Reader Question: Is Hollywood really like it’s portrayed in movies and TV?

From Lence1818:

Is Hollywood really like it’s portrayed in movies and tv shows or is it exaggerated? If it really is full of drama and amusement have you ever witnessed anything crazy?

You mean like this?

Someone once said that Hollywood is a parody of itself. You can read some of my own experiences in that regard in The Business of Screenwriting series, a few of them here, here, here, here, and here. If you aren’t following screenwriter Doug Richardson, you should be as he posts a story from the front lines of Hollywood about every week.

Are there ego-driven, narcissistic, impulsive, reactionary, drug-addled, power-mad, sex-crazed people in Hollywood? Sure. But you have to remember: Movies and TV are a business. And even though Hollywood represents an intersection between commerce and creativity, there is still a big fat bottom line for every single person working in The Business.

Actually a more representative iteration of life in Hollywood is this Business of Screenwriting post: The crazed life of a studio executive. These people work their asses off. Eighteen hour days are the norm. The same with producers, managers, agents. I’ve heard it said about Jerry Bruckheimer Productions and the people who work there, if you aren’t willing to come into the office on Saturday, don’t bother showing up on Sunday because you won’t be working there any longer.

So for all the images of parties, premieres and over-the-top behavior, the reality is people in the movie and TV business work really hard, basically never not working. At least that’s my take on it.

How about you? If you work in Hollywood, would you say Hollywood is like it’s portrayed in movies and TV?

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