Hello fellow readers! Don’t bother to guess who I am, as I’ve primarily lurked throughout the years I’ve been reading this blog. I’d like to share a celebrity encounter from my youth that was the first of many celebrity encounters, but was definitely the most memorable. My mother, as a single parent, did fairly well for herself and as such, I was able to travel to many places as a child. Most times, we drove, but this particular trip was only my second time flying out of the country. She was able to again allow me to join her and a fellow coworker to spend a week visiting a beautiful tropical country.
We stayed in a pretty fancy hotel down the road from the Sandals that our tour guide assured us celebrities like Eddie Murphy would visit on their vacations. Even though this hotel was some distance down the road from the Sandals, we still shared the same beautiful blue-watered sandy beach as them, so I crossed my fingers on meeting any. Early in our stay – I believe the first or second full day, my mother & I started to head toward the beach. I should probably describe this a bit. The hotel was on a steep hill next to the beach and there were stairs leading down to said beach. And halfway between the beach and the hotel on this steep hill was one of those outdoor bars that so pretty common in tropical countries like this one.
So my mother and I are exploring the hotel on a beautiful clear day and decide to check out the beach. As such , to get to the beach , we have to pass this bar. And since it was her first time in this country as well, she decided we should check out this bar. So we’re sitting in this bar and enjoying the view of the water and beach. Since my chair is facing the stairs, I’m in a prime position to see anyone who passes by, and this spot does not disappoint. Within about 10-15min of us taking our seats, in walks this at the time A/A- list comedic mostly movie actor. Right now, in 2018, I doubt anyone would remember this guy, but at that particular time, he was on top of the world and it’s doubtful there would have been an American kid (or kid from this particular country) who wouldn’t recognize him. And the bulk of his fame came from his breakout role in a major Disney film partially set in the country that many people still remember today. In fact, it was heavily referenced at that major event earlier this year.
The star of the film was clearly meant to be an actor that didn’t really seem to get very far. In fact this actor, who I’ll call, “T,” has probably worked through the years, but would only truly be remembered for this particular film and another B film that also starred this D-list, but probably permanent B/C-list in his own demographic, mostly movie actor/director/producer.
Also in this film was a C/D-list mostly tv actor, “A,” who despite still resurfacing on television every few years, is probably most remembered for co-starring on a network tv series that came a few years after this film, and legendary comic/actor, “M,” who while great, was still outshone by the breakout actor that I’ll now call, “H.”
Back to the story. Me, being a kid, immediately went wide-eyed and asked my mom if I was indeed seeing H. My mother, however, has never shared my enthusiasm for the entertainment industry, so she wasn’t sure (despite having seen the film with me the year prior). I slowly approached H and asked if that’s who he was, and he confirmed that he was. I started gushing to him how much I loved his role in the major film as well as the film itself. He ended up chatting with my mom & I for about an hour or so and then said he had to leave. Before he did, he agreed to take a picture with me. I still have that picture somewhere in my belongings.
That evening, the hotel had one of its nightly parties that offered the chance to play icebreaker games. During this, the announcer gleefully announced that H (who seemed to be seen as something as a national figure for being in the film) was in the house. As soon as he said this you could see a figure jump up and sprint into the night. And I thought that was that. He was gone and I’d never see him again. The next morning, my mom and I went to enjoy the breakfast buffet in the courtyard, when who should I see already dining, but H. I asked him if I could join him for breakfast and he permitted. We again had a nice chat for some time that morning before he once more stated he had to go. I thanked him for his time and he left.
That was that last time I saw him in person. He was in a few more Disney movies and sort of faded after that. The last thing I remember him in was that forgotten network series from the now-disgraced entertainer, and even though I forgot the details of what exactly happened, I never forgot that experience of an international star taking the time to talk to a 9 or 10yr old fan not once, but twice.
The country:
The film:
H:
T:
A:
M:
