History Main / ButIPlayOneOnTV

* In the 1970's, Creator/JamesGarner and Mariette Hartley did a number of commercials for Polaroid cameras. The way they played against each other, one would get the impression they were in fact a domestic couple, though this was never stated in the commercials. Mariette Hartley took to wearing these lettered sweatshirts that read "I am not James Garner's wife". Her baby has a shirt that read "I am not James Garner's child".

* Sir Creator/IanMcKellen has stated that, outside of his native British Isles, most fans recognize him as characters such as Gandalf from ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings''. When he came to New York to lend support post-911, a policeman actually smiled at him and said, "Thanks for helping out, ComicBook/{{Magneto}}." Rather than be upset by it, he finds it an honor to be associated with such iconic characters. In fact, apparently when a reporter said "I don't know how to call you, [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Sir, Sir Ian, Sir McKellen]]" his reply was "Call me Gandalf". (helps that he discourages being called "Sir Ian")

* This trope is the reason why a lot of BDSM porn ends with an interview segment with the sub, to assure the audience that yes, the scene was consensual and they didn't just kidnap someone off the street. This may seem unnecessary, especially if the sub is a well-known porn star (and most viewers tend to...finish before the interview even begins), but some jurisdictions ''legally require'' such clarity in an effort to curb sex trafficking.

* Creator/DennisHaysbert (who played President David Palmer on ''Series/TwentyFour'') tells a story about a couple of fans who freaked out when they saw him hanging out with actor Gregory Itzin (who plays President Charles Logan, [[spoiler: the man who ordered his assassination]], on the same show). The fact that the two actors are good friends apparently never occurred to anyone.

** Several pages on Priceline.com are written in first person in the voice of Shatner's "Priceline Negotiator" persona. The "terms and conditions" link at the bottom of the page is introduced with the text: "I'm not a lawyer (I [[Series/BostonLegal played one on TV]]), but here is the legal information you need to know."

* On a special detailing Australian police shows John Wood tells a story of an incident that occurred during ''Series/BlueHeelers'': he was walking down the street one day and a crook climbs over a fence in front of him. The crook sees him and goes, "Oh shit, you're Tom Croydon," and bolts.

---> '''Creator/GeorgeRRMartin''' : ''“Congratulations on your marvelous performance, everyone hates you."''

* In ''Growing Up Brady'', Barry Williams tells how Susan Olsen was ostracized by her peers, practically overnight, after the premiere of ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' episode "The Tattle-Tale." It did no good, she says, to protest their treatment of her by yelling "I'm not Cindy! I'm ''not'' a tattle-tale!" The whole situation inspired in her a deep loathing for Cindy Brady.

* Abby's voice actress in ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'', Creator/LauraBailey, [[https://twitter.com/LauraBaileyVO/status/1279173199918292992 received harassment and death threats]] for [[spoiler:"killing" Joel]].

* Dr Pepper has had some fun [[PlayingWithATrope playing with this]] lately in a series of commercials where celebrities Creator/NeilPatrickHarris, [[Music/{{Kiss}} Gene Simmons]], and [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Julius Erving]] tell us that we can trust them, because they're doctors. That'd be Dr. Doogie Howser (played on TV), Dr. Love (popular song), and Dr. J (nickname), respectively. Neil Patrick Harris also did [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TusJ8HSLaUs&feature=related this commercial for Old Spice]], claiming he "used to be a doctor for pretend." [[note]][[WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog More than one]], in fact.[[/note]]

'''John:''' ''(deciding his chances of survival are greater if he pretends to be omnipotent)'' Um...yeah.\\

* Creator/AmyAdams told the story on a talk show about how a young girl recognized her as Giselle from ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'', and wondered why she was walking around as a regular person. Adams replied that she didn't want to draw attention to herself, and asked the girl [[YourSecretsSafeWithMeSuperman not to tell anyone.]]

* During a red-carpet interview at the Golden Globe Awards, actress Creator/MayimBialik of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' was asked if people expected her to be able to do calculus in her head and act like a scientist when they met her in real life. Bialik gave the interviewer a short, scathing look, then pointed out that, as she had earned a [=PhD=] in Neuroscience, she ''is'' a scientist in real life, and yes, she can also do calculus in her head. The interviewer looked suitably sheepish after that.

** Sadly, no one who played '''[[Series/DoctorWho The]]''' [[Series/DoctorWho Doctor]] was there...

* In a weird reversed example, ''Star Trek''[='s=] Grace Lee Whitney states in her autobiography that she sometime has difficulty differentiating reality and fantasy. For example, she recalls being disillusioned when she filmed an episode of the [[TheWestern Western]] TV series ''Series/BatMasterson'' and saw Gene Barry wincing in pain after stubbing his toe, despite the fact that any injury he sustained while in-character was OnlyAFleshWound. She also apparently tended to get so into roles that she started to forget it was fake. A therapist even told her that part of the reason she was so upset about being written out of ''Star Trek'' was because she had difficulty separating herself from Yeoman Rand.

* In a weird reversed example, ''Star Trek''[='s=] Grace Lee Whitney states in her autobiography that she sometime has difficulty differentiating reality and fantasy. For example, she recalls being disillusioned when she filmed an episode of TheWestern ''Series/BatMasterson'' and saw Gene Barry wincing in pain after stubbing his toe, despite the fact that any injury he sustained while in-character was OnlyAFleshWound. She also apparently tended to get so into roles that she started to forget it was fake. A therapist even told her that part of the reason she was so upset about being written out of ''Star Trek'' was because she had difficulty separating herself from Yeoman Rand.

* This is the reason why a lot of bondage porn videos end with an interview segment with the sub, to assure the audience that yes, the scene was consensual and they didn't just kidnap someone off the street. This may seem unnecessary, especially if the sub is a well-known porn star (and most viewers tend to finish before the interview even begins), but some jurisdictions ''legally require'' such clarity.

** Anneke Wills, who played the First/Second Doctor companion Polly, says she only realized what she was really a part of when a little girl came up to her and asked her what it was like living inside the TARDIS and if she was scared of the Cybermen.

* When his daughter was in elementary school, Creator/BillyDeeWilliams (Lando Calrissan in ''Franchise/StarWars'' would have children run up to him and angrily say [[NeverLiveItDown "You betrayed Han Solo!"]], and [[IDidWhatIHadToDo he'd attempt to explain why Lando did what he did]].

* On December 23, 2016, in the wake of Creator/CarrieFisher suffering a massive heart attack and being rushed into Intensive Care, dozens of media outlets posted the story carrying a headline that read as if "[[Franchise/StarWars Princess Leia]]" had the heart attack, and not the actress who portrayed her.
** And after her death, there was as much "we've lost Leia" as Carrie.

-->-- '''{{Creator/Seanbaby}}''', [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-super-powers-of-steven-seagal-lawman/#ixzz31rCQFvPB "The 7 Super Powers That Steven Seagal Actually Believes He Has"]]

* Abby's voice actor in ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'', Creator/LauraBailey, [[https://twitter.com/LauraBaileyVO/status/1279173199918292992 received harassment and death threats]] for [[spoiler:"killing" Joel]].

* When his daughter was in elementary school, Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissan in ''Franchise/StarWars'' would have children run up to him and angrily say [[NeverLiveItDown "You betrayed Han Solo!"]], and [[IDidWhatIHadToDo he'd attempt to explain why Lando did what he did]].

* ''Series/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' star George Reeves had it much rougher than Creator/ChristopherReeve, as his younger fans would often try to test his invulnerability. The worst case was when a boy brought his father's gun to a set to see if Superman was really bulletproof. Reeves convinced him to hand over the gun saying that the bullet would bounce off and hurt somebody else. (The incident was depicted in the biopic ''Film/{{Hollywoodland}}'', where he's played by Creator/BenAffleck.) When he appeared on ''Series/ILoveLucy'', Reeves was only referred to as "Superman" so as not to break the illusion of younger viewers. Basically, to enforce this trope.

* Fans still occasionally ask Creator/RandolphMantooth if he's a real paramedic, 40 years after ''{{Series/Emergency}}''. He isn't, but he has helped when seeing an accident on two occasions. A woman had a heart attack on a plane, and he and co-star Kevin Tighe helped until the plane landed and real paramedics arrived. More recently, Mantooth stopped when he saw a car crash and did some first aid, then got a funny look when the real paramedics arrived and found he knew what a non-rebreather is and could go get it. (One guy recognized him vaguely but didn't realize who he was until he said.) Justified in that Mantooth and Tighe really went through paramedic training in preparing for their roles.

* Canadian actor Creator/JulianRichings starred in the Casper Van Dien sci-fi/action vehicle ''Film/ThrillSeekers'', in which he played a disaster tourist from the future who went back in time to visit various catastrophes. When Van Dien's character spots him onboard a plane, he immediately realizes that the plane is about to crash. As a result, anytime someone recognized Richings when he had to fly somewhere they would mildly panic, and he had to reassure them that nothing was going to happen to the flight. Nowadays, since his exposure on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', people who recognize him instead go "hey look, it's [[TheGrimReaper Death]]!"

* At the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' 30th anniversary celebration, Joan Collins mentioned that whenever she was asked "Aren't you Alexis, that ''[[RichBitch bitch]]'' from ''Series/{{Dynasty}}''?", she replied, "No, I'm Edith Keeler, Depression-era social worker from ''Series/{{Star Trek|The Original Series}}''" ("[[{{Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever}} The City on the Edge of Forever]]").

* David Faustino was harassed on twitter by several ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' fans based on some of his character Mako's actions/choices.

* Creator/EllenPage has a strong {{Hatedom}} among some people who actually think that she is exactly like her character in ''Film/HardCandy'' in real life. Sadly, these same people haven't seemed watch any of her other movies or seen her in real life.

->''"The line between fantasy and reality has been put in a wrist lock and ripped out of its socket. There is now a reality show about Creator/StevenSeagal being an actual policeman. Without a doubt, this idea is as incredible as it is insane. All that time we watched him play a cop, he was training to be a real cop. I can only hope all that time I spent watching ''Series/WonderWoman'' was training Creator/LyndaCarter to give me handjobs."''

* When Creator/JohnnyDepp intervened a mugging involving his friend, the mugger recognized him and said “I ain't stealing from [[Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean Captain Jack]].”

* Robert Young, who played ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'', often said that people would ask him for medical advice.
* People today associate actor turned U.S. Senator Fred W. Thompson with being tough on crime more because of his role as District Attorney Arthur Branch in ''Series/LawAndOrder'' than because of his career as an attorney and service as minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee.

* When Christopher Moltisanti was "whacked" from ''Series/TheSopranos'', actor Michael Imperioli said that he had been receiving flowers as condolence - for his own death!

** This has happened more than once to Creator/RichardBelzer, due to Detective JustForFun/JohnMunch's [[CrossoverCharacter wide range of appearances]].

* Ed Westwick gets a lot of disappointment from fans when they realize he's not as dark and brooding as his ''Series/GossipGirl'' character. While he seems a bit tired of being mistaken for having the same faults as his character he has admitted that the line: "''I'm Chuck Bass''" usually works really well for him to pick up women.

* Creator/JamesCaviezel, who played UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} in ''Film/ThePassionOfTheChrist'', reportedly had this happen to him while on a vacation in Mexico.

* Creator/LivTyler reports this happening to her after the release of ''[[Film/TheLordOfTheRings The Fellowship of the Ring]]''. "My husband and I were sleeping, and I woke to the sound of our friend's two little boys going around the bedrooms opening the doors and looking in. When they got to our door, one little boy went to open it and the other said, 'No! Don't open that door. The princess is sleeping in there."

** Anneke Wills, who played the First/Second Doctor companion Polly, says she only realised what she was really a part of when a little girl came up to her and asked her what it was like living inside the TARDIS and if she was scared of the Cybermen.

* Ed Westwick gets a lot of disappointment from fans when they realise he's not as dark and brooding as his ''Series/GossipGirl'' character. While he seems a bit tired of being mistaken for having the same faults as his character he has admitted that the line: "''I'm Chuck Bass''" usually works really well for him to pick up women.

* At the height of the show's popularity, so many people approached Creator/EdwardWoodward who played ''Series/TheEqualizer'' for help that he started carrying leaflets for various organisations that could assist them. He would also top off about to expire parking meters and leave a "courtesy of The Equalizer" calling card on the car's windshield.

* Although Creator/GarySinise is best known for ''Film/ForrestGump'', he does relate a story about getting in a minor accident and how the other driver kept giving shocked reactions that indicated he was sort of blending Gary with his Mac Taylor character on ''Series/{{CSI NY}}''.

** At Comic Con in 2012, a little girl once asked Creator/Matt Smith if he was scared of the Weeping Angels. Smith, perhaps taking a leaf from Baker's book above, countered by asking if ''she'' was scared of the Weeping Angels. When the little girl nodded, Smith promptly told her not to worry, [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments because he'd fight them off]]. He then went on to say that while the Weeping Angels were [[NightmareFuel scary]] to him, they were also his favorite monsters in the show.

** At Comic Con in 2012, a little girl once asked Creator/Matt Smith if he was scared of the Weeping Angels. Smith, perhaps taking a leaf from Baker's book above, countered by asking if ''she'' was scared of the Weeping Angels. When the little girl nodded, Smith promptly told her not to worry, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming because he'd fight them off]]. He then went on to say that while the Weeping Angels were [[NightmareFuel scary]] to him, they were also his favorite monsters in the show.