In the age of connectivity, young celebs appear accessible
Fred Lo—SCREEN GRABS FROM INSTAGRAM
In this age of sharing and oversharing in social media, celebrities—particularly the younger set—seem to be more open about their lives away from the cameras, and choose to use their own whenever possible, for the whole world to see.
It isn’t farfetched for a celeb to make a gaffe and share a nude photo or two, though it must take a certain level of exhaustion to hurdle past several posting steps. Still, it happens, and that’s unfortunate.
In any case, there are Hollywood and local 20- and 30-somethings who take full advantage of the cutting-edge technology at their fingertips, whether to show fans of goings-on in their lives, or to merely make people aware of their current projects. In the age of Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, etc., there’s more to “consume,” if one so chooses.
While “regular” folk may use their Messenger app’s “My Day” feature or Facebook’s “My Story” function to take a glimpse of their friends’ and contacts’ lives, Instagram’s Stories section has more actors and performers sharing short videos and pics.
Ball of energy
You get an idea of how they really are: “Riverdale” actor KJ Apa, for instance, is just a ball of energy, pranking his friends and costars on video whenever he can. There are vids of him just giggling and recording castmate Cole Sprouse’s attempt at trying to sleep. Basically, the athletic Apa horses around a lot, jumps around in slo-mo, and jokes with and does stunts with his buddies, and so on.
Garrett Clayton
Considerably laid-back is another costar, Camila Mendes, who has shown herself hanging out with relatives and close friends in her Stories.
Chloë Grace Moretz, (“Kick-Ass”) meanwhile, has videos of her playing with her pet dog; similarly, “13 Reasons Why” actor Brandon Flynn has footage of his beloved canine at home.
Certainly, it’s about taking control of what to share with existing and potential followers. Garrett Clayton (“King Cobra”) can be seen hanging out with pals in one Story post and lip-synching to bubblegum pop the next. And Christian Antidormi (“Strike Back”) can be seen happily biking to retro music.
On the local scene, that relaxed vibe is easily evident in some of the most viewable actor-celebs’ Stories uploads. Derrick Monasterio has behind-the-scenes footage of his stunt work, and even posts recordings of his singing voice.
Former “Hi-5” host Fred Lo impresses with his singing, in posts of his rehearsals and gigs. Sebastian Castro, aside from posting about acting projects and photos with costars, shares the occasional shirtless selfie. And Hashtags member Ronnie Alonte sneaks in videos of him and his coworkers simply goofing off between busy performances.
Such seconds-long videos and photos in their Instagram profiles are viewable up to 24 hours, or until they decide to remove them. They get creative with point-and-shoot technology to highlight parts of their lives in an increasingly distracting and imagery-heavy world.
Their candor, whether calculated or not, draws you in. It’s like being in the front row, enjoying an unpredictable show that’s oddly alluring in its own way.
Lena Dunham
Ronnie Alonte
