Hollywood Habitat

By SAMANTHA ETTUS
28-JUL-05

This week Vince Vaughn has been making headlines with his box office hit Wedding Crashers. Vaughn’s flirtation with serious stardom has been enhanced by the timing of his latest film, in which he stars with Jennifer Aniston, prompting false rumors of an off-screen romance with Brad Pitt’s soon to be ex-wife. Though harmless, these rumors do serve to strengthen Vaughn’s name recognition, propelling him towards greater fame. This could be the big smash he needs to launch him to the top of the comedic A- list with stars like Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller. Becoming real tabloid fodder for the first time is a welcome annoyance to Vaughn. Originally from Chicago, Vaughn has been looking to buy a home in the windy city, the site of his current and next film in production. Though not so distant as Johnny Depp’s adopted France or Gwyneth Paltrow’s new home in London, Chicago is a world away from the cozy confines of Hollywood. At Celebrity Assets we applaud Vaughn’s expected move, prompting us to take a peek this week at celebrities who have chosen not to cling to Los Angeles for dear life, and how it impacts their personal brands.

It used to be that all movies were made in Los Angeles, making it the only logical and practical location for any big screen star. But now that films are being made in New York, Vancouver, Miami, Chicago and countless other cities, living in L.A. is no longer the most practical choice. The City of Angels is laden with prowling paparazzi, countless competing stars and meddling industry types, forming a dysfunctional petri dish for established celebrities. True, the city is a perfect place for actors who haven’t yet “made” it, allowing them to rub elbows with directors at Starbucks and be available for last minute auditions, a necessity for breaking into the big leagues. For these hopeful future stars, leaving Hollywood would be a death sentence for their careers. Yet once they have broken into full fledged stardom, most actors never need to audition again; their body of work becomes their audition tape. One might expect that, once they hit it big, stars would run longingly to their favorite cities and set up house. But that is not the case. It seems that a fear of becoming irrelevant and being forgotten prevents most celebrities from making a move. And so although there are countless examples of celebrities who have claimed new frontier, they are in the minority.

When Demi Moore chose to take time off and raise her kids in Hailey, Idaho, it came as a surprise to the film community. Yet 13 years later, when she decided to return to the business, she did so with a bang; her outsider status helped to make her intriguing and new again. She avoided any overexposure she might have suffered had she stayed in Hollywood; rather than being seen in Us Magazine shopping at the supermarket each week, she was remembered for her body of work. Though Moore moved to relative Siberia, one needn’t move far to reap the benefits. Sharon Stone followed her heart to San Francisco and though it was only an hour long flight, it was light years away from the insular Hollywood community. In fact, she made news just for returning. When Gwyneth Paltrow returns to the States from London it is always newsworthy because the American press just can’t get enough of her. Jennifer Lopez learned that her past omnipresence proved deadly for her relationship with Ben Affleck, and almost for her career too. Her subsequent move to Miami was the right one, enhancing her personal and professional lives. For these stars and numerous others, taking the big leap out of Los Angeles has been a winning move for their careers and their images. Many celebrities want a lifetime of stardom, and nothing leads more assuredly to that than a winning personal brand. Achieve success, will travel.

(Samantha Ettus, president of Ettus Media Management, is a leading voice on personality-driven brands. Her first book, "The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do" (Random House), will be published in September. For more information, go to www.theexpertsguideto.com.)