Often times I have noticed people seem to dislike a persons character and proceed to adamantly deny any of their talents or support their works.

I like Kevin Spacey's script choices and acting for example. Although I do not 'like' all of his life choices. I will still watch Kevin Spacey tv/movies.

I like R Kellys voice and musical talent and creations, although I do not 'like' his life choices either. I will still purchase/listen to R. Kelly music.

I like the politics of certain Presidents in history, even though I do not 'like' their life choices.

In most cases I attribute their choices in life to their CHARACTER. I attribute their talents to their occupation. And if they are talented in their occupation, I Tend to support it regardless of what character they may have displayed in their personal life, with a few exceptions where occupation and character intersect for me, like the Presidency, or the priesthood, or teaching(where the nature of the job is that personal choices become public examples for others)

Are you able to separate approving of someone's character from approving of or supporting their work?

I have learned that Hitler was a brilliant orator. Not knowing German that well and my contempt for actions and everything stood for makes this hard to appreciate.

Sorry for that Ms.! That was an extreme.....Bill Clinton is one of the most extraordinary orators I have witnessed in my contemporary existence. I've been in conversations where opposers said, "That's what they said about Hitler." (unfair comparison imo)

This is a difficult one. I admire the Kennedys (adulterous lot), artists of the turn of the 19/20th century (insane pricks), and do indeed dig R. Kelly's songs.

Not really sure what I am trying to say, but somewhere there is a separation of respect for talent and disdain for lack of morality.

lol ... I agree.

Depends on the type of relationship I have to maintain with that person.
The less complex relationship (e.g. actor), the less I feel any desire to separate approving their character from approving their work, the less motivation I have to work on maintaining complex judgments about them. I can make absolute judgments and avoid their work and my life is not affected. The more supporting them in any way can/does lead to something considered extremely negative (e.g. drug dealers, child rapists) in society, and I don't have a relationship with them, the less motivation I have to separate approval.

The more complex, the more direct, the more face to face, the longer the relationship, the more my relationship with them effects my daily life, the more complex my judgments of them.

I am able to separate approving of my moms character from approving of or supporting her work as a stripper hitman catburgler to feed us.

I am not able to separate approving of OJ simpsons character from approving or supporting (or really giving a crap) about his past NFL career, or attempts at writing a novel about his life in prison.

Other than that, I know I'm not going to be a statistic in one of those online stories like "when Trump's tax plan was attributed to Obama, Trump haters that were working against the tax plan loved it!"

I don't think it is a question of separating out, approving of someone's character from approving of or supporting their work? It's more about how strongly you feel towards the issues with their character or life choices, and whether or not you feel strongly enough to do anything.

That is, whether your distaste for their character or life choices, is greater than your like of their work, or whether you choose to ignore it for whatever reason.

How you feel, will cause you either to do nothing, that is continue to enjoy watching Kevin Spacey's films using your example, or not watching then ever again, or somewhere in between, it depends on you, it's an individual choice in my opinion.

This is sort of tricky for me.

Basically, sometimes I can and do draw distinctions, and sometimes I can't or wont.

Some people are known to me to be so vile, or so destructive, or so callous, that in any interaction with them (including seeing them on the screen), I can't help but think of the bad things they did. This is extra true in the cases where my life experience has taught me that the REASON FOR THEIR TALENT, is directly linked to the negative things about them.

Small but common examples, are people who are extremely good at "schmoozing" (that is, being cheerful, and friendly and seemingly positive and supportive of others in public), but who I know are only good at that, because they lie and cheat and look down their noses at everyone else, non-stop.

With some, I can separate things, because I know that the good and the bad ARE separate. I'm one of the many who didn't approve of Bill Clinton's womanizing, but wasn't all that upset with it as regards his being President, because I never saw any connection between the two. Some others who have held high office, and cheated on their spouses, DID upset me, because I saw (or see) in them, that their womanizing IS directly connected to how well they perform their duties of office.

With some actors, it's a little similar, in that in some cases, I can see (again, due to personal experience) that their SEEMING talent at acting, is actually a direct RESULT of their character flaws, and so I can't abide seeing them in a film. I can't think of any good examples of that right now, but there are a few.

Comedians and people who joke around can definitely end up being on my "can't tolerate them or separate things" list, because once I realize that they are using a cheerful joking manner, to actually promote vile destructive things, I can't abide them performing any humor at all. Lots of modern comedy involves criticizing or insulting others as the joke itself, and I have no problem with that per se, but when I realize that the person who is "joking," really isn't joking at all, I become hostile to their performances, because in addition to holding nasty views, I recognize that their performances are themselves, acts of purposeful deception and lies.

Love this op ... sometimes I can and sometimes I can not ... all depends what they have done ...

By now, I'm sure most of the regulars here know that I watch a lot of movies.
I know that the actors that portray characters are not being personally represented by who I see on screen. Each does however, bring a part of them to the characters they portray. For this reason, I have actors I like and ones I don't.

On the reality side of things, we have politicians.
I see all politicians as liars. I see anyone engaged in political endeavors as schemers. From the company lead-man to the CEO. I was a manager without politically driven aspirations. I did my job as directed and looked out for my workers. Probably because I rose thru the same ranks. My people loved me for my honesty and integrity.
Something that is lacking in most of the world.

For the most part, I realize that what I know about any other person is only what has been told or demonstrated to me. The only people I truly know are my family, because I experience the full range of their personalities. Everyone else can be considered hear-say.

I don't like Trump.
I don't like Hillary Clinton.
I don't like Tom Cruise.
I have a large list of people I don't like.
But I also understand that I don't know those people well enough.
I base my preferences on information 'given' to me by outside sources.
That information is usually biased.

Its kinda like Breaking Bad series...
Everybody loved Science teacher Walter White....But in the end...they hated Highzenberg, the murderous Drug Lord....