If you strip away the hype, you find that he is just an ordinary person trying to make a living, like everyone else.
To strip away something, especially something that hides the true nature of a thing, means to remove it completely. Altman strips away the pretence and mythology to expose the film industry as a business like any other
To strip away a layer of something means to remove it completely. Sensitive Cream will not strip away the skin's protective layer She'd managed to strip the bloodied rags away from Nellie's body