I think the face of fandom is changing personally and we have to realise the Gerry of POTO, the struggling actor, isn't there anymore. He evolved into a star and we, the fans, made him what he is today in a way. Deep down, Gerry, the man, is the same we always knew and loved, but his career is not what it used to be and will never be that again. Why dwell in the past?
I don't see this as a sad thing. Far from it. I think we need to embrace what he has become and be proud of it. And we have to look forward to what he will evolve into in the future as well. Frankly, I think the craze that followed POTO was quite excessive. I don't think, other than Elvis or the Beatles, any other actor in the beginning of his career had to deal with such a huge wave of adoration. Now we do see that for younger actors like Robert Pattison. Thank God Gerry was older when he had to face the adulation of the fans. He was better equiped emotionally than the young ones who are now facing this phenomenon.
You know what gets me? We tend to always refer to POTO as Gerry's best role when in fact it wasn't. Far from it. Yes it was full of emotions and Gerry does play the tormented soul like no other actor can, but composition wise it left to be desired. When we take a step back and look solely at the roles he played, I think the Stranger and Clyde were two characters that showed off Gerry's range alot better. He was intense in both roles, subdued, yet solid and deep for the first one, and tormented, obsessed and insane for the second. I'm looking forward to what he choses next. I have no doubt he will continue to entertain us for many years and we have yet to see the full range of his talent as an actor. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing him play a dramatic role.