Here’s something I never thought I would ever write: Rob Lowe has just pulled a Jessica Biel. Biel went through a period a few years ago where, in several high-profile interviews, she claimed that her beauty was so overwhelming and all-consuming that no casting director could ever see past it and actually hire her for a part. Biel literally thinks her beauty is costing her jobs that go to more homely actresses. So, what did Rob Lowe say that has me looking through our Biel archives? Lowe spoke to the NYT to promote his second memoir, Love Life, and he complains about the “bias and prejudice” against good-looking people. It’s like he’s a real-life Zoolander, hand to God. Some highlights:
NYT: In this book, you say that you like to be made to look different. Do you feel as if you had to wait out your good looks to get good roles?
Lowe: There’s this unbelievable bias and prejudice against quote-unquote good-looking people, that they can’t be in pain or they can’t have rough lives or be deep or interesting. They can’t be any of the things that you long to play as an actor. I’m getting to play those parts now and loving it. When I was a teen idol, I was so goddamn pretty I wouldn’t have taken myself seriously.NYT: Chris Traeger on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” was a total nerd. Was it hard for you to play such an uncool character?
Lowe: My deep dark secret is that I was a nerd in school. I liked the theater. I liked to study. I wasn’t very good at sports. It took being famous to make me cool, which, by the way, I never forgot.NYT: Why do you think people were surprised that you were funny on “Parks and Rec” and “Californication”?
Lowe: Again, there’s a historical bias that good-looking people are not funny.NYT: In the book, you go into great and lascivious detail on your first trip to the Playboy Mansion. Why did you stop going?
Lowe: It’s definitely not the place you want to go if you’re sober and/or married, both of which I was on my way to becoming around then.NYT: You’ve compared loyalty to a political party to recreational drug use. You’ve been sober for several years now, so what did you mean by that?
Lowe: I find them both highly overrated. Each day another state makes it O.K. for my 18-year-old — any 18-year-old — to go and buy pot like he’s buying a Pepsi-Cola, and so let’s face it: In the United States, recreational drug use is sort of acceptable. Belonging to one party is acceptable. But my days of just ticking the party box are long over. I judge the candidates for who they are.NYT: So what do you believe?
Lowe: My thing is personal freedoms, freedoms for the individual to love whom they want, do with what they want. In fact, I want the government out of almost everything.NYT: In the book you mention that your “Parks and Rec” co-star Rashida Jones calls you a “benevolent narcissist.” How different is that from a standard-issue one?
Lowe: I’ve had years of psychiatry, and I ask about every six months — it’s sort of like getting your oil checked — I ask, ‘‘I’m not an actual narcissist, am I?’’ The learned men of psychiatry assure me that I meet none of the medical criteria… And the fact that we can even ponder the question immediately disqualifies me from being one.
He wants the government out of everything but he’s also complaining about the gradual and long overdue de-criminalization of marijuana? And he sees no problem with that cognitive dissonance? It sounds like he’s still trying to explain why he endorsed Arnold Schwarzenegger, I guess. Whatever. Maybe he donated money to Ron Paul too.
As for the “bias and prejudice” against good-looking people… I can’t wait for the fundraiser. I hope they hold a telethon to raise awareness for this vital issue.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Pej Behdarvand/The New York Times.
Rob Lowe at 50 is better looking then 95% of the actors out there and younger than him today.
I think what he means about bias against good looking people is the belief that they cannot play certain parts or wouldn’t even be considered for them. Like he said, the belief that good looking people have no depth and somehow manage to have a pain free life. So I can see where he’s coming from in that regard though his sentiments don’t come across well in the interview because honestly, aren’t all actors somehow pigeonholed by their looks-whether you look as good as him or not as a good as him?
Honestly one of the best things he did was take comedic roles because they really proved he has range. His take on Robert Wagner in the Austin Powers movies still cracks me up.
I think once he or his people realized that he was better as a character actor than a leading man, I think his career prospects improved and he started to get more intriguing parts.
I think that we indeed don’t believe that people who have a beautiful and sweet face could really suffer. Everyone believed Angelina Jolie’s character in Girl Interrupted, right? Winona Ryder not so much. Like she couldn’t really suffer because she looks too sweet. Angelina is super beautiful, but her characters are more authentic because she doesn’t look just sweet.
Jolie’s character in Girl Interrupted was also Angelina Jolie in real life at times
@Dont hate me…: seriously you are saying Angelina was mental sociopath in real life just like the character?
What a pathetic human being you are. You don’t know Angelina and yet you are calling someone mental.
From what I read and saw in those days Angelina did drugs, had sex with her partners etc like almost of Hollywood. Are you calling the rest mental as well? Are you calling Charlize a serial killer as well?
I found Winona’s character to be boring, compared to Angelina’s character. It’s not even that I didn’t care about Winona/Susannah, but I was more interested in Angelina/Lisa….
Maya, that is some serious overkill. The poster obviously just meant that Angie was living on the edge at the time, its easier to embody characters who are out of the mainstream when you are too.
Now, let me address the issue of pschiatric disorders. Your post is very disrespectful to persons who suffer with psyc disorders and mental illness. And to be clear I am referring to the whole tone of your post, not to mention the way you throw out the word “mental”, as though it were some kind of moral failing for somebody to have a psychiatric disorder. In fact, I would expect greater sympathy for a person who was born with a Psychiatric disorder than a person who actively chooses to take drugs, but thats just me applying logic.
Anyway, the people who do have mental disorders shouldnt have to deal with the extra burden of the stigma people like you thrust at them.
@Maya: Well she did try to hire a hitman to kill herself (he convinced her to not go ahead with those plans). Also, she admitted herself into a mental institute once. I believe it was after Billy Bob broke up with her before they got married, iirc. These were thing she admitted to in interviews during that time, so she wasn’t really all that stable then which might explain why the @don’t kill me I’m French feels that way about her.
Maya, so are you saying that having a mental health issue is bad? Mental? Really? It’s 2014.
@Liv, who wrote: “Angelina is super beautiful, but her characters are more authentic because she doesn’t look just sweet.”
And this is exactly why millions of women branded her a ‘man-stealing wh0re’ and ‘home-wrecker’ and why even today people post here that Jennifer Aniston was probably worried and nervous about Brad Pitt working with Angielina Jolie. It is all about her looks. Average looking Soccor Moms and women who had been dumped by men who ended up with ‘prettier’ women all flocked to the ‘Team Aniston’ banner.
If you’re saying that Angelina Jolie ‘doesn’t’ look sweet and ‘couldn’t’ be sweet because she’s beautiful you’ve just proven Rob Lowe’s point.
Angelina doesn’t look sweet. I love the woman, but she could never play the girl next door, just as much as Jennifer Aniston could never play Lara Croft.
Eleanor Zissou, exactly. That’s what I meant when I said Angelina doesn’t look sweet.
Emma, what’s your problem? I didn’t even say something bad about her.
yeah angelina is very beautiful. thankfully she doesnt look like the sweet girl next door those women are boring, once i read a post about some people not viewing angelina as human i guess because of her looks and personality until she got pregnant. i dont know why people would think that about her, one of the reasons i like her is that i see how human she is. i think hally Berry said something like that too about people not thinking she was capable to do hard edgy characters because of her beauty until she proved them wrong.
” Average looking Soccor Moms and women who had been dumped by men who ended up with ‘prettier’ women all flocked to the ‘Team Aniston’ banner.”
THAT is pretty dang funny. lol!
I don’t think Angelina couldn’t play sweet beacuse she’s beautiful. Doutzen Kroes is equally beautiful, but in a sweet, girl next door kinda way. Angelina is much sexier, better suited for the action heroine.
@Emma-the JP lover- I would consider myself an “average looking soccer mom” but I am no team Aniston. Angie could easily steal me away any day…just saying!
I think it’s entirely doable for Jolie to play a girl next door. She is a great actress and from all person accounts a very kind and polite lady. We see her most often as a mysterious or villanous sex kitten, but she’s capable of acting outside that.
And I personally know lots of pretty, childless, strong ladies that are Team Aniston.
It goes both ways, but still funny.
@ Liv: great post! I totally agree. It has nothing to do with being pretty or not, but with having certain face characteristics (usually the ones you associate with “baby face”) that makes them more relatable to a “sweet personality”. I guess that people without those facial characteristics are more of a empty canvas when it comes to what people expect from the person. I’m not saying I agree, just that is basic psychology about facial processing and expectations.
Changed my mind.
“I think what he means about bias against good looking people is the belief that they cannot play certain parts or wouldn’t even be considered for them. Like he said, the belief that good looking people have no depth and somehow manage to have a pain free life.”
This is true. Just look at any comment section on this board about Leo D’s girlfriends and all anyone has to say about them is that they’re: shallow, aren’t real woman, comments insinuating that they’re dumb, naive, etc. All because these women are models. People tend to paint pretty people, especially pretty women, as: bitchy, stuck up, and stupid. It’s like people think that if you’re conventionally attractive you have no other redeeming qualities other than your looks. There is a bias, but no one wants to say anything because than you’ll be accused of showing off or throwing a pity party.
I think people deem them those things not because of their looks but because of their career choice… and because they’re dating leo
I don’t remeber people called VS models dumb on this site – the only one that was called dumb was Miranda Kerr because she does come off as very very shallow in interviews. And Leo’s girls are not that bright if they’re dating Leo.
Plus, most models leave school at a very early age, which doesn’t have anything to do with their intelligence, but they don’t come of as eloquent in interviews as people who are educated.
The thing that I don’t get is – if pretty people hav ite so hard getting roles, where are all the average and below average actors and actresses ( especially actresses) on our screens?
Leo’s girlfriends aren’t more attractive than the successful actresses we love. Any jokes about them are related to them knowingly serving as his very temporary arm candy.
The only VS model peoplecalled dumb on this site was Miranda Kerr after her interviews.
And people call Leo’s girlfriends dumb because they’re dating Leo, not because they’re models. Model also leave school very early,which doesn’t mean they’re less intelligent, but they can come across less eloquent than people who are educated.
Also, if pretty people have it so hard getting roles, where are all the average or below average actors and actresses ( especially actresses) on our screens?
I posted twice because I can’t see my original comment-
@Jay
Yeah cause it’s SO STUPID to settle for a job where you’re flown to fckuing Maldives/Seychelles/Barbados every month, accommodated in 5 star hotels and get paid a sh!tton of money for standing knee-deep in the ocean in front of a camera.
Eleanor, I remember a huge “models are dumb” day on this site. Maybe you just missed it, but it went beyond Miranda Kerr and was very much about models in general.
I probably missed that, my apologies. I haven’t been here that long.
But, my question remains, where are the below average actors and actresses ( especially actresses) on our screens? Again, not comedic ones.
Very good question, Eleanor. I can’t think of any, except maybe male character actors.
I was just thinking of TV shows and movies I’ve recently seen, an virtually no actress comes to mind, at least not one in a more high profile role.
There are a few actors, like Steve Buscemi, but they are all character actors and older.
Anyone?
Eh, I keep wussing out on this thread.
Jinni, I don’t think you’re right. Unfortunately it is very known that people perceived as attractive have better chances to be called to a job interview based on their CV photo and that they are also perceived as being more successful and accomplished when compared to a not so attractive peer. Maybe the not only pretty but also cute, angelical looking ones have it differently since people relate it more with other personality characteristics like the lack of leadership or childish behavior, but that is another thing.
If models get perceived as being “dumb” in general it’s because people associate that you don’t need any formal education to be a model (most of the famous ones are found when they are very young, so they also have less time to pursue that anyway) and their only job is to look pretty. Specially the ones that date Leo, or any well known womanizer, are put in that judgment because they choose to date someone that shows little respect for women. It is a generalization and I certainly agree that they can’t be all dumb, neither can they all be smart.
Plus, IMO, Eleonor is totally right. People want to see pretty actors/actresses and that is the reason why you can count with your fingers the number of big actors and specially actresses that being not so attractive have a high flow of roles. I think these kind of statements about the burden of being pretty in an entertainment career are just petty.
Linda Hunt is a great actress who is not conventionally attractive.
He’s right.
Second that, you have to deal with other people’s jealousy and insecurities. I no longer hide the way I look or feel to make people who feel inadequate or won’t grow up feel better. I am beautiful, educated and I’m blessed with talent and intelligence.
Lucy – I don’t doubt that you’re pretty fabulous, but I had a friend growing up who was so insecure that she constantly accused everyone else of jealousy. Truthfully, most people are so concerned with their own issues they don’t have time to think about someone else enough to be jealous of them. Still. you are right that you should be who you are and not tone it down to make others more comfortable. Women are too quick to apologize for who they are. So, you go girl, but don’t be so quick to assume jealousy when other people are just sometimes jerks for their own reason.
@Bettyrose
I agree. Most people I have known who thought they were hated for their looks were actually disliked because of their personalities. They happened to be pretty, but they also bragged all of the time and constantly assumed, and said, that people hated them because they were beautiful, brilliant, talented, etc. and it was very offputting.
PREACH!
I had to deal with so much BS like that growing up, it ended up giving me feelings of insecurity & self-loathing. Sick part is, you’ll start showing all the insecurities projected on to you, just because some people love to compare themselves with others & have to put them down to feel good. Now I have no qualm squashing all the passive agressive behaviour & remarques thrown my way.
Are you James Franco’s Lucy?
jk 🙂
I don’t think so. I guarantee he got more parts because of his looks than losing parts because of his looks. Studies consistently show that beautiful people have a huge advantage in life and career because of their looks. They make more money, are considered more trustworthy, and generally live longer because their lives are easier. He didn’t get comedic parts because he hadn’t shown he could do comedy. I think he’s doing it now because he’s grown as an actor more than because he “outgrew” his looks.
I’ve known many beautiful people in my life that didn’t deal with jealousy because they were great people. I’ve also known mean beautiful people who pulled the jealousy card all the time. So I’m calling BS on his complaint.
Agreed. Most of the “A-List” in Hollywood, at least, are conventionally beautiful people, all paid as actors, offered the big roles, given Oscars. And if Monsieur Lowe would look past the movies of his own shores, he’d see how very beautiful people get amazingly complex roles in foreign films (although the great thing about most non-Hollywood cinema is that there’s more variety of features, a better representation of society).
Like you said, we need to point this halfwit to all the studies that belie his claim. Fekking hell, Hollywood is ALL about beauty. Talk about cogdiss.
Well, he WAS so damn pretty in his youth. It’s disingenuous to pretend otherwise. And good for him for just saying so. However there’s zero acknowledgement of ANY other factors in his limited acting options, Iike his limited acting skills, how he handled himself and his career, etc. Paul Newman was a spectacularly gorgeous man and managed to have a long and varied career. It’s true that there are some biases against good looking people, but they are generally VASTLY overshadowed by the advantages also bestowed upon them. Anyway, even if it’s poor me, I’m so gorgeous”, I still thought his comment was more funny than offensive.
I agree.
And maybe the roles pretty people can get are limited, but they have it much easier to get to the posistion of actually gettin roles – how many average or below average actressesd are working now? And not comedic actresses – drama actresses?
Maybe, it was because when RL was younger, he was considered an asshole…there were tons of stories pf him being a jerk…Lots of better looking guys than RL got some great roles, Brad Pitt, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, to name a few…maybe RL should look at how he was conducting himself in those days, instead of making up bullshit that he was too good looking…
I very much agree. It isn’t necessarily that someone is too good looking (though young Rob Lowe was ridiculously pretty) so much as the fact that they’re not bringing new depth or nuance to their take on a part. Ultimately, they’re not believable because all they’re bringing to the table is their good looks. Rob Lowe has proven adept at comedy, but take for example the West Wing: the earnest Sam Seaborn was a very straight shooter. There weren’t hidden depths to plumb. Or to go back to the Jessica Biel example: it’s not that she’s too pretty to be believable, it’s that she does every part like she’s in a high school play.
but how long did it take for Paul Newman to get his Oscar? And he had had great roles when younger. He got it untim the late 80s. And robert Redford? He got his Oscar and more nominations until he became a director, behind the cameras.
Peter O’Toole is another example. He never got his. Never. Oh, actually the academy gave hiim an honorary Oscar in 2003. And damn he was a good actor.
Cary Grant never won either, Marlon did won one, and one when he was older.
I am not sure about Warren Beatty, but I think he never did get one.
Elizabeth Taylor got an Academy award the same year her husband Richard Burton was nominated too. He got a lot of nominations and never won.
Two of my favorite handsome older lead men were gorgeous Gregory Peck, who I think won fot To kill a Mocking Bird, and Robert Mitchum, with his animalistic appeal, he played great villains but I think he never won either.
My longest time boo Harrison Ford has never won. And i don’t think he ever will.
Here is a nice article.
Here is a nice article about this topic from the Daily beast, they mention the fact that now Jonah Hill has more nominations for acting than Robert Redford!
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/17/did-the-academy-snub-robert-redford-because-he-s-so-damn-handsome.html
they make these points:
…”The trend has continued in recent years as well. To see what I mean, click on this list of Best Actor results. Scroll down to 1980 or so. Choose each year’s comeliest nominee. And see how often he wins. 1980: O‘Toole loses. 1981: Beatty and Newman lose. 1982: Newman and O‘Toole lose. 1985: Harrison Ford loses. (He still hasn’t won.) 1987: Marcello Mastroianni loses. (He never won, either.) 1989: Tom Cruise loses. 1990: Kevin Costner loses. 1991: Beatty loses again. 1994: Newman loses again. 1996: Cruise loses again. 1997: Matt Damon loses. 2003: Johnny Depp and Jude Law lose. (Neither has ever won.) 2004: Depp and DiCaprio both lose. (DiCaprio has never won). 2005: Heath Ledger loses. 2006: DiCaprio and O‘Toole lose. 2007: Depp and George Clooney lose. 2008: Brad Pitt loses. (Pitt has never won.) 2009: Clooney loses again. 2010: James Franco loses. 2011: Pitt loses again.”
“In fact, sometimes it seems like the only way a pretty actor can win an Oscar is if he moves behind the camera to direct. Redford won for Ordinary People. Costner won for Dances with Wolves. Mel Gibson won for Braveheart. And Beatty won for Reds. None of them have won for anything else. Actors who look like mere mortals are allowed to act and be rewarded for it, but it’s almost as if the best-looking stars are required to do something more “substantial” to prove they’re worthy of an Oscar.”
Food for tought. And I hink in these cases, women have had it a little easier, because beautiful actresses have gotten her awards wihout less fuss than men.
Very well thought out and supported response 🙂
They didn’t get Oscars, but they got work. Unattracitve actors and actresses strugle to get work.
There are tons of actors and actresses like Alba, Biel, Selena Gomez, Kellan Lutz who get work and have no talent. I can’t even think of one unattracitve actress on our screen right now.
The issue is, you’re using an Oscar as the sole proof of an actor’s success. All the actors mentioned may not have won Oscars until later, but all were/are immensely respected, enormously successful actors each with an incredible body of work. Each of them had decades of great roles.
What kind of women have it easier? Women who aren’t gorgeous, and not only gorgeous, but within an extremely tiny range of looks, rarely even get roles at all, and fewer these days than in the past. Bette Davis would not be acceptable to Hollywood nowadays.
I agree with Tatjana….
I can’t think of any ugly actress acting and/or being famous…
Even roles that could be played by actresses who are ugly or less goodlooking are played by actresses who get a ton of makeup to become ugly… As Nicole Kidman in The Hours or Charlize Theron in Monster…
Jared Leto just won an Oscar. He is among the prettiest actors alive.
If anything, you cannot work in Hollywood if you are not attractive. Rob Lowe was never that good. I doubt he should be taken seriously on this subject.
Some of these people are just handsome and not sinfully pretty. Robert Mitchum? Are you kidding? Mel Gibson in his heyday. Was hot…not pretty.
Pitt and Costner are probably better behind the camera. Neither of them can do a believable accent to save their lives.
Yes, he could barely act his way out of a paper bag when he was younger. All he had was pretty. He has gotten much better over the years. I will say Rob was almost too pretty when he was young as in painful to look at because he was so pretty. That might have worked against him a bit but I still contend his looks opened far more doors than they shut.
That sex tape scandal waaaay back also cost him a lot of work, too. He’s blaming everything and everyone but himself.
I think he needs to differentiate between ‘teen idol’ and good looking, in terms of bias. For the former, I could agree. There have been plenty of tremendously good looking people getting roles. In fact, in Hollywood, that’s almost a necessary qualification, as opposed to films from Europe. As to good-looking and funny, two words: Cary Grant.
I love CG. He was an example of a good looking actor who allowed himself to age naturally.
Cary tried to bow out of being a romantic lead in his early 50s, but thankfully he was talked into a few more movies before he truly retired. I also think Rock Hudson was both handsome and funny in his movies with Doris. I listened to an interview of her the other day (she just turned 90), and she commented on how she wished they could have done more together.
CAry had a great career, but he only got an honorary academy award, only 2 nominations. i browsed his list of nominations and he was only nominated for most important awards. And he did act in memorable movies, and excellent comedies.
He wasn’t talking about awards. He was talking about roles.
It’s a tough line to walk when these attractive people we expect to be attractive and then judge them for actually do the unthinkable and speak about it. Not that I feel sorry for them, but I understand people constantly making unfair assumptions based on how you look. One of my favorites and who I think the one who has done it best and most charmingly was Keira Knightley who said Joe Wright didn’t want her for Elizabeth Bennet because she was too pretty, which was a nice reason to lose a part, but when he met her went, nevermind, you’ll be fine. You need to throw something in there to balance it out, Rob. Even if you are speaking truth.
Well, the problem with his comment is not that it’s not “true”, it’s that it’s only half of the truth. Which would be that everyone is judged on their looks, not just those considered attractive. Attractive people deal with different prejudices than those considered less attractive but the bottom line is that they ARE considered good looking and that will always result in more advantages than disadvantages. That’s what’s making me give him some major side-eye. Yes, you’re judged on your looks (maybe). So am I. So is everyone. The only difference is that your looks are still put into the “yay” column.
If he had phrased it differently and made a larger point about the superficiality of society, fine. But no. He had to whine. Guess that takes care of his levels of attractiveness, at least for me.
“If he had phrased it differently and made a larger point about the superficiality of society, fine.”
Exactly. I think he has a point, but to only acknowledge his own ‘plight’ and not recognise the advantages that come with being attractive by society’s standards makes him seem rather self-centered and short-sighted. There are definitely more advantages for him that not, and it’s not like he never took advantage of them.
Yeah not artful. It’s funny because we wouldn’t even be hearing this whine from him at all, if he didn’t have those pretty looks that got him famous. Thise same looks that he thinks are a handicap are his main bread and butter.
He is just talking about his personal experience. He shouldn’t have to talk about everyone elses experiences. He is talking about his roles and how he can get more interesting ones now that he is less pretty.
Not that it should matter but I say this as an ugly person. And it sucks but that is my own experience.
Someone actually said Keira knightley is too pretty? With that chin?
“Beauty is on the eye of the beholder”
I don’t find him pretty or attractive at all, so I find his comment a bit hilarious and self-absorbed. If he would be Brad Pitt some years ago or Angelina Jolie I could even use the excuse of “he’s right to state the obvious”. Even if many can also disagree, these two have qualities that are more generally accepted as attractive than he has. He could have said it differently (even if I disagree from the general concept he’s propagating) and avoid to sound like a self-absorbed douche.
I love Rob Lowe. That is all.
Me too.
He’s not totally wrong.
Pretty actors and actresses are not taken seriously if they don’t ugly themselves.
But if they weren’t pretty, they wouldn’t get the big roles to begin with. I believe that this is even more prevalent with women. How many big actresses are there, that aren’t ugly per se, but who look like ordinary people? You see this approach (with normal looking people) much more frequently with foreign films. There are average looking people with extraordinary acting skills. Since Hollywood is filled with people who are extraordinarily good looking, it’s more difficult to see beyond that, it’s almost necessary for them to downplay looks and glamor for suspension of disbelief. So yeah, it may be hard for the pretty to get certain roles, but they wouldn’t even be a player, for the most part, without those looks to get them in the door.
Kathy Bates in Misery.
She didn’t play a classic ‘lead’ role. Kathy Bates is attractive, although over weight, and in how many films has she been the lead since? She is the exception that proves the rule. We can always find a meager exception here and there.
You would think it would be logical to cast less attractive actors, but noo, pretty actors get paid more money to ugly themselves.
Exactly!
+one million!
ex. Charlize Theron
Thank you, it’s nice to be beautiful but there’s always the other side. Beauty opens doors and it can close them too. But I’d rather be beautiful inside out too.
Maybe he thinks weed should of never been criminal to begin with….which would be consisted with his personal freedom comment.
I agree I want the govt out of most of our personal stuff too. And neither political party represents me. Somehow not wearing a political party tshirt is looked at as suspiciously by those who do …..labels and stereotypes.
Yes, he didn’t say one way or another his thoughts on marijuana decriminalization. He just said it’s slowly happening.
Please. That’s nothing compared to the bias against ugly people!
I don’t see many “pretty” people going in for plastic surgery to change their looks. RL could always have some surgery to tone down that gorgeous face that made him piles and piles of money over the years!
I actually think there is a bias against pretty men in Hollywood and he was very very pretty back in the day and he still is . Still when considering all the other crappy biases in Hollywood the racism, and sexism in casting it should be low on the priorities of changing things. I also think if he wasn’t part of the boys club he possibly wouldn’t have had a comeback after his bad boy behavior but he’s talented and I like him.
I love Rob Lowe, he is such a little bee-atch (in a good way) and of course, Sam Seaborn forever – but whenever I read a quote like this I think…
“Oh no, two women love me. They’re both gorgeous and sexy. My wallet’s too small for my fifties AND MY DIAMOND SHOES ARE TOO TIGHT.
I like Rob Lowe. His first book was a great read and I will probably pick up this one as well.
I enjoyed his first book, too, although I admit I hid the cover whenever I was in public! He comes off as pretty genuine and self-aware, especially considering how insane Hollywood is and how long he’s been in the business.
I also don’t think he’s really complaining about his good looks, I think he’s well aware that they contributed a ton to his success. He’s just commenting that he wasn’t always considered for “deeper” roles, which isn’t the same as complaining about everything.
If I recall correctly Brad Pitt has made similar comments about not being taken seriously enough in HW, especially early on, because of his looks.
Oh God…cry me a river why don’t you?
Maybe he was the type of person who always used your good looks to get what he wanted and people around him knew it and unlike Biel he was very pretty
Except that he is right and Jessica Biel was delusional. My favorite was the SNL with Ralph Nadar and he’s trying to figure out who he is. His inner monologue was, “who is this guy? Is he my agent ? Is he – oh wait, is that a mirror? Well hello there, gorgeous!” Rob Lowe doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously.
Right or wrong it’s a really weird dig at successful actors. He and RDJ walked the same path for awhile and now RDJ is this incredibly talented, successful, and prolific actor. Meanwhile RL is whining about being pretty.
I was a llate bloomer and didn’t really peak until my mid 20s. For whatever reason I went from attractive to striking to gorgeous within a two year time frame. It was freaking awesome, though – how can I say otherwise, you know? But I was also innately aware that I would be judged if I “owned” it which was weird also. In two weeks I turn 40 and I’m back to being striking which means in several more years I’ll be back at attractivelol. But from a purely sociological standpoint it has been an extremely interesting, crazy ride. Not always fun but no complaints here 🙂
I have a face that people think is very angelic and sweet. All my life, people who know me for one minute tell me how sweet I am. I am a nice person, and a compassionate one, but I have a very dry and sarcastic since of humor, and many times if I make a joke that’s not mean, but sort of snarky, I get this look from people who don’t know me well, or they say, ” that doesn’t sound like you!” What they mean, or what it feels like they mean, is I’m not fitting into the little box they put me into because of how I look.
Having said that, it’s not the worst problem in the world. I remember once going to a wedding in my 30s with a friend who is a wonderful person, but not attractive. She’s beautiful to me, because if I love someone, I think they’re beautiful, but objectively speaking, she’s not attractive. I walked up to a group of people I didn’t know and they were all smiling and how do you know the bride etc. and then she came over, and in saw their faces change to withdrawn and hostile. That’s when I saw how unfair life is to people who aren’t pretty.
Goodnames
This. I have gone out dancing with my girlfriends and seen how horribly plain or “unattractive” people are treated. It is baffling and heartbreaking to me. I’ve also seen a former co-worker driven to anxiety attacks and depression because of how the other office workers treated her. She was very pretty. It’s all so unnecessary and unjustifiable 🙁
Goodnames you remind me of my little sister who is not only beautiful but very petite and young looking for her age. She was married and had a child by the time she was 32 and people still thought she was a teen mom. Older people, especially, automatically like/trust her because she is pretty.
You said it – it’s all very unnecessary and unjustifiable.
On a lighter note, my friends at work and I had a coworker from hell, stole your ideas and claimed them for her own, blamed other people for her mistakes, got someone fired for something they didn’t do, etc., and my friends decided she must be killed ( just a joke, of course) and that I should be the murderer because no one would ever believe I did it. Lol
Goodnames
*puts the internet in a gift bag*
Take it. It’s yours!
Absolutely. I was bullied for my looks until my early 30ies. I don’t think I am that ugly but I wish I was average 🙁
Rob Lowe has a point there but.. Where would he be without his looks?
In his heyday he was one of the most beautiful male specimens on the planet *sighs*
Hiddles, that makes me so angry and sad. I would like to punch everybody who was ever mean to you, because you are a lovely, smart and kind person. Please don’t let other people make you feel that you aren’t beautiful, because you are.
And yes, I used to stare at Rob Lowe in West Wing and just wonder how anyone could be so beautiful.
Hiddles
You are, indeed, a beautiful person. And I also suspect you are much like a good friend of mine – more physically lovely than you realize because you have internalized the crap other people have projected onto you.
*hugs*
Goodnames
Omg I remember it almost hurt to look at RL back in the day. I’ve always loved a more asymmetrical, unconventional beauty in men but there are some who are just so much of the pretty that you just feel gobsmacked when you look at them. Gregory Peck, robert Redford, Paul Chamberlain, Prince, Douchey Jared Leto, Brad Pitt, Vintage Depp, LOTR Orlando Bloom, Jakob Dylan, Langston Hughes, Sidney Poitier, Tyson Beckford top my list. And my ex boyfriend in college was so beautiful it eventually wore away at my nerves lol. It was almost a relief when I graduated and moved away. Oops I meant Paul Newman and Richard Chamberlain ^. Oh yeah and Sonny Corinthos from General Hospital lol.
Well, ladies, I’ll take you on face value (so to speak) that you’re both stunning. I don’t doubt it. Funny thing is, in my single days I was one of those girls who was always hit on at parties/bars/the bus. I never thought I was “all that” (I mean, I think I’m awesome, but I’m realistic in terms of being the adorable/brainy type, not a major league babe). I always thought my, er, appeal was that I looked approachable. Cute enough to be appealing but not hot enough to be intimidating. But I have seen first hand that the major hotties are reluctant to shine too much in social situations, which I never really understood, but maybe you’ve just explained it.
I’m not stunning. For one thing, I’m 56 now, but at my best I was a pretty girl, not stunning. I just have a face that looks very sweet, so people have expectations of my personality based strictly on my looks, and I get disapproval if I don’t meet those expectations. That’s all I meant.
One of my best friends is just as you describe yourself. Quite pretty in a girl next door, very approachable, rather than sexy siren kind of way. We would go out together, and oh, the men would trip over themselves, and me , to talk to her! I was usually thinking, “um, I know you want to talk to my friend, but could you get off of my foot?” Lol
“historical bias” woahw. he completly leaves out all the upsides of being beautiful. thats not a gender thing and isnt limited to sexual orientation. even heterosexual men treat good looking men subconciously better or think they are better at their jobs.
beautiful people generally earn more and get better grades. people are more likely to help you out if you are a stranger but good looking.
there is a nice ted talk by Cameron Russel “Good looks arent everything, believe me, i’m a model” about this.
so its really not like he gets only the bad sides and has to struggle so hard. bohohooo he can make millions just by being pretty while some people cant get a job as a secretary to feed their family because they are deemed ugly and their skills dont matter.
all those advantages come with a prize: good looking people generally have it way easier in life. character is build through struggle and hardships and you will have less when people find you attractive.
look at all the male comedians: how many of them are drop dead gorgeous? being funny was the only way for them to get noticed and to deal with their pain at being rejected. have you seen youth pictures of Tina Fey?
there will always be exceptions but generally that stereotype holds a lot of truth and most of it is backed up by various studies. (like getting better grades and earning more)
I do think it goes both ways, and while his looks may have limited his roles somewhat, the prejudice against unattractive people is well documented and has much more negative effects throughout their life. I know he has a right to express his opinion, but there’s something a little unseemly about complaining about being too beautiful, too rich, etc. I know he’s just being honest, but would he change places with someone who was ugly? I doubt it, but I bet they would change places with him. “It’s like growing old. It’s the worst thing in the world, except the alternative.”
You don’t have less struggle and hardship when you’re attractive. You just have different struggles and hardships. Being judged and criticized, being treated like an intellectual inferior, being viewed skeptically by the same gender, having your motives questioned, feeling the pain of others and not always being able to help, questioning others’ motives for being with you…I could go on and on.
Right, of course, but being attractive has a definite upside, while I’m not sure being unattractive does.
There are hardships, but I’d still say attractive people have less hardship, and especially in the industry Rob’s in.
I can say that it helps get you noticed and gives you a foot in the door. If I’m honest, I’ve gotten work, at least in part, based on looks. But you can’t rest on your laurels, you have to show up and do a great job. I think people like Lowe were used to doors opening, as in people holding the doors wide open for him, and he expected them to hold all doors, for all roles, without working all that hard once in.
True. I just didn’t want to disenfranchise the pain of others due to looks – good or bad. There is a difference but mainly in quality not quantity, imho.
Oh shut up.
Yes, because “pretty” people get judged and criticized way more than those deemed not pretty. Give me a break. Everything you said “pretty” people deal with, those deemed not pretty deal with twofold. And it’s usually the “pretty” people giving it to them.
Among women, the supposed “pretty”/”not-pretty” is a way we keep each other down. We all share problems that come with being women. There is no way we can win if we keep slinging mud at each other over our perceived attractiveness to men or lack thereof.
“And it’s usually the pretty people giving it to them.”
Thank you for proving our point, Jessica. Because pretty people are always mean and bitchy, right?
If you would actually read this conversation, I think you’ll see you owe us an apology, because we were actually saying that while there are downsides to being attractive, there are also upsides, while the downside to being unattractive is much greater, without any upside. So you either didn’t bother to read it, or you didn’t understand it.
And if your anger comes from personal experience, it may be that they judge and criticize you because you’re rude.
Goodnames
Well said and absolutely agree with you.
Jessica
My pretty ass is going to overlook your ugly ass comment, okay? Okay.
Emily
I wish we could explore your point more instead of out-suffering one another lol.
Sometimes just bitterness comes for struggle and hardship and not character. People I know who have struggled are a mixed bag. Some are just assholes.
The character thing may just me a way to consul oneself. Sour grapes
Yeah, his comment just rubs me the wrong way. I compare it to people claiming “skinny-shaming” is equivalent to fat-shaming, which makes me crazy. I was super skinny until my 30s–I’m still slender but no longer getting asked if I’m anorexic (which only happened once, at a GPs, but still). People were always commenting on my weight and gushing about how “petite” I was as if it were news to me. Yes, it sucks to have people policing our bodies and weight, and “eat a sammich” comments under images of women in the media rankle us, but as a skinny girl, I imagine it’s NOTHING like going through life with extra weight. I had energy to spare even when I was 5’2″, 95 pounds, I fit into clothes, airplane seats were comfy, I got hit on, etc, etc. Our society is designed for trim people. Skinny has ALL the privilege, just like beautiful does. So go to hell with that analogy, RL.
Sorry–pet peeve. Privileged people whining about not being privileged makes me feel a touch murderous.
I totally hear you, but I’m not sure people are whining exactly. I think they’re just acknowledging that being attractive may look perfect, just as being rich may look perfect, but it’s not. It has some downside. That downside is nothing compared to being unattractive or poor, but it does exist.
Amen, girl. I’m probably about the same size as you. I used to work in a chocolate shop, and I would get shit all the time about being so skinny surrounded by chocolate all day. It was slightly annoying, but you will never hear me going on about how hard it is to be skinny, how cruel people can be, how I’m discriminated against because people are jealous. Just no. I realize how lucky I am.
He is totally right. People think that attractive people don’t have a care in the world. “Oh you must have the perfect life, oh you’re not stuck up like I thought you were, you probably don’t have to worry about things like that” etc…. Being shy and quiet doesn’t help matters. It’s like I have to instantly walk in a room and scream that I’m down to earth and a cool person or I automatically get the stink eye. It’s exhausting having to always defend yourself for something that you have no control over.
I understand. People automatically assume that you’re just a bitch.
Don’t bother trying. People who judge solely on the basis of looks aren’t worth your time or energy.
I totally hear you on that Jo – I was exceptionally pretty and really hit my stride in my 20s and 30s. But I wasn’t arrogant and obsessed by it. I was actually very shy, had low self-esteem and HATED the attention I got from men – I’d go out with my girlfriends and feel embarrassed that men kept hitting on me. I subsequently had two long-term but ultimately unhappy relationships with men I thought loved me but they just wanted a trophy on their arms and didn’t really care what I said or thought. Both messed around on me with….guess what??? Less attractive women who were needy and made them feel superior.
Now that I’m 61 I’m still an attractive woman (albeit with some grey hairs which I refuse to cover up – I kinda like them) but have learned to own myself and realize that it’s who I am, what I say and who I’ve become that makes me feel confident, and I’m not intimidated anymore by men hitting on me (generally married or messed up so they get the rebuff).
I could list a gazillion more studies, but for the most part, the bias is towards pretty people, not against them:
On the Job, Beauty Is More Than Skin-Deep
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203687504576655331418204842
Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at the University of Texas in Austin, measures out the benefits in his book, “Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful.”
According to his research, attractive people are likely to earn an average of 3% to 4% more than a person with below-average looks. That adds up to $230,000 more over a lifetime for the typical good-looking person…
Teachers Give Better Grades to More Attractive Students: Study
http://healthland.time.com/2013/12/10/teachers-give-better-grades-to-more-attractive-students-study/
Never Mind the Résumé. How Hot Is the C.E.O.?
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/01/06/never-mind-the-rsum-how-hot-is-the-c-e-o/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
There is a long list of psychology research demonstrating that appearances matter more than most us would care to admit. As shallow as it may be, better-looking people have been shown in various studies to have higher self-esteem and more charisma, are considered more trustworthy and are better negotiators.
Exactly. As I said above, there are problems with being attractive, but there are advantages, too. Being unattractive does not give any advantages.
This, and most of us wouldn’t trade our good looks for anything, for crying out loud–which should be the first clue.
Kiddo, I love this. We don’t see Rob Lowe rushing out to get plastic surgery to normalize himself, do we? The advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.
I wonder about those studies. There’s no question that people we perceive as better-looking get more social advantages. But WHY do we perceive them as better-looking? Beauty is a social construct, and people with charisma and self-esteem are always found to be better-looking than those without. When we like people, we think they are prettier.
Anything that pretends to measure some Platonic objective of beauty is trying to measure something that does not exist.
I’m tired, but you can look up studies on symmetry. Those are universal characteristics that are considered ‘attractive’.
@ Kiddo: +1000 on your references plus 1000 more on the “symmetry” comment. These are very much studied phenomena. There are always other things that will play a role, but the weight of these concepts/perception ideas are huge and well known.
Hahahahahahaha! Somebody let Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Daniel Craig, Johnny Depp (the classic one – not the current one), et al know that they are going to have to wait until they get older before anyone takes them seriously as actors with range and depth.
Seriously, Rob, nobody took you seriously because you self-casted as a himbo ready to screw any piece that came your way. That and being a part of the Brat Pack pretty much sealed it for you.
+1. He made some questionable choices early in his career that made him rich and famous (and in one case, infamous), but didn’t earn him respect for his talent. It took him awhile to overcome, but he’s had a good second half of his career.
Yup – he took full advantage of his looks and became a total uber-douche, thus perpetuating the notion that really good-looking men (and women) use their looks in the most manipulative and self-serving ways. So cry me a river pretty-boy – if you’d acted with more maturity and discretion, maybe your career would be at a whole other level now.
This. Plus “I’m not a narcissist because I’m denying I’m a narcissist” is rich. That said, I did think he was funny on Parks and Rec, but I thought that he had changed. Now I question that.
They already are old. And BP at least is getting better parts on account of it. Those are all good looking men but their looks have already faded alot.
Oh Rob
He’s right.
Hey, whatever this man says is fine with me.
I like him as an actor and I think he has a point, but it’s not like he’s never used his beauty to his advantage.
“Good-looking people are not funny.”
He seems kind of funny right now.
In all seriousness, the biggest issue I have with his comments is that he seems to be complaining. He’s had a successful career overall, a career so many actors would love to have, no matter what they looked like.
Looking at Lowe’s IMDB page, since 1979, he has been in either a movie or television show every single year except 1982 and 1989. That’s 35 years of rather consistent work in some rather diverse roles. And he walked away from some jobs, like West Wing. More likely he isn’t getting some jobs because he makes statements such as “there in unbelievable bias and prejudice against good-looking people.”
He was really pretty when he was younger and now he’s pretty weird looking. People find plastic faced men attractive? His chin looks weird too. He’s actually pretty creepy looking these days.
Confession: his chin / jaw have always been a turn-off for me. He looks much better in action. He’s definitely had some cosmetic tweaks over the years. Maybe he should have let himself go. Problem solved! 😉
I never found him attractive. He was always in that “Ken Doll” category for me, along with Tom Cruise.
He looks like a woman in the first picture, is he wearing glittery lip gloss? He looks super creepy.
It does look like he’s wearing lip gloss! Lol
SWOON. YUM. WORD.
It’s interesting that most of the posters are agreeing with Rob. I’m guessing most of the posters here are women because if a woman had said the same thing Rob said everyone would be calling her an idiot or shallow.
A woman probably would have received a lot more flak for similar statements, especially if it were someone who was not considered talented.
That’s weird, because normally Hollywood only wants “good looking” people doesn’t it? There are plenty of good looking actors/actresses who have had amazing roles in movies. Jessica Biel’s problem is that she’s not a good actress, just like Jessica Alba. Excuse me but Hally Berry is beautiful and she’s managed to play some gritty characters very well. Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, the list goes on…
I read through most of the comments and I must agree with you. The reaction on this blog topic would be so different if it was an actress who made this comment …you know I’m speaking the truth !
I am a little surprised by the amount of support he’s receiving here. I also can’t figure out if the posters talking about how their own overwhelming beauty has made their lives difficult are being tongue-in-cheek or genuine.
I think it depends on context and the source. If it sounded like conceit, then yeah – flak will ensue. Can you imagine if Goopy said it? Clearly, there would be no element of surprise (just the usual eye-rolling) but there aould be flak. But Rob was stating it in the context that his good-lookingness (which is undeniable) has not been all it’s cracked up to be when it comes to landing meaty roles. It’s not that he’s whining about being good-looking, per se, but he is pointing out that there is a downside to it (as there is with all things).
Also, I think people like him, generally speaking. I confess that if someone I didn’t like said the exact same thing, I probably would have been much more critical.
I agree and that is unfortunate.
What he said is true but if a woman said it she would be racked over the coals and left to die.
No, I wouldn’t. In fact, I agreed with him PRECISELY because of my experience as a woman. So please don’t “assume” what the rest of us would say or think if the gender of the speaker were swapped.
He is right in the context he was talking about as an actor.Of course , in general , there are more advantages to being “pretty” than disadvantages.But there are disadvantages to be extremely attractive.
This reminds me of colorism in my community, the Black community.People seem to realize the advantages of having lighter skin but they ignore or downplay the discrimination that light skinned Black women face.I am not light skinned but I have seen how my light skinned cousins are hated and told they aren’t really Black.
My point is being “pretty” is not utopia.
Totally true. The grass is not always greener on the other side and there is no utopia. Even those who seem to have it all will tell you otherwise. The moral of the story: be the best person you can be, love yourself for who you are and count your blessings for what you have instead of worrying about what you don’t.
This is the best comment by far on this thread. Great point.
Yep. I have four siblings, and we are all VERY light skinned, except for my twin brother. He’s had people at school ask him if we were ‘natural’ brothers and sisters, because of his skin color. My older sister–who looks like a typical Italian girl (she’s half) i.e. has black wavy hair, green eyes, freckles, and pale skin–went to an all black college in Georgia. Good Lord. By Christmas, she wanted to come back home, because the minute she got there, all of the girls there started in on her.
I’ve had people stare and make faces at my hair (which is a triangle shaped afro)…..
100% agree. I don’t know how many times I got the “she think she all that cause she light skin and got long hair” line growing up as a kid. My younger sister who is a little lighter and literally looks like a doll baby got asked if she were mixed by one of her elementary school teachers! I always worried about her in school but she never really got harassed because she just had a magnetic personality. You would have to be a psychopath to not like her. I got it bad because I wasn’t as outgoing and was more shy and reserved. Still get attitude to this day and I’m 30 years old.
I can’t see the monitor through my tears, but I just want to say that we are all here for you, Rob. You’ve had a tough road to travel in this life, what with the extreme beauty and whatnot. *lifts leg and farts*
Hahahahah, good one.
HA ha ha ha ,thanks for the good laugh
LMAO
lulz
I think being attractive has huge advantages in all walks of life. Just look at the news every time a pretty girl goes missing. How many unattractive and poor girls go missing and no one cares about. When something happens to wealthy people there is more outreach. There is more empathy for attractive and/or wealthy people. If two people are equally qualified for a job I believe 9 times out of the the more attractive person is going to get hired.
I laughed at the narcissist test Rob didn’t pass! These actors sometimes say the funniest stuff.
I think Jessica Biel’s linebacker shoulders overshadow her leading men and that is what costs her roles in films. Yeah- I went there!
Didn’t Mitchell make this statement about Rob on “Modern Family”?
I’ll be fair about this. In “real life”, good-looking people have a distinct, huge advantage over average or regular-looking people. There have been numerous studies attesting to this fact. However, in Hollywood, it may be quite the opposite (as most things are). In Hollywood, almost everyone is good-looking. There are just varying degrees of good-lookingness. Those who aren’t good-looking are politely referred to as “character actors.” There are instances of goo-looking actora getting “ugly” roles and being believable – i.e. Charlize Theron in Monster – but yes, aside from a mass amount of transformative makeup, it is for the most part is difficult for regular people to find good-looking actors totally believable. When I lived in England, I was delighted to see so many more regular-looking actors. And yes, it did help tremendously in making their characters seem more believable. It is just easier for people to emotionally connect to and relate to people who look more like ourselves and the people we are surrounded by than preturnaturally good-looking people.
Well, even if it’s true beautiful people have their advantages, he’s got a point here. Some people still think that an handsome man or a pretty woman have to be dumb or shallow, while average or not so beautiful men/women are nicer, more clever and sensitive. Believe me, there is plenty of ugly people which are ignorant, stupid and rude and really beautiful people which are intelligent and not shallow at all …
I agree. I’ve had some unattractive ppl do some pretty shitty things to me. Plus one always has to prove they are more than their looks. Women are especially cruel when they feel threatened.
I don’t agree. I’ve seen way too many studies, shows, etc that show people pictures of attractive and unattractive people, and the attractive ones are always considered smarter, nicer, more fun loving, etc. Why do you think attractive people usually get the job over unattractive people? Because the boss thinks, hey they’re attractive. I bet they’re a giant idiot. Let’s hire them?
Have you people never watched 20/20? Or What Would You Do? About half of the programs are about how people help or hire people who are more attractive. The person above is right. You never see pretty people running to the plastic surgeon to ugly themselves. Because they know it’s an advantage 95% of the time.
And apparently there’s an extraordinarily large percentage of outrageously good looking people on this site.
I’m speaking about my personal acquaitances, and not about what I see on Tv. As I said, there are advantages coming from beauty and good looks, but there are also prejudice. And I confirm: being average or not so beautiful doesn’t mean a people is smarter or more sensitive. You can be beautiful and clever or beautiful and dumb, but this happens even with average/not appealing people. I knew ugly men which are arrogant, stupid and really shallow about women and relationships. And yes, women can be really envious and cruel about other women’s beauty.
I think he is referring to problems specific to his profession. I totally agree that the advantages of being attractive far outweigh the disadvantages, but that doesn’t mean the disadvantages don’t exist.
rob lowe isnt taken more seriously as an actor because he isnt that talented. he’s fine, not bad, but his looks are at least 75% of his game.
I think he has a point, and I can see how someone looking like he does is instantly judged and at times dismissed as nothing more than a pretty face. However, it’s also important to acknowledge that there are many advantages to it as well.
I’ve never liked him, until the flu episode of Parks & Rec. He was very good on that show, and the character was an excellent fit for him.
TBH I think ALL actors are “instantly judged” on their appearance, whether good looking or “interesting-looking” character actors with average or even ugly faces. It’s a visual industry and casting directors typically have a type in mind–all others need not apply. It’s also (in HWood at least) a “pretty” industry. Actors are overlooked all the time for not being good-looking or slim enough–probably more so that good-looking actors. I am giving RL’s drama some major side-eye.
Translated: “I’m sorry that good-looking people like us made you throw up and feel bad about yourself.”
Edit: I should add, I think he has a point. But I couldn’t help but hear Derek Zoolander in my head when I saw the headline 🙂
I laughed so hard at this! Then I felt terrible for doing so.
It’s kinda’ve like the rich/poor thing….growing up poor I resented those who were rich because I thought they had it easier (I was mostly right). But even when I was embarrassed about what I didn’t have, I was simultaneously proud that I had what I felt was a more “authentic” life you know? People who are’nt conventicle attractive are seen as people with more character because of their struggle. I’m not saying that’s necessarily wrong because rich/attractive people will always have more advantages, but it isn’t necessarily right either.
LOL!
There is a conversation to be had about people’s tendency to think pretty people — women especially — have no problems, and to underestimate the intelligence of good-looking people. But there are lots of advantages to being good-looking as well.
But pretty people have a harder time getting roles in Hollywood? Really, Rob? What a doofus.
Not getting roles, there are many roles for pretty girls and boys. But getting good roles.
So, where are the unattractive people who get all the good roles?
Someone mentioned Oscars – this year’s nominees:
Lead actor – McConaughey, Bale, Dern, DiCaprio, Ejiofor
Lead actress – Blanchett, Bullock, Adams, Dench, Streep
Supporting actor – Leto, Abdi, Cooper, Fassbender, Hill
Supporting actress – Nyong’o, Lawrence, Hawkins, Roberts, Squib
The only ones who could MAYBE be described as less attractive are Jonah ( came from comedies which are more open to people of variuos types), Sally ( who I find beautiful, but I’ve read some nasty comments on her looks – she’s British and they have more varied actora than the US) and Barkhad who is a complete anomaly and we shall see if he lasts ( I really hope he will).
I am not overwhelmed by the beauty of most of those people. But different people have different beauty standards and beliefs. I mentioned before I think B. Pitt gets better roles now that he is old. Leo D. gets better roles now that he is in his 40’s. I think Leo D. had to kinda fight off his Titanic prettiness.
I think he is correct. When brad pitt was a pretty boy they had him in movies as the resident pretty boy. Now that he is older and less pretty he is doing interesting roles.
Haven’t read through the comments yet so it could have already been said. Here in Wa you have to be 21 to buy weed (without a medical mj card). Yet, you only have to be 18 to buy cigarettes/dip/snuff. Remarkable, yes? :o/
Attractive people can “ugly themselves up” a-la Charlize. Less attractive people have to go with what they have.
Both Jared AND Matthew won awards…as pretty people who “uglied themselves up.” Even thin people are known to put on fat suits. So, Rob Lowe, I’ve always loved you, but your argument is such BS, I can’t even.
Yes, pretty people are seen as perfect people with perfect lives. But when they walk down the street, they aren’t looked at funny. There have been many social experiments where people put on fat suits, etc., and went out into the world. They’d drop things and nobody would help them, etc. Then they’d go out as themselves, and the treatment was a 180.
There are advantages to being pretty, Rob, and maybe if you’d stated some of those, like how you wouldn’t have had a career without that face, I would buy your whole “Pretty people have it so hard” thing.
That they had to ugly themselves up to win awards would seem to support what Lowe is saying.
But why didn’t they get a person who was already average looking? Why are they always uglying up the pretty people? He’s saying pretty people can’t get work. But they can. They just make themselves look like average people, while the average people who were born that way are out of a job.
It’s like when they fatten up a skinny person instead of getting a fat person for the role.
My point is, the pretty people are taking the pretty-people roles, in addition to the not-pretty-people roles, thus disproving his point.
No he is say that losing his pretty face allowed him to get more dramatically interesting roles portraying loss and struggles.
They don’t get a more average person because studios hate taking risks on new people. They want their movies to star actors who have already proven that they can put buns in seats.
How come the studios don’t have a problem casting beautiful new people?
They do have a problem with that. LA is filled with beautiful people trying to find acting work and most of them will fail. They have to wait, and try to find a small opening somewhere where the might be noticed.
What a douche. I see better looking people
than him every day while walking down the
street here in Chicago.
Funny thing: It’s easy to be beautiful when you have resources to rejuvenate your appearance as well as having professional hair and make-up teams. Take that away and Hollywood is not as attractive as we all think. There are far more ‘normal’ people that I see at the grocery store that are actually attractive than I see in Hollywood.
I agree to a degree but I would still prefer to be conventionally attractive like I am than not. But yeah, the countless times I’ve been told, -You really are intelligent/sweet, I thought you were dumb because you’re just so pretty, or men not approaching me at gay bars because they think that ” someone like me obviously has a boyfriend/husband”. Also, sometimes people act really aggressive out of jealousy which is startling.
Get over yourself Rob…….oops am I showing my bias and prejudice?
Moore, you’re right. Pretty faces put buns in the seats, so they mess up the pretty face and still give the average role to the beautiful person. Charlize Theron has a beautiful face and gets interesting roles. Jared Leto has a pretty face and gets interesting roles. Matthew has a pretty face and gets interesting roles. All they have to do is make themselves average.
So, if he wasn’t getting interesting roles, he just must not have been a good enough actor at the time, but it wasn’t because he was pretty, because they could have just uglied him up, as they’ve done with many a pretty face. It hasn’t stopped the pretty people from getting interesting roles.
If the acting chops are there, they can make the most beautiful person, not beautiful.
“There’s this unbelievable bias and prejudice against quote-unquote good-looking people” said no study ever.
He’s right in that there can be disadvantages to being attractive, but there’s also huge benefits he’s not acknowledging: attention, quicker fanbase and more people willing to give you a shot even if your acting skills aren’t up to par with less attractive peers.
Being unattractive has zero benefits and can lock you out of role after role. Less attractive people are usually more taken to task for their mistakes as well. When you think of the male actors who all survived domestic abuse allegations, for example, they’re mainly former or current heartthrobs.
I have my doubts. The underestimated ones are the ones who choose to stand out with their looks. Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Daniel Day Lewis, Charlize Theron, Kurt Cobain, Jennifer Connelly all are/were classically beautiful and also taken very serioiusly on what they do.
He definitely has a point in which it’s certaintly there’s some steriotype aganist people considered aesthetically pleasing, BUT many of the top actors in Hollywood right now are considered good looking by most standards.
Even this year’s Oscar winners are one of the most beautiful people in Hollywood (Matthew, Cate, Jared, Lupita). Heck, they even represent fashion houses because of how they look (Matthew whom Dolce & Gabbana promotes as the ideal man. Cate, where the beauty of her face is the center point of the Giorgio Armani and SKII ads. Lupita is now the face of Lancôme because of her delicate features).
So no, it seems quite contrary to what he is saying because when you have someone as Jennifer Lawrence or Leonardo Dicaprio as one of Hollywood most in demand actors for prestige roles with top directors, you are seen it wrongly. Maybe it is something else, no your pretty looks that are stopping you from getting roles.
He’s not only a narcissist but he’s also a Libertarian…what a combination! Actually, I suppose it’s the perfect combination, if you think about it.
His work in Parks & Recreation was amazingly good and that was the first time I ever liked something Lowe was in but now that’s all wrecked. Knowing who actors really are is almost always disappointing.
He’s so oppressed that he could only express his bereavement with a redundant pair? Why “bias” AND “prejudice?” Overkill, dude.
English major geeking out, sorry. This creep asked for it.
There’s actually a subtle difference. Bias is more of an ignorant, unconscious feeling about the subject. Prejudice is a more conscious hatred with a lot of ignorant assumptions supporting it. But I do think that society has either accidentally or intentionally discarded the relevance of those subtle but vital differences.
As beautiful as he was in the 80’s, his limited roles stemmed from his “incident” and the fact he wasnt the best actor. That means your easily replacible in Hollywood where good looks can be found everywhere.
By his statement, wouldnt Val Kilmer be offered prime roles now? Cause he sure isnt beautiful anymore.
Val never was… and neither was Keifer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon. But there was a phase back in the 80’s / early 90’s where being the leading male role in one film that made money was all it took to make the person Teen Beat cover worthy and to perpetuate the idea that they were attractive… it was a bizarre time imo. lol
This post makes me think of that episode of 30 Rock where Liz is dating the Drew, the good looking guy who doesn’t know he’s living in “the bubble”.
I didn’t really consider this bias seriously until I saw Brad Pitt’s role in 12 Monkeys. I would have never, in a million years, considered him capable of doing that part because I did indeed think he was probably just sitting pretty inside of his shiny shell, letting the success come to him because of it.
It ain’t your looks, it’s your ability to act that’ll convince me of whether you’re in pain or not.
Alas, not many people are truly great actors whose talent transcends their outward appearance.
I’m off to Hollywood, where people treat ugly people right. Wait, we don’t need to go that far, Hot Mess Paradise–like home–is wherever our feet are. Time for my mustard gas peel and lipostuffing appointment.