Actorvists Unite! Newly 'Self-Aware', Hollywood Walzes into the DNC
'These are our Olympics': I'm on the scene as bright stars, big issues take Chicago
This Ankler Feature is a 10-minute read
Celebrities have become savvier as political activists and surrogates, and I have seen their education on bright display at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week as I roam the United Center. “They’re more self-aware,” Romola Ratnam, Endeavor’s SVP and head of impact, inclusion and advocacy tells me. Thanks in part to the give-and-take of social media, she says, stars understand their unique audience and appeal — i.e., who does and doesn’t want to hear from them — and that makes them more effective for the sudden whirlwind of the Harris-Walz campaign. As former GOP strategist turned screenwriter Mike Murphy told Richard Rushfield recently, “Celebrity can be a weapon, but only when it’s wielded by pros, not narcissists.”
Thus far, in this week’s dazzling display of star power (both political and Hollywood), that does seem to be the case. No more tone-deaf gaffes à la Scarlett Johansson’s 2008 “I’m engaged to Barack Obama. My heart belongs to Barack,” or even Jeffrey Katzenberg’s more recent cringe-worthy antics of making his role in Joe Biden’s campaign seem as much about himself as the candidate.
The new batch of 2024 talent, as they say, understands the assignment. “There’s a reality check going on,” says actor and playwright Sarah Jones (I’m a Virgo), who originally joined Joe Biden’s campaign as a surrogate. “Optics are not as important as the truth. Stop worrying about image management and spin. We’re in the Upside Down, so when everybody else — to paraphrase Michelle Obama — goes upside down, let’s go full-bore reality. All we have to do is tell the truth.”
Across Chicago this week, where I’ve spend the last four days, here’s where the truth-tellers were hanging out, holding forth and making impact. “The roster of talent has garnered strong media attention,” adds Endeavor VP and head of government relations Matt Kaplan, “and it also gives a permission structure to some of their fans, who may be on the sidelines, that extra nudge to raise a hand and get involved.”
Exhibit A: the Creative Coalition Shindig
At the Creative Coalition’s “Case for Kindness” event on Aug. 21, Anthony Anderson went off script.