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At the end of The Truman Show, Truman finally discovers

it was all fake after all. It was just a set. He finds the sky-painted far edge of the Omnicanecosphere, confirming his suspicions and shredding any final lingering doubts that it was just in his mind (not helped by Christof cuing the sun way too early).

What were Christof’s hopes or what was his motive and alternate plan in trying to get Truman to stay by talking to him over the intercom? Why bother? It was over. Truman

knew it was all a lie at that point. That his life up to that point had meant nothing, but entertainment for millions and that he'd had almost no privacy or genuine uncontrolled experience of anything.

Even if Christof managed to convince Truman to stay, Truman would NEVER look at Sea Haven or his life the same way again and he would cease being the “good ole natural” Truman that everyone in the audience loved, thus ratings would have slipped. The only logical thing Christof could have done was throw in the towel and

let Truman leave through the "sky" exit. As soon as Truman found the exit Christof should have known it was over and instead acquiesced to the producers to cancel the show, ceasing transmission.

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  • 3
    Why do people still fight when they know they've lost is a psychological question as old as humanity
    – AakashM
    Aug 16, 2021 at 10:43
  • Are you asking what we think, or what Christoff's motive was?
    – Joachim
    Aug 17, 2021 at 20:17
  • As said in the question above, “What were Christoff’s hopes in trying to get him to stay by talking to him over the intercom?” I’ve edited the question slightly btw.
    – MissouriSpartan
    Aug 17, 2021 at 20:45

3 Answers 3

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To some extent this was addressed in the show. Christof's strong desire is for Truman to have a baby to continue the legacy. We also learn in a deleted scene that his (and the Network's) goal is to have the baby on an entirely separate channel, simulcast with Truman.

Christof is panicking here. If Truman leaves early, they may not be able to convince audiences to accept a new kid and while it would certainly be weird for Truman to be "in" on the joke, it would only be for a short time and he could then be released into the world or remain in-situ to parent the child as long as he agrees to keep the secret.

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  • It's worth noting that the script book has a little bit of info about what happened after Truman left. The studio wasn't able to get permission to adopt a new kid and went bankrupt.
    – Valorum
    Jul 8, 2023 at 1:08
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My take was that Christof wanted Truman to stay for the sake of the world that had been created for him, even if he now knew it was fake and even if it would never be the same for the audience.

Christof thought of himself as Truman's "god". He explicitly tells Truman that the world that has been made for him is better than the real one, and asks him to choose it willingly. If Truman stays, Christof's created world can live. If he leaves, it has to die.

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The contestants in Big Brother knew they were in a TV programme and yet that was very popular for a long time.

Perhaps Christof thought that even if Truman knew he was on a show, it's still the only life he knows so while it won't be as natural as it was before, he'll still go on living his life. He might as well do it in this world in front of the cameras rather than do the same thing in the "real" world. They could even have worked out a deal where he wouldn't 'break the fourth wall', had Truman been agreeable.

It might have lost a little of its charm now that Truman was in on it, but Christof might have still considered it salvageable.

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