Acting is where the money is

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Published on Thursday, 10 May 2012 12:11
Written by Gareth Stevens

We are all aware of the fact that actors make crazy amounts of money in Hollywood. For a season of Two and a Half Men, Charlie Sheen was one of the most paid.

There has however, been a number of actors who have slipped under the radar to the top of the earnings list; many miles away from Hollywood.

You may well be scratching your head, trying to decipher who these actors could be. They are the stars of the most watched series in Europe. The soccer players who perform in the Premier Leagues, a 90 minute episode once a week, are paid amounts that dwarf their counterparts in Hollywood.

Some might say that they are remunerated for their prowess with the ball, but I think that it is no coincidence that the most paid of all these players (Christiano Ronaldo) is the most enthusiastic actor of them all.

He is more (in)famous in many circles for his rolling around on the ground, writhing in agony, resembling someone whose internal organs have ruptured and has simultaneously snapped his leg in several places, only to jump to his feet and prance around with a grin on his face once he has a penalty from the referee for his (surely to soon be nominated for an Oscar) performance.

Many of these penalties, which Ronaldo has “earned” after not so much as being touched by the opposition, have subsequently been put in the back of the net. Thus they have played a significant role in his boss signing Rolando’s pay check.

This kind of acting is not popular in most circles, but villains on the silver screen get paid too. An example of this dislike for the actors on the pitch can be seen viewed through a comment made by Wales’s premier rugby referee, Nigel Owens.

Two weeks ago, Owens was in charge of a Heineken Cup rugby match, when a French player took a leaf out of Ronaldo’s book and started screaming, throwing his arms in the air and “acting” as if the world was about to end. Owens immediately halted the game with a shrill blow of his whistle, called over the player and said, “Don’t do that again. This isn’t soccer you know.” 

It may be frustrating to fans from all walks of life. But as long as their shrieking tantrums resembling a 5 year old crashing after a sugar high) continue to be rewarded with lucrative deals; the performances of the “actors” are not going anywhere.

I suggest that we as supporters just accept them as what they really are: performances. We should sit back, enjoy a bowl of popcorn, and appreciate the role played of horrific “injuries” that these modern day actors perform once a week in their respective leagues.