András Arató is one of the most well-known Hungarians on the internet. While in real life he is a well-known electrical engineer, he became famous because of memes that feature him with a smile that the online world finds simultaneously depressing and endearing: on the internet, Arató became “Hide the Pain Harold.” Recently he has told Buzzfeed about his career and future ambitions.
His “career” as a meme star began in 2011, when a stock photo agent spotted him on iWiW (a former Hungarian social media site). He soon contacted Arató to shoot some trial photos, which were deemed to be good, so he was asked to come back again and again. However, independently from his meme career, the former engineer has appeared many times on TV before, first in a quiz show, then mostly as a lighting expert.
‘Hide the Pain Harold’ Finally Reveals the Recipe on Becoming Famous
A few months after the first photo shoot, András Arató searched for himself on the internet and realized that he had become a meme. At first he didn’t like it because they made rough and distasteful jokes using his picture.
At first, people didn’t even think I was a real, living person. It was thought that the memes were made with photoshop. When I realized this, I revealed my identity on a social platform on a Russian site. Then all the offensive and distasteful memes disappeared. I didn’t think of myself as a known person, but more and more people stopped me on the street to take a photo with me.
In early 2020, he appeared in a television singing competition where the contestants hid in different costumes. The ‘Meme King’ sang hiding in a cute, green monster costume.
A rare caption of Hide the Pain Harold. András Arató in a TV show in 2020. Photo via: Hide the Pain Harold’s Facebook page.
Arató, who had previously been approached by Coca-Cola in a collaboration and was also filmed for Manchester City in England, revealed that he was preparing for a big splash.
He is currently looking for investors for a comedy film
Although he has revealed no further information, we are looking forward to seeing the 75-year-old ‘Meme King’ in another project.
Featured photo illustration via Hide the Pain Harold’s Facebook page.
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