The Internet is a terrifying place for anyone with even the smallest amount of name recognition. After all, look what it did to Rebecca Black, and she wasn’t even remotely famous or popular before Reddit, 4chan, and Tumblr got a hold of her. It stands to reason that celebrities are at least a little aware of the crazy stuff we do with their likenesses online, but it’s still always a bit of a shock to hear an actor actually talking about a meme or a fan work. We put together some of our favorite instances of this particular phenomenon – just don’t freak out when you find out that your favorite TV or movie stars know about the fan fiction you write!
Sean Bean’s Death Reel
At this point it’s pretty much common knowledge that if Sean Bean appears on the cast list of a movie or television show, his character is probably going to die. Seriously, this man has been stabbed, shot, exploded, arrowed in the chest, decapitated, and even trampled by cows more times than we could count. Luckily, someone else decided to count for us, in the form of a supercut “Death Reel” that documents 21 of Bean’s most famous last moments in all their gory glory.
Even better? Sean Bean is completely aware of what a death-magnet he is – and he knows about the death reel. When asked about it in an interview for his new film, Cleanskin, he admitted that his favorite death scene so far was Boromir’s, the Steward of Gondor from Fellowship of the Ring. Check out the video below to hear more.
Fuck Yeah! Ryan Gosling
Gosling is one of those delightfully attractive Hollywood faces who acts as a cipher for absolutely everyone’s fantasies. That’s why the “Fuck Yeah! Ryan Gosling” Tumblr meme became such a hit – it’s Ryan Gosling, talking right to you and calling you “girl”! What’s not to love there?
Well, Ryan Gosling doesn’t love them – or maybe he does? We’re not sure if he’s laughing or crying in these clips of him reciting some of the best “Hey Girl” captions for MTV. Whatever, either way he’s looking super fly while he’s doing it, which, let’s be honest, is the real reason you’re watching.
Tom Felton Encounters “Drarry”
Felton is no stranger to the Internet — his Twitter account is one of the most consistently funny celebrity feeds. The world of Harry Potter fandom is a challenging one, however, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the concept of “slash” fanfic — when fiction writers pair up two unlikely male characters in a text and make them fall in love with each other. We’re all about the homoerotic, but seeing Potter getting cozy with his arch nemesis, Draco Malfoy, takes some getting used to. And we suspect that Felton’s never going to get used to it, judging by this clip from Conan where he’s forced to gaze on some of the weirder images out there. Don’t worry, the below video is technically safe for work, but that doesn’t mean you still won’t get some weird looks if you check it out in front of your coworkers.
More Harry Potter Actors Read Slash Fan Fiction
Poor Tom’s not the only one who’s had to deal with the public airing of fandom obsession. Both Ralph Fiennes and Daniel Radcliffe were also goaded into actually reading the erotic fan fiction about their characters out loud on Andy Cohen’s Bravo show, Watch What Happens Live. Being the consummate professionals that they are, both do remarkably stellar jobs making us believe that Voldemort and Harry are feeling things that JK Rowling probably never intended them to feel. A little NSFW, but if you’ve got headphones on then it shouldn’t be a problem — just try not to get too excited.
Figwit the Elf
Back before the concept of Internet memes was even a thing, fangirls all over the world were enamored with Flight of the Conchords star Bret McKenzie’s part as an extra in The Fellowship Of The Ring. They gave the nameless elf a moniker, “Figwit,” which stands for “Frodo is great — who is THAT?” There are fan websites and even a documentary about the phenomenon. Figwit became so popular that Peter Jackson decided to bring Bret back for Return of the King and the upcoming Hobbit.
What does Bret think about the phenomenon? “It’s so hilarious because it’s been propelled by so little. I’m famous for doing nothing,” he said at the time. Guess he can’t really make that claim now that he’s won an Academy Award (we’re still never going to get over that). Check out this interview he gave a local news station in New Zealand in the video below.
Angelina Jolie’s Leg
Speaking of the Academy Awards, we’re guessing you don’t remember much about the most recent telecast except Angelina Jolie’s outfit. Let’s face it, her right leg stole the show. It was so fierce that before the end of the event, someone had already started a Twitter account for it (which now has almost 50,000 followers), and “legbombing” — Photoshopping her leg onto other pictures — became a viral sensation
Listen up, though, Internet: we’ve got to nip this meme in the bud, because apparently Angelina Jolie is “horrified” at the reaction her dress has received, and has criticized her stylist Jen Rade for choosing the gown. “She’s being laughed at when she’s worked so hard on her look. She feels like a joke and is worried her reputation may have taken a hit,” an anonymous source said. So cool it with the legbombs, guys! We can’t risk making her so uncomfortable that she never shows skin again! The entire film industry would collapse!
Sad Keanu
Ah, yes, Sad Keanu Reeves: the pinnacle of celebrity memes. What’s he so glum about? Is it the sandwich he’s eating? Is it the fact that he’s alone on a park bench? Is it because of the paparazzo taking this photo of him? So many unanswered questions!
Unfortunately, we’ll probably never know the answers, because when Vulture interviewed Keanu for his movie Henry’s Crime, they told him about the meme but neglected to ask any of the important questions. Still, it seems as though he approves! “So they like take paparazzi pictures and re-contextualize them? Funny,” he said. “Given the scope and scale of what can happen out there, that sounds like an all right one. It sounds conceptually funny.” So Photoshop away! Just don’t put Angie’s leg on him, because that makes her sad. Listen to him wax philosophical about it on the BBC in the video below: