Daisy Ridley denies that her privilege made her more confident to navigate her celebrity, compares her experience to co-star John Boyega

[UltraMagnus]

There it is. With financial stability, watching your diet is so much easier. Therefore....... class matters.

Nobody is saying her class privilege outweighs her work/beauty/"talent" (i'm not a big believer on natural talent even being a thing but fuck it) but that it helps... Maybe just a little but it's there.

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For an American casting director? It doesn't make a difference, I doubt they even asked her where she went to school. She went to uh ... Tring Park School for Performing Arts? Like maybe that's something impressive in Britain I don't know, but an American casting director is going to give one shit about that. That's not famous to anyone here.

Casting director has their own ass to cover, they have their own job to do, they're not going to be swayed by a schooling background.

First of all to even have the combination of specified good looks + acting/emoting ability + general likability on its own is effectively like winning a lottery. If you're born with all that it's probably more rare than being born into a relatively well earning family. That's not that rare at all, we all probably know at least one or more well off families. Not many of us know someone who is great looking + has fairly high end acting or singing ability.

 

[Arebours]

Becoming a working Hollywood star is basically like winning the lottery, there are like ... 25-30 real movie stars at any time (and that might be generous) and like millions of wannabe actors on the planet.

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Entering that lottery has a cost, which essentially is free for rich people and very very expensive for those who aren't. Also if you are well connected you can get a lot more auditions and meetings with decision makers, which means you get more lottery tickets. And why limit yourself to "real" movie stars? Anyone who get consistent and significant work count.

A rich but truly awful actor won't make it in Hollywood. But when you pit a talented poor guy vs a slightly less talented but rich and possibly connected guy the resources of the latter will bridge that gap with margin to spare.

 

[Deleted member 38573]

For an American casting director? It doesn't make a difference, I doubt they even asked her where she went to school.

First of all to even have the combination of specified good looks + acting/emoting ability + general likability on its own is effectively like winning a lottery. If you're born with all that it's probably more rare than being born into a relatively well earning family. That's not that rare at all, we all probably know at least one or more well off families. Not many of us know someone who is great looking + has fairly high end acting or singing ability.

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class isn't just where you went to school

having the education on nutrition and the money to spend on it = class privilege. And you just conceded that diet has a part to play.... soooooooo by your own words, it does make a difference!

 

[UltraMagnus]

Entering that lottery has a cost, which essentially is free for rich people and very very expensive for those who aren't. Also if you are well connected you can get a lot more auditions and meetings with decision makers, which means you get more lottery tickets. And why limit yourself to "real" movie stars? Anyone who get consistent and significant work count.

A rich but truly awful actor won't make it in Hollywood. But when you pit a talented poor guy vs a slightly less talented rich and possibly connected guy the resources of the latter will bridge that gap with margin to spare.

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Actually in your latter scenario, likely the person who comes out in that case is whoever is better looking. A casting director doesn't give a crap about doing a favor to a well off person when they're driving a 10 year old Toyota Corolla with 100,000 miles on it to work and have three kids to put through school themselves and live paycheque to paycheque. So if the "poor" person happens to be better looking odds are in that case they will get the part.

A casting director is not gonna be impressed by someone being moderately or even quite wealthy, they have no reason to be. If it comes down to a small margin like you have two actors that are about even, no one is saying "quick! which one is more rich! We'll choose them!". Like is that what you think happens?

In that case they'll usually go with the better looking person. Casting directors have their own ass to cover, if they don't bring directors good new talent on a consistent basis they can end up out of a job, they're not going to recommend people on the basis of wealth, especially when they get nothing out of it.

Every casting director wants to find the next Leonardo DiCaprio (who grew up poor as shit by the way) because that will secure their bacon for the next few years because they can always say "hey I found DiCaprio", that's what they're concerned with, not doing favors for some rich kid goof off 292838 from Beverly Hills who has minimal talent and drove daddy's Lexus to the audition.

 

[Sulik2]

I kind of agree with her in this specific case. I dont think growing up in private schools and with wealth prepares anyone for what it's like being a mega celebrity, losing all privacy and dealing with idiot fanboy hate. What her privilege did do was put her in position to be a famous actress and know what to do with her money.

 

[Deleted member 38573]

Actually in your latter scenario, likely the person who comes out in that case is whoever is better looking. A casting director doesn't give a crap about doing a favor to a well off person when they're driving a 10 year old Toyota Corolla with 100,000 miles on it to work and have three kids to put through school themselves and live paycheque to paycheque. So if the "poor" person happens to be better looking odds are in that case they will get the part.

A casting director is not gonna be impressed by someone being moderately or even quite wealthy, they have no reason to be. If it comes down to a small margin like you have two actors that are about even, no one is saying "quick! which one is more rich! We'll choose them!". Like is that what you think happens?

In that case they'll usually go with the better looking person. Casting directors have their own ass to cover, if they don't bring directors good new talent on a consistent basis they can end up out of a job, they're not going to recommend people on the basis of wealth, especially when they get nothing out of it.

Every casting director wants to find the next Leonardo DiCaprio (who grew up poor as shit by the way) because that will secure their bacon for the next few years because they can always say "hey I found DiCaprio", that's what they're concerned with, not doing favors for some rich kid goof off 292838 from Beverly Hills who has minimal talent and drove daddy's Lexus to the audition.

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So if people like Leo are exceptions and that there are far more wealthy families out there.... Surely the best way to cover your bacon would be to give the role to the just as attractive but slightly less talented (not minimal or talentless) actor that can provide a steady stream of slightly less talented graduates from the acting school they are an alumni of?

 

[UltraMagnus]

So if people like Leo are exceptions and that there are far more wealthy families out there.... Surely the best way to cover your bacon would be to give the role to the slightly less talented (not minimal or talentless, please stop moving goalposts) actor that can provide a steady stream of slightly less talented graduates from the acting school they are an alumni of?

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The best way to cover your bacon is to find the best talent which is bankable (meaning good looking, and no financial class has a monopoly on good looks because DNA doesn't care about human economic class systems).

That's all Hollywood casting directors care about, recommending "less talented" people has no benefit to a casting director and increases the odds a pissed off director is going to come back at you and say "why the fuck did you recommend this piece of shit, he/she cost us a day of shooting which cost millions of dollars because they couldn't deliver what I wanted".

Go and audition for something, even a student film, they don't care what school you went to other than maybe to make small talk (which is really a way to see if you're a "normal" sociable person and not some nut on a movie set that won't get along with other people because in that case you're a liability).

Unless you are the daughter/son/granddaughter/grandson of someone really, really (really) famous (and thereby have marketing appeal because of your family lineage) no one cares what fancy pants neighbourhood you did or didn't grow up in at an audition.

That's not impressive. Understand even though casting directors are normal people who don't make an extraordinary salary, they see hundreds and hundreds of attractive, talented people every day and side perk of their job is likely that they get to occasionally meet a Bradley Cooper or Leonardo DiCaprio or Dwayne Johnson at a crew party or premiere event. They're not going to be impressed by Joe Nobody or Daisy Whatsherface because they went to a fucking private school, lol.

 

[Deleted member 38573]

The best way to cover your bacon is to find the best talent which is bankable (meaning good looking, and no financial class has a monopoly on good looks because DNA doesn't care about human economic class systems).

That's all Hollywood casting directors care about, recommending "less talented" people has no benefit to a casting director and increases the odds a pissed off director is going to come back at you and say "why the fuck did you recommend this piece of shit, he/she cost us a day of shooting which cost millions of dollars because they couldn't deliver what I wanted".

Go and audition for something, even a student film, they don't care what school you went to other than maybe to make small talk (which is really a way to see if you're a "normal" sociable person and not some nut on a movie set that won't get along with other people because in that case you're a liability).

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so diet, fitness and skincare have no part to play?

your own words

You need to have a baseline of above average looks AND you need to watch what you're eating on top of that.

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[Rinse Bassfunk]

The best way to cover your bacon is to find the best talent which is bankable (meaning good looking, and no financial class has a monopoly on good looks because DNA doesn't care about human economic class systems).

That's all Hollywood casting directors care about, recommending "less talented" people has no benefit to a casting director and increases the odds a pissed off director is going to come back at you and say "why the fuck did you recommend this piece of shit, he/she cost us a day of shooting which cost millions of dollars because they couldn't deliver what I wanted".

Go and audition for something, even a student film, they don't care what school you went to other than maybe to make small talk (which is really a way to see if you're a "normal" sociable person and not some nut on a movie set that won't get along with other people because in that case you're a liability).

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I think you may be generally overlooking the effect of privilege on someone's life Vs the effect of privilege on an audition. You're fixated on the audition.

You're repeatedly talking about attractiveness. Surely you see that someone coming from privilege has a higher chance of being able to meet beauty standards right? Paying for dentistry, medical care, general beauty upkeep, etc

At least in the UK your status/privilege will affect how good your school's drama set up is, the likelihood of quality community theatre, the time and encouragement to chase dreams and be enabled to do so

You do see this generally holds true

(and stop making up statistics, it's a bit silly)

Edit, well nevermind. Maybe when they get off their ban we might see if they have learned anything from this thread

 

[UltraMagnus]

so diet has no part to play?

your own words

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Unless you are building some kind of physique that is unbelievable like an Arnold Schwarzenneger did, no dieting is not going to make you a movie star if you are average/below average looking and trying to break into the business.

Because for every one of you, there's 10-20 people willing to do the same dieting program or better, plus are good looking on top of that. So when they get buff or cut they're going to still look better than you.

 

[Lentic]

I kind of agree with her in this specific case. I dont think growing up in private schools and with wealth prepares anyone for what it's like being a mega celebrity, losing all privacy and dealing with idiot fanboy hate. What her privilege did do was put her in position to be a famous actress and know what to do with her money.

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It might not fully prepare someone, but it certainly gives them an upper hand. Growing up around privileged people equips you with specific social cues, hobbies, and humor, which certainly makes it easier to navigate the world of fame.

Growing up poor and coming from a different culture can cause you to be treated as an alien. The upper class have their own way and if you aren't privy to it, you're excluded. It's like joining a country club where everyone is wealthy and you don't come from a privileged background.

It amazes me there are so many people denying that this dynamic exists.

 

[julian]

this entire thread is literally just "my anecdote outweighs your evidence and research." there's a difference between people who are "trying to be actors" and people who are actually employed as and make a living as actors. your anecdote doesn't really matter because it's an anecdote. it's not actual verifiable research or evidence. it's literally just "well, i know some people who are poor and trying to be actors, and that means professional actors are overwhelmingly from poor backgrounds, right?"

that's not how it works.


Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are both British actors

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Yes, I know. The conversation however was not about British actors, but actors in Hollywood in general, and Star Wars is an American film. Even your response to the other poster is about anecdotes about American actors.

 

[Deleted member 38573]

 

[Deleted member 38573]

Unless you are building some kind of physique that is unbelievable like an Arnold Schwarzenneger did, no dieting is not going to make you a movie star if you are average/below average looking and trying to break into the business.

Because for every one of you, there's 10-20 people willing to do the same dieting program or better, plus are good looking on top of that. So when they get buff or cut they're going to still look better than you.

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Did I say it would?

Do you understand how a person from wealth could diet "better"? Having the money to spend, the education on nutrition to not follow some fad diet etc

 

[xania]

Why are people arguing over privilege and how it effects getting cast in roles? The question wasn't about that at all. It was literally just

I ask if she thinks it has been easier to be confident and navigate her celebrity because of the privilege in her life

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Which, I mean, I don't think anything in the world can prepare you for the shit someone playing a Star Wars protagonist gets.

 

[Deleted member 38573]

Why are people arguing over privilege and how it effects getting cast in roles? The question wasn't about that at all. It was literally just



Which, I mean, I don't think anything in the world can prepare you for the shit someone playing a Star Wars protagonist gets.

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this post:

It might not fully prepare someone, but it certainly gives them an upper hand. Growing up around privileged people equips you with specific social cues, hobbies, and humor, which certainly makes it easier to navigate the world of fame.

Growing up poor and coming from a different culture can cause you to be treated as an alien. The upper class have their own way and if you aren't privy to it, you're excluded. It's like joining a country club where everyone is wealthy and you don't come from a privileged background.

It amazes me there are so many people denying that this dynamic exists.

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People are pivoting to auditions because...idk they're desperately trying to cling on to the idea of meritocracy?

 

[Rinse Bassfunk]

Why are people arguing over privilege and how it effects getting cast in roles? The question wasn't about that at all. It was literally just



Which, I mean, I don't think anything in the world can prepare you for the shit someone playing a Star Wars protagonist gets.

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I think an argument can be made regarding a privileged upbringing and making it easier to operate within social circles like that of actors or celebrities. However, like you I don't think it really helps as much with regards to being involved in Star Wars given it is a completely different animal

 

[Ducarmel]

Growing up poor and coming from a different culture can cause you to be treated as an alien. The upper class have their own way and if you aren't privy to it, you're excluded. It's like joining a country club where everyone is wealthy and you don't come from a privileged background.

It amazes me there are so many people denying that this dynamic exists.

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Reminds of the recent troubles of Jason mitchell, he grew up poor/rough neighborhood and only knew how to react to things by being aggressive and holding your ground when challenged, he agrees he cant act like that at work and wants to change that. Suffice it to say he lost his gig at The Chi and I have a strong feeling he wont get work for a long time.

 

[FeD]

Why are people arguing over privilege and how it effects getting cast in roles? The question wasn't about that at all. It was literally just



Which, I mean, I don't think anything in the world can prepare you for the shit someone playing a Star Wars protagonist gets.

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I absolutely agree with you. No amount of privilege or social upbringing will prepare you for the "hardcore fans". People that go out of their way to threaten kids when it doesn't fit their head canon, or send death threats to actors playing a CG character.

 

[Yataran]

I see a lot of discussion about castings and actors succeeding in Hollywood, which is an interesting conversation to have... But isn't the question the journalist asks about the actress's privileged background (compared to that of other actors) and the confidence that privilege supposedly brings to managing her celebrity status?

Because I can definitely see a clear relationship between one's background and the number and quality of opportunities that are given, but not necessarily so clear between that same background and how confident one is when facing the world. One may have all the privilege of the world and still struggle and lack confidence compared to other people.

 

[mattlikewhoa]

Boarding school and council estate are really alike.

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Right?! I can see that...

 

[Jegriva]

Isn't like 95% of British actors coming from the higher class? Eddie Redmayne was in the same classroom as Prince William.

I know James McAvoy is a notable exception.

 

[Lentic]

Because I can definitely see a clear relationship between one's background and the number and quality of opportunities that are given, but not necessarily so clear between that same background and how confident one is when facing the world. One may have all the privilege of the world and still struggle and lack confidence compared to other people.

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Yes, it's possible that someone can still lack confidence, but again, it inherently gives you an upper hand. If you grow up in an upper class background you don't have to deliberately hide parts of your personality which are considered to be less desirable. Someone like Daisy can just be themselves in the public eye, while someone from a less privileged background might feel pressured to act in a specific way or hide aspects of their personality to avoid controversy.

Anyone who has socialized with people who are higher up the ladder than themselves knows this. You feel a pressure to act a certain way or fit in. It can be a big drain on confidence, and I don't think people realize the advantages that come with being an insider to a social group. Going by the interview, it seems Daisy is unaware of it as well.

 

[Burrman]

You know I could ask the same thing. Tell me which A-list Hollywood stars grew up super wealthy. There actually aren't that many compared to many examples of the other side of that coin.

Hollywood does not give one fuck which private school you went to or if your daddy runs some successful construction business or something. If your mom/dad was a major, major movie star that can get you in the door (as it would in any kind of industry), but it's no gauruntee at all that you're going to be a movie star (seen any big budget movies that have Colin Hanks as the lead billing? How about Sophia Stallone?).

You think there aren't scores of rich families in America that don't have some snotty son/daughter/niece/nephew who desperately would love to be a regular speaking part in Hollywood movies? If you could just land a part by impressing casting directors by saying you went to some school or your family has a successful shipping business or something, everyone in those families would jump all over that.

It doesn't work that way. There are biases for sure, certainly Hollywood is in a phase where they are having to acknowledge and change for a more diverse audience base and the casting has not caught up to reflect that yet, but that is a separate issue from this.

This is not anecdotal either, 99% of the time a casting director is not going to know what your upbringing was (nor do they want to hear it, they got 50 other people to see they don't have time for everyone's life story). All they know about you is whatever you put on your headshot and 75% of the time actors lie about a bunch of stuff on that.

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I don't understand this ban? He's sharing his opinion on the same topic as everyone else in this thread. Was he warned? Why just him. I'm condused...

 

[TheRuralJuror]

I don't understand this ban? He's sharing his opinion on the same topic as everyone else in this thread. Was he warned? Why just him. I'm condused...

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Probably because he's using examples like gwenyth paltrows brother to argue against privilege. Like yeah, he didn't get to act, but dude's second prize was what? Directing and writing and having his famous sister star in one of his projects? Dude is going to be fine with or without those acting gigs. Seems a bit disingenuous tbh.

 

[Burrman]

Probably because he's using examples like gwenyth paltrows brother to argue against privilege. Like yeah, he didn't get to act, but dude's second prize was what? Directing and writing and having his famous sister star in one of his projects? Dude is going to be fine with or without those acting gigs.

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That's banable? The persons sharing his/her opinion. Not being an asshole or anything.

 

[Rinse Bassfunk]

That's banable? The persons sharing his/her opinion. Not being an asshole or anything.

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Constantly reframing other people's arguments, constantly talking about auditions when no one was really talking about them, making up and throwing out statistics to try and bolster they're arguments, not really addressing people's arguments genuinely, etc

Ban is harsh but it's 1 day right? Time to cool off and maybe understand where they might have been going wrong

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[The Fabled Englishman]

Isn't like 95% of British actors coming from the higher class? Eddie Redmayne was in the same classroom as Prince William.

I know James McAvoy is a notable exception.

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Class divisions are heavily ingrained in British society. This isn't even really debatable. The vast majority of the political elite in Britain comes from Oxford PPE and the majority of the cohort of that course come from wealthy (read: extremely wealthy) public schools. The same applies to entertainment and show business and virtually every facet of British society. You don't get the manufactured success of the likes of Cara Delevigne without extraordinary class privilege. Even beloved actors like Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson found their origins in Oxbridge.

None of that is really my problem with the interview. My issue is that, instead of being up front with her question, the interviewer decided to be wishy-washy and then attempted to apply post-hoc justification which implied that Ridley was arguing that (white) class privilege played little or no role in her rise to stardom. In my opinion, that is dishonest.

 

[tulpa]

Class divisions are heavily ingrained in British society

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they're heavily ingrained in American society too

 

[Tapiozona]

Reminds of the recent troubles of Jason mitchell, he grew up poor/rough neighborhood and only knew how to react to things by being aggressive and holding your ground when challenged, he agrees he cant act like that at work and wants to change that. Suffice it to say he lost his gig at The Chi and I have a strong feeling he wont get work for a long time.

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Didn't he get fired for sexual misconduct with a costar?
I don't disagree with your overall point but there also needs to be some self accountability. It was multiple issues with multiple people. That's on him. The sexual thing I don't know enough about to really comment but that's a whole different can of worms

 

[Ducarmel]

apologies for the off topic post

Didn't he get fired for sexual misconduct with a costar?
I don't disagree with your overall point but there also needs to be some self accountability. It was multiple issues with multiple people. That's on him. The sexual thing I don't know enough about to really comment but that's a whole different can of worms

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I recall it was first reported as sexual misconduct but since than its been mostly reported as misconduct and kind of seem to be buried for now no one involved has come out and said it was sexual misconduct. Last interview I remember him talking about this he has admitted he has anger issues and have shown it on set and at work and should be more professional with how he interacts with people in the industry. A quick google serach of the latest on this seems like Lena Waithe has not entirely ruled out working with him again which means either the situation was just Mitchell just needs to be more professional with others or she is trash individual on the level as those who still support Woody Allen and Polanski. I know never look to celebrities as role models and all that but i would be really surprised if Waithe would work with somebody who is accused of sexual harassment.

 

[Zaiven]

People talking about "the question was confusing", Ridley is clearly shook at having her privilege highlighted. It's a terrible answer. Whether it's because she's never thought about it before or she disagrees with the notion who's to say.

Recognizing white privilege as a white person isn't an admission of weakness, or that you haven't suffered and worked hard. That's what people get hung up on. It's just acknowledging that minorities have a roadblock in front of them that you don't. You've had other roadblocks, but not that one. That doesn't mean you're a bad person or lazy.

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This isn't usually how the term is used, though. More often than not, it comes across as an accusation, or even an insult, which automatically puts people on the defensive. Just look at the way the author of the article used it to advertise her story. Or look at the number of sarcastic/aggressive posts in this very thread. Or the number of posts that attempt to define what "privilege" is. If the concept itself is this poorly understood, it shouldn't be surprising that it's difficult to have a genuine conversation about this that doesn't turn bitter in a hurry.

The very term "privilege" connotes a sense of upper-class aristocrats doing snobbish things to people they consider as beneath them. For example, I think nearly everyone would look at the parents charged in the college admission scandal as being "privileged." But when that term filters down to being used to describe the son of a factory worker whose job got sent halfway across the world, and now has no money to send his kid to school so that he could in theory get a better job, that kid is probably not gonna see himself as being "privileged," and calling him that is likely to provoke a confrontation. We might be better off finding a different word to communicate the point.

We're not going to progress much as a society if we only talk about subjects that are comfortable and/or 100% palatable.

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We're not going to have a very stable society if we intentionally provoke arguments and fights.