Not all stars shine with their own light. At least in Hollywood. The energy they give off sometimes comes from a motor that transmits everything they need to stand out in talent, beauty, charisma… That motor is the assistants, curiously invisible on clear nights, but unquestionable and pointed out when the star begins to decline or dies definitivelyLet us recall the crude story of Matthew Perry, who died in October 2023 from the acute effects of three ketamine injections administered by his personal assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa.
It is shocking that these accredited professionals, capable of transcending their own egos to make those around them shine, allow themselves to be pushed into a dead end for their boss and devastating for their career. Although their contract does not make it clear, they know that, in addition to organizing their schedules, They will have to alleviate their fears, overcome their limitations, resolve their intimate problems and meet their needs. Whatever. One day it’s two egg-shaped chairs (Katy Perry) and another a dozen puppies in the dressing room (Joe Jonas) or a mannequin with pink pubic hair (Lady Gaga). Frivolous extravaganzas, after all.
Dilemmas arise when, for example, substances are included in this requirement to deal with artists’ addiction problems. This is where things get very murky. Kenneth Iwamasa came into Matthew Perry’s life in 2022, during one of his relapses, because he needed his help to manage his life chaos and his addictions. This man, until then a discreet professional with an impeccable track record, became a key player in the chain of events that led to the actor’s death.
Last August, she pleaded guilty to conspiring “to administer ketamine resulting in death” and admitted to injecting him with the drug, including the fatal dose, at Matthew Perry’s express request. The price for carrying out that last wish is a prison sentence of up to 15 years. Was she the hand that rocked the cradle or He acted like a meek servant afraid of a man’s reactions. who, despite his charismatic personality, was driven by inner demons that made him fierce?
An investigation by the British newspaper “The Guardian” dedicated to personal assistants in Hollywood has revealed details of some of the complexities encountered by those who work in the shadow of the stars. Their conclusion is that they are often victims of convoluted and even toxic power dynamics. These employees work their butts off without looking at the clock, and their private lives end up being blurred among the glitter and tinsel of celebrities, complying with their eccentricities and crazy requests, such as food from a restaurant that is thousands of miles away or satisfying their unhealthy needs, even if it means breaking the law.
Her biographies are not far from the masterful description given in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), with Meryl Streep playing a tyrannical fashion magazine editor who copied the iconic Anna Wintour. She took it with humour, but the testimony was superb.
It’s not always a bad relationship. Justine Ciarrochi, Jennifer Lawrence’s former assistant, ended up founding the production company Excellent Cadaver with her.
While in their service, they usually live in absolute secrecy. Only when they manage to break through do they speak, but almost always anonymously. It is then that they uncover the secrets. details of the nightmare that the job became. The Guardian’s investigation reveals that verbal and sexual abuse is common.
Crossing accusations
One of the most complete chapters is provided by the former personal secretary of rapper Kanye West, Lauren Pisciotta, 35, who filed a lawsuit against him on June 3, 2024 in Los Angeles Superior Court for wrongful termination, sex discrimination, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional and physical stress, among other charges. The complaint contains “unlawful, nonconsensual, offensive, unwanted, unsolicited and unwelcome acts.” In addition to describing in detail obscene sexual scenes, it claims that she has not been paid the $4 million salary that she had been promised. The rapper justifies his dismissal by his lack of qualifications and his “lewd and unhinged behavior.”
Behind the servility of some of these assistants is the fear of being fired or blacklisted with unforeseeable consequences. The newspaper reports the anonymous testimony of one professional: “Emotionally, physically and mentally, you are immersed in his narcissism.” And he adds his frustration at feeling invisible, “just another character in his world.”
The investigation also mentions the statements of Rowena Chiu, a former employee of Harvey Weinstein, in the New York Times and, broadly speaking, agrees with what we have been saying. “As an assistant, you find yourself in an ambivalent situation: you have almost no power and yet you have disproportionate responsibilities… My job was to be invisible and everywhere at the same time.
They go from being nothing to being scapegoats or an essential element to closing a case, even if it is false. This was the case with Daryn Goodall, who worked for Robert Blake since 1988. well into his nineties. His testimony was decisive in the actor’s initial exoneration of his wife’s murder. In his obituary in 2011, his family highlighted the firmness of his values. They ignored the fact that these vanished in the face of the whims of Blake, a complex human being with a long history of violence.