With so much pressure to always look good and be a role model to younger fans, it can be hard to any celebrity to always appear to be squeaky clean. These 5 stars have all rejected the idea of being a role model, saying that they aren’t perfect enough for the role, or make too many mistakes, while others don’t think their behavior should be monitored just because they are in the spotlight. Some just don’t want the responsibility of possibly influencing young people and their life decisions and so don’t want to be thought of a role model.
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel doesn’t see himself as a role model: “I don’t look at myself as a role model. I would never place myself on that pedestal, obviously. If other people want to place me there, that’s up to them. I would advise them not to because I don’t think you should deify any human being. I think it’s something that I’ve grown more comfortable with the idea”.
Taylor Momsen
Taylor doesn’t think kids should look up to her: “I smoke, so what? Why do people give a s**t what a 16-year-old girl who they’ve never met does? It’s not like I’m sitting there going, ‘Kids, you should go buy a pack of cigarettes.’ When I walk outside with a cigarette and someone takes a picture of it and puts it on the internet, it’s not my problem. I’m just living my life and I’m not gonna live my life for other people. I don’t read that c**p that describes me as having an attitude, but I don’t know why that’s a bad thing. I didn’t get into this to be a role model for seven-year-olds. I have no interest in doing that.”
Naomi Campbell
Naomi makes her mistakes in public which is why she doesn’t want people looking up to her: “I make many mistakes. Many mistakes. I’m not a perfect human being. I have to learn from my mistakes. And a lot of the ones I’ve made have been public. So I always get nervous when people speak about something that sounds like a role model, because I don’t know if I’ve been a great role model myself. I don’t think I have in certain aspects of my life. But I’m trying to do better. I admit to my mistakes. I admit to the things that I’ve done wrong. I admit it. But I’m trying to do right by myself and my life now.”
Mary-Kate Olsen
Mary-Kate and her sister Ashley don’t like to be role models because of the responsibility: “I think we’ve been labelled as role models since we were very young. My sister and I don’t look at ourselves as role models – I think that’s a huge responsibility. The best we can do is take care of ourselves and experience life for ourselves and not really let the outside world affect us.”
Jared Leto
Jared believes he has the right to do whatever he wants without being criticized: “I can do whatever the f**k I want. I have no responsibility to uphold an image. I don’t subscribe to the notion the artist is a role model by default. Look to the idea that you could be a poor white-trash kid and along with your brother put one foot in front of the other and make your dream come true. That’s the lesson. It’s not if I failed here and there with my life, or made mistakes. To have to keep secrets would be pointless.”
