“Star” demands….

I recently asked to interview Martin Shaw for the Sunday Express, in connection with his current London run in A Man for All Seasons. A letter was duly sent to me under the letterhead of his agent, Ken McReddie Associates, that I had to sign and return to confirm, amongst other demands:

• That Shaw has agreed to “answer only pre-arranged questions, a list of which is attached”
• That I undertake that the material gathered from the interview will only be used in a designated publication, and if I wish to use it elsewhere, I would seek Shaw’s approval though his agent Ken McReddie
• That I have agreed that the basis of the article I am writing would be “serious and respectful of the production, the production’s producers,” and of Shaw
• That Shaw would be given “full copy approval” and to receive such approval for “any quotes used”

I’m afraid I could do no such thing, and the interview was aborted, thus depriving the play’s producers the respectful opportunity of a respectable bit of publicity about their play. I can fully understand that Shaw might well have been stung in the past by tabloid intrusion, and indeed (unknown to me at the time I submitted this request), a story was about to break that he had left his latest wife and was now dating another woman whom he brought to the first night party for the play, so was hardly keeping a secret. But I wanted to ask him about his acting life; in the end, deprived of direct access to him, the paper’s newsroom wrote a feature that delved into his romantic past, while I supplied the theatrical background.

But yesterday I read that the producers of a new Broadway version of an old Neil Simon play, Barefoot in the Park, are finding their star similarly reluctant to engage in the publicity process. Her name is Amanda Peet. Her personal publicist at a PR event for the production was standing by, insisting that unless journalists signed up to an agreement restricting the use of any quotes she gave, they would not be allowed to talk to her. “Journalist may not use text produced by Amanda Peet for any purpose other than what it is originally intended without securing the prior permission of Amanda Peet.” And “Journalist agrees not to publish any quotes supplied by Amanda Peet in any manner without obtaining Amanda Peet’s prior written consent”.

For Peet’s sake! Quite whom these demands are serving, except to make them look stupid, is anyone’s guess. In the New York Post, a longtime New York theatre PR was quoted as commenting, “It’s a Hollywood power play”. And clearly Martin Shaw and Amanda Peet fancy themselves in that league.