"There are so many venues in which stars are exposed today, that we just know much more and the studios don't have the control over stars like they used to, in the 30s, 40s, and 50s"
About this Quote
Mary Hart points to the erosion of Hollywoods old capacity to manufacture mystique and manage scandal. During the studio era of the 1930s through the 1950s, actors were bound to long-term contracts, and entire departments existed to sculpt their images. Publicists brokered stories with gossip columnists, choreographed romances, and buried missteps. The star was a curated product, and access to that product flowed through a handful of powerful gatekeepers.
Today access is everywhere and constant. Cable, tabloid TV, 24/7 online news, blogs, podcasts, and platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer an endless stream of images, interviews, and off-the-cuff moments. Paparazzi no longer need a tip from a studio fixer; a bystander with a phone can create a global headline. Stars now reveal themselves directly to audiences, bypassing traditional media and, by extension, studio oversight. That democratization brings both freedom and exposure. Celebrities can build personal brands, rally fans, and announce projects without corporate intermediaries, yet they also face relentless scrutiny and real-time backlash.
The balance of power has shifted rather than disappeared. Studios cannot control narratives as they once did, but algorithms, platform policies, and audience sentiment exert their own pressures. Authenticity has become a key currency, replacing the studio-era polish with a messier, more intimate performance of self. The result is a paradox: greater agency for stars paired with less insulation from visibilitys consequences.
Hart, a longtime face of entertainment journalism, speaks from within the apparatus that helped accelerate this transition. Programs like Entertainment Tonight normalized the idea that celebrity is an ongoing news beat, softening the boundary between promotion and reporting. The modern star is less a fixed icon than a continuous feed, their image co-authored by publicists, platforms, and publics. What was once hidden or staged now unfolds in real time, and the old studio velvet rope has been replaced by a camera lens that never quite blinks.
Today access is everywhere and constant. Cable, tabloid TV, 24/7 online news, blogs, podcasts, and platforms like Instagram and TikTok offer an endless stream of images, interviews, and off-the-cuff moments. Paparazzi no longer need a tip from a studio fixer; a bystander with a phone can create a global headline. Stars now reveal themselves directly to audiences, bypassing traditional media and, by extension, studio oversight. That democratization brings both freedom and exposure. Celebrities can build personal brands, rally fans, and announce projects without corporate intermediaries, yet they also face relentless scrutiny and real-time backlash.
The balance of power has shifted rather than disappeared. Studios cannot control narratives as they once did, but algorithms, platform policies, and audience sentiment exert their own pressures. Authenticity has become a key currency, replacing the studio-era polish with a messier, more intimate performance of self. The result is a paradox: greater agency for stars paired with less insulation from visibilitys consequences.
Hart, a longtime face of entertainment journalism, speaks from within the apparatus that helped accelerate this transition. Programs like Entertainment Tonight normalized the idea that celebrity is an ongoing news beat, softening the boundary between promotion and reporting. The modern star is less a fixed icon than a continuous feed, their image co-authored by publicists, platforms, and publics. What was once hidden or staged now unfolds in real time, and the old studio velvet rope has been replaced by a camera lens that never quite blinks.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|
More Quotes by Mary
Add to List
