“He Was Like An Excited Labrador”: 30 People Share Real-Life Celebrity Encounters They’ve Had

Bruce Willis.

I was a NYC taxi driver and i pick him up at a restaurant very late at night. He starts asking me all these questions about the long hours, how much a good cabbie makes a night, etc.

He asks me if I am married, I say yes, asks about my wife. I tell him marriage is great but we aren't together much due to the long hours i drive the cab.

We get to his place, hands me $1,000 and says, "Now go take a week off and spend it with your wife."

True story.

A coworker noticed Robin Williams flipping through a book quietly at a bookstore I worked at. It was during the filming of Good Will Hunting so he had a beard and wasn’t so recognizable- she said “I think that’s Robin Williams!”, he looked up from his book smiled and then put a finger to his mouth “Shhhh, I know”

Tony Hawk, late 90's. He came to our local skatepark for a demo but it was a tiny little indoor park and he couldn't do much. After skating for a bit to appease the crowd, he snuck out the back across the parking lot to the bowling alley. Me and two friends followed him, he invited us to bowl with him, bought us chicken tenders and french fries and talked about skateboarding with us for over an hour. Honestly one of the coolest guys I've ever met, fast forward 20 years later and I get to meet him again at our local skatepark unveiling that his foundation helped pay for and man, he was just as cool. We chatted a bit at the water fountain, I mentioned that as a kid he treated us to chicken tenders and french fries at the bowling alley when I was just a kid, and wouldn't you know it he was like oh in Amity Ct? Wasn't the skatepark called B17? I was simply floored. He went on to explain he was having a rough day that day and just hanging with three little kids bowling and talking skateboarding made him realize just how great life was.

Thank you for everything you have ever done for skateboarding Tony!

Last summer while at an urgent care center in Beverly Hills I met Ashton Kutcher. I was sick and stressed and couldn’t find the office. My anxiety took over (it was one of “those” days) and I crumpled into a tiny ball on the floor and put my head in my hands. A moment later someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was okay. I looked up and there was Ashton, pushing a stroller with his baby. He helped me up and walked with me to the doctors office. I wish I hadn’t been so sick during that encounter.. nevertheless, his kindness and warmth was deeply appreciated.

I met Gordon Ramsay in Cape Town about 5 years ago. He was at a bar, and not a super fancy bar either. I went up and said hello, half hoping he would call me a 'donut' or something, but he was really nice and asked me how I was. I told him I loved his shows, and recipes, and he offered to buy me a drink. Overall really nice man, and his demeanor is very calming. I felt at ease. I hope he is doing well.

I was flying from California to Haiti to do relief work. I was really broke and had a really s****y flight schedule with lots of long layovers. I was absoloutly exhausted, had't slept properly in 2 days. It was around 4 in the morning when my flight landed in Miami. I was waiting at the terminal for my last flight from Miami to Port Au Prince. All of the seats were taken so I was sitting against a wall.
This gentleman got up from his seat and walked over to me. I was thinking in my dilirium 'this guy looks like a homeless version of Sean Pennn'.
Hobo Sean Penn asked me if I would like to have his party's seats so I could lay on something comfortable and get some sleep. I told him 'no thank you, im alright' and he said something along the lines of 'you look exhausted, you really should get some sleep, especially if you are headed to Haiti to do relief work, you will need the rest'. I took him up on the offer, although I felt really selfish about it. I got about 45 minutes worth of sleep that i desperately needed.
It turns out it wasn't a hobo that looked like Sean Penn it really was Sean Penn. I had no idea that he had been doing work in Haiti for years. His kindness was really moving, and upon landing and seeing the ravaged landscape of such an impoverished country, I realized that I really needed that sleep.

I went through an airport security line with Keanu Reeves. He was super cool and open for about a 5 minutes conversation (they had closed the line behind him so it was really just the two of us for a bit). He was even good natured when I asked if I could take a selfie with him. Good dude. Once we got through the line a crowd gathered quickly and security whisked him away.

Stone Cold Steve Austin found my dog that ran away and picked him up off of the highway. He ended up cleaning up our dog and gave him tons of toys before we got him back.

I’m sure this will come as no surprise, but John Cena is one of the nicest and naturally awesome people in existence. He came to visit the new enlisted rec center they built for us back in the mid 00’s to do a meet and greet. While he was only booked to be there from 1400 to 1600, when we told him that most of the SUBSCOL students didn’t get out class until then he said he’d be more than willing to stay later. He hung out with all the guys who came to see him shooting pool, playing darts and Xbox, and pretty much signing everything and taking a ton of pictures. The dude is just a straight up class act.

Jaden Smith wouldn't leave my store thirty minutes after we closed. Neither would his security guard, the girl he was with, or the eight or nine other girls that were clearly asked to stay at least thirty feet away from him. He kept saying "Bro, it's cool. Don't worry, bro, it's cool. It's cool" F**k you Jaden, there are about twenty people in this store that can't go home until you get your stupid entitled a*s out of here. 

I have two. The first is Jerry Springer. I met him while traveling when we happened to be staying at the same hotel. He was super nice, took photos and answered questions. All smiles and jokes.

The second is Stephen Spielburg. I met him at some benefit I got invited to as a teen due to having good grades or some s**t and he not only had a super normal convo with me, but when I told him where I really wanted to work (but hadn't been able to get an interview) he took me to the next table where the company's CEO was and introduced me. Worked there for 5 years after.

Met Viggo Mortensen quite a handful of times as he used to go to the restaurant I managed at the time.

He was one of the nicest, most down to earth celebrities we had. He would, after we offered, join us for dinner once the restaurant had closed and would bring small gifts every time for everyone.

When I met Prince Harry at a bar, he was like an excited labrador in human form.

Shared an elevator with Beyoncé back in the early 2000s when she was doing the Destiny’s Child farewell tour. It was my dad, me, Beyoncé, and a hulking bodyguard. My dad being my dad didn’t know who she was and assumed they were a married couple and gave the man c**p about carrying all the bags himself. She laughed, he kinda giggled a bit and they looked at each other awkwardly. Then they hopped off the elevator and walked straight onto a tour bus with her face plastered on the side at which point my dad asked “wait who is that”. 5/7 would share an elevator again.

I went to the BAFTAs after winning a competition in (i think) 2012. I'd won the top prize where you basically got a little mini marquee at the very end of the red carpet just before the stars went into the building/posed for photos. Part of the prize was that the stars would stop for a chat. Considering it was early February in cold cold London, i was surprised at how many of them (especially the ones in short dresses) stopped to chat.

George Clooney was great, shook hands, had a short conversation, and patted me on the shoulder.

Meryl Streep just Oozed class, such a lovely person and was more than willing to stop and pose for photos, and looked GORGEOUS!

But star of the show by far was Chris Hemsworth. Just such a laugh and really genuinely wanted to stop and talk for a bit. He was up for the "young upcomer" prize or whatever its called that year, i was gutted when he didn't win it later on but hey, he's done alright for himself since :)

I used to deliver food from a catering service to the airport for private flights. My favorite encounter was Johnny Depp. Handed him his food and he handed me a wadded up bill, I thought I just got stiffed on my tip.

Turned out it was a freaking $100 bill wadded up into a little ball. Legend.

I once walked outside of my house to run and grab a coffee. As I was waiting at a cross walk I begun to recognize the fellow waiting in front of me. I said, “excuse me, I don’t know if you know this but you’re John Malkovich.” Then John extended his hand and said, “indeed I am” and shook my hand. A kind gentlemen he was.

Amy Lee of Evanescence was absolutely wonderful. Some friends and I waited after a concert for autographs, and prior to Amy emerging, the bouncer-type-guy laid out in no uncertain terms that we weren't to try to touch her.

Well, one friend had had depression and Evanescence was one of the things that got her through her teen years. So she broke down in tears when Amy got to her in the autograph line, and Amy just went in and gave her this giant, comforting hug (hard to do since Amy is SO tiny). She was fabulous.

David Beckham.

I didnt know who he was at the time. I was staying at the grand Hyatt in hong kong and galaxy was there for an exhibition game.

There were a lot of fan girls outside with posters and s**t in the roped off area near the front entrance.

I'm in the elevator and DB walks in. I give him a nod and he gives me one back. Then I ask him if he knows what all the commotion outside is. He just shrugs and says it must be someone famous staying there. We get to his floor and he gives me a wave goodbye and exits.

My work colleague later tells me that Beckham is staying there based on the pics he saw the fans waiving. I look up his pic online and realize its the dude I was chatting with in the elevator.

nice guy.

Part of filming for Central Intelligence was in Boston in my friend's neighborhood/around the corner of it. Apparently, Dwayne Johnson was just so courteous and very fan friendly, loved giving interactions (smiles hugs conversations, the works) and autographs and just making people smile when he had the time. Kevin Hart was a total jackass that didn't want to be bothered, went out of his way to make sure nobody talked to him or got near him and just had the worst holier-than-thou attitude.