Actor Fic:
pushing the limits of fandom

I was out surfing the web recently, pursuing my new hobby of finding and joining webrings, when I came across what seemed like an interesting site in my fandom. The authors of the site did a very nice job with it. The layout was simple, easy to navigate, and yet the design itself was quite lovely. Suitably impressed, I went on to scan the site contents, eager to read the fic they advertised. I wasn't prepared for what I found.

The fiction on this site featured the authors -- not all that unusual, just your run of the mill MarySue -- but instead of these authors interacting with the characters of the show they'd written the actors themselves into the fic.

Now, I realize this isn't a big revelation to fanfic writers, in any fandom. Most of us know this goes on; we just ignore it and hope it doesn't spill over onto our fic lists. What shocked me about this site was the lack of any warning whatsoever about the contents. I wouldn't ever willingly read actor fic, but there was nothing here to tell me that's what these stories were. Now, maybe somewhere on the site there's a disclaimer, but it wasn't in plain view where it needs to be. That tells me that these authors don't see anything wrong or dangerous about what they're doing. And that scares me.

Since I stumbled onto that site, I've thanked every appropriate deity I could think of that I don't write for a fandom owned by a company such as Paramount/Viacom. If that were the case, after seeing that site I would've deleted my own website, pulled my fic from other archives and found another fandom to write for. I probably would've been miserable, I definitely would've cried over it, but that's a hell of a lot better than a potential a lawsuit.

Fortunately, The Powers That Be (TPTB) at Renaissance are much more tolerant of fan activities than are many production companies. But even they might have a problem with actor fic. The danger is that TPTB will come across this site purely by accident, as I did, and decide to take legal action against these authors. In the process they might also decide to make an example out of other fic sites, so they'll go looking for more.

Renaissance may deny it for legal reasons, but we all know the production companies of most TV series keep an eye on what the fans do. At the very least some of the actors themselves know what's going on, even with slash fic, and many find it amusing. But if they were to run across a story featuring themselves by name, regardless if it's labeled as fiction, you can be pretty certain that they'll bring it to the attention of TPTB.

That is one of my major problems with actor fic: the possibility of legal repercussions spilling over into the rest of fandom. My second problem is a morality based objection: invasion of privacy.

When we write regular fanfic, we base it on the characters of the TV show/movie. In our writing, these characters may have the physical attributes of the actors but they aren't the actors themselves. They are fictional creations brought to life by the actors. For instance, Peter Wingfield plays Methos, but does that mean he is Methos, on and off stage? Of course not. It's a role having little to no bearing on who the man is personally. 1

The same can be said of rock groups. Yes, many times the way they portray themselves in concerts and in front of the media is far different from who they really are, but fic that goes beyond that, speculating about things they do offstage, outside of the media spotlight, crossing that invisible line between acceptable and intrusive; it's a violation of their privacy.

Whether or not it's meant to, writing about the actors themselves makes assumptions and insinuations about their lives both public and private. They have a valid reason for being insulted by this.

Finding stories about themselves posted on the net where anyone can access them would make most people uncomfortable. If those stories portray them in an unfavorable light, or have them in compromising situations, they'd most likely be hurt and offended. And what happens if their families find these stories? Their children? The potential confusion and pain these fics can cause should be enough to deter anyone from writing actor fic.

And yet those that write this type of fiction argue that actors and rock stars, etc. have given implicit permission for this simply by way of being "public figures". They're already out there on display so why shouldn't people speculate about them?

Just because a person is a public figure does not give others the right to publish fictional stories about them. 2  The persona they put on when dealing with cons and the media isn't fair game either. "Public persona" or not, it's still the people themselves there; they aren't playing a character. Authors writing about them are invading these people's lives the same as is a member of the Paparazzi, sneaking into their back yard to snap a picture for the public to gawk at.

The people who write this kind of fic claim that they are "just working out their fantasies," the same as the regular fic writers. There's certainly nothing wrong with fantasy, and few of us can claim not to have had one or two about a particular actor, but for the reasons stated above most of us keep it to ourselves. It's not something appropriate to write out and share with the world. Certainly not in light of the consequences it could have for the authors, the fandoms in general and especially the public figures themselves -- and that is something that should make people stop and think before they post a fic.


Thank you to everyone on KSA who participated in the "actor fic" discussion, including those who defended it. I won't change my pov on this topic, but I greatly appreciate your help in understanding the motivation of people who write this type of fic. To those that were against it, thank you for sharing your views and reasons for objecting; that helped me strengthen my own defense in this essay.


1 Of course that's an assumption, but even if it's incorrect, what business is it of ours? Public figures have their own lives and speculation on it is pointless and intrusive.

2 If you disagree with this, I suggest you do some research on what happens to the tabloid press when they publish fictional stories about public figures. The courts don't tend to treat them kindly. They certainly wouldn't act any differently for fiction writers.



Thanks to Thamiris for the beta on this.
 
 

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