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Uncomfortable Interviews
Over the years we, as the general public have seen many interviews on TV where the participant squirms or looks hugely uncomfortable and usually we witness these on TV and let them pass by, however, in the One Direction fandom we assess them. We try to uncover what made the boys uncomfortable? Why do they look stressed, or tense, worried or anxious?
None of us claim to be experts, but most of the fans do know the One Direction boys well enough to be able to tell if and when they are uncomfortable with questions or with an interviewer.
Celebrities, both male and female, gay and straight (or whatever label a person is) can and do participate in PR showmances and stunts, but there is also a level of respect that some interviewers lack.
Just because someone is famous it does not give anyone the right to ask what they are like in the bedroom, or whether they have a circumcision, especially when the celebrity in question happens to be two young men in a boyband. It is no one’s business what they look like in their naked glory and for interviewers to ask this is both gross and morally corrupt.
Further, some interviewers themselves push the boundaries on acceptable questions and push celebrities to try and get a reaction out of them. One of the most notorious interviewers for this is Howard Stern and I vividly remember watching Harry Styles be interviewed and seeing how uncomfortable he became. His arm was wrapped over his waist and he looked close to tears with shiny eyes as Stern interrogated him and insinuated that Harry is a manwhore because of a lack of male influence in his life. What right does some interviewer have to slut shame a celebrity, even if that were true?
Another occasion where one of the One Direction boys looked incredibly uncomfortable was during an interview Louis Tomlinson did with Dan Wooten. He was smiling and nodding but his jaw was set, cheekbones drawn in and he seemed desperate to get to the end of the segment. He was also fidgeting and rolled his eyes, looked off camera and nodded as though accepting that he would in fact have to answer the questions.
This actually links in with another occasion where Louis was mid-interview and was interrupted by management banging on his door. His open posture that was previously present instantly vanished and he sat up, fidgeting and almost looked as though he curled in on himself, whereas earlier in the interview he was relaxed and teasing. He glanced off camera, and cracked his knuckles while waiting to be given the okay to speak again and it was awful for fans to witness how he seemed to shut down on camera while waiting on his handlers to allow the interview to continue.
While Louis was being interviewed last year during the Leiscter Square premiere of All of Those Voices, he was engaged at parts, but at other times he would stare at the ground and at his shoes. His posture was open, but his face told another story while Charlie and Gordon Smart discussed this ‘totally organic’ scene in the movie.
Gordon Smart was brought on during the early days of One Direction to help media train the boys and commented on how they had to change Louis. He actually boasted about how they changed Louis from the loveable flamboyant ball of sunshine we all fell in love with each week during the X Factor because apparently he was too loud and could have stopped the band from succeeding.
What a horrific thing to put on a young man who was only just nineteen? To put that amount of pressure on him as though he would be responsible for what happened with the band shows the mentality of the music industry and those media trainers. I get, as a person with a degree in media myself, teaching clients to dodge questions or dance around the question, but changing a person’s entire personality and dulling down their own self worth and sense of self to sell records is not only sick, but reprehensible.
Music should be about just that and not about whether an artist is too flamboyant or comes across as queer. We should celebrate diversity and queerness, not try to eradicate it from people and if you watch Louis as he grew up from a boy to a young man he lost some of that spark, some of the life that made One Direction stand out. He was, and still is an incredibly talented artist, but losing that sense of self and sense of belonging was harsh and cruel.
No wonder One Direction don’t want to get back together if this is the kind of pressure they’ll be put under again. I don’t blame them for the length of their hiatus and I honestly hope that all their fans can unite and fight for them, instead of against one another depending on what faction of the fandom they belong to.
There are more important factors than whether you’re a Larrie,a Harrie, a Louie, a Zquad, a Lover, an OT5 or a Liam stan. These boys have been subjected to some horrific abuses over the years and it’s only with fans working together that we can bring down the industry and hold those responsible accountable for these abuses.
Look at Britney Spears for example, her fans never gave up and had her back. They helped her get back some modicum of freedom and all fandoms should take a leaf out of their book: working for the artist instead of the label. Stop the infighting and remember that the artists- all artists- in the music industry have probably at one time or another been subject to abuse, coercion, manipulation, isolation, homophobia, or even sexual assault.
It’s time it stopped. And to do that everyone needs to set aside their differences and work together.
Behind the Curtains
Gordon Smart talking about changing Louis: will be posted on X as a part of the thread
Uncomfortable Dan Wooten interviews:
https://youtu.be/edrALVw9CxY?si=N5VXs6f91Ua8xf4g
https://youtu.be/ocwh-UBB0Eg?si=u0NWM104X6uSrkDb
Interuppted by management interview:
https://youtube.com/shorts/tdmpaFQPXTg?si=BYjH7lxGycDcM0z7
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