Wil Wheaton is always interesting and entertaining. Last week he wrote a pair of articles (here and here) about his relationship with Star Trek conventions. He feels ambivalent about them because on the one side he wants to leave Trek behind him, and move on as an actor and writer; but on the other hand they bring in decent money for him and his family.
Judging by the phenomenal number of comments people left for him, these articles touched a lot of people. They resonated with me because I recognize his feelings as a father and provider for his family. Earlier this year I turned down a job that I really wanted because it would have been too much of a step down in salary. Wil talks about jobs he feels that he can’t turn down, even though he doesn’t want to take them.
Wil is a celebrity. He is also an ordinary person, with a family, commitments, desires, and worries. His weblog allows him to show this side of himself to his fans. Does that make him any less of a celebrity? Does that deflate the image the public has of him? No. Exactly the opposite.
It is very easy to fawn over, envy, or even love celebrities. It is much harder to respect them. Wil pricks his own bubble too often to allow you to build him up too much. He is modest. He loves his family, and he loves what he does. He has been through some rough times, and he has emerged as stronger person–a good person. He cares. And in return, his fans really do care about him.
Wil, you rule.