Rider Strong Stopped Rating Films On Letterboxd “For The Sake Of My Career”: “Not A Good Look”
Rider Strong has stopped publicly displaying some of his Letterboxd film ratings because he worries harsh reviews could affect his chances of working with actors he hopes to cast in projects he writes or directs. He said people in the industry check one another’s profiles, making a very low rating of someone’s film potentially awkward.
Strong described his ratings as unusually extreme, often giving films either half a star or five stars, rather than clustering around three. He said he has removed about half of his star ratings, while the rest remain visible. Letterboxd, launched in 2011, grew particularly popular during the COVID pandemic and now has more than 17 million subscribers.
In short
- Rider Strong hides some ratings to avoid awkwardness with potential collaborators.
- He tends to give films either half a star or five.
- About half his star ratings remain visible.
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The case for
Keeping some ratings private can be a sensible professional boundary: a public half-star review may be read as a personal slight and complicate future collaboration, even when the criticism is about the film. Strong can still enjoy and discuss films while choosing not to make every opinion part of his public profile.
The case against
Public ratings are a form of honest cultural expression, and concealing them because of possible career consequences may encourage a climate in which professionals avoid candid criticism. Actors and filmmakers can reasonably distinguish a judgement of someone’s work from a judgement of them as a person, and audiences may value seeing critics express their views openly.
Explained simply
Rider Strong is an American actor, writer and director, best known for playing Shawn Hunter in the television series Boy Meets World. Letterboxd is a social network where people keep lists of films they have watched, rate them and write reviews; users can choose whether to make their ratings public.
Strong says he has hidden some ratings because film-makers and actors may look at one another’s profiles. A very low score could make it uncomfortable to approach someone about working together, especially when a writer or director hopes to cast them. The issue reflects a wider tension between sharing personal opinions online and maintaining professional relationships.
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