If you're from a big city where celebrity sightings are commonplace, or you somehow work in the entertainment industry, you're probably a lot more comfortable with the idea that celebrities are just regular people with a really unique job.
It can be hard to see through the characters they become in the media, but every now and then a person gets a peek behind the curtain. Chance encounters can often reveal who the celebrity is as a human being - and it's shockingly not always a total dumpster fire.
You'd think fame would start to get to you after a while, and maybe in some cases it does, but apparently a lot of celebs genuinely don't suck as people. Reddit asked people to talk about the nicest celebrity they've ever met, and these stories are honestly all kinds of adorable.
And right now we could all use a little bit of that. So let's let the celebs save the day and make us smile just by being their genuine selves. How incredibly meta.
L.L. Cool J Is In The Bookstooooooore!
I worked at a Barnes & Noble in high school. LL Cool J lived right next to it and would come in almost daily. He knew most of our names, really nice guy.
- Snufyou
He visited my best friend's nephew on the burn unit when nephew was 8. Nephew nearly died, had 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 80% of his body. LL Cool J visited and kept in touch for a while after.
Not my style of music, at all, but I will always be a fan of the person he is.
Down To Earth Dave
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Dave Chappelle and his family live a few miles from where I went to college, and he and I frequented the same Starbucks. I ran into him about ten times. One day he sat with me for about 45 minutes and talked about screenwriting. It was amazing. He's as down to earth as his stage persona suggests, and it's no wonder he opted to raise his family away from L.A.
Mine is Dave Chappelle too. I was in a college group that brought in speakers and performers so we brought him in. After his act we thought he left, so we started eating all the trays of food in his waiting room. He poked his head in and joked that we were hotboxing the room. Then he came and sat with us for an hour! He sat next to me, and when I told him it was my friends birthday and this friend was a big fan, he took my phone and called this friend and talked to him. It was amazing. This was 2005, I think right before he took a big break from everything.
Devito
Danny Devito. I ended up at a hotel bar in Philly with this girl I was hanging out with and her friend. Turns out the cast of Always Sunny was filming the 10th(ish?) season and staying at the hotel and hanging out downstairs. So girl's friend flags down Danny as he's walking by and he ends up sitting with us for a solid 2 hours. Buys us a couple rounds. And tries to invite the girl up to his hotel room; which was a weird turn but he also introduced us to Charlie Day so I'm calling it a win.
Not At All Like House
Having met Hugh Laurie in person, I can confidently state that he is one of the nicest and most humble celebrities out there. Not only is he completely happy to interact with his fans, but he also does so in a way that makes each and every one of them feel like they're a friend. He remembers names and personal details with amazing accuracy, and he makes each conversation seem like it's an extension of a treasured (and ongoing) dialogue. Add to that the fact that the man is outwardly hilarious, and you've got a recipe for a genuinely great guy.
A Wink And A Head Nod
Peter Dinklage is a lot of fun! Really cool guy. His laugh is incredibly infectious.
He and I had a funny encounter. We were both at a coffee shop in the Bowery at like 6:30 AM. We were the only ones there. He'd ordered a fancy drink of some sort so had to stand there and wait. I ordered a filter but it was a long process pour over type thing.
So he and I were stood there next to each other for 3-4 minutes. It was awkward because I don't really talk to celebrities / public figures. But at the same time it was weird because it was just the two of us and it was obvious I knew who he was.
In the end I gave him the chin nod. He winked and gave me the chin nod. That cleared the air and we were able to get on with our day.
Steven Tyler
My aunt met Steven Tyler and said he was super chill. Except she had no idea who he was, and he was just some guy who bought a lot of the musical instruments she was selling at a charity event. She posted a video of the two of them singing together on Facebook, and made a comment about how she was happy that this nice musician was making enough money to live off of. I had her go look up Aerosmith videos and she was shocked it was the same guy.
- othybear
My stepdaughter was maybe 7 years old. She and I were sitting in a coffee shop and she was complaining about her mom making her take piano lessons. A man behind her goes "my mom made me take music lessons too. And I've made a pretty good living ever since." And it was STEVEN TYLER! Aerosmith was in town for a show and our coffee shop was near their hotel. He sat down and chatted with her for about 10 minutes. I was blown away. The 7yo? Not so impressed by the random old guy talking to her about piano lessons. It was very kind of him to give her the pep talk though.
Colin Firth
Colin Firth
I saw him sitting in a cafe with his son. Extremely nice, I waited until they got up to leave before I went and asked if I could get an autograph for my mom (who's a huge fan). He asked me a few questions about her and wrote a quite nice autograph for her. He asked if I wanted one as well and I told him that meeting him was more than enough.
I had told him where she worked and he went in the next day and made a point to stop and chat with her. Truly a class act.
People Describe Their Best Chance Encounters | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Natalie Portman
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Natalie Portman.
She came to my synagogue one day and gave a speech and then came around to our classrooms to talk with us a little. She was extremely sweet and incredibly beautiful. Seemed very patient and caring.
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder, but there's a story behind this...
I worked at a pharmacy in the '80s and was asked to deliver medicine to Gilda Radner (Gene's wife) during her cancer battle. After a long delay to make the delivery due to issues related to the getting in touch with her doctor, I was finally given the prescription and drove up to their house to make the delivery. During my drive, I was excited at meeting one of the brightest comedy stars of the time...
When I arrived, I rang the doorbell and Gilda answered. I knew she was sick, but even I was surprised at her gaunt appearance - she did not look well at all. Immediately, I realized she was very angry because of the long delay in getting the medicine to her. Unfortunately, she let loose all that anger at me. I apologized many times (even though I had nothing to do with the delays).
After she finished and I gave her the prescription, she closed the door on me. I was not upset at her, though - indeed, I was very sad - that this brilliant comedienne was sick and was going through such an absolutely awful ordeal... This was an awful situation and not at all as I had hoped my encounter would go.
As I turned around to walk away from the door, I went several steps before I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around and it was Gene, letting me know that his wife was very sick and he apologized many times for her behavior. He then gave me a nice tip for the delivery service and shared his gratitude for the weekend delivery and work by my pharmacy.
I'll never forget the encounter and appreciate that I got to meet both of them, even for a brief time, under difficult circumstances...
Rob
My girlfriend works at a high end grocer in los angeles and among the many celebrities she encounters daily, Rob Schneider is not only the most genuinely nice guy, but has become a bit of a friend now. He picked us up in a van for her 30th bday and drove us to his comedy show, paid for our table, dinner, everything.. truly such a nice fcking guy
Emma Dumont
Emma Dumont.
At Comic Con. I spent about 10 to 15 minutes talking to which is way longer than you're supposed to. She went out of her way to be nice. She did this with every fan (making the line take a really long time but worth the wait, her people actually had to hurry HER on while she was talking to fans.) She also ordered pizza for everyone standing in line that had to wait and she was also giving out her phone number to some fans. Emma also specially signed my photo, leaving a personal note. She's great.
Trust me, not everyone does things like this at cons.
Uncle Phil
James Avery (Phillip Banks of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). I was walking with my three little kids and lots of baggage in the Philadelphia airport car rental parking lot and he offered to help me with my kids and bags to get to the shuttle bus. He was genuinely really nice.
- Catusa
And Obviously, Mr. Rogers
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Mr. Rogers. Absolutely as kind and gentle and lovely as he seemed on TV.
I was lucky enough to spend 6 hours sitting next to the man on an airplane. I was 7. Highlight of my life.
We ate lunch. I spilled on him. I thought I had ruined everything, but he just smiled and gave me his dessert.
A friend of mine used to work on his show. Apparently he was exactly the person his TV image conveyed.
I went to high school right next to the building (WQED in Pittsburgh), where they taped his show and we'd see him frequently coming and going. Now, for teenage guys, Mister Rogers obviously wasn't "cool" but since we all grew up watching him, so he was okay. This was around 1981 or '82.
And then one morning, we were hanging out at the Senior Smoking Area, a side door entrance to the school that faced the WQED building, talking with a kid named Randy. He was a bit of a stoner; not a great student, denim jacket with 'Led Zeppelin' written in black marker on the back, greasy hair, the whole deal. He was a funny guy and we hung out with him, but he definitely seemed destined for a difficult life, probably pretty lost, no plans for college, etc.
So as we stand there, we all see Mister Rogers walking up the path toward WQED, and we're all like "Hey, check it out, it's Mister Rogers," and suddenly he looks over at us, and his arm shoots up and he waves and says, "Good morning, Randall!", with a big smile, very energetic and sincere.
And Randy says "S'up Mister Rogers," and pulls another drag on his cigarette and just grins. We were speechless and were like "Dude, you know Mister Rogers??" and Randy said, "Yeh I mean, I see him like almost every day".
I'll never forget that morning because, as stunned as we all were as teenagers, I think back on it now (at well over 50!) and it reminds me just how nice and accepting Mister Rogers was of everyone. Here was this misfit of a kid, smoking and hanging out, looking a mess, and Mister Rogers cared enough to obviously find out his name and remember it and make an effort to at least say "hello" to him everyday. Incredible.
There's nothing like leaving a movie theater having just seen an excellent movie.
Particularly one that took you by surprise.
Perhaps it was deeper and more meaningful than it purported itself to be, or on the flip side, had much more warmth and humor that you would have expected.
Or, the film took an unexpected twist that you never saw coming.
Resulting in your needing to bite your tongue until the rest of your friends and family see the film, and not spoil the surprise for them.
Redditor HornyCorny was curious to hear which plot twists left viewers utterly speechless, leading them to ask:
"What’s a movie twist that caught you completely off guard?"
He Didn't See It Coming Either!
"Brad Pitt in 'Burn After Reading'."
"So surprising and downright freaking hilarious."- thefirehairman
If The Shoe Fits...
"'The Shawshank Redemption'."
"Come on."
"It's not always a man notices another man's shoes."- FUBARspecimenT-89
Lucky For Some, Not For All...
"'Lucky Number Slevin'."
"Huge twist and very satisfying."- kvlr954
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Rosie O'Donnell Would Agree...
"Fight Club."- BuchseeI
"once watched it with a friend who had never even heard of it, and she called the twist like, a half hour in."
"She said it as a joke and didn't realize she was right until the actual reveal, but still I was shook."- yugosaki
I See You Keyser Söze
"The ending of 'The Usual Suspects'."- Schwarzes__Loch
Definitive Shyamalan
''The Sixth Sense'."
'I love movies with plot twists, but I never imagined this one. It caught me completely off guard."- lucasduka
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The Title Is Also Misleading...
"The second half of 'Parasite'."- iwontrememberthat4
Appropriately, They Really Toyed With Your Cognition
"'The Game'."- DudeHeadAwesome
"Good one!'
"I spent the entire movie going 'is it a game? Is it real?'"- fastpixels
There Were Definitely Ghosts...
"'The Others'."
"Unsuspected end."- NeckComprehensive743
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One Unforgettable Opening Scene
"'Scream'."
"The Drew Barrymore role."- LivingTheLife53
The Real Reason Everyone Is Terrified Of Bees...
"When I was a kid, I wanted to feel good and happy."
"So at the video store, I decided to rent a movie with two happy laughing kids on the DVD cover, thinking it would be a feel-good playful story."
"That movie was 'My Girl'."
"Eff that movie."
"Seriously."
'The DVD cover lies."
"IT LIES."- buckyhermit
You THOUGHT you knew who the villains were...
"'From Dusk to Dawn' — midway point."
"Didn’t know at all what I was walking into when saw it in the theatre decades ago — just, you know, Salma Hayek. Good enough."
"Quentin Tarantino slurping tequila from her foot after it ran down the entire length of her leg — that was already a 'Holy WTF' moment."
"But then, well.. . you know."
"And if you don’t know — quick, go watch it. "
"No trailer, no synopsis, no summary."
"Find it and load it 'blind' and fasten your seatbelt."
"You’re in for a wild ride."- canada11235813
George Clooney Tarantino GIF by MIRAMAX
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It's Title Is More Than Accurate!
"'Crazy Stupid Love'."
"The scene when the whole movie goes apesh*t in the yard is one of my all time favorite movie scenes."- Fimbulvintern
Trifecta Of Twists
"'The Others'."
"The end of 'The Mist'."
"'The Prestige' (though, I ALMOST had it figured out, but not quite)."- Krinks1
There's nothing better than when a movie surprises you.
Even if it does make talking about said movie with people who haven't seen it a bit more challenging.
Case in point, people who saw The Sixth Sense and The Usual Suspects after their endings were spoiled for them, don't seem to like those movies as much as those who went in blind.
Every family has its secrets.
It's up to every new generation to unearth it all.
Don't we all want to know if we're related to famous people?
Or what if we have a familial stake in lands and businesses?
Also, this is a good way to NOT end up dating blood relatives.
The more you know, the less awkward later.
As much as there is a lot of trauma there could be a lot of cool facts to to discuss at parties.
Redditor ForthrightPedant wanted to hear some interesting family histories, so they asked:
"What is a historical fact about your family that you think is kinda neat?"
I don't have any family history.
Of course I've done no investigating.
Maybe I do.
I should look!
Super Talent
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"Great-grandpa created the Flintstones. Dan Gordon. Drew lots of Hannah-Barbara cartoons, and directed the first three animated Superman films at the beginning of WW2 as well as several seasons of Popeye, Scooby Doo, Smurfs, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound."
downnoutsavant
Bad Voyage
"My grandfather disliked America and wanted to return to Ireland. He booked passage on the Titanic’s return voyage. If it wouldn’t have sunk, no of us would be here."
mrseddievedder
"My great-grandmother was a Titanic survivor. She was a steerage-class Lebanese immigrant in an arranged marriage. Her husband went down with the ship but she managed to make it to a lifeboat and made it to the Carpathia. Then she remarried in a Lebanese neighborhood in Virginia. Had it not been for the iceberg that struck and sank the Titanic My family lineage would be different and I wouldn't be here. My family's official toast is 'to the iceberg.'"
jaspersurfer
Forgotten
"My husband's grandfather was one of the 'forgotten soldiers' in Canada. He was a Canadian-born Chinese man who asked the Canadian government to fight for his right to vote and a passport. Even tho he was born in Canada in the 20’s since he was Chinese he was not considered Canadian."
H"e was dropped into the Burma jungle and was told he would likely never return. He was in the 10% that did return. He was given the right to vote, to a passport, and to University."
"His wife is still alive today and my son is named after him."
cowskeeper
Can you imagine?
"My great-grandmother had 13 kids, so she was pregnant for literally a decade. There’s two hundred of us now, all because of this one woman."
CoverlessSkink
"My great grandma had 14 kids. My grandma was the youngest. She died giving birth to my grandma. The oldest child who was like 22 years old raised my grandma. My great-grandfather remarried a woman who had 10 kids of her own. My grandma would tell me stories of them all living together. Can u imagine? 😦."
Content_Pool_1391
Long Ago
american wtf GIF by unimpressionism
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"The land my dad was raised on and my cousins still live on was deeded to the family by George Washington as compensation for service during the Revolution. There was a document with his signature on it at the courthouse until a fire destroyed the records a few decades ago."
mustbethedragon
So much land and fortune and HISTORY has been lost due to fire.
Thank God we keep more than paper records now.
Over the Moon
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"My second cousin is David Scott who walked on the Moon and drove the moon buggy. My mom does. He was so busy during the time when I was young that he even said later in life that he wished she’d gotten to know more of his family."
Roadgoddess
The Union
"Great-great-great grandfather on my mom's side was working his field in the part of Virginia that split off and became a new state because they didn't want to secede from The Union. Union soldiers came along looking for conscripts and he was a young, able-bodied man so they told him to come with them. He informed them he was a Quaker and thus a pacifist. According to family lore, that discussion went on for a bit but he would not give in. So they shot him and left him there. Good thing he had a couple of kids well before that day."
SpottyNoonerism
Opportiunities
"My great-grandfather was offered a chance to invest in a new invention by a guy by the name of Alexander Graham Bell. He declined, saying at most there would be one telephone per town."
Carson4307
"That is apparently my family too."
"One uncle apparently built a version of a hot water heater and then sold the design to GE for a good sum back then."
"Another uncle was asked if he wanted to be in a photo during his military service. He said no so they raised the flag on Iwo Jima without him in it."
"No idea if any of these are true, at best they are enhanced truths, but for me, I really hope they are true."
Jormungand1342
Underground
"I have a relative who worked for the Underground Railroad and had a price on her head in the South."
dahlia6767
"My uncle was a carpenter. And was doing restoration work on old houses in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Many of those old, historical homes had underground railroad passageways and hidden walls. He got to see and restore many of them. He had photos of some of the work he was doing and I got to see those as a kid. Living in Southern Ohio, we have a lot of rich underground railroad history here."
AddictiveArtistry
Family Empire
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"My great-grandfather was the town police chief in the 1920s. His brother was the Mayor. Their cousins ran the casino."
"My family was a smaller version of Boardwalk Empire."
nowhereman136
Wouldn't we all love a show based on our families?
Then that's even more neat family history.
