Q. Do we need so many paparazzi pictures of celebrities arriving (or departing) at LAX? It strikes me as the height of laziness for photographers to hang out at the airport because they know sooner or later almost every celebrity in town will walk through there. Does this collective obsession with the minutia of celebrity lives have an upside?— Abe Stalin
A. Finding celebrities and taking their picture can be a lot of fun, exciting and adrenaline-inducing — it’s the waiting around that is the work. Some of these guys will spend 12 hours at an airport to get that shot.We as a culture are saturated with media, we have become savvy as to how manipulated it can be. We are aware of the facade so we look to the tabloids and the paparazzi to get those candid, unposed moments. Something real.

Q. Do you ultimately believe the general public — the readers of tabloids — is responsible for the intrusions of privacy by the paparazzi? – Michael
A. One thing I’ve learned is that we all play a role in tabloids. It’s a symbiotic relationship between performers or celebrities, the camera people, the tabloid outlets, and the consumers. We all need to take responsibility and recognize the role we play, and recognize that we have power in what we choose to take pictures of and what kind of stories we create and consume.

Q. There are some celebrities that you always see in the magazines, but other seemingly just-as-popular celebs are rarely seen. How do they stay out of the limelight? Why do you think there is such a difference in L.A. versus N.Y. when it comes to paparazzi? Thanks! Also, I’m a big fan of Entourage! – Anna
A. Thanks for watching — both Vince and I appreciate it.
There is a difference between New York and Los Angeles because there is more of a concentration of performers and celebrities in L.A. It’s Hollywood, it’s where people come to be famous and stay to be seen. There is only one main industry. N.Y. is also the country’s fashion and finance capital, and it is easier to get lost in the crowd.

Q. At what point in your career (if ever) did your feelings toward fame transition from being flattered and excited to be recognized on the street, asked for an autograph, etc. to finding the attention bothersome and intrusive? Have you developed methods to cope with the excessive attention and have a seemingly “normal” day or night out? – Bill C
A. Being famous is something that has to be dealt with, or reconciled with, psychologically. Everyone who is famous must deal with it in their own way. The way I deal with it is by turning the cameras out into the world and asking questions, and in turn that lessens the instrusiveness.

Q. I’m a high school social studies teacher. My 2nd period class has a couple of questions for you. #1: What did you learn later in life that you wish you learned while you were in high school?
A. I used to look at school as a place I had to be at, but now I seek every opportunity to learn and wish I could go back to school.

Q. What responsibility do celebrities have to use their cultural capital to change the world (within the immediate community, internationally or both)? Do you feel you have a responsibility at all? Why? Why not? – Gifford Street H.S. 2nd Period Social Studies- Mr. Nemec
A. I have a responsibility on a human level to give and contribute responsibility. The celebrity part is just entertainment, but if that celebrity can highlight the positive things I’m doing, then great. But I think each and every one of us has that same responsibility.

Q. What’s a side of you that you wish fans/media knew more about but never get a chance to observe? – Jon M
A. I’m not a very secretive person. I have nothing to hide.

Q. Adrian, why is it we never see you in the tabloids or on TMZ? Is this intentional or do they just not bother you? Or perhaps one leads to the other? Thanks and keep up the great work on Entourage. – Thomas
A. Leonardo DiCaprio once said, and I’m paraphrasing, he “found a way to become paparazzi proof by making a serious film about the environment.” Tabloids thrive on simple conflict and crass hearsay. So if you are looking to avoid the paparazzi, sadly doing positive things that require more thought will often be ignored. Tabloids are junk food. It’s important to balance your media diet.

Q: You once described the show as “spiritual.”
A: I think it’s about family, friendship and loyalty. The characters are navigating L.A. and it can be often treacherous. The story is really about how these guys survive. Vince has this zen-like meditation that allows him to avoid some of the major pitfalls. I’m pretty even-keeled. I think I try to bring that to the character.

Q: What is most challenging thing about playing Vince?
A: Maybe enjoying the luxuries. I was always looking at celebrity in a more obtuse kind of way. I remember Doug Ellin was always saying, ‘Smile. You’re supposed to be enjoying yourself.’ It took me a couple of episodes to realize, ‘Oh yeah.’ That’s not the easiest thing to do. Let go and enjoy every moment. That was the fun of the show, to live vicariously through Vince’s enjoyment and the other guy’s indulgences.

Q: Is it an accurate portrayal of the lifestyle.
A: Accurate-ish.

Q: What is accurate about it?
A: A lot of it is based on real events, loosely interpreted and often Doug Ellin will prophesize things that happen. Stuff will happen on the show and then they’ll happen in real life. Some stuff is fictionalized or downplayed because if they were depicted, it wouldn’t seem real because truth is stranger of fiction.

Q: What is the most-asked fan question?
A: Where is Turtle at?

Q: Do you have a favourite season?
A: I don’t. This season, I’ve had the opportunity to spread my wings a bit.

Q: Do you have a favourite episode?
A: It was nice to do the Mexico sequence.

Q: What other kinds of work do you want to do?
A: I’ve always wanted to do smart films that were smart rides.

Q: What else can we expect for the upcoming episodes?
A: Reconciliation.

Q: And the final season?
A: We’ll see. I have no idea.

Source: National Post

Six years ago, Grenier became famous for playing someone famous, heartthrob actor Vincent Chase, on HBO’s Entourage. Now, he’s used his notoriety—namely his connections to other celebrities and the media that feed on them—to make a documentary about the culture of fame itself.

Teenage Paparazzo is, in part, the story of Austin Visschedyk, a 14-year-old paparazzo Grenier met three years ago. Intrigued by the boy’s tenacity, Grenier set out to follow him on the celebrity hunt. But after interviewing the teenager’s laissez-faire parents, his Hollywood targets, and historians and other experts, the film became more of a meditation on the uncomfortable truths of the celebrity industry.

The movie, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival last January, has received positive buzz so far. The LA Times called it “a clear-eyed investigation of the fame apparatus.” And according the Village Voice blog Voice Film, Paparazzo is “far more intellectually engaging than a film about celebrity made by a celebrity has any right to be.”

The College of Communication and HBO Documentary Films are bringing filmmaker and film to campus tonight. The screening, which will be held at the Photonics Center at 6 p.m., will be followed by a question-and-answer period with Grenier.

BU Today caught up with Grenier on Tuesday, just before the Los Angeles premiere of Teenage Paparazzo, to talk about what it’s been like to see celebrity from both sides of the camera lens.

BU Today: This is your first visit to a college campus. Why bring the movie to BU?
Grenier: This is actually very exciting. It’s the first college screening in what I’m hoping will be a continuing exhibition series. I think there are a lot of elements in the film that people who have an active interest in studying media can really appreciate.

The thing about documentaries is, not only can they be really fun—and by the way, my film has lots of humor; you’ll laugh the whole time—but they also have educational elements. That’s what I’m trying to do with filmmaking, to continue my own education.

How did spending time with paparazzi change your view of the business?
I really began to see the paparazzi as human beings for the first time. For so long they’ve been these faceless, lurking monsters in the bushes who were out to get me, but after I got to know them and spent some time in their shoes, I was able to appreciate their human side.

What’s your least favorite place to be encountered by paparazzi?
On the toilet. I don’t like that. The thing about paparazzi—it’s really what you make of it. You can be willing to accept it, smile, look at it as part of the funny tapestry of your daily experience. Or you can really let it get under your skin. I choose to have fun with it.

You picked up a camera to try photographing celebrities during the shooting. What was that like?
If you want to get to know your subject, you really have to put yourself in their shoes. I was able to understand the exciting nature of what the paparazzi do and how it sort of indulges this animal instinct, the thrill of the hunt.

What do you want the audience to take away from the film?
I saw in this kid, Visschedyk, the spirit of a young, independent hipster who’s capturing images and making something of his world. I think there’s a parallel to that in the independence we all have now—the autonomy we have with digital cameras—to comment on our world. The lesson for all of us is to embrace the tools of technology, but also to question the role we play in contributing to celebrity tabloid culture and to take responsibility for it.

Entourage is shooting its final season. What’s up next for you—more directing? Acting?
I think I’d like to do both if I can. It depends on the project.

Your character in Entourage developed a drug problem and hit rock bottom at the end of this season. How do you stay levelheaded about fame and its perks?
I make documentaries. If you stay engaged, participate in things you like, and seek truth, you won’t get taken in by the superficial pitfalls of celebrity.