30 Times People Met Someone Famous And Had No Idea Who They Were

Celebrity expert Mike told Bored Panda that it's essential to respect a celebrity's space and privacy. "Timing is everything when interacting with a celebrity or public figure. It’s probably best to not even bother if they’re dining or with their family. These are private moments that shouldn’t be interrupted," he warned.

"If you can catch them alone, or not doing anything, start with introducing yourself. Don’t forget, you know them, but they don’t know you. Then simply offer a sincere, non-personal compliment. Maybe about a project they worked on, but never about their personal appearance. This could start a very meaningful conversation for both of you."

According to Mike, there's really no need to feel anxious or stressed when meeting a public figure. "They’re someone that just happens to have a different job than you do. But you have commonality because you know their work. Rely on that to build your confidence," he explained to us.

"At a public event, a celebrity is working and 'on,' and is expecting people to approach them, so it should be fairly easy. If you catch a celebrity 'in the wild,' it’s a little more difficult, but can still be done with an introduction and sincere compliment. Don’t forget, celebrities know being recognized is part of the job. They’re much more open to meeting you than you may think."

It's incredibly difficult for celebrities to have privacy. If you're famous, it's generally best to assume that you're always seen. Blending in while in public is a tough call, too.

"The more a star tries to blend in, the more they tend to stand out. The best way to blend in is really to just live your life. If you’re doing that, the average star will hardly be recognizable, especially if no hair and makeup has been done," celebrity expert Mike, Hollywood's Ultimate Insider, told Bored Panda.

"For bigger stars, there are security concerns that come into play, and they will have a team escorting them in public, which gives them a bubble of privacy."

It’s usually easy to stay as cool as a cucumber if you think that the individual in front of you is a regular person just like you. You can chat about the weather. You can talk about your favorite recent films and TV shows. You can grumble/boast about how your favorite sportsball team lost/won. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s small talk at its best.

However, the moment you realize that you might be speaking to someone incredibly influential, wealthy, and successful, your mind can short-circuit. The feeling is not unlike having to go on stage and say a speech. Or how everything goes blank when you sit down to write a test, and oh Lord, none of the questions make sense. Nobody wants to make a fool of themselves. Especially if they think that the stakes are high.

Probably the best piece of advice that we can give, when it comes to calming your nerves, is to remind ourselves that everything will likely be all right even if we mess up, atrociously. Sure, you accidentally gripped Brad Pitt’s hand too hard or you tripped over your tongue when talking to pop legend Britney Spears, but it really isn’t the end of the world. You were genuine. You were human. And so are they.

Moreover, if you actually own up to your sense of awkwardness and embarrassment, you’re bound to leave the interaction as someone to be respected rather than looked down on. We’ve written on Bored Panda before that being honest about our sense of embarrassment and embracing those uncomfortable feelings can help us connect with others.

When people see that we accept that we’ve made a mistake and we don’t shy away from whatever embarrassing thing we might have said or done, they’re much more likely to sympathize with us.

However, this also works in reverse. People are put off when someone tries to hide that they’ve missed up. In short: do your best to always lean into your embarrassment. It’s the mature thing to do. And it works whether you’re talking to Keanu Reeves or a complete stranger.

Running away from embarrassing situations and our mistakes can eventually turn into deep-seated feelings of shame. That’s something that you really want to avoid if possible. Otherwise, you might find your entire sense of self being undermined. You might start wondering if there’s something ‘wrong’ with you and may shy away from social interactions in the future. This leads to missed opportunities and less overall happiness.