There are a handful of reactions that one typically assumes when meeting a celebrity. Usually, folks either get starstruck and (or) try to play it cool so as to not draw attention to this one-of-a-kind encounter. Why? Well, a lot of things can happen. Probably awkwardness and embarrassment because you’re starstruck.
Folks online have been and will continue to talk about these particularly oof moments with celebrities. So, scroll down to read the best stories from Redditors.
#21
Met Charlie Sheen at a nonprofit event during his peak wild time. He brought his fiancé. I was the person sent out to greet them and bring them to their seats so they could get in without being stopped by other attendees.
Me: Hi Charlie, I’m here to take you inside and direct you to your seats
Charlie: Hi. What’s your name?
Me: Carly, nice to meet you
Charlie: …stares blankly like I’m an enormous idiot…no, *I’m* Charlie. I asked for *your* name
Me: uhhhh, it’s Carly. Like your name? With no H? (at this point I’m starting to get really anxious about having him standing outside for too long and just want to get moving)
Him: Ohhhhhhhhh. Righteous (flashes peace sign)
And then he let me lead them inside. I was an absolute wreck for that entire event but he was incredibly well behaved for the whole thing.
22points
Lastly, there’s always, you know, the old fashioned intellectual charisma approach. You know, if you’re chilling at the pool and they are chilling nearby and you’re both reading a book—not even a Kindle, but an actual book. And not something banal, but a proper good book. That alone could be a good conversation starter, and if that doesn’t work out, hey, you’re reading a good book. Sure, you might be disappointed in their taste in books, but when was reading a book a bad thing?!
#22
I was at a bar in Hollywood tonight, and was talking with this girl. Another guy comes up, and it's clear they know each other, and he joins in the conversation. After awhile, she talks about how her friend had her first concert not too long ago, and it was a Backstreet Boys concert. I laugh a bit at how a 27 year old has that as her first concert. The girl starts asking "Are you laughing about the Backstreet Boys? Don't you know who this guy is? He's a Backstreet Boy!" I don't believe her at first, and say so. He then puts out his hand and goes "Hi, I'm A.J." Sure enough, it clicked, and I was just laughing about the Backstreet Boys in front of a Backstreet Boy. He was actually cool about it, but def was a foot in mouth moment.
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22points
#23
a friend saw christian bale at the end of the block. and my friend being very animated smile really big and was clearly headed over to him. Halfway there christian mouthed "don't" and my friend left him alone.
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21points
#24
Mike Tyson at the Bellagio sea food buffet. I was inebriated and piling a plate super high. I was also eating food off the plate as I walked around the buffet. Suddenly I looked to my left and said with my mouth full:
"eeeeeh, you're Ike Typhon."
He looked at me like a crazy person and walked away.
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19points
Since there’s always a risk-reward situation with these, consider what you would do if you were the celebrity. Would you want people approaching you? That alone could be your answer to whether you should utilize any of these tactics.
Any approach, even mere recognition, might run the risk of upsetting them, which can mean a number of other things.
#25
Standing in front of a hotel with Will Ferrel, awkwardly looking at him recognizing that I recognized him. He was cool though…I however was not.
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18points
#26
I was with my ex-girlfriend having ice cream before going to a comedy club in northern Kentucky, when this petite woman walked by with a couple of women. We watched her go by and I said: 'That woman looks like Natalie Portman.' She sat down at a table nearby and I looked again (it's important to know I have an enormous crush on Natalie Portman because of the Star Wars movies). In fact, my ex and I came to an agreement that I wasn't allowed to cheat on her unless it was with Natalie Portman. So, I started to slightly freak out, calmed down eventually, and went over to ask Natalie if she was indeed my biggest celebrity crush. I gave her the usual 'big fan' praises, then excused myself so as not to disturb her when she was enjoying a night out with her family. Later while we were waiting to be let into the comedy club, who should appear right behind us in line but Natalie f**king Portman (she had the same plan as us). "We were assigned to sit at the table right next to hers, and several times during the night she accidentally leaned back against me. It felt bizarre and surreal, because what the hell was Natalie Portman doing in northern Kentucky sitting next to me?! Anyway, the awkward part was that the comedy club did a forced audience participation bit where they grabbed a random person and yanked them onstage to play a part in a sketch. Of course they grabbed me, so just try to imagine performing in front of an actor you've had a crush on for about a decade, and you'll have an idea of the kind of star-struck anxiety I had while I was there. The performers had the foresight to realize that an unwitting addition to the troupe would likely be awkward and confused, though, so I fit the part pretty well.
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18points
#27
My mum was at the airport browsing the newspapers at a kiosk and some guy reached past her head really close to grab something. He said sorry and took it to go pay. My mum was a bit annoyed until she saw it was Peirce Brosnan.
16points
Besides that, if you are in the business yourself, don’t approach a celebrity to try and further your own career. The celebrities might not have the power to do much for you anyway. And since nobody likes ads, you pushing your brand randomly sounds like an awkward situation to be in, celebrity or not.
#28
Many years ago I walked into an elevator at the Hyatt in Vancouver and Chuck Norris was standing there with what I was told later, his brother. They glared at me and I got the message loud and clear that they wanted to be left alone. In the summer, Kim Coates is my neighbour……I had no idea who he was for years and used to tell him some pretty f****d up jokes when I was drunk. He’s a nice guy and we all leave him alone.
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15points
#29
Was at a funeral with Stevie Wonder for a mutual acquaintance, and my dad awkwardly went up and was like "Um, Mr. Wonder, I love your music, it affected my life a lot when I was younger," and it was just painful.
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13points
#30
Saw Dave Chappelle at a random train station in Tokyo shortly after he left Comedy Central. He left and we didn't want to be too forward because he was in his weird time. So we just followed him on the streets for a few mins until he realized we were stalking him and he said, "Hey Guys!" We told him how much we loved his show and asked for a pic. He said make it quick and we all jumped in. We said thanks and I was the last one to talk to him and I told him to "Keep it real." His response in his Biggums voice, "I Keeps it real!"
8points
So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Have you ever encountered a celebrity and it went south really quickly? Share your takes and stories in the comment section below.
And it doesn’t have to stop there as there’s always more entertainment to be had in terms of celebrities and awkwardness.
