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How Bob Denver found peace with being Gilligan forever
Charity work helped Denver feel comfortable in his famous skin.
It must be tough to be recognizable. Some of us may dream of it, but the truth is probably pretty rough. It's like your face doesn't belong to you anymore. It's saddled with all this meaning from whoever sees you as if your visage has become some symbol rife with extra meaning. You're no longer just you. You, and your likeness, have become a commodity.
Someone who understood this better than maybe anyone else was Bob Denver. As the title character on Gilligan's Island, Denver's face belonged to the masses, as his smiling face adorned countless lunchboxes, board games, and t-shirts. Gilligan is one of the most recognizable characters in television history, with his red sweater and signature bucket hat. But Denver's face made the character connect with the audience. So when that same face was at the airport or the grocery store, privacy was never an option.
But, like with most things, time helped by giving Denver perspective and a deeper understanding of that special bond he had with the audience. A 1992 interview with the Madisonville, KY Messenger found Denver happy, healthy, and at peace with the legacy of his most recognizable character.
"When you realize it's not going away, it's entertaining more people every year, you kind of accept it," said Denver. "People say, 'Thanks, you were part of my childhood.'"
It's heartening to read that Denver had such a great outlook, especially because he didn't receive any royalties from his appearances on Gilligan's Island.
Instead of moaning about how he never got the money his face deserved, Denver pivoted to using his likeness to raise money and awareness for causes he cared about. At the time of the interview, he was working on an organic farming cooperative that would use his face on canned goods. The earnings would go to charity.
"I thought, 'What the heck. If I put my face on a product and it's going to be a clean, fresh, good-tasting product, how much money could I make? Whoa! Lots and lots of money.'"
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2 Comments
Glad she used his recognizability to do some good. You can't go to Hollywood to 'make it big' then expect for your life to be the same. Many celebrities seem to complain about lack of privacy but that's what they knowingly signed up for going in if they 'made it'.
Good story!