You may know that actor Rob Pattinson is dating social media maven Megan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. A member of the British royal family, Kate Middleton, made headlines when she called Pattinson a “celebrity immortal.” Do you think the couple will live happily ever after?
Perhaps they’ll be like any other celebrity couple, and their relationship will take place in the public eye. But as the Duchess of Sussex recently declared: “I want to have a genuine long-term relationship with Rob. I don’t want to be famous just for being with him.”
In this article, we’ll explore the concept of celebrity immortality, as well as whether or not Pattinson and Markle will live happily ever after.
What Is Celebrity Immortality?
To put it simply, celebrity immortality is the continued popularity of a celebrity long after their initial burst of popularity. When a celebrity dies, audiences may lose interest temporarily, but they often draw inspiration from the person’s life and continue to engage with their work years later.
Take Marilyn Monroe, for instance. Despite her tragic and untimely death at the age of 36, she continues to fascinate and inspire audiences to this day. More than sixty years later, the legend lives on in the many films and projects she was involved in before her death, as well as through her legacy.
In recent years, several other celebrities have been similarly influential and popular well into their retirement, including Elizabeth Taylor, Marjorie Merriweather Post, and Lucille Ball. We can attribute their staying power to a combination of their unique personalities, magnetic public presence, and active social media presences.
If You’re Famous For Something, Will You Stay Famous?
Pattinson isn’t the only famous face to have entered into a relationship with a member of the royal family. Back in 2014, English actor Eddie Redmayne was in a relationship with Duchess Kate Middleton. Although the couple never specified whether or not they would wed, their fans started to wonder if the “Harry Potter” star would go up in royal flames.
He didn’t. The relationship didn’t last, and although Redmayne did date other women after Kate, he never married or had children. Eddie Redmayne credits his decision not to wed for inspiring him to be “authentic” in his life and work.
While it’s great that these celebrities continued to have an impact on others even after their passing, it’s also important to recognize that their fame could possibly pose a threat to their health. If you’re famous for something, you’ll always be susceptible to any kind of stress or tragedy that could overshadow, or even end your career. We can’t know for sure what would have happened if any of these famous couples had died prematurely, but it’s something to think about.
Are You A Dangerous Actor?
As we’ve established, not all celebrity couples stay together. In fact, there are some famous personas who’ve been married for years before their death, only to have their families and friends accuse them of being a “bad actor.”
This is especially true of Method actors, who adopt an alternative lifestyle in order to portray their characters. They’re often seen as a little odd or even dangerous, which could explain their high divorce rate. (We should note that just because a celebrity is a “bad actor,” that doesn’t mean they’re unlikable. Sometimes it just means we’ve seen them in a role that wasn’t right for them.)
Is There A Difference Between “Good” And “Bad” Actors?
Not all actors are created equal, and it’s important to recognize the difference between “good” and “bad” actors when assessing their career. While many high-profile Hollywood stars have transcended the traditional idea of what it means to be “good” or “bad,” it’s still there beneath the surface. (Some might even say that it runs deeper than we’d like to admit).
You might know that some in Hollywood believe that women are more susceptible to becoming a “dangerous actress.” It’s something that needs to be said, and it needs to be said by more than just a few people: women are not weak and cannot be defined by romance, relationships, or marriage. They’re just as capable of leading a dangerous life, if not more so, than men.
These days, audiences can be reassured that the characters they encounter onscreen are often more three-dimensional and less one-dimensional than we’re used to. While it would be great to believe that acting is a totally realistic portrayal of real life, it’s not. It’s a creative interpretation of reality, and that’s something we should all be mindful of.
Are You A Real Life Prince Or Princess?
It’s no secret that Hollywood celebrities have a tendency to idolize their partners and promote fictional relationships in a bid for attention. The Duchess of Sussex is no different, and she’s frequently been photographed with her arm around the waist of English actor and musician Matt McGorry. (Thanks to the media, we know now that McGorry is not a prince, but the couple have chosen to remain nameless.)
Hollywood has seen its share of real-life royalty. There’ve been plenty of famous “kiss-shifts” over the years, where the supposedly less-than-desirable member of the royal family is paired with a celebrity, and the two of them act like a real-life version of a Shakespearean love story. (These days, Hollywood generally prefers to keep its romances onscreen.) But the concept of a real-life prince or princess is a lot more interesting when you consider the history of these famous coupling: for the most part, they’re not actually related, and they often end up promoting fictitious families in a bid for popularity.
Hollywood Vs. Real Life
Hollywood is a whole different ballgame when it comes to partnerships and marriages. As we’ve established, not all celebrity couples stay together, and when they do, it’s not always a happy ending. Many stars are famous for ending their relationships with the people they’re with, and there are more than a few famous examples of celebrity breakups. (We should point out that there is often a different narrative surrounding these breakups, whether or not the couple is actually speaking out. It’s always worth researching the background of any story you might hear about a celebrity relationship.)
Sometimes, these high-profile splits set the media ablaze, with headlines depicting the end of an iconic couple. Other times, they go unnoticed, with the attention focused on the replacement. (Case in point: when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West broke up, everyone, including the media, knew exactly what was going on. They’d been dating for several months, and everyone already knew that this was the end.)
What’s important to recognize is that these are not all equal outcomes. Some celebrity relationships, whether they end in marriage or a messy split, end up being positive influences on their partners’ and their families’ lives. When we look at the big picture, we see that some broken engagements and some blissful unions can have very similar outcomes. Every couple has their ups and downs, just like every family, but it’s more important to focus on the positive and build from there.
How Do You Feel About Megan Markle?
We were introduced to Megan Markle through her relationship with the royal family, so it’s not exactly a secret that we have a lot of interest in this celebrity. From the very beginning, we held an impression of her that was more along the lines of a traditional “royal bride.” The media has a tendency to hyperfocus on the wedding preparations of the Duchess of Sussex, and it’s not hard to see why: this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for the couple and their families. (It should be noted that Megan was previously engaged to Alex Wang, son of Chinese billionaire Li Wang.)
Since then, we’ve seen the pair share a passion for fashion and style, with Megan frequently expressing her admiration for the Duchess and her passion for style and fashion.
It’s been an interesting journey so far, and it’s one that we’re really looking forward to continuing. (Just kidding.)