Gene Hackman, 94, being hounded by tabloid

Not linking to the tabloid in question - they just want the clicks - but they apparently won't let Gene Hackman, now 94, enjoy a quiet retirement

Seen this yesterday, can't believe how frail and different he looks, unrecognisable.

They just took his photo. I don’t think it’s a big deal.

__________________
I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

They are making false claims about him. That's why I didn't link to the story

If I'm able to walk unaided at 94 I will be very happy.

I don't understand this thread. I even read the article and all it says is he got a pie and a coffee. It's a pointless non-article but I don't see how that is hounding him, unless there's something I'm missing.

They are making a story out of him looking old and sick. It's ****ing gross. But I guess if our standards for society are already at zero, I suppose it might not seem like a big deal.

And a pack of smokes too, at least that's what it looks like in his hand. He looks fine for a 94 year old, more power to him.

They either hired someone to stake out the places he goes to, or they bought the photos from someone who does it for the money.

Also, they made some false claims about him which prompted twitter readers to put a community note in the tweet that included the story.

Geez, I never would have recognized Mr. Hackman from those two pictures!

I believe I first saw him in a film in '67, when he was in Bonnie & Clyde. He was great in that picture, and reliably great in ever film he was in. Glad he's having a good retirement.

It's amazing that brain can generate enough power to keep those legs moving.

Umm.... How TF is a man wearing a "nearly identical outfit" to one he wore weeks earlier significant in any possible way? If he was wearing the same set of clothes day after day, that might be a cause for concern and even then only if the clothes appeared dirty. But this? This is just stupid.

Also, I'll be happy if I'm even alive at 94 and thrilled if I look that well at that age.

__________________

If something positive has come from that horrible attempt to smear him, it's that a lot of people are taking time to appreciate him for still being pretty outgoing at 94, and thinking fondly of him for all of the great performances he gave over the years.

Much better than people not remembering him until after he was gone...

I don't think taking photos of him when he looks extremely old and frail and commenting on how he is wearing the same clothes, or a variation of them, is a smear. It actually sounds like it might be a mistake, but I wish they didn't do this. I think celebrities should be entitled to have some degree of a private life, especially given that he is long retired and has not done in a film in 20 years. I don't think that's a cigarette box. Cigarette boxes are thinner, and that looks more like the dimensions of a box containing food. It may be the box for the apple pie that he bought.

I would say that making him look like an old man who never changes his clothes definitely amounts to making an unsubstantiated charge or accusation against him, however silly it might be, and that is literally the dictionary definition of "smear".

That's one small apple pie You might be right though. I don't smoke, never have so it just looks like a pack of cigarettes to me. It doesn't matter anyway as Hackman is old enough to smoke if he wants. He looks fine, I mean he's not going to look like he did back in The Conversation.

Gene Hackman: example of a life well lived

So trying to (incorrectly) draw attention to the fact he's been wearing the same clothes for weeks isn't a smear?

Why are they talking about how maybe he's been wearing the same clothes for weeks then? Even if that was the case, which it seems it isn't, **** off. Leave the guy alone. Stop trying to make people glancing at this article believe he's beyond the point of knowing he needs to change his shirt.

I'm so tired of this attitude that just because someone was an actor and in the public sphere (twenty years ago!) we have the right to gawk at what they look like now. That this deflects any criticism we might have towards the media, and how disgusting it is.

Is it legal? Yes. He's in a public space. But using that as a way to not acknowledge how super gross this is says a lot.

I wear the same clothes for weeks. Of course I wash them (at which time I wear another set of same clothes).
I have this thing where I like to wear stuff out before wearing new stuff. Like socks - I've got new, never worn socks, but I'll wear used ones until they have holes in them and retire them to the rag bag before breaking out a new pair.

But then, I am the result of parents who grew up during the depression.

You sound just like me. I often wear the same clothes....why not? It's not like the people in the grocery store are going to say, 'hey he's wearing the same clothes as last week.' I don't even wash them if they don't get dirty and if I wear pants and a shirt for a few hours they aren't getting dirty. I figure the more I wash them the faster they wear out. I have plenty of shirts and pants but they are going to have to fall apart before I wear any or the other ones I have.