Meryl Streep Doesn't Like Celebrities Promoting Their Children
JUL 19, 2008 AT 08:22 AM
"One thing I learned very early on is when you’re famous, you lose your right to privacy. And, if you promote your children, if you have them photographed, then they lose their rights. But, if you do not have them photographed and (do not) sell them to OK! magazine, they have the right to… privacy and citizenship.
"They (paparazzi) can follow me, take a picture, whatever they want to do. My kids, no."
-- Meryl Streep
Read more about: Meryl Streep, Quote Of The Day
Meryl is such a class act.
::applauds mrs streep::
At least there is one class-act in Hollywood!
FINALLY! A celeb that actually cares about her kids!
It not fair or right to sell your kids to the mags and media. In the name of charity or whatever. A charity is just an excuse to sell pics of your kids.
Good for Meryl. LOL! And, great photo of Colin Firth with her in this picture :)
9275 points
While I think it's very admirable what she's saying here, she also raised her children in a much different Hollywood than the families are today. Even the ones that go out of their way to avoid the spotlight will eventually get their pictures taken with their kids. And the hype around a newborn! Of course the big names are going to sell those pictures for a lot of money. It's because the magazines are willing to PAY a lot of money. And we all remember the drama that surrounded Tom and Katie when they didn't realise any images of their daughter. You can be quite certain that if they had simply released an image shortly after her birth almost none of that hype would have been there.
Mind you, I find it really sad that this is the state of life for the stars and the paparazzi. I personally am not particular interested in newborn pictures and avoid them overall.
While i agree with you that the paparazzi situation is certainly a different one when years ago, it is still possible to avoid the whole media frenzy. Look at Matt Damon or Christian Bale.
Tom Cruise created that mess around his daughters first pictures all by himself with his weird behavior such as couch-jumping on Oprah, publicly declaring his love for Katie and his mood in general and that more than one time.
9275 points
I agree with you on that... But also looking at Matt Damon or Christian Bale, they're not people who tend to be hunted by the paparazzi as much as others.
300 points
This comment I totally agree with. The truth is, the paps don't follow Meryl. Sure if she's around they'll take a picture but they don't camp outside her home, restaurants she eats at or other privates places she stays. Other celebs are not so fortunate.
But why are the paparazzi not bothering much Meryl Streep or Matt Damon? Because they chose to live a life that's not much newsworthy. Yes, sometimes the paps will follow you even if you are trying to stay under the radar. But outrageous actions will attract attention.
she used to be hounded in her prime! she is stating she wont pimp out her kids like some media whore..ahen...TRANGELINA
I agree with Meryl. Some celerities will sell pictures of their children to be on the covers of national magazines but then get upset when people try to take more pictures. You can't have it both ways!
she has always been a class act. More of the young up-and-comers of today should take notes from the class act that is Ms.Streep.
Yet another reason to adore Meryl Streep...
7085 points
smart lady......we should all protect our children
Good for her. I really respect her. There are huge stars out there who do not sell their children to magazine covers. Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Halle Berry, etc. I really respect the stars who keep their children private. They have the choice.
580 points
I too agree with Lis. Meryl Streep grew up in a time when the paparazzi weren't wolves. Nowadays, no matter what you do, there they are. I don not recall Jennifer Gardner and Ben Afflect selling little Violet's photos but yet we've watched her grow up. Why? Cuz Jennifer seems to want to give her a normal life as possible with a life shrouded in celebrity. They go to the farmers market, they go to the park. That's pretty much it. You can tell what an involved mom she is, but she never sold her photos. I don't quite agree with selling newborn photos to a magazine, but it's not my life. One way or another, a photo will be taken. Also, Meryl Streep my have class and oscars but she doesn't' sell magazines, these people do unfortunately, so they are NEVER left alone. As for Johnny Depp? Why do you think he lives in Europe? I want to assume Christian Bale does too.
No Christian Bale lives in LA. I'm not saying that all celebrities followed around by the paps are causing it by themselves, but as an actor if you concentrate on your work and not on your general media perception it is possible (most of the time) to stay out of the limelight.
I agree with Meryl. You childrens privacy is worth much more then any amount of money. and it seems like now adays, celebs are having babies to see how much money they can get from it. It is almost like a competition. Certainly, the paparazzi will eventually get a picture of the child. But at least they are living an as normal life as possible.
I agree with Meryl 100% even though she's considered old Hollywood and times were different back then, there are still lots of today celebrities that does not pimp out their children and still able to keep them out of the spot lights. As for Jennifer Garner, how coincidence that we see her taking her daughter to the parks and farmer's market etc. when her movies are coming out. And yet, when she have nothing coming out we don't see her as much.....hmmmmmm.
So don't sell them to the magazines and the first time you're out in public with the new baby, the paps jump on them in a crazed frenzy, yelling, pushing, shoving, flashbulbs in the baby's face. Because they all want to be "FIRST" and get those photos off to the highest bidder.......it's much much better for the celebrities to be in charge of the photos and if they give the money to charity, even better. Brad and Angelina will ease a lot of suffering for desperate, starving people from the money they will be donating to charity. Meryl is just jealous because nobody wanted pictures of her babies back when she had them so long ago.
Only if they actually donate the money and we all know Holie and Pittmama didn't don't like they said they were going to last time, so who's to believe the liars will this time........they're so fake. They're the ones that crave the attention and use the kids to get more of it.
There is a difference between releasing a photo of your kids to protect them from the FIRST PICS craziness and selling pics of your kids. A BIG DIFFERENCE.
Yeah, I'm sure 2 time oscar winner Meryl Streep is jealous of those making money from through exploitation of their children!
While I don't care for her, I agree with her way of thinking. AND, I'm sure the papz have stopped following some celebs who just made it too hard to get pics of the kids. Seems the ones wanting the attention and selling the pics are the ones being followed. Other celebs have normal lives, it's the attention seekers that are followed.
Finally~!!!! A celeb with common sense. Mz Streep is right on. Too many screwed up Hollywood kids now due to being promoted in the press at birth to ensure the parents celebrity. Shame on them for selling their babies just for free publicity. The money is not worth the cost to those kids growing up in front of papparazzi because of the initial selling of them by the folks. Most celebs are rich enough to donate to just causes without selling out their newborns
These "cover story" babies are going to end up with over inflated egos, just like their parents. Good for Meryl for giving her kids a normal life.
The celebs just started selling their kids pictures not that long ago. This is a fairly new way of celebs making even more money and it's not really them donating money to charity...it's the magazine. It's in name only.
If I was one of their kids, when I got older, I would wonder if they only had me to make a couple of million bucks off me. That might just scar me for life!
I agree. Total class here. I do have to disagree slightly with the posting that says the changed environment has a lot to do with children being exploited. You can tell which parents are selling their kids out and which are keeping a healthy balance. There's many celebs that have a child that will pop into a photo and people are like, "They have kids?" It really comes down to choice.
the paps jump on them in a crazed frenzy, yelling, pushing, shoving, flashbulbs in the baby's face.
what are you talking about? they will do all that you mentioned above regardless. everytime you see famous parents out with their kids that is exactly what the paps are doing--pushing, shoving and yelling. so it doesn't matter if they sell pic or not. if brad and angie really wanted to keep their twins private they could. the public would go months at a time w/o seeing shiloh but yet we saw them all over with the other ones. they will sell the pic of the twins for "charity" and take them in hiding. ppl need to stop making excuses for these ppl, there is no excuse for pimping out your kids. none.
I was just reading an entry on Celebitchy that Maggie Gyllenhaal said that when her baby was only 5 days old, one of the paps called in a false fire alarm to force her to take the baby outside the building so a photo could be taken.
For certain celebs--Anglelina and Brad in particular--I don't blame them one bit for selling or giving photos to the tabloids! Otherwise the "first" picture would be such a huge payday for a papparrazzi, they could easily do something dangerous (shades of Princess Di), or freak out the other kids trying to break into their home, or whatever. I think Meryl Streep has her heart in the right place, and for some celebs I agree with her, but for ones who will generate a papparrazzi feeding frenzy, it's smarter and safer to take control and give the pictures away rather than risk having someone endanger or terrorrize your family.
I always like what SJP did: she posed for photos leaving the hospital so tons of photographers got pictures. She made the cover of People and it was a beautiful photo. Nicole Kidman released photos to her wedding and asked magazines to voluntarily give to a couple of specified charities. It was embarrassing how little money was given. Shame on the magazines who had a chance of being charitable themselves and chose just to rake in the money by featuring her pictures which were given for free.
I always like what SJP did: she posed for photos leaving the hospital so tons of photographers got pictures. She made the cover of People and it was a beautiful photo. Nicole Kidman released photos to her wedding and asked magazines to voluntarily give to a couple of specified charities. It was embarrassing how little money was given. Shame on the magazines who had a chance of being charitable themselves and chose just to rake in the money by featuring her pictures which were given for free.
First of all, no one ever cared for her kids. We are living in an age where people are more stalkery and want to get into everyones business, whether you can admit it or not. We are all nosy. We want to see everything! Meryl Streep is just saying the obvious goody-good answer that we like hearing, that's all.
Im not a Meryl fan, but I have to agree with what shes saying...there are lots of stars out there that we the public have no idea what their kids look like. Mel Gibson...Kevin Bacon..Julia Roberts..are just a few
Vera jus posted a photo of Julia Robert's twins not too long ago. Cute as can be!
There's a reason Meryl Streep is one of the greats. Young Hollywood (especially Jen Garner and Ben Affleck with all their "candid" photos; Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt selling photos for charity)- take note!
Good for Meryl!
It's good to know that not everyone in the entertainment industry thinks it's cool to sell out their children.
they are really good. do you know they open their blog on *********Blackcentury.com******* . that is a hot dating club. they said they hope their fans support them.
300 points
Totally agree with Lis. Very good comment. I think some people are just haunted more than others. Why? I don't know. And let's not forget the role we play: If we didn't buy all those celeb magazines or visited all the different celeb sites there wouldn't be such frenzy and a lot more unemployed photographers!
so well spoke, maybe tragelina should take notes! i hope her kids resent her when they are older, bc she is exploiting her children!
The yapping about them being hounded is just that, yapping!
When they went to Namibia, nobody knew where they had dissappeared to for nearly a week!! A call to the paps solved that for them!
When she went into the hospital, nobody knew she was there until they sponsored a press conference, no less!!!!!
Give me a break, if they can disappear for weeks at a time without the paps knowing where they are or getting any pictures, they could disappear for a lot longer than that if they wouldn't call for attention photo ops!!!!
Remember the toy store in NY when the paps were waiting before their car even got there? How do you think the paps knew that that was where they were going in the first place?? Ny is too large a place for them to "guess" their destination when they get into the car or leave the hotel!!
Meryl Streep-OLD HOLLYWOOD??? hahaha. (I feel old now) sob. Anyhow-bravo for the talented, intelligent, beautiful (not Mr. Ripley).but Mrs. Streep. She was a looker in her prime too. I cannot STAND Brad Pitt and Angelina Troll-ee. I wish not to see them on the cover pages of anything anymore. Only the back pages (preferably the obituaries). Oh-just kidding you guys. Take it easy. I dislike the Brangelina couple OK? The only thing I do approve of is the adoption but I think a lot of what they do is also an act (not completely out of altruism). They're kind of narcissistic, self-centered, hyper-ambitious meanies. Didn't Troll-ee say that she wanted to be known as a humanitarian rather than an actress. This is fine and dandy but you get what she wants right? She wants to be KNOWN as a humanitarian (for her own selfish reasons). I'm so good-look at me...rather than....just doing good and keeping quiet. Phony baloneys-Brad Pitt too. Both phoney baloneys with little substance. Other celebrities are do-gooders without the press (example-Paul Newman) and without all the media attention. To me-that is REAL. There is something right about that. It is Brangelina's fault-all the media attention they get and this selling their twins. Good GOD.! OK-I'm finished now..:)
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