@Regio
Imo, it's hit or miss about both photos and film versus correspondence to what people look like in real life, I think.
My first job out of university was as an editorial assistant at a magazine. They promised me I'd work on the fiction or political articles, but because someone left unexpectedly they stuck me with fashion, although they promised to switch me over relatively soon. I couldn't BEAR it and lasted only six months. You cannot find more self-absorbed, superficial people in any other profession, even acting.
I was astounded at how downright "plain" most of the models turned out to be in real life. You wouldn't have given them a second look in real life. At the same time, someone relatively attractive can take terrible pictures. I think regularity of feature is what looks attractive in photos.
Film, likewise, can work both ways. I lived in Manhattan for about seven years, and on Long Island for years more, and I saw my share of actors in "real life". You probably don't know who Hal Holbrook is, but you can look him up. In real life he was incredibly handsome. I saw both Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie because my friend lived near where they were filming and I was at her house literally down the street. Matt Damon is short, stocky, and very average looking, very "typical" American of a certain age. Angelina Jolie was tiny, elfin really, and while pretty, no raving beauty, and her face is not exotic looking at all in real life.
Likewise I've seen both Michele Williams and Katie Holmes just walking around the city, and you can see prettier women at any shopping center. Reese Witherspoon is downright homely, with a hideous chin, and so is Nicholas Cage, and he has absolutely awful skin, I guess from teenage acne.
The only actors I've seen in person who were really beautiful were Michele Pfeiffer a few years after she made Scarface, and Tom Selleck, who was twice as handsome in real life as he was on TV.
Years and years ago, when I was about sixteen, my cousin rented a small boat, and we went from Santa Margherita Ligure over to Portofino and I saw Marcello Mastroianni before he became really heavy, jowly and old looking. He was so unearthly beautiful that I almost fainted, I swear to you. He was tanned, in an off white linen suit, with a dashing hat on his head and he was just breathtaking, more beautiful than he was even in La Dolce Vita. Years later I saw Giorgio Armani on the same quai, in a sky blue tight tee shirt and white pants, very tan, with a full head of white hair and I couldn't believe I'd never realized how handsome he was. Anderson Cooper, one of our newscasters, is also surprisingly handsome in real life.
So, it depends. One thing is clear: in the U.S. they no longer choose actors and actresses for their looks, more's the pity.
There should be some fantasy in films, imo.
Oh dear, I've gone way off track. Tomorrow I'll take all these off topic posts and create a new thread for them.