Directors need to be true to their vision: Simon Pegg on hyper-fandom

In the era of aggressive fandom, actor-writer Simon Pegg believes it is important for a director to stick to his vision without being cynical about fans expectations.

As recent history has shown, even a minor digression in the storyline of a beloved franchise like "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" can irk fans, who, in the digital era have become a major voice that Hollywood studios are finding hard to ignore.

When asked about excessive fandom in Hollywood, Pegg, who has been a part of major franchise films, said social media has changed the way fans react to a film.

"That's just fandom, people love their thing and they want it to be a certain way and if it's not their way, then they get a little bit upset. That's not their fault, that's just a consequence of social media.

"The trick is to be true to your own vision of something and not be cynical about it, then hopefully you will create something that will be in line with the fans' own ideas. What you get with things like 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' is that you have people who are utterly in love with and possessive of it. (They) would be annoyed if it is not what they wanted. That's just the way it is," Pegg told PTI in an interview.

The British actor, who plays the role of Benji Dunn in "Mission: Impossible" franchise, said being a fan, he considers himself to be lucky to earn a living out of what he loves.

"I am a film fan and I am very happy to be participating in a thing that I would do as a hobby, if I didn't do it for a living. But at the same time, it's a job and it requires a degree of professionalism and concentration... Someday it's hard and sometimes it's fun. I feel lucky to be in this position.

"I want to be able to keep working at this level, tell stories that I want to tell and stories that I want to be a part of and I hope to carry on doing that as long as people don't mind watching it," he added.