0 Rob and Kristen - Privacy means; Leave Them The F**K Alone!

Jodie Foster - a woman of substance...

While people fawn and drool over photos and videos depicting Robert Pattinson at the 70th Golden Globe Awards; i have decided to deviate away from that slightly. That, and really fawning and drooling over Rob is simply not my thing...

I turn instead to one splendid person; a person whom i grew up with, watching her movies. (Not every single one of them i might add!) I am old enough to remember when she was a child star, starting out amongst her peers - 'Bugsy Malone' being the first movie i watched as a child in school and later on 'Freaky Friday' (the better one compared to a young Lohan's attempt) she was always there, just under the skin of some notable story lines. Story lines that for a young child actress, where pretty risky for their time. But she took each character and made it her own, throwing everything at it like the pro she was. (Remind you of anyone?)

Later on as she got older, the story lines became more daring, more meaningful - 'The Accused' is one movie i will never forget. It's story was harsh and painful to watch as a young woman. It's victimisation and final emotional freedom for one character, really set a precedence in hard hitting story lines, that gave this young actress a well deserved and her first Oscar for her performance.

Jodie Foster weaves a spell with each of her performances; she is a story teller and when she appears on screen, that's when you know you are going to be treated to a personal and truthful performance. From her second Oscar for 'Silence of the Lambs' right through to this day as a brilliant Director - Jodie has maintained one thing, one reason to stand out from her peers and indeed other actors who have come after her and that is her 'privacy' means the absolute world to her.

Jodie and a young Kristen in 'Panic Room'

She came from the school of hard knocks; the media wanting, no needing to know everything about your private life and if you give them an inch, they then believe you owe them a debt. She learnt very early on that people will stop and nothing to intrude into your life, make false and untrue stories up about you and then justify it by saying 'you are a celebrity, your life is there to be picked apart'

No, it's not!

Everyone wants to know everything about you. Because their lives are so dull and boring, that living vicariously through yours, helps them make it through the day! Oh that also includes your sexual orientation, or indeed who you last slept with and if they matched the sort of person 'they' believed you should be with. Of course, with every rung of the ladder you rise up upon, 'they' are willing and waiting to watch you fall back down to earth. Jodie worked with a very young, very impressionable girl in the movie 'Panic Room' she was so impressed by this young girls acting abilities and desire to be a good actress, but voiced her concerns about the sort of life she would have to her mother, hoping to try and dissuade such notion - but to no avail (Jodie defending Kristen in The Daily Beast)

The pitfalls of being such a young actress and protecting your private life, is something Jodie could relate to. Having had to endure years of media intrusion and lies printed about her. I guess that is why when it came to the public execution of the same impressionable young actress, both in the media's eyes and those who stood up to accuse her without compete and accurate evidence - Jodie was the one who stepped in and essentially through her words told the world to 'back the hell off!'

Same situation - different era. Jodie carries with her, her own scars of years living in the public eye. Having to endure lies written about her; her sexual partners, her children's biological parentage and what exactly goes on behind closed doors. And in all of this, she has held her head up high and protected what is rightfully hers to protect.

Fans; as much as they follow and admire an actor or performer, do not have the right to know every single aspect of their chosen 'celebrity's' life and what or who they share their life with. It is not the 'fans' right to obsess over the 'celebrity's' friends or family. It is not the 'fans' right to criticise and ridicule anyone who shares that 'celebrity's' life. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree - IT IS NOT YOUR LIFE.

Rob at the Golden Globes...

One such celebrity doesn't have much luck, when it comes to people keeping their noses out of his private life. As much as people can follow and support his work, it's the obsessive, needy fans who want to be a part of every single aspect. And that includes depicting his private life and who he should be with. Jodie's jump to defend Kristen from those who essentially made up their own conclusions, followed their own obsessive need and convicted her of a heinous crime did so, thinking that the person in Kristen's life would walk away. When he didn't, they resorted to constantly banging the same dull drum beat over and over. Calling her names, filling social mediums with their obsessive rants and thus adding more fuel to a private life, that had always wanted to remain private.

But as Ms Foster had already voiced and even at last night's glittering gala, when collecting her honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award - 'privacy is the most important thing.'

Rob and Kristen deserve their privacy. They are not some radioactive experiment, everyone gathers around to see why and how it happened. They are not some side-show freak performance, where people hand over money as they try and grab onto any piece of them through iron bars. They are human beings, who deserve to have that little piece of their privacy to themselves - they are owed that much surely?

Kristen and Rob give so much of their lives to everyone. They might even agree with the 'side-show freak' reference, for at times it's like constantly having to put on a performance, when really all you want to do is to be left alone. They fell in love with each other in a medium that they struggle to exist in.

Struggle because in the eyes of the 'media' and some 'fans' - they're together to boost each other's celebrity status and not because they're simply - in love.
The world is a shallow place and each person within the world thinks with a shallow mind. Celebrities shouldn't moan about their lives 'What have they to be unhappy for. Look how much money they earn, stop whining about having everything you have ever wanted!'

Jodie Foster's response;
"Just to set the record straight, a salary for a given on-screen performance, does not include the right to invade anyone's privacy, to destroy someone's sense of self."

In defence of Kristen last year in The Daily Beast; Jodie commented last night, when asked about her poignant and direct open letter to the media by saying "I look at the room tonight, all these young women. I feel very protective of them. I have my scars and i hope to be a member of their family, that's out there protecting them."

Very poignant holding hands...

Kristen carries her own scars, lessons learned and lines drawn.
She has learnt that the people who adulate and admire you, can be the same people who condemn and crucify you. She understands the need to know everything about her life, but at the same time, holds what is most dear close to her chest. She is wise now to the trappings of Hollywood; the media's two-faced assumptions and the turncoat loyalty of fans, who really were only there because of the man they are obsessed with.

She has learnt to lift her head high, even when others want her to fall in the shadow of humility. She answers only to herself, not others and is proud of who she is, regardless of those who think less of her;

"A Beautiful young woman strides down the side-walk alone, head down, hands drawn into fists. She's walking fast, darting around huge men with black cameras thrusting at her mouth and chest. 'Kristen how do you feel?' 'Smile Kris!' 'Hey, hey did you get her?' 'I got her, i got her!' The young actress doesn't cry. Fuck no. She doesn't look up. She's learned. She keeps her head down, her shades on, fists in her pockets. Don't speak. Don't look. Don't cry."

Jodie Foster is a woman of substance. She has survived in a industry that puts you down when you are up and watches you fall from the pedestal they have put you on.

She has kept every single aspect of her life as private as possible - giving nothing away, even when it was pretty obvious. She has held onto her life and the lives of her children with dignity and respect and for that, the world knows what an outstanding woman she is. At a time when the media and people who classed themselves as fans, turned their back and stuck knives into one young woman, Jodie stood up and decided enough was enough and in her own words wrote a stark tale of reality.

Rob and Kristen...

I am proud to be someone who watched Jodie as a young actress; saw the gutsy performances and marvelled at the movies she made. I see so much in Kristen Stewart; same gutsy passion, same determined gleam in her eye and the same need to protect what is hers. She has the drive to succeed and make 'her' kind of movies, because she believes in herself. And just like Jodie once was at that tender coming of age, she has a story to tell.

If anything i learnt from last nights slightly crazy, but that's okay speech from Ms Foster, it's that it's 'okay to be okay' (a line Kristen once spoke)
Your life is not ruled by others (social media, fans and the entertainment industry) but by you.
Your family and friends will always be more important than your professional life.
You don't owe anyone an explanation for your life's choices (that also includes who you are with)
PRIVACY is so, so IMPORTANT!!

Respect the celebrity you follow, respect their wishes for a private life. Respect that you may follow them and admire them from a far, but that's it! You don't run their lives and you are not owed a damn thing from them.

tempest.