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Are Bad Reps—Like Christian Bale's—Manufactured?

Sat., May. 23, 2009 6:30 AM PDT by Leslie Gornstein

DISCIULLO/bauergriffinonline.com

Are there any celebs with bad reputations in the media who have good reps professionally? Are some bad reps manufactured?
—Allimuffin, via Twitter

You mean when Christian Bale told a crew member they we're f--king done professionally, did his publicist put him up to it to drum up ink for Terminator Salvation? Perhaps because Christian Bale is really a sweet lad who sings to the trees and bakes fresh huckleberry crisp for the mailman every summer?

No. I've interviewed Christian Bale. Christian Bale scares me. I highly doubt any knuckle-dragging Hollywood publicist could have coached Bale on that kind of radioactive behavior. Ditto with Javier Bardem, who may be innocent of murdering people with a bolt gun, and quite charming in magazines—but who also, according to friends in the industry, gets up and walk out of interviews when he hears a question he doesn't like.

But what about those stars who seem sweet but really aren't? Or vice versa? I've got a few of those stories, too...

First, know that some reputations really are the real deal.

"Cameron Diaz is one of the nicest people in town," publicist Howard Bragman tells me. "And Faye Dunaway? Well, she's Faye Dunaway—and you're not."

Bu then there's Scarlett Johansson. The sweet blond hair. The giant, bouncy fun cushions. She's perfectly witty and cute in interviews—even a little flirty—but also a little arrogant, in my own not-so-humble opinion. Penelope Cruz: Smolderingly hot and confident on the red carpet; shy and barely audible during off-camera interviews.

My man Pitbull: Growling womanizer in that "Shake" video with the Ying Yang Twins. Insiders tell me he's actually more like a family guy in real life.

How much of those outward reputations are just publicists at work? Some of it. Occasionally, Bragman tells me, a hard-working publicist will coach an unruly star to make nice during a key time.

"Celebrities know one good talk show appearance is going to get millions of viewers while a few tantrums on the set will likely go unnoticed," Bragman tells me. "The tougher the celebrity, the more I prepare. I make sure we know what story we are going to tell and make sure it is warm and cuddly."

Publicist Ronn Torossian tells me that handlers also may encourage a star to dress differently or even date a certain person or class of star.

Not that every star will take such advice.

"A lot of times a label may look at what's popular at the moment and try to imitate that 'look' in their talent, and hire the same glam teams," says Mike Killmon, marketing guru for singer Mya. "But Mya does not let anyone dictate her image to her."

Nor do I. All of my tantrums are 100 percent authentic.
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