Two film buffs.
Photo illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images
Something strange happens when people find an actor's Letterboxd account, especially incognito. Of course, it's fun for a fan to find and share a celebrity's seemingly private account full of honest reviews and ratings of fellow actors, but there's also something sad about it. “Boxeding“Celebrities for their posts on Letterboxd are the most obnoxious type of person online, and Heated rivalry star Hudson Williams is the latest to bear the brunt of it.
squall from social network users posting screenshots reveal Williams' supposed account, essentially Letterboxd doxxing him and forcing him to apparently delete the account entirely. It's one thing to share Williams' posts because they're funny, but fans seem to be using his inbox to attack his acting abilities and question his taste. Should Williams be liked? Nope? Or Pedro Pascal? What does it mean that he likes Stanley Kubrick's adaptation? Lolita? Of course, the actor has an incomprehensible taste in cinema – Few actors have tastes that truly match the work they do.And even more of them have strange moves altogether. The rampant exposure of his account, which turned into ad hominem attacks, seems counter-intuitive compared to what people want from celebrities now: a patina of authenticity. What if instead we all acted normal for once?
How Tina Fey clip from Bodybuilders shared for the ten millionth time, perhaps we should rethink the ecosystem that encourages everyone to refuse to say how they really feel, for the sake of politeness at best, and to avoid pissing off the stan community at worst. It would be one thing if Williams went on podcasts or gave interviews in which he openly spoke about his dislike for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesbut his supposed Letterbox, which was otherwise absent from his advertising Heated rivalry – that's his business. He's not the only person on his show who has had to struggle with his digital footprint. A hug from his co-star Connor Storrie his past videos on YouTube very cute, but seems unnecessary. An account called “Actorboy222” does not require to be discovered, let alone doxxed.
It was a little over a year ago when Charli XCX's Letterboxd account “leaked” to the public, as a result of which the singer admitted that this account belongs to her. Appeal Charlie's account was that her reviews were funny, yes, and gave insight into her cultural diet in relation to her own work. Charli decided to take over by changing her bio on the site to read, “I think my account was leaked.” Although the singer and actress periodically publishes reports on her activities on TikTokher unaltered biography on the site reminds users that she is not a public figure on this site by choice (even if her username makes her easily identifiable). Margot Robbie's supposed Letterboxd watch made the rounds before this account mysteriously disappeared. Even more public figures on Letterboxd – as Sean Baker — have limited their activity on the platform, and other stars like Ayo Edebiri (and now Williams) have completely deleted their accounts. If celebrities feel obligated to be public spokespeople for films on Letterboxd, we run the risk of everything there looking like a #spon. Celebrities will already be giving five stars to movies with their friends; do we want them to do the same with whatever studio spends the most on marketing?
The frantic exploration of Williams' account allowed fans to feel like they were close to or even understood by someone they didn't know based on their media consumption. Or they use it as a means to create weird haters. Sure, it's a little interesting to see what celebrities are up to on Letterboxd, as well as their Instagram or whatever has a blue tick, but they should be given privacy to have taste – good or bad, or anything in between. If there is anything Heated rivalry fans should know that a little mystery is always more fun.
