Eamonn Holmes has taken aim at Hollywood’s obsession with image and the “falseness” of celebrity culture, calling out the inauthenticity he’s encountered during his decades in the business.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Things We Like podcast, the GB News anchor sat down with actor Ray Winstone for a frank conversation about fame, fakery and the reality of working in entertainment.
The pair, who between them have clocked up over 80 years in showbiz, shared war stories from their time in the spotlight — and didn’t hold back.
“Why would you say you like someone if you don’t?” asked Winstone, best known for The Departed, as he reflected on the forced niceties of red carpet life.
“Hollywood and Los Angeles are wonderful places when you’re doing alright — but when you’re not…”
Eamonn chimed in, revealing that his own refusal to play the game has landed him in hot water more than once.
“That’s what the business is based on,” he said. “If I don’t like someone, they’ll know I don’t like them. And there are so many horrible people you end up with.”
He added: “People say, ‘Oh, he’s lovely, he’s fantastic’… If they say to me, ‘What’s that Ray Winstone like?’ I’ll say he is lovely and he is fantastic and people will believe me — because I wouldn’t say it if you weren’t.
“But so many are just false, false, false.”
The conversation also touched on why Winstone chose not to settle in Los Angeles despite his success.
“Even the guy who puts petrol in your car works in the industry,” he joked. “Every two minutes, it’s all they want to talk about. We talk about birds and football and boxing — they talk about movies.”
While both men criticised the showbiz bubble, Winstone offered some sympathy for younger stars who are still finding their voice.
“They’re asked questions on telly and they’re not quite sure how to answer… I’ve seen people on shows say, ‘Everyone’s lovely, everyone’s wonderful.’ No, they’re not!” he said.
His comments come after he recently revealed that he is now reliant on a wheelchair and unable to perform basic daily tasks due to ongoing mobility issues.
