.contact us |.about us
    News > International News ... ...
    Search:
        Advertisement
    Feature: Actor-politicians face many pitfalls
    ( 2003-10-10 14:40) (Agencies)

    From Bollywood stars to a deposed Philippine president, actors-turned-politicians warned Arnold Schwarzenegger that if he doesn't get his lines right as governor of California, he may be booed out by a fickle public.
    Feature: Actor-politicians face many pitfalls
    Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada's action hero past helped win votes.  [AP]
    "The pitfall is if you do not perform in the movies, it's just acting. But in politics, it's real life," said Joseph Estrada, who should know -- he was ousted as president of the Philippines in massive protests and is now standing trial on corruption charges.

    Speaking from a detention facility in Manila, Estrada advised Schwarzenegger to work at bringing his on-screen heroics to the tangled reality of politics.

    "The so-called learned people, with all their master's degrees, have no monopoly on leadership," Estrada said Wednesday in a telephone interview, citing actor-turned-California governor-turned-president Ronald Reagan as his own inspiration.

    "That's how I got the cue," he said.

    A long list of Hollywood actors have made the transition to politics. Action stars have fared particularly well: Former professional wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura, who acted with Schwarzenegger in the films "Predator" and "The Running Man" was elected governor of Minnesota after serving as mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

    Clint Eastwood of "Dirty Harry" fame was elected mayor of the California coastal town of Carmel in 1986, although he served only two years before returning to acting and directing.

    Feature: Actor-politicians face many pitfalls
    Schwarzenegger is seen during campaign appearance in San Bernardino, California, October 6, 2003. [Reuters]
    In Bollywood, India's Bombay-based movie mecca, which churns out 800 films a year, many actors have crossed from film to politics -- but the going can be tough.

    India's most popular star, Amitabh Bachchan, won a seat in Parliament in the 1980s, but did not finish his five-year term, resigning in the wake of corruption allegations.

    "There was too much mudslinging," said Komal Nata, editor of the Bombay movie trade guide Film Information. "He realized he was not cut out for it and he'd rather face the cameras and act."

    Supernatural

    Some Bollywood actors have stuck it out -- and found their on-screen personas and built-in fan bases to be major assets, especially for those who play Hindu gods and goddesses, whose supernatural powers appeal to voters.

    Nandamoori Taraka Ramarao, known for his portrayals of Hindu gods, was twice elected by huge margins as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state in the 1960s. Actress Jayalithaa, who frequently plays goddesses in Tamil-language films, is serving her second term as the top elected official in Tamil Nadu state -- winning re-election even while appealing a corruption conviction stemming from her first term.

    Action star Shatrughan "Shotgun" Sinha is one of two Bollywood actors in India's federal Cabinet. He was demoted from the Health Ministry this year after prolonged criticism that he didn't show up for work and was seldom seen in Parliament.

    Around the globe, actors and actresses have traded one form of limelight for another, with mixed success.

    Feature: Actor-politicians face many pitfalls
    Hard times: Booed out of office, Estrada now awaits trial on corruption charges. [AP] 
    Actress Eva Peron was the virtual co-ruler of Argentina when her husband, Juan Peron, took power in 1946 -- a role chronicled in the popular musical and film, "Evita." Her husband's third wife, Isabel, a former cabaret dancer, became Argentina's president in 1974 but was ousted two years later in a coup.

    Italy's most attention-grabbing actress-turned-politician was former porn star Ilona Staller, known as "Cicciolina," who was elected to Parliament in 1987. She failed in a political comeback last year, winning only 1.5 percent of the vote in the mayoral race in Monza, outside Milan.

    Film director Franco Zeffirelli won election to Italy's Senate in 1996, with the party of current Premier Silvio Berlusconi.

    Many Italian stars have failed in political bids, among them Gina Lollobrigida, who lost a European Parliament election in 1999.

    In Egypt, singer Fayda Kamel won a Parliament seat in 1971 and has been re-elected ever since. Fatma Girik, a Turkish film star in the 1960s and 1970s, was elected mayor of a key Istanbul district, and Ediz Hun, a 1970s screen heartthrob, was elected to Parliament.

    Danish comedian Jacob Haugaard was elected to Parliament in 1994, promising to support the rights of impotent men, put God back in churches and improve the weather. After four years in office, he accomplished little and did not seek another term. Now, he's back in the comedy business.

    The pitfalls for actors-turned-politicians are that voters mistakenly believe the screen image is real, said actor Amin Hajee, who played a mute temple caretaker in the Indian film "Lagaan," nominated for a best foreign film Oscar last year.

    While that may win votes, it can backfire.

    "An action actor could be a mouse in real life," said Hajee. "What he portrays is not what he is. A film star can be a successful politician. So can a janitor. They just need to be responsive to the people."

     
    Close  
       
      Today's Top News   Top International News
       
    +WHO: Bird flu death rises to 15; vaccination recommended
    (2004-02-05)
    +Solana: EU ready to lift China arms embargo
    (2004-02-05)
    +Nation tops TV, cell phone, monitor production
    (2004-02-05)
    +Absence ... still makes China hot
    (2004-02-05)
    +Hu: Developing world in key role
    (2004-02-04)
    +WHO: Bird flu death rises to 15; vaccination recommended
    (2004-02-05)
    +Solana: EU ready to lift China arms embargo
    (2004-02-05)
    +US court clears way for gay marriages
    (2004-02-05)
    +Pakistan nuke scientist asks forgiveness
    (2004-02-05)
    +Sharon ready for referendum on scrapping settlements
    (2004-02-05)
       
      Go to Another Section  
         
     
     
         
      Article Tools  
         
     
     
         
      Related Articles  
         
     

    +California recall vote enters final hours
    2003-10-08

    +Actor-turned-politician Arnold
    2003-10-08

    +California picks actor as next governor
    2003-10-08

    +Schwarzenegger celebrates
    2003-10-08

    +Austrians cheer native son Arnie, papers puzzled
    2003-10-09

       
            .contact us |.about us
      Copyright By chinadaily.com.cn. All rights reserved  
    中文字幕av无码一区二区三区电影| 无码欧精品亚洲日韩一区夜夜嗨 | 免费在线中文日本| 日韩精品无码一区二区三区不卡| 欧美日韩v中文字幕| 精品亚洲成α人无码成α在线观看| 国产AV无码专区亚洲AV手机麻豆 | 中文字幕免费观看| 亚洲免费无码在线| 50岁人妻丰满熟妇αv无码区| 在人线AV无码免费高潮喷水 | 最近新中文字幕大全高清| 亚洲AV永久无码精品一区二区国产 | 免费无码又爽又刺激高潮软件 | 中文字幕免费在线观看| 一级电影在线播放无码| 国产日韩精品无码区免费专区国产 | 精品国产V无码大片在线看| 色综合久久中文色婷婷| 中文字幕精品一区二区精品| 久久中文精品无码中文字幕| 无码av免费一区二区三区试看| 无码国内精品久久人妻蜜桃| 伊人久久精品无码av一区| 特级做A爰片毛片免费看无码| 最近最新中文字幕高清免费| 波多野结衣在线中文| 一二三四社区在线中文视频| 中文字幕精品亚洲无线码一区| 亚洲AV无码AV男人的天堂不卡| 精品无码国产一区二区三区51安 | 中文字幕人妻无码系列第三区| 中文字幕日韩人妻不卡一区| 日韩精品一区二三区中文| 最近2022中文字幕免费视频| 中文字幕亚洲综合精品一区| 国产在线观看无码免费视频| 精品无码人妻久久久久久 | 99精品久久久久中文字幕| 中文字幕日韩一区二区三区不卡| 中文字幕一区视频|