ER Star's Reality Boycott
Do you love Fear Factor, The Bachelor or Real World? Better shut up about it if you're around Julianna Margulies. The ex-ER star — who romanced George Clooney as Nurse Carol Hathaway — thinks reality series have gotta go. Stat!
"I don't watch any reality-TV shows," Margulies says. "I truly boycott all of them and I hope more people will. I think it's a horrible thing in the entertainment industry right now. I have eight friends out of work. They're genius writers and fantastic actors who always used to have work. It's just sad."
The curly-tressed actress's beef goes beyond just Trista and Ryan competing with professional thespians for airtime. "I think it's gross to sit and watch someone else's life because yours is too boring," she gripes. "That's how I feel. I have to watch someone pick a date? Or be afraid 'cause they're gonna eat bugs? That's entertainment?
"I just heard about this one, the Ultimate Love Test," she continues, clearly on a roll. "So I'm in a relationship, but then I'm gonna go to an island with another guy and try not to f--- him? It breaks my heart. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame, but at what cost? It's a humiliating process."
According to the Nielsen ratings, Margulies is in the minority of TV viewers. "Obviously, they love it," she concedes, "and it makes me sad to think they'd rather watch people who are just desperate to be on TV than something really great and worthwhile."
