliant essay recommending that people would be better served by getting a career where there are many opportunities for many people to be successful. I have to agree. Fantasies are nice to imagine, but reality is where we all live.
I’ll bet if we ran the numbers, we would find that the chances of anyone ever becoming that famous are infinitesimally small. So small, that playing the lotto might offer us better odds.