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Letters

Something that has been flipped onto its head over the last 20 years is the star-fan interaction. I’ll paint the picture of this interaction in the 1980s and ’90s. Someone likes watching a performer’s TV show or film. They watch the show, they watch this performer on talk shows, and they read their magazine interviews; they “follow” them. Then, they want to let this performer know that they like their work.

“Hmm.” No Internet. No Twitter accounts. “Hmm. Can’t call them on the phone. I’ll write a letter!” You think about writing a letter, but you’ve got to get to work or school. You’ll do it later. Well, maybe this weekend.

While you’re waiting for some laundry to finish drying a couple of days later, “Hey! I’ll write that letter now. Get my stationery out. And an envelope . . . Got it. Dear Justine, etc., etc., etc. OK, done. Fold it up, put it in the envelope. Hmm. No stamps. I’ll have to get some tomorrow.” Three days later, you’ve got the stamps. Put one on. The address—

“Well, I guess I’ll just send it to NBC. Or would Paramount Studios be better? That’s where they shoot the show. OK, Paramount Studios address. Well, it’s in Hollywood, California. I guess I could call them to get the address. I could call 411 and get the number to Paramount Studios and then call them to get their address. OK, got it! Phone call made, address on, and next time I pass a mailbox, I’ll pop it in. Great!”

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Mail is processed. It arrives at Paramount Studios! It’s sorted and a pile is brought to the production offices for each of the TV shows shot there. That mail is sorted so that each actor gets his letters. A pile is placed in his dressing room. Hooray! And the actor, rehearsing, shooting the episodes, will get to that pile later, to that pile addressed to him. Maybe he will read them and answer them all personally, or he may hand them over to his assistant to read, or to the president of his fan club, or to his mom, because she’s been reading his fan mail for him lately and has been sending out pictures with a signature that is authentically forged by her. Or maybe the actor will never open that particular pile because his schedule is too packed to take the time, to think about it.

And that is the journey of a fan letter in the 1980s and ’90s. That is the way in which you would reach your favorite performer. A lot of effort on the fan’s part, right? I mean, the stationery, the composition of the letter, the stamp, finding the address, getting to the mailbox, all of it. You can see how only the most dedicated fan would bother with all those steps. We can assume that for every 100 people who wanted to say something to their favorite performer, maybe only ten actually got out the stationery. And of those ten, maybe only four get the letter to the mailbox. So, out of all those fans, maybe only four percent are actually sending you anything. And maybe you have read it. Or not.

Today, in 2018, bippity-bop, type Jessica Chastain’s Twitter into the Google search bar. There it is. Type @Jess_Chastain I think you’re great! and hit send. Done! Whoa. What just happened? You just sent a message to the award-winning actress Jessica Chastain, and no matter where she is, at home or on location for her next big film, if she’s someone who reads her Twitter “replies,” oh mama, she just read your note. Whoa. Right in there. Right into her life. What an amazing thing!