In the ever-shifting landscape of filmmaking, Hollywood has been facing a steep struggle in creating new stars. Ever since social media presented it with competition in the form of influencers, every ounce of attention has been welcomed by the millennia-old industry. A TikTok creator just put that to the test.
TikTok, specifically, is a haven for odd gimmicks. For @mynameismonique, her chosen way to stop people from scrolling was staring at her selfie camera deadpan as she chomped down on an A4-sized picture of Glen Powell. At first, most of her comments were full of people debating, with swaths asking “why” and even more asking “why not.”
Powell is one of the few new stars that Hollywood has successfully broken into household names. Alongside Robert Pattinson, Timothée Chalamet, and the newly minted Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan, it finally feels like the 1990s stars are going to leave the industry in safe hands.
However, let’s not forget that with great stardom comes great risk. It’s not uncommon for these beloved stars to find that their great wealth has the side effects of stalkers and often overzealous paparazzi. Sometimes even their onscreen chemistry causes strain in their personal romantic relationships, as Powell himself would attest.
However, the The Running Man star was able to take this picture-muncher situation with good humor. According to Entertainment Weekly, the TikTok creator actually had the goal of doing it until it somehow resulted in her being cast alongside Powell in a future film or TV show.
In a recent roundtable with fellow actors, the Anyone But You star finally had an opportunity to respond. Powell said, “I didn’t know this was a thing until it was described to me while I was on the red carpet.” He continued, “They’re like, ‘Hey, the girl that eats your face is on the red carpet.’ I go, ‘What are you talking about?’”
Powell’s story about awkward interactions with a fan didn’t quite take the cake, however. On the roundtable was also Harrison Ford — who has been a star for more than 50 years and, as you can imagine, that has come with its own ups and downs. The veteran, best known to younger fans for Shrinking, shared a story about a fan who approached him and reportedly told him that their mother would like to “sleep with you.”
Once upon a time, the Hollywood star manufacturing system was efficient and undeniable. Most people only saw these people on 65-foot large screens in movie theaters. They were literal giants in their fans’ hearts. Unfortunately, that also made people see them as something other than human.
People meet them in the streets, scream at their faces, then sometimes demand photographs. That probably is not the best way to go about these things. Now, does that mean eating pictures is the best way to go about it? A doctor would surely disagree.
Who knows — perhaps everyone should just go back to writing fan mail and waving kindly if you see them in the streets.
Published: May 22, 2026 07:40 am