In the beginning of the 2000s, Daniel Radcliffe shot to fame with his role as Harry Potter. While the young star was in the spotlight, it also brought him some unwanted attention in his private life. As the actor got older, his time in the public eye only increased. However, he ended up finding a way to work around it. The 35-year-old made life a little difficult for the paparazzi, by repeating a standard outfit for over 6 months.
While Radcliffe’s plan may have worked out perfectly for the star, he was not the only celebrity to force the paparazzi to leave him alone. In fact, long before the actor devised his foolproof plan, it had already been tried and tested by a few other stars and public figures, including Princess Diana.
Before Daniel Radcliffe, Princess Diana majored in avoiding the paparazzi
After being thrown into the public eye after her engagement to Prince Charles in 1981, Princess Diana had to find ways to avoid the paparazzi. Although she had quickly become a fan-favorite, the attention ended up getting to her too. With her heading to the Chelsea Harbour Club to work out regularly, the photographers started waiting for her. However, the Princess of Wales found a way to foil their plans.
The Princess made sure to wear the same dull Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt on multiple occasions. That did not deter the paparazzi. However, it did end up making the value of the pictures they took drop majorly. While that worked for some time, the public interest once again skyrocketed after Lady Spencer had divorced the now King of England. After all, she had been going around with Dodi Fayed, and that caught a lot of unwanted attention.
Eventually, things got too out of hand. Despite her various efforts, Princess Diana’s relationship with the paparazzi was always on the rocks. In fact, it ultimately contributed to her tragic death in 1997. On the night of the fatal car crash in Paris, the Princess and Fayed were chased by photographers on motorcycles. The pursuit led to a high-speed chase through the streets, ending in a crash that claimed her life. Although the 36-year-old’s story had a sad ending, she was not the only one who was hounded by the shutterbugs.
Matt Damon’s rocky relationship with the paparazzi
For years, Matt Damon has made it clear just how much he hates being in the spotlight. While the actor might be an extremely recognizable face in Hollywood, his problem has always been with the paparazzi. With them hounding him and his family, the Bourne Legacy star even debated about moving back to his hometown, Massachusetts, at one point.
Thankfully, that did not happen. However, his co-star, Don Cheadle from Oceans Twelve, revealed one of Damon’s tricks to stay out of the public eye. In a recent interview with TODAY’s Willie Geist, the actor stated, “We kind of put hats on and disguises and try to run around.” With both stars wanting to be tourists in Italy, they found a way to do it. However, the actor also revealed their plan for diverting attention if they happened to attract it.
Cheadle admitted, “If anybody would come to us we’d be like, ‘There’s Brad. Brad’s right over there! And they’d all go that way. Then, we would just run into the shadows, jump into a car and take off.” While there was no confirmation if he and Damon had to use their escape plan, there is no doubt that they managed to avoid the paparazzi with their disguises.
