Question:
Why do stars claim they do the stunts performed
by their stunt doubles?
Answer:
It is often
part of the publicity script.
Stars do not tell tall tales of daredevil stunts
on television out of either personal dishonesty, vanity,
or egoism. It is their job to play a character in publicity
appearances, just as it is the job of studios to hype
their movies. Nor do others in these Hollywood productions–
even if they were not bound by contractual restrictions
on disclosures, or "NDAs"– have reason
to demystify such off-screen fictionalizing. The subterfuge
is part of the system by which studios, talent agencies,
music publishers, licensees, and others create, maintain,
and profitably exploit the stars’ public personalities.
Stars therefore assume they have license on talk shows
to fantasize about performing perilous stunts that stunt
people performed.
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