Published Friday, 07 September 2012
Filmmaker Brett Cohen devised a prank to highlight the blind adulation that comes with the cult of celebrity. His 'social experiment' was designed to see if simply appearing like a celebrity would be enough to garner the public's attention, despite the fact that he isn't remotely famous.
He went to Times Square and hired himself an entourage, consisting of two professional bodyguards, two assistants and a few photographers pretending to be paparazzi.
He walked around Times Square with his entourage in tow and found himself posing with hundreds of 'fans' and giving autographs. The video features interviews with those who met the 'star' and when asked what they knew him from, some knew him as a rising pop star whilst others knew him as a famous actor from films such as Spiderman.
His prank was designed to highlight how the buzz of celebrity greatly outweighs the reality, as credibility is not a prerequisite.
So, if you want to become a 'big star' just get yourself a couple of burly bodyguards, a few fake paparazzi snappers and a few assistants for your entourage.
And, of course, heading to New York's Times Square couldn't hurt either.