I actually *do* live in a tragic, fog-bound dreamworld (note my choice of quote for my profile) ...
But my experience at two festivals has been very positive. No, not everyone I've met has jumped at the chance to get to know me better ... but that's no different than one would expect to find anywhere. I've actually found it much easier to strike up a conversation with strangers at the festivals than I have many other places -- churches, bars, or any other pickup place.
O.K., I was kidding a bit with that last comment.
The nature of the acting field, especially in Hollywood, is that there are always new actors and stars breaking in every day, so the market obviously cannot keep everyone at the same level of popularity. Nancy makes the point, too, that the majority of working actors (and, actually, at any given time the majority of actors probably are NOT working) are not in the limelight. The term "has-been" is inappropriate, IMO.