[WS:] That is not the point. The point is that there are millions of intelligent people out there who have something interesting to say, but only a select few become celebrities - and that totally depends on the audience rather than any special talents of the speaker.
I also think there is a big difference between Being There and The Talented Mr. Ripley. In the former, the protagonist does noting to deceive his audiences, it is only the audiences that see what they want to see in him. In the latter, the protagonist is a crook who seizes an opportunity and actively deceives the audiences. In other words, the talents of Chance the Gardener has no talents, only his audience thinks he has, wheres Mr. Ripley does have talents, albeit of a different kind that the audience thinks.
Wojtek