Not all of us have had the chance to meet a celebrity. But those who have are often pleasantly surprised at how kind, generous, and normal some of them are. We may put them up on a pedestal, but they are human, too. These stories from Reddit tell about the lucky fans who have met celebrities out in the wild.
You will never believe which celebrities went out of their way to give fans an autograph — and often times more.
Don't forget to check the comment section below the article for more interesting stories!
#36 Keanu Reeves Invites Fan for Coffee
Keanu Reeves. Was at a coffee shop and no place to sit, a man said please join me here. I sat and realized it was him and talked about comic books for about 30 minutes. Normal as can be.
#35 Candy from Willy Wonka
When I was a kid, like two or three, I often saw an old man at a grocery store with a small, white dog. The man came up to me one day and handed me a basket. He said I could walk the dog while filling up the basket with candy (which he then later paid for). This became the routine whenever I saw that man at the grocery store. Walk dog, get candy.
That man was Gene Wilder. I got candy from Willy Wonka himself.
#34 Adam Sandler Comforts Granny Before Chemo
A few years back, my grandmother (then about 75 years old) and Adam Sandler's father had back-to-back chemo appointments in Boston. Every week she would see Adam Sandler, in sunglasses, come with his father to chemo. Her cancer was stage III at this point and she was under a great deal of stress, and honest to God, Adam Sandler used to rub her back and ease her nerves before going in. Unfortunately, his Dad died that year, but my grandmother made a full recovery. Never really liked Adam Sandler's stuff that much, but the way he treated my sick, elderly grandmother was incredible.
#33 Playing Basketball with Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle has a history of running very long comedy shows. My buddy and I saw one of his shows a while back. It ran very very late, until almost 4 am (on a weekday), by the end, almost the entire crowd had trickled out, to get up early for work the next day and what not. Only about a dozen of us remained at the show by this point. Dave invited us to all play basketball with him the next afternoon. He had rented out an entire gym for an hour. Of course my buddy and I took him up on the offer. We played pick up hoops with Dave Chappelle for over an hour. After everyone finished playing, a handful of us stuck around and talked with Dave. He bought us all fruit smoothies and gave us free tickets to his show the next night. SUPER nice guy, just like he is on TV. Couldn't have been any cooler.
#32 Paul Rudd hangs out outside of a women’s bathroom
Paul Rudd. I was at a Decemberists concert, and in between opening acts, I headed to the women's bathrooms. Paul Rudd was standing outside of the bathroom, obviously waiting for someone. Do you ever have one of those moments where your mouth just says words without the permission of your brain? Yeah. As I passed by Paul Rudd, I did finger guns at him and said, "Hanging out in front of the women's bathroom? That's a good way to pick up women," and kept walking. I could hear him laughing as I entered the bathroom. I was torn between being pleased that I made him laugh and being mortified that I was such a dork. When I left the bathroom, he saw me and started laughing again, so I went over to him and said I had no idea why I said that. So we had a little laugh together and had a nice little chat. He was a really nice guy, not even as a celebrity, just as a cool dude.
Although thinking back on it, no woman came out of the bathroom and came over to him while he was waiting, so I still don't know why he was hanging around outside of the bathrooms. Maybe he was picking up women?
#31 Michael Caine Makes a Mother’s Day
Michael Caine. My family and I were having lunch at a restaurant and he was sitting at the table next to us. My sister's boyfriend cracks out a line that his character says in Children of Men:
“Ok, the Human Project gives this great, big dinner for all the scientists and sages in the world. They're tossing around theories about the ultimate mystery: why are all the women infertile? Why can't we make babies anymore? So, some say it's genetic experiments, gamma rays, pollution, same ol', same ol'. So, anyway, in the corner, this Englishman's sitting, he hasn't said a word, he's just tuckin' in his dinner. So, they decide to ask him, they say, 'Well, why do you think we can't make babies anymore?' And he looks up at 'em, he's chewin' on this great big wing and he says 'I haven't the faintest idea,' he said, 'but this stork is quite tasty isn't he?'”
He chuckles and acknowledges our presence. When he stands up to leave my mother tells him that she just has to tell him that he is her favorite actor, that anything he makes, she loves. He walks up to her, kiss her on the had, and tells her she made his day.
#30 Tom Hanks Crashes a Wedding
Was at a friends wedding at the Wynn in Las Vegas and were taking pictures in the Atrium (also the VIP Entrance). He emerged from the double doors behind our group and said "Hey! Is this a wedding? Can I be in the pictures?" Everyone was quite pissed off until we realized it was Tom Hanks.
He took pictures with the whole group and was a general all around great guy.
#29 Hayden Panettiere Cares About Fan’s Opinions
Hayden Panettiere, who is the only celebrity I ever met, which was at Philadelphia Comic Con. She was super nice and took the time to talk to me and answer some of my questions and make small talk with me. Her publicist or whoever it was at the booth with her was trying to rush me along, as was the comic con staff/volunteers - but Hayden was like "no, I want to talk to him let him say what he wants to say." It really meant a lot to me.
#28 Marilyn Manson Hangs Out with Dying Brother
Believe it or not, Marilyn Manson. This was 2000. My brother had cancer and got the chance to meet him. He brought my brother all sorts of memorabilia and sat and chatted with him for a few hours, playing TV games with him, playing guitar, even reading Beano comics. All in the comfort of my own home. My brother passed away 3 weeks later and was in his Marilyn Manson t-shirt when he passed.
#27 Muhammad Ali Sends Postcard to a Fan
Working in a magic shop in my 20s, Muhammad Ali came in. My boss (huge Ali fan from back in the day) was visibly staggered. I guess Ali was his idol when he was younger.
Ali hung around for a couple hours, we did some tricks for him, he did some for us (pretty good, too, considering his hands trembled and he didn't talk). He was totally beyond cool with us taking some pictures (he posed my boss punching him in the chin), and wrote a "thank you" postcard to us a week or so later...
...he signed it "Cassius Clay, oops, I mean Muhammad Ali".
#26 Ryan Gosling Paid for their Parking
Ryan Gosling paid for my parking on Hollywood Blvd once. We had parked in the same parking lot. He was leaving and we were arriving and I struck up a convo with him real quick.
He asked where I was from and why I was there/who I was with. (Spring Break, 9 friends, 2 cars). And he was like "Oh you guys have 40 bucks to drop on just parking? Must be loaded" I chuckled and was about to say something back and he just says the coolest thing to me.
"Don't worry about parking today man, I'll cover you all for the weekend. Have a fun spring break!"
It was so cool. He is JUST as nice in real life as you think he would be.
#25 Victor Wooten is Jealous of a Fan
Victor Wooten. He was signing a Flecktones CD for me after a show and I shook his hand and said, "I hope 1% of your talent rubs off on me." He said, "Hey I want some of what you have."
YouTube
#24 Adam Savage Truly Loves Science
Adam Savage of the Mythbusters. Very nice and personable, and that childlike excitement he has on the show is definitely not an act.
YouTube
#23 They Took Pictures with Alison Brie
Alison Brie. Ran into her and a few friends at a really tiny winery in Sonoma. Super cool, took some pictures with us and had us take some goofy pictures with her and her friends. She was awesome and kept saying how nice we were for telling her we loved her!
#22 Dinner with Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood. Had dinner with him while he was directing Mystic River. Great guy.
When I was 16 or 17, my friend and I got to visit the set of Mystic River. At the end of the visit we met Mr. Eastwood. We thought it would just be a quick handshake and maybe a photograph, but he invited us to have dinner with him. My friend and I were directing a play at the time, and Mr. Eastwood seemed very interested in hearing about it. I can't remember much else about the conversation, but I do remember that he was polite, soft-spoken, and funny.
Albums of Hollywood
#21 A drawing from John Malkovich
I waited on John Malkovich a couple of years ago. Fairly low key and unassuming, he seemed just as strange as you would expect him to be. We had butcher paper and crayons on the tables at this place (kind of an art-themed joint) and he drew a picture of a little house. Still have the drawing to this day.
#20 George Takei Makes a Child’s Wish Come True
George Takei. He stopped a press conference I was observing to meet a little boy and sign his doll because he was sick and going home, and the meet and greet wasn't scheduled until later. The reporters looked a little put-off, but George gave that little kid 100% of his attention for two minutes or so. I could see the kid's day was made.
#19 I Smelled What The Rock Was Cooking
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He was walking out of the restroom at my workplace. I commented, "I smelled what The Rock was cooking" as we passed each other in the hallway. He turned back and gave me the People's Eyebrow. Actually got to chat with him a little while, and led him to the edit bay that he was looking for.
#18 Being an Extra in a Film can Lead to Friendships
I was an extra on Harold and Kumar 3 and I got to meet some of the cast. I ended up talking to Kal Penn (Kumar) for a while. Later he added me on Facebook and gave me his email. Turns out we were interested in the same academia. We've kept in touch since and he told me he owes me an adult beverage next time he's in the area. Coolest guy I've met and thankful to call him a friend.
#17 Sneaking Backstage and a Free Dinner With Dio
I managed to sneak inside the backstage area after a Dio concert. My friend was too scared to "get caught," so he waited outside for me.
The guy was one of the nicest celebrities I've ever met so far. We talked for about twenty minutes about more or less everything. I had totally forgotten about my friend for those twenty minutes we had talked, but I asked Dio if it was okay for a friend of mine to come inside as well. I called my friend and told him that Dio said it was okay for him to come inside. My friend is extremely modest and told me that he didn't want to bother him. I then asked Dio if he could ask him to come inside. He took my phone and talked. "Hey, it's Ronnie, do you want to...". My friend hung up (he later told me that he really regretted doing it).
We talked a bit more until Dio asked me if I was hungry.
We got served Italian food. After the dinner, he thanked me for staying for dinner and told me it was always a pleasure to hang out with fans.
#16 A High Five from Lenny Kravitz
My girlfriend's mom lives in a house on a private island off of Miami Beach. The girlfriend and I are down there on vacation last summer and I am fixing the tail light on her mom's car when I see Lenny Kravitz walking up with his little dog.
He says something along the lines of, "I have never seen you around before." I said I was visiting with my girlfriend. I will never forget this.
“Tall woman?” he said.
“Yeah.”
Then he got this big smile on his face and said, "right on." He high fives me and walked away. At that moment I knew what cool was and I knew I would never have it.
#15 Waiting On Their Idol
Bruce Campbell. I waited on him three times at a restaurant in Ashland, Oregon. The first time I was nervous as heck so I was very awkward with him. The second time, my coworker and I started drinking adult beverages on the job and I began talking to him immediately. Convo as follows:
(me taking the order, take wife's order first, turn to Bruce): And for you, Bruce?
(this visibly surprise him, stutters his order, his wife chimes in): Now how did you know he was Bruce?
me: I'm kind of a big fan.
(Bruce takes off his glasses, puts out his hand): What's your name, son? I'm Bruce and this is Ida. Sweet as apple cida.’
me: Alrida
We continued talking about film school and such. The third time I waited on him he remembered my name and it was awesome. Hail the king!
#14 You Never Know Which Celebrity Will Be On Your Flight
Ice T was on the same flight as me, my mom, and my sister when I was younger. My sister needed help getting her bags off the carousel but I was too busy reading Harry Potter and basically told her to go away. Ice T comes walking over, shoots me the worst look, then grabs all my sisters bags and helped carry them to our car.
I learned a good lesson that day; never help anyone because it's easier to let a celebrity do it for you.
Vice
#13 Skiing and Dinner with Mr. Bean
Rowan Atkinson and his family were in the same heli-ski group as me and my family in Chamonix, France. (It was a private group company, but the guide we hired had a pretty bad injury, so they had to join groups.) My family was really excited, as we all really love Blackadder, Thin Blue Line, Mr.Bean, etc. When he, his wife, his daughter and my family first met up, we introduced ourselves as huge fans of his, and if he would mind if we got his autograph. He said he'd do us one better and take us out to dinner after we finished skiing.
That was the funniest dinner I've ever had.
#12 Tony Hawk Is Just One Of The Guys
Tony Hawk, late 90's. He came to our local skatepark for a demonstration, but it was a tiny facility 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.
#11 Viggo Mortensen Loves Giving Gifts
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 ever had. He would, after we offered, join us for dinner once the restaurant had closed and would bring small gifts for everyone each time he came to visit.
#10 Meeting Stephen Spielberg, Father Of ET
Stephen Spielberg. I met him at some benefit I got invited to as a teen due to having good grades. Not only did I have an unexpectedly normal conversation with him, but when I mentioned to him the place where I really wanted to work (and hadn't been able to get an interview at) he took me to the next table where the company's CEO was and introduced me. Worked there for 5 years after.
#9 A $100 Tip From Andre 3000
Andre 3000. This was over 15 years ago. When I was in high school, I worked a local, family-owned plant nursery. Andre, his wife, and their son used to come in and shop at the nursery almost every weekend. He was a super nice guy. One time, he bought an entire pallet of sod. He had a brand new Lincoln Blackwood pick-up truck, and the pallet wouldn't fit in the bed with the forklift, so I had to load it in by hand. He went into the store, bought a pair of gloves, came back out and helped me load it. Also, he told me that he was going to go home and lay it out by himself. That was kind of shocking considering how much that guy is probably worth.
Another thing that I noticed was how good of a father he was. His son was just a baby, but man did he love that boy. Every time he would walk up to put a piece of sod in the bed of his truck, he would peek in the window and make a face at his son sitting in the back seat. The kid would cackle like a banshee. After we finished, he gave me a $100 tip, which, to a 15-year-old in the early 2000s, was a ton of money. Truly a stand-up guy and a very talented artist.
#8 I Spilled A Drink On Kate Hudson
Once I spilled a very large, very colorful, drink on Kate Hudson.
My girlfriend and I ended up in a VIP area at a music festival totally by accident. We weren't supposed to be there but walked right in not knowing it was restricted, and since we were there we decided to stay.
We ended up in a corner as to not draw attention to ourselves and I would walk over to the bar occasionally to get us drinks and bring them back. A few hours (and rounds) later, my girlfriend decided she had to have one of the plastic yard glasses of margaritas that they were selling, so I attempted to bring one back for her, as well as a few beers on my next trip.
I made it within 10 feet of where we were stationed when I side-stepped a dancing girl, tripped and spilled the entire yard glass on a woman. When she turned around, I realized that the woman that I had just soaked was Kate Hudson. She was incredibly awesome about it though, and luckily my girlfriend had an extra shirt with her that she could change into.
#7 Be Cool, Robin Williams Is Right There
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, then put a finger to his mouth whispering, “Shhhh, I know!”
#6 Diane Keaton Says I Have Beautiful Kids
Diane Keaton. I was with my husband and kids at the beach where she owns a home. She complimented our “beautiful” children and was very friendly. My husband didn’t realize who it was until she was gone and I told him.
#5 John Cena Is A Class Act
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 recreation center they built for us back in the mid-2000s to do a meet-and-greet.
While he was only booked to be there from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., when we told him that most of the students didn’t get out of class until later he said he’d be more than willing to stay longer. He hung out with all the guys who came to see him — they shot pool, played darts and Xbox, and took a ton of pictures together. The dude is just a straight up class act.
#4 A Broversation With Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis.
I was a taxi driver in NYC and I picked him up at a restaurant very late one night. He started asking me all these questions about the long hours, how much a good cabbie makes a night, etc.
He also asked me if I was married and about my wife. I told him that my marriage was great, but that I wasn't together with my wife very much due to the long hours I work every day.
When we got to his place, he handed me $1,000 and said, "Now go take a week off and spend it with your wife."
True story.
#3 David Beckham Waved At Me
David Beckham. I didn't know who he was at the time. I was staying at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong and his team was there for an exhibition game.
There were a lot of fangirls with posters in the roped off area outside near the front entrance.
I was in the elevator and David Beckham suddenly walked in. I gave him a nod and he gave me one back. I asked him if he knew what all the commotion outside was all about. He just shrugged and said there must be someone famous staying at the hotel. When we got to his floor, he gave me a wave goodbye and exited.
My work colleague later told me that David Beckham was staying at our hotel based on the pictures he saw the fans holding up. I look up his picture online and realize it was the dude I was chatting up in the elevator.
Nice guy.
#2 Ryan Lochte And My Ironing Board
One of my teammates from college met Ryan Lochte after a meet. He was in his hotel room, just hanging out, and out of nowhere Lochte knocks on the door and asks to borrow their ironing board. They let him have it, and a few minutes later housekeeping comes by and asks to see their ironing board. Apparently, Lochte had thrown the one in his room out the window and tried to take my friend's to cover it up. They thought the whole thing was hilarious.
#1 Love John Stamos
I was the personal assistant and driver for John Stamos for a week. He and his girlfriend were the nicest, most normal people ever. He was very modest, friendly and had a great sense of humor. He even preferred to handle his luggage himself instead of having me do it.
His sisters, however, (who were people I had to take care of that week as well) were absolute nightmares. They were constantly asking him for money and acting like they were the important ones. Reality check, ladies — you're not special.
