WORKSHEET: Famous for Not Being Famous
BEFORE READING
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a
Think – Pair – Share

First, answer the questions below.

Next, in pairs, talk about your answers.

Finally, sum up your answers in class.
Make a list of your five favorite movies:
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4
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b
How many of your favorite movies are American?
c
If you had the chance to fulfil your biggest dream, what would it be?
d
What are you willing to do to make your dream come true?
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Skimming
Skim read the text below quickly. Look at the pictures and the headings. Then decide which sentence
you think describes the text best:
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This is the story of a big Hollywood star.
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This is the story of a man who wants to become a Hollywood star.
Famous for Not Being Famous
If you go to Hollywood in Los Angeles, you will probably not meet
your favorite film star. However, there is a good chance you will meet
Dennis Woodruff.
Never had a real acting role
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Dennis says he is Hollywood’s most famous unemployed actor. He has
been looking for work for 25 years. He has been on television over 300
times and has worked in about 45 movies, but always as an extra.
Selling himself
Everything about Dennis has to do with selling himself. He is very
talkative: he talks constantly about his life, his talent and his
ambitions. His never-ending search for work in the film industry no
longer has any chance of success, so now he acts out the role of an
actor looking for work. ‘Actually,’ says Dennis, ‘I am a great movie
star. It’s just that no one has understood it yet.’
Movies about himself
Dennis has made a couple of movies. Of course, they are about
himself. They are called Dennis Woodruff the Movie, Parts I and II
and Double Feature, starring Dennis Woodruff. You can watch him
auditioning for parts in front of the security cameras at local
restaurants. People recognize him and then ignore him.
Nearly famous
One of the saddest stories he tells is about how he nearly made it big
time. The famous actor John Wayne was going to give him a chance,
but unfortunately Wayne died. Then the legendary movie producer
Otto Preminger wanted to make Dennis a star. Preminger also died.
Still an optimist
Dennis is almost 50 years old. He has been living in a mobile home in
East Hollywood for 30 years. He manages to earn a living, since he
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has sold 15,000 copies of his movies. Dennis is always optimistic and
he will never stop believing in the American Dream. True success, he
feels, is just around the corner.
AFTER READING
1
Scanning
a
Scan the text quickly. Underline these numbers: 15,000, 300, 50, 45, 30, 25.
b
Which number tells you how many movies Dennis has played in as an extra?
c
Which number tells you how many copies Dennis has sold of the movies he has made about
himself?
2
Close reading
Read the text twice to get a deeper understanding of what it means to chase the American Dream.
a
The first time: When you come to the numbers you underlined in task 1, write a short
explanation about each number. Try to use your own words.
15,000:
300:
50:
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45:
30:
25:
b
The second time: Write down key words about Dennis Woodruff’s personality.
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Vocabulary training
Work with a partner. Here are some adjectives you can use to describe people.
a
Circle the adjectives that could be used to describe Dennis Woodruff:
stubborn, modest, optimistic, famous, beautiful, hopeless, scared, self-confident, unlucky,
naïve, successful
b
Write a short explanation for three of the adjectives you chose in task a.
Example: I think the adjective stubborn describes Dennis Woodruff because he is still chasing
his dream after so many years.
1:
2:
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3:
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a
Think – Pair – Share

First, answer the questions below.

Next, in pairs, talk about your answers.

Finally, sum up your answers in class.
Has Dennis Woodruff achieved the American Dream? Tick off:
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Yes, because he lives in Hollywood and makes money from movies.
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Partly, because he seems happy. However, he is not a real movie star.
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No, because his dream was to become a movie star, still he has never had a real role
in a movie.
b
c
Do you think Dennis will ever become a real Hollywood star? Tick off:
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Yes, because everyone who works hard can make it in the USA.
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Probably not, because it is hard to become a star when you are 50 years old.
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No, because he has been trying hard for 25 years already without any success.
Why do so many people dream of making it big in the USA?
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