They say that you shouldn’t ever meet your heroes, but we wholeheartedly disagree. Wholesome is as wholesome does. And there are plenty of celebrities and stars who are full to the brim with love, life, laughter, and kindness.
The past couple of years have been incredibly tough for many of us Pandas, so we’re all in need of some heart-warming things to keep us going. Thankfully, Twitter comes to the rescue in the form of some of the most soul-healing encounters that people had with celebs that prove they’re some of the most kind-hearted people on Planet Earth.
Get ready to have your heart grow three sizes today, Pandas! Scroll down to read some of the best moments people had with stars and upvote the stories that made your Happiness Index go all the way to 11. There are plenty of smiles to go around here—enough for everyone.
Bored Panda reached out to entertainment, pop culture, and lifestyle expert Mike Sington, known as Hollywood's Ultimate Insider, for a chat about meeting stars in real life. Mike noted that we should do our best to put aside any and all expectations about our heroes. "When meeting a celebrity in person, get rid of all expectations. Expectations can just lead to disappointment. Some celebrities are just like they seem on screen, some are not. You’ll most likely have the best encounter if you go into it with zero expectations." Read on for my full interview.
Image credits: Doug_Tilley
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Celebrity expert Mike suggested that we do our best to be genuine and natural before meeting someone famous. "Stay grounded and be yourself, it’s really just a situation of a person meeting a person. Keep it that way and you’ll keep the celebrity comfortable. You don’t want to scare them off!" he explained to Bored Panda that it's best to simply be yourself. It might sound hard when you consider what our beloved stars have accomplished in life, however, they're still human beings like you and me.
According to the expert, being polite can help create a positive encounter with a celebrity. "We tend to think celebrities are just being nice and kind because we think they have to do that to be successful. After all, who wants to admire a miserable celebrity? What we fail to realize is most celebrities are genuinely nice and kind, and you can definitely take advantage of that by being nice and kind yourself. That’s what creates a positive celebrity encounter," he said.
Such a great lady. She has a book club for children that my grandsons are apart of.
Mike also had some advice for any of you Pandas who might feel a bit nervous walking up to your favorite stars. "Celebrities have no problem being admired by their fans! Keep that in mind if you run into your favorite star. They know meeting fans, and interacting with them, comes with the territory, and is part of their chosen profession," he told Bored Panda.
"If you’re feeling nervous, just think to yourself, ‘This person is a star because of me. This person is successful because of me. I actually pay their salary by purchasing, or viewing, or listening to what they produce.’ Then go for it, as long as your timing is right and you’re not interrupting a personal or work moment," he noted that we still have to be mindful that we're not intruding.
Some time ago, celebrity and pop culture expert Mike explained to Bored Panda the dynamic between celebrities and their fans. Mike has met, quite literally, hundreds of stars during his decades-long career in Hollywood, and he’s been left with lots of positive experiences. In his words, the vast majority of celebs have been kind, gracious, and friendly.
Mike explained that stars know quite a bit about how their fans feel meeting them, so they go the extra mile to be nice to them. It works as an antidote to all the nervousness.
“Don’t be afraid to meet a celebrity! The majority are smart business people, and they realize their fans who watch their TV shows, stream their music, and buy tickets to movies and concerts, are paying their salaries. They want to be nice to you!” celeb expert Mike, from LA, explained that it’s in the stars’ best interest to be as nice as they can be. However, this doesn’t change the fact that many celebrities are genuinely kind.
“In my experience, the one constant I’ve noticed is the bigger the star, the nicer the celebrity. The established stars have it down and understand the importance of the celebrity/fan relationship. You usually only have a problem with the newer, up-and-coming stars. They at times don’t get it and may think they’re too good to interact with you. This attitude often backfires, and they realize if they want longevity, it’s actually not that hard to be nice,” he told Bored Panda.
Something that newer celebrities need to remember (and sometimes veteran stars need to be reminded of) is that they are always, always, always in the public eye. Even when they think that they aren’t. Nearly everyone’s walking around with a smartphone in hand or in their pocket, so celebrities need to be mindful that their every movement is being photographed, filmed, tracked.
Stars need to adapt to a mindset that means they’re always on display to the entire world. “So it does take some conscious effort on the celebrity’s part to be nice, just knowing every interaction, and everything they’re doing in public can be recorded. For some celebrities, in fact, I’d say most celebrities, being nice comes naturally. It doesn’t take any special effort, because it’s who they are as a person,” Mike said.
I bet it's now worth more than some art masterpieces. It was done by a master after all.
During another interview with Mike, I was very interested to learn about how working professionals and fans should interact with celebrities who come and eat at, say, a local restaurant. What’s more, even though most stars are wonderful people, some might be rude, so it’s best to know what to do in those extremely rare cases, too.
“It’s always best to stay professional at work, of course, and that includes trying to be pleasant. Having said that, no one deserves to be mistreated. If a celebrity, or anyone, is being especially rude, as a server I would step away and let my manager know,” Mike told Bored Panda.
So sad that many of these are the RIP category. The world is a much poorer place than it was a decade ago with most of these guys around.
“Any professional manager would intervene, to the point of even possibly asking the celebrity to leave. The celebrity knows everyone has a camera, and they probably don’t want that sort of scene recorded and posted,” the celeb expert revealed that (nearly) every star knows that they’re in the public eye and they want to avoid causing a scene.
I met him once. In a convenience store,it middle of the country, in NC. EVIDENTLY, he liked to stop and use the grass airstrip behind it, and was friends with some folks locally. I was gobsmacked at the sight of him, and of course he noticed my jaw agape, and lifted one finger in a shush, I said nothing. When Indiana Jones shushes you, you shush. Absolutely true.
Mike suggested that fans who are simply dying to meet their heroes should avoid approaching them while they’re still enjoying their food. “Never interact with a star while they’re actually dining at a restaurant. The worst thing you can do is interrupt their meal,” he noted that we should be mindful of these well-known individuals, no matter how much we’d like their autograph, a selfie, or to tell them how much we love their work. Patience is a virtue!
Tapestry was part of the music of my teenage years. One of the best albums I've ever heard. My favorite from that is "Coat of Many Colors".
According to Mike, once the star has left their table and has started going to their car is a good moment for fans to approach them. “An especially good time is if they’re just standing around waiting for the valet. Then, they’re likely to actually appreciate a fan encounter because it’s flattering and helps fill the time. A simple, ‘I really admire your work. Could I get a picture with you, please?’ is all you need. Keep it short, simple, and polite.”
Went to a Star TREK TOS convention, back in the day. Just as my 7yo daughter got to the front of the line for a full-cast autograph, a collector pushed her out of the way to get to the first star, with a stack of photos to sign. Jimmy Doohan became FURIOUS, refused to sign his photos, told the rest of the cast to do the same, and my daughter happily sat in his lap, signing autographs for about 30 minutes. She got her signed picture AND spent time with her Dad's heroes. Jimmy Doohan, for the win.
James Doohan was a really nice guy. He lived near us in Washington State and you would see him screaming down I-405 or Hwy 520 in his Black Merkur Scorpio with a license plate that said "Doo Fame" on it. My husband and his co-workers would see him the the Redmond QFC from time to time. He was always gracious and a sweetheart whenever he saw them because he knew they were Star Trek junkies.
Load More Replies...Simon Tofield (as in Simon's Cat) was autographing one of his books and I only found his table when they were already packing up to leave, he saw me clutching the book and turning around as I realised I was too late, so he called me over, signed the book (and drew the cat chasing a bee) and asked one of the assistants to get me a free t-shirt!
DuchessDegu, that's a very nice story! :) Thank you for sharing.
Load More Replies...I have MS and get tired very easily, so on days out, I often use my wheelchair just so I can sit but still get around and see things. I was at a convention in 2018 and had a photo op with Denis Lawson. I'd been in my chair while queueing, but stood up to have the photo taken. As I was standing, I caught my foot on a footplace and staggered a little. Denis stepped forward to catch me and led me to the right place for the photograph. I asked if we could stand in a dance hold, so he held me close in a ballroom hold, then began to sway gently back and forth - very nice. When the photo was done, he kept hold of my hand and carefully escorted me back to my chair and helped me into it. I felt a fraud, as I can walk well unaided (I'd just caught my toe earlier) but I wasn't about to say 'no thanks, you can let go' any sooner than I had to.
Went to a Star TREK TOS convention, back in the day. Just as my 7yo daughter got to the front of the line for a full-cast autograph, a collector pushed her out of the way to get to the first star, with a stack of photos to sign. Jimmy Doohan became FURIOUS, refused to sign his photos, told the rest of the cast to do the same, and my daughter happily sat in his lap, signing autographs for about 30 minutes. She got her signed picture AND spent time with her Dad's heroes. Jimmy Doohan, for the win.
James Doohan was a really nice guy. He lived near us in Washington State and you would see him screaming down I-405 or Hwy 520 in his Black Merkur Scorpio with a license plate that said "Doo Fame" on it. My husband and his co-workers would see him the the Redmond QFC from time to time. He was always gracious and a sweetheart whenever he saw them because he knew they were Star Trek junkies.
Load More Replies...Simon Tofield (as in Simon's Cat) was autographing one of his books and I only found his table when they were already packing up to leave, he saw me clutching the book and turning around as I realised I was too late, so he called me over, signed the book (and drew the cat chasing a bee) and asked one of the assistants to get me a free t-shirt!
DuchessDegu, that's a very nice story! :) Thank you for sharing.
Load More Replies...I have MS and get tired very easily, so on days out, I often use my wheelchair just so I can sit but still get around and see things. I was at a convention in 2018 and had a photo op with Denis Lawson. I'd been in my chair while queueing, but stood up to have the photo taken. As I was standing, I caught my foot on a footplace and staggered a little. Denis stepped forward to catch me and led me to the right place for the photograph. I asked if we could stand in a dance hold, so he held me close in a ballroom hold, then began to sway gently back and forth - very nice. When the photo was done, he kept hold of my hand and carefully escorted me back to my chair and helped me into it. I felt a fraud, as I can walk well unaided (I'd just caught my toe earlier) but I wasn't about to say 'no thanks, you can let go' any sooner than I had to.