Are we buying Influencers as Actors?
Written by Jordan Davies
Influenced by Tractors (Trained Actor), Theactors (Theatre Actor), Hactors (Hunky Actor),
a creative manager, a tween and an Inflactor (influencer and actor).
A really handsome friend of mine and I were recently discussing a show that’s about to start which stars an Influencer. And we both cringed because Influencers are super cringey. But then I asked another, slightly taller and equally handsome mate what he thought about the show, and he said he probably wouldn’t watch it because of the Influencer. And that’s when I noticed that this bitter dislike for Influencers appearing in non-influencer content might be a bit of a thing.
To begin with, I certainly didn’t like the idea of an influencer being cast in TV and Film because, I guess, I’m a bit of a snob and I think Influencers should stick to dancing in public or jump-transitions or whatever. And I appreciate that there are a fuck-load of drama nerds out there learning the craft and potentially missing out on roles because some internet bozo simply has a lot of followers.
But so far, I’d only asked two non-actors. So, I began to reach out to my network of power Gactors (gay actors) around the world. I wanted to know from a bunch of professionals how they feel about Influencers being cast in TV and Film; are they the illegal immigrants of the industry because they’re “taking our jobs!” Or, is the right person for the role simply the one who gets hired?
A lot of the answers were pretty consistent:
“It’s infuriating, and it compromises the artform.”
“I’m open to them being in commercials, but they’re trash.”
“It’s disgraceful because they can’t act.”
“Jordan, fuck off.”
I thought maybe it was just my age bracket holding me back from a diversity of opinions, so I checked in with a Gen Z and she had no compunction in saying, “it’s a disgrace to the film industry.” She didn’t elaborate, and I think that’s kinda slay.
However, there were some compromises, most notably was marketability.
Films and television are businesses, so it’s not new to hire whoever’s “hot right now” because it gets bums in seats. And social media people are just a new hot thing. It’s a new type of celebrity and it’s what ~some~ audiences want to see.
“Bringing in an audience is an asset in the same way that being a skilled actor is an asset,” says one theatre-trained actor. He goes on to say that bringing in an Influencer may also be, “a necessary part of getting a project funded which is good for everyone.”
You can always rely on a theatre actor to champion whatever it takes to get the arts funded – especially with the cost of basically everything being absolutely rooted right now.
In the same way theatre and Broadway will bring in film stars, film stars are doing TV shows; it’s all about drawing more attention to the project and it’s not at all new.
Speaking to someone who influences, I began to understand the underwhelmingly simple truth of the matter: influencing is the waitressing of 2022.
We’ve all heard stories of people being discovered on the street, or out-of-work actors waiting tables all day and squeezing in auditions whenever they could. I’m pretty sure even the kids from Glee did that in the lackluster later seasons when they moved to New York. The point is: being paid to flog junk on the internet is just another way for Influencers-who-wanna-be-actors to get noticed and make bank on an incredibly flexible schedule.
It’s a way of creating cut-through for actors who may not have been able to afford to go to places like NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts) or want to show off their skills… lest we forget our boy Shawn Mendes was a Vine singer before becoming the gay world’s most sought-after wet dream.
There are practical applications too: for an Aussie actor to get a O1 visa for the US, they need to prove that they’re extraordinary and showing that you’ve got a bit of sway on the social channels is a literal way of doing that.
Plus, what about actors who influence? What’s the difference between an Influencer producing content about Daniel Wellington watches, and George Clooney being the face of Nespresso or Margot Robbie doing ads for Chanel (besides, obviously, the money)? I even saw Chris Evans posting about dog food the other day and twice-Emmy nominated Sydney Sweeney doing ads for Cotton On.
The most salient point in favour of Influencers is this: the ones who make the transition are the ones who want it. Sure, they may be shit and their career might wilt and die like a straight person’s house plant, but they’re the ones hustling. Whether you like Influencers or not (and it seems a lot of people don’t), I reckon audiences will always choose craft (the acting, the writing, the production etc) over someone being “famous” for their social channels. We just need to let the studios figure that out.
*Jump-transition*