Netizens mock Kim Kardashian after mega cringe Actors on Actors interview with Chloë Sevigny
Love to hate her or hate to love her, but billionaire businesswoman and reality TV icon Kim Kardashian will definitely have made it onto your radar at least once or twice. Most recently the mother of four had the internet talking because of her impressive performance in the horror series American Horror Story: Delicate. This stint also made her the recipient of an honour only bestowed to a select few: an Actors on Actors interview on Variety opposite an Academy Award nominee. And boyyyyy, the internet had some thoughts about it.
The question at the heart of the controversy is whether one major television credit makes Kardashian an actor worthy of the company of her conversation partner, Chloë Sevigny. Sevigny is a Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee, who has earned a reputation as a style icon due to her alternative and experimental fashion sense, as well as a hyper-talented actress due to many controversial and eccentric roles showcasing her varied skills. She’s a total it girl.
While Kardashian is undoubtedly a style icon in her own right and just as famous as Sevigny (potentially even more so), it is questionable whether you can place them on the same level in the category of acting.
During the interview, Sevigny is definitely asking the most questions, despite the wildly interesting career she has had, starring in projects such as Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho, The Dead Don’t Die, Bones and All, and not one but two seasons of American Horror Story.
At the heart of the interview and subsequent controversy was the now infamous “Are you a cinephile?” question. When Sevigny asked Kardashian about her favourite films and whether she loved going to the cinema growing up, both of their answers to the question diverged a lot in detail.
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Netizens started to wonder how Sevigny was able to do the interview with a straight face.
Just for reference, other actor pairs for this season of the series are Jodie Foster and Robert Downey Jr, Andrew Scott and Brie Larson, and Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm. Considering the amount of accolades and extensive acting portfolios these celebrities have, it’s easy to see why netizens are slightly confused about Kardashian’s involvement.
In the past few years, influencers have gained increasingly more access to spaces previously reserved for those with ‘actual talent’. This has raised multiple eyebrows and also led to criticism from Hollywood insiders.
Entertainment is an incredibly inaccessible industry and it takes a massive amount of talent, money, and well-connected relatives to break in. However, with the way influencers have been changing the Hollywood landscape, it is to be expected that we will see many more of them opposite icons such as Sevigny, Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, and Jane Fonda in the future.
The fact that people are gaining access to more unconventional roads should probably regarded as a good thing and a lot of criticism that Kardashian is receiving right now falls into the outdated narrative that she has no talent, which is untrue and reductive bullying. Her rave reviews for the show are proof enough. But whether or not influencer celebrities like her have a right to discuss favourite films and their craft in-depth with Chloë Sevigny is definitely a conversation worth having.
