Encounters With Famous People

Jigen

Jigen

Man Mo Journeyman
Joined
Jul 27, 2018
Location
United States
Favourite title
Shenmue II
Currently playing
Persona 5
Tell yours or friends/family stories about encountering any famous people ect.

Here's a few:

My family is distantly related to some the members of the 80's rock band Winger.
My family on the German side is directly related to a famous pop star over there can't recall her name, will update if I remember.
Back in the 60's my grandfather got drunk with Bob Seeger in the woods in Saginaw.
My Uncle works as a TSA and has met multiple celebrities in the airport:
Sylvester Stallone (nice guy in real life likes being called Rocky still.)
Bruce Willis (Asshole who tried to take advantage of his fame, learned he was no better than anyone else when my uncle sent him to be searched :D)
Will Smith (Who he got to talk with for two hours while waiting for a delayed flight, very nice and humble guy treats his status no different than the average person.)
 
My mum was in her early twenties and had just left Portugal to train as a nurse in London in the 60's where she bumped into Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia). She was beyond giddy and asked for his autograph and he more or less told her to fuck off. Lovely, splendid fellow. So there's one.

My sister briefly worked at The Dorchester hotel and I particularly remember her describing how she once spoke with Elizabeth Taylor who was absolutely lovely.

The only famous person I've personally met was Mariza (famous Portuguese singer) when I attended a Portuguese Fado concert in London who was also very pleasant.
 
I'm friends with the guy who wrote the Japanese movie Cold Fish. It's about the only "famous" story I have going for me. I met this guy randomly at a little bar in Tokyo. Got to talking to him; found out he was a screen writer. Found out he had written the film Cold Fish (don't know if anyone here has seen it but if you haven't then check it out)

Been friends with the guy ever since (not because he wrote that movie but because he's just a genuinely cool guy.) Catch up with him every year I go back to Japan.

I also briefly met Shusuke Kaneko (Director of Godzilla: GMK Giant Monsters All Out Attack; Death Note and the 90's Gamera trilogy among others)...really nice guy. Very quiet, very much kept to himself. Granted that would have been the language barrier as well, but nice enough guy the one time I did meet him.

Sylvester Stallone (nice guy in real life likes being called Rocky still.)
Bruce Willis (Asshole who tried to take advantage of his fame, learned he was no better than anyone else when my uncle sent him to be searched :D)
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Talk about a contrast. I remember Kevin Smith once telling a story about how some Blue Collar guys spotted him and Bruce Willis on the shoot of Cop Out. They spotted Bruce and yelled out "Fucking Die Hard! Love those movies man! You're the best!"

Kevin turns to Bruce and says "that's got to feel good, right?" And Bruce replies "I hate the ones who say Die Hard the most!"

Just from that alone I thought "what a prick!"
 
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Come to think of it, there have been a few other encounters through Q&A's and Fan Events

When I was a kid, I was way into WWE. When they came out to Australia I got to meet Chris Benoit and Stacy Keibler at a meet and greet. Benoit was pretty much all business. Keibler was friendly enough. But it was all shake their hand, get their autograph and move on. Kinda surreal knowing what Benoit did years later. Stacy Keibler was ridiculously hot in person. As in stunningly gorgeous. As if I wasn't enough of a fan of hers; I met her in person briefly and thought "wow, you may be the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on." She was my teenage celebrity crush after all.

I also met Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) at a Fan Event. I remember getting my photo done with him. I was wearing a Let the Right One In t shirt and he commented on it and we had like a 20 minute discussion on that movie holding up the massive line of people behind me. Then later on in the VIP lunch we continued that same conversation. Robert Englund is a really nice genuine guy and he will gladly talk your ear off. They say never meet your heroes but I met mine and he turned out to be nothing but pure class!
 
Actually to keep this going. One of my friends in Tokyo has met Hideo Kojima. I won't name drop but the 3rd hand impression I got is that Kojima is a bit of a dick. Or at least a bit up his own ass. Again, this is all third hand impressions. I've never met Kojima so I have no judgement. But at least that's what I've heard from people I know who have met him.
 
danielmann861 said:
Actually to keep this going. One of my friends in Tokyo has met Hideo Kojima. I won't name drop but the 3rd hand impression I got is that Kojima is a bit of a dick. Or at least a bit up his own ass. Again, this is all third hand impressions. I've never met Kojima so I have no judgement. But at least that's what I've heard from people I know who have met him.
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You can kinda tell he is with air in which he carries himself and how pretentious his games always are.
 
Jigen said:
You can kinda tell he is with air in which he carries himself and how pretentious his games always are.
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To quote my friend

"He had a glow of self importance. "

My friend said it was moreso his attitude than anything else; that he was just completely high on himself and bigging up his game (Death Stranding) to some people of importance that were in attendance (I'm being vauge with details but it really isn't my story to tell and I can only say so much)

But yeah, the general impression my friend got was that he was completely and utterly high on himself.

Which isn't too shocking considering he called himself "God" in one of the Metal Gear games. You're right, it's not shocking at all considering his games.
 
danielmann861 said:
To quote my friend

"He had a glow of self importance. "

My friend said it was moreso his attitude than anything else; that he was just completely high on himself and bigging up his game (Death Stranding) to some people of importance that were in attendance (I'm being vauge with details but it really isn't my story to tell and I can only say so much)

But yeah, the general impression my friend got was that he was completely and utterly high on himself.

Which isn't too shocking considering himself "God" in one of the Metal Gear games. You're right, it's not shocking at all considering his games.
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I've always wondered what I'd be like if I became famous and I honestly don't know the answer so I can't hold it against Kojima because I myself don't know how I'd act in his unique situation.

I think Kojima may be so full of himself due to how he became so famous. At the start of his career he was treated almost as a second class citizen in the walls of Konami. His concepts were great but he was often forced to work alone because they were not financially successful.

Fast forward s bit he makes Metal Gear it is s hit. Later he makes MGS which is lauded as a masterpiece and grants him mainstream name in the gaming world. He took all that poor treatment if the past and his newfound success and molded a godlike image of himself in his own mind.

Unlike a Romero he never crashed and burned therefore his narcisism was never checked. He never had the need to rebuild himself like Romero therefore never gained the humility. This is probably mostly wrong but it is my thoughts on things.
 
I think that's about right for anyone who becomes famous. They let it go to their head and buy into it instead of staying humble. Well there are a few that stay humble but a lot of celebs do tend to buy too much into their own cult of personality. Look at YouTube celebs like Pro Jared for example...even they are affected by their own fame and what it does to them as people. Turns them into complete tossers. And as such, they lose sight of who they once were.

The cost of fame.

The Romero comparison is very good.
 
I met Ryan Waste, guitarist of Municipal Waste, before a performance in Camden back in August 2007. Really nice guy. The person who was talking to him before me was shilling the band he was managing - he was going in hard - so I think Ryan was especially glad to get away from him and talk to someone who just wanted a wee chat and a picture with him.
 
danielmann861 said:
I think that's about right for anyone who becomes famous. They let it go to their head and buy into it instead of staying humble. Well there are a few that stay humble but a lot of celebs do tend to buy too much into their own cult of personality. Look at YouTube celebs like Pro Jared for example...even they are affected by their own fame and what it does to them as people. Turns them into complete tossers. And as such, they lose sight of who they once were.

The cost of fame.

The Romero comparison is very good.
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He's earned the right. When you're as successful as he is, there's nothing wrong with having such confidence in yourself.
 
Deenice said:
He's earned the right. When you're as successful as he is, there's nothing wrong with having such confidence in yourself.
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No he hasn't "earned" the right. You'd call him an asshole if weren't famous, so treat him the same as you would a normal person he is an asshole.
 
Jigen said:
No he hasn't "earned" the right. You'd call him an asshole if weren't famous, so treat him the same as you would a normal person he is an asshole.
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Having pride in your work isn't being an "asshole". I fail to see the problem.
 
I guess the only "famous" person I've gone out my way to meet was Alan Moore, the writer. Contrary to the popular belief that he's some cantankerous, bitter old man, he's actually very humble, very nice, and pretty funny.

Other than that, I dunno about anyone else. Can't say I've really gone out of my way to meet anyone famous, you have a habit of walking by a few on the street if you're in London or whatever but I don't really tend to draw much attention to it.

It must be difficult in some circumstances to stay humble though. Especially if you have people constantly telling you how brilliant you are all the time, I can understand why such a thing could end up causing a few ego problems. Then at the same time I guess you do have to court it a little bit.
 
Jigen said:
It's not his work and it is not pride. It is narcissism.
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Then who's work is it? And it would only be narcissism if his success did not back up the confidence. But it does.. It's like a high level athlete bragging about being the best. Sure it may not be preferable, but if it's true then they've earned it.
 
Deenice said:
He's earned the right. When you're as successful as he is, there's nothing wrong with having such confidence in yourself.
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There is a difference between having confidence and treating others as if they’re beneath you.

We all have confidence in our own abilities. But to treat someone as if it’s a special thing that you’ve been granted the opportunity to talk to them and it is something special is just rubbish. It’s a bit asshole.

But again, this is all third hand impressions. I’ve never met Kojima so I have no opinion other than what I’ve been told by a reliable source.
 
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