So I’m reading this magazine about everything Lovecraft, including one long, detailed article about From Beyond and one about Re-Animator. Both are mostly written with kind subjectivity - praising the good things in both movies and being generous when it comes to their flaws.
With one topic being the sole exception: Jeffrey Combs.
Yes, the author praises him as an actor, but DAMN they can’t STAND him as a person! There are paragraphs in both articles, that sound so bitter, that I actually had to laugh about it (like WTF did you do to them, that they sound so butthurt, Jeff?! xD)
They call him a diva and a difficult person, who barely interacts with his fans and refuses to give interviews. Which is - according to the author - actually pretty surprising. Combs should admit to himself that he has only a carreer in TV and the horror genre and that the fans, he’s treating so poorly, pay the biggest part of his maintenance.
Then they make a fuss, because Jeff also refused to dress up as West for photo-ops at a horror con, because the fans are there to meet their beloved movie characters and someone, who fills his portemonnaie with the money of paid photos and autographs, shouldn’t act like a diva when someone asks them to slip into that role again (and no, the iterance of the word diva is no inattentiveness on my part, the author actually used it in both articles to describe Jeff Combs).
I don’t know what to say. Or to be more precise - there is A LOT and at the same time NOTHING I want to say about the portrayal of Jeffrey Combs in this magazine. I guess all my thoughts can be summed up with the observation, that the author’s experiences with Mister Combs seem to differ so much from my own, that I wouldn’t be surprised, if they met a completely different person.
“…the author’s experiences with Mister Combs seem to differ so much from my own, that I wouldn’t be surprised, if they met a completely different person.”
I think you hit the nail on the head there. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet Jeff a few times and he is always gracious and kind to fans. I have never heard of a fan having a bad experience with him or making these kinds of complaints.
The fact is these actors (and other people in the public eye that we so admire) are people. They are human. No doubt that the majority of them, Jeff included, are good people - but even good people have bad moments. Think of how overwhelming and exhausting it must be to work at one of these over-crowded conventions, never having a moment to yourself, everyone demanding your attention and pulling you in all different directions, people watching your every move. Now think of how giving most of these people are to their fans at these events. Even if they have the odd grouchy moment, is that unreasonable? Maybe someone made a request that made them uncomfortable, maybe they are jetlagged (a lot of them travel internationally), maybe they are just plain tired. Any number of things could have happened, so it’s important to remember that you can’t know someone from just one encounter.
And yes, without fandom, many of these people may not have had as much recognition or as successful careers… But that is speculation. And fans alone do not account for success. Let’s not forget the talent and artistry these people bring to their field. Is it nice if they attend conventions and other events? Of course! But no fan is entitled to their time, attention, or any other demand; these people don’t owe fans unchecked adulation.
Sheesh. This author needs to get off his high horse. Sounds like HE’S the diva.
