Why Do Actors Take to Politics Effortlessly?

Feb. 23 -- Money-guzzling dictators, footwear-amassing first ladies and a movie star president complete with gambling rackets, mistresses and illegitimate children all may be followed by … another movie star.

When Fernando Poe Jr. announced his intention to run for president of the Philippines in the May 10 election, many Filipinos experienced a familiar, if resigned, sense of déjà vu. Poe is a movie star and his run comes barely three years after Joseph Estrada, another actor-turned-politician, was forced to resign over corruption allegations.

The feeling may be something similar to the reaction that came when Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his run for governor in California … a move that was also a first step for one-time Hollywood star-turned-president, Ronald Reagan.

Star power mixed with political clout is still a big draw in the United States. At the annual meeting of the National Governors Association over the weekend, 49 governors looked on bemused, but indulgent as Schwarzenegger grabbed the center stage at the Washington, D.C., event.

As organizers of the meeting were forced to move his place to accommodate the battery of reporters trailing the former Mr. Universe-turned Hollywood star-turned governor of California, Gov. Donald Carcieri of Rhode Island said, "In the room he's one of 50. But," he conceded, "everybody would secretly like to have his autograph."

Halfway around the world, Filipinos have also experienced the pull of star power. But they have little appetite for another ex-film star as president. "A country isn't a movie set," said one columnist while bemoaning the fact that, "many will still choose to believe in the movies."

But Filipinos are not the only ones prone to blurring the lines between histrionics and politics these days.

Humble Origins and Celebrity Appeal

As big-draw stars appealing to popular audiences, a number of actors and actresses across the world have exploited a winning combination of humble origins and current celebrity to launch high-profile political careers.