If you are visiting or live in the Hollywood area chances are you’ll eventually see a famous face now and then. I’ve lived here for 18 years and have had my share of celebrity spotting at the grocery store, the car wash, the gym, and even in the locker room walking around in just a towel! That last example, happen to me recently but I'm not going to tell you who it was so that you all don’t join my gym, stake out the locker room and scare him away. LOL
Sometimes - if you’re lucky - you live next door to a celebrity and you see them around the neighborhood all the time. Such is the case with my neighbor soap opera star Ian Buchanan ("General Hospital" & "Twin Peaks") who lives down the street from me and I often see around (that's him and I in the photo above). Ian is one of those rare celebrities though that will say “hello” to you if you recognize him and you can probably get a selfie with him if you’re nice. But the correct way to act when a celebrity is in line at the grocery store, or at the movie theater buying popcorn, or reading a magazine at your dentist’s office, or eating at the table next to yours is to leave them alone. For real!
However, if you happen to catch their eye it's ok to smile and acknowledge that you know who they are but that doesn’t mean go up to them (especially when they are with their children or families) and bother them. They need their private time just like you do. But if you're at a movie premiere or some big splashy event where they are promoting their latest movie or television project it's ok for you to go up to them and ask for a selfie. They expect it at those events. Because they are camera ready and you posting about their new project on your social media is why they are there in the first place. But that doesn’t mean be rude about it.
If you want to secure a selfie with that star it's all about your approach that will either get them to happily oblige or not. My advice is when you approach them, don't be too aggressive, interrupt their conversation, or just stick a camera in their face without asking first. You wait for an opportune moment (when they are not engaged in a conversation with someone else), walk up to them politely, compliment them about their new film or your favorite TV show of theirs, and ask nicely “May I get a selfie with you?” Most of the time they’ll say yes. But if, for some reason, they say ”I’m sorry, but I can't right now “ or “I need a minute” be respectful and say “No worries I understand.” Trust me, it's better to make a good impression than being an annoying potential stalker that security will need to escort out of the event. No one in Hollywood wants to be THAT person. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Listen to my fascinating conversation with my neighbor actor Ian Buchanan by clicking on the links below. Enjoy!
Episode 23 - HERE
Episode 24 - HERE
