We have a serious celebrity problem in our world. For one, we are far too obsessed with celebrities. We take their every action and statement to be gospel. They can truly change the tide of anything with a single statement. Fans will eat up their every word and obey their every command.
Their power doesn’t always work for them either. Their fame can work against them, since all it takes is one indiscretion for fans to turn on them, or for the haters to become emboldened in their hate. The truth is, most people couldn’t handle being a celebrity. It’s far too hard.
We tend to imagine celebrities as these otherworldly creatures who make so much money that it doesn’t matter how we treat them. The truth is, we never know what’s going on in these people’s lives, as is evident by this old interview between David Letterman and Lindsay Lohan which has resurfaced.
Lindsay Lohan went from having an amazing career to becoming a bit of a joke in Hollywood. Her drug, alcohol, and behavioral issues saw her spinning out while on the top of the world with her career. Retrospect shows us that she was just having an incredibly hard time, dealing with fame, family, and other issues. We could have all used more compassion in talking about her, which is even more evident with this David Letterman clip.
The interview has resurfaced after a Twitter user named Trey Taylor posted the video from 2013. Lindsay was there to promote her newest movie at the time, Scary Movie 5, but David Letterman instead hounded her with questions about her addiction and her upcoming trip to rehab. The questions were badgering and were insensitive to those struggling to overcome addiction.
The clip starts about four minutes into the interview where David interjects by saying, “aren’t you supposed to be in rehab? What are they rehab-ing? What is on their list? What are they going to work on when you walk through the door.” While those questions might seem fair in certain contexts, it is apparent that Lindsay had no idea she’d be asked that, saying, “we didn’t discuss this in the pre-interview.” The pre-interview is where the guest and host will agree on what items will be discussed so that the interview is successful.
Lindsay handles it wonderfully, trying to deflect the best that she can. She tells Dave, “I’m the happiest when I’m working. This is an opportunity for me to focus on what I love in life. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
Letterman doesn’t let it go. He continues hounding her about her addiction problems, asking her, “is it alcohol? Do you drink too much?” Lohan tries to guide the interview back by saying, “we’re here for a movie. Let’s stay on the positive.” In the most horrific part of the interview, Dave brings out a list of mistakes and hardships Lindsay has had in her career and life. He lets her read them over beforehand, in which she’s horrified by what’s on the list and says no.
Lindsay Lohan does her best to deflect the rude interview, but Dave is merciless. At the time we all laughed at this crazy interview, but in retrospect it is incredibly cruel. We can only hope that it can be used as a template of what NOT to do, however, the TV business isn’t about kindness.
