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After over a year at this job, I really shouldn’t be surprised by much of anything I hear about the paparazzi. Yet they always manage to outdo themselves when it comes to skeezy behavior. Maggie Gyllenhaal told the L.A. Times about a terrible encounter she had with the paparazzi. They called in a fake fire to get her to run out of her building at five in the morning, just so they could get snaps of her five day old daughter. Hearing about the encounter made me absolutely livid.
Gyllenhaal still can’t believe the lengths some people will go to just to get a photograph, but the early morning fire alarm was the lowest blow for her.
She says, “The paparazzi were just really awful to us. I mean, they called the fire department and told them there was a fire in our little, tiny building in the West Village (New York) so that we would have to come outside with a five-day-old baby.”
The bogus fire alert almost led Gyllenhaal to turn down the role of Rachel Dawes in the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight.”
She tells the Los Angeles Times newspaper, “I was trying to navigate my way through that (media intrusion) when this offer came. I thought, `It’s going to push that stuff further probably.’ But what am I going to do? I’m going to hide and not do things that are appealing to me? I’m an actress.”
[From the San Francisco Gate]
That is just enraging. If I were Maggie I would have gone absolutely ballistic on those guys. That is just lower than low. I would have had my lawyers all over their photo agencies. If I were calm enough. I can think of few things that would cause me to want to physically attack someone, but that sure would. This story is a little old – Celebitchy heard it a while ago – but worth sharing now that Maggie’s mentioned it again. They could have endangered people rushing to get out of the building – and for something so small and stupid. I don’t blame Maggie for wanting to quit the business after that. But I also wouldn’t blame her for clubbing the paparazzi either.
Here’s Maggie Gyllenhaal outside the Ed Sullivan Theatre for the ‘Late Show With David Letterman’ on Wednesday. Images thanks to WENN.
Written by JayBird
Posted in Maggie Gyllenhaal, Paparazzi
24 Responses to “Paparazzi called in a fake fire to get pics of Maggie Gyllenhaal & baby”
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yeah that was an awful thing they did.
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bless her. i think i´d crack under that pressure.
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Holy Crap! Isn’t it illegal to call a false fire alarm? I’m sure the NYFD doesn’t appreciate being a part of a hoax.
That’s just disgusting.
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I heard this awhile ago too & I think its outrageous!! If it were me (& I had an ass ton of money) I’d sue the fuck out of the paps, the company they work/ free lance for & the mags/tabs that published the pics. Fuck ‘em all.
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I’m surprised the police didn’t arrest them. Calling in false alarms is a crime.
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Actually, its a felony crime to do that so I am a little confused why nobody was in deep shit. 911 in NY does have caller id.
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Pure scum.
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It is illegal. And they should have been arrested.
If you know who they are, report it.
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Id be pissed off too
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I totally understand, and good for her for being in the Dark Knight, she did an amazing job, but really Heath stole the movie. He deserves the Oscar.
The paps seem to have no integrity today. It’s ridiculous.
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Or maybe her story is not true? The NYPD would have arrested people for doing that. Anyway, your collective outrage is funny but do you realize how much stars and their agents stoke the paparazzi and feed off them as well? If you don’t, you don’t know much about this business. Try this: http://www.unstirred.com/top-five-myths-about-hollywood/
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Yeah, cos like Maggie’s such a media-whore, always trying to get her face in the tabs.
Quit stating the obvious. I think we all know who the attention-seekers are out there and how they work the paps. Maggie’s as removed from media-whoring as my grandmother is. One of the most professional and gifted actresses around. This story is entirely plausible. And sick.
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Unbelievable. That’s not only low, but mean and dangerous. I would have sued their asses and reported them to the police. I’m having Princess Diana flashbacks reading this.
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Not to sound rude or anything because I do agree it is horrible, but I never really thought she was THAT big of a star, even back then. I could see this being realistic for let’s say Britney Spears, but not her.
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I would have contacted the Police but maybe she decided to let it go for whatever reasons. At least Angelina escaped with her twins from the hospital even though paps were positioned at the entrances and on other roofs of the hospital in case she left by helicopter It was well thought out.
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They could only arrest someone if they had a positive identification of who had made the call. There has to be evidence of the crime–not just the paps who were at the scene (who could claim that they had been there for ages, waiting to get a photo, and deny any responsibility.) And there could have been charges laid afterwards, if they could find the culprit.
What this makes me think of, though, is Meryl Streep’s recent remarks about how “appalled” she is that some celebs sell pictures of their newborns to the tabloids–that SHE would never have violated her kids’ privacy in that way.
Well, here is a prime example of what lengths the paps will go to to be the first to get the new baby’s picture. And, I agree, much as I like her, Maggie Gyllenhaal is not normally a huge paparazzi draw.
So what are people like Brad and Angelina supposed to do? If they do not give or sell pics of the newborns it is obvious the paparrazzi will not only surround and hound them, but might very well do something dangerous (shades of Princess Di, here) in order to get what will end up being a huge payday picture.
Selling/giving the tabloids the pictures is the only way to gain some kind of control, rather than let your children be the target of a paparrazzi feeding frenzy. -
i love me some maggie g, but this outfit is just awful. looks like she’s going to be telling fortunes on the boardwalk later.
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I think laws similar to the ones they have in France need to be implemented here. The photographers are out of control and need some parameters.
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That is quite frightening, making her think her child could be hurt and panicking them both… for an effing picture!
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Paparazzi are the flys of society. Pests in the worse form
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This is kinda funny, we’re all quite clearly on a website that contains pictures taken by paps.
I agree that it is absolutely abominable the way the paps get these pics, but it’s important to note that it’s a supply/demand situation.
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Groceries are supply and demand as well, but farmers don’t climb over other farmer’s fences and steal their crops.
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While I agree this was a bad thing to do, we really must stop blaming paparazzi for everything. Actors know what they’re getting into…which is why they’ll do anything to break into the industry. I certainly wouldn’t be excited about the intrusion, but would tolerate it considering the rewards…waited on hand and foot, the surreal paycheck, etc. Let’s not forget….the media attention is what contributes to their enormous paychecks…why is it when a singer/actor/athlete starts to get old, they somehow try to find their way back into the industry? Hmmmm…maybe for the $$$ and fame.
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paps are assholes, man.
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