Billy Bob Thornton Welcomes Fans and Press: Just Don't “Stick It In”

Leave it to Billy Bob Thornton to deliver a cut-through-the-crap meditation on a celebrity’s relationships with fame, fans and the media.

PopcornBiz couldn’t resist sharing Thornton’s straightforward assessment of the current state of Hollywood celebrity while promoting his latest film “Faster,” in which offhand personal statements can be twisted out of shape in print, and some actors can’t be bothered to interact with their fans.

“The way that I look at it is this: when people say, 'I don't like the press and I don't like the fans and I don't like this, that and the other' – the fans are the people who allow my kids to go to school and to keep us going and I can pay for the house,” Thornton says.

The actor, who’s been at the center of his share of sensational media coverage, also says he tries to be as candid as he can, but also relies on the press to present his comments fairly. “Because I will be your friend and because I will talk to you instead of being the guy that won't talk to you, then I expect to not get stuck in the a--!”

Thornton’s comments were not accusatory or defensive, as he says he feels the press has been generally good to him over the years.

“I suppose that there are guys who will not do a movie for three years and they won't talk to anybody and they pass you by and they won't sign your kid’s thing, and yet still you just love them,” he says. “Then a guy like me who might say a few too many things, but I'm trying and I will sign your kid's thing and I will tell you everything about what I thought about that chick or whatever it is – and by ‘that chick’ I mean any chick, believe me! – then what do you do with that?

“[The press] are the people who get it out there to people so that they even know what the hell is going on. So, yes, we owe you guys, and in return if we're going to be forthcoming and honest with you, you owe us to not just twist it in.”

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