WHO ARE THEY: Strangers on a Plane, Faces in a Crowd, The Driver in the Rear-View Mirror?

I suppose that living in Los Angeles, I should expect to have that periodic encounter with a genuine celebrity.  Yet each time I do, I'm wowed by the convergence of circumstances that must take place in order to put me and some famous entertainer, business leader or politician in the exact same location at the exact same time.

Yesterday my wife and I were running late, rushing to an appointment in a multi-story Beverly Hills office building located a brief stroll from Rodeo Drive.  We both boarded an elevator only to realize we didn't know what floor our meeting was on, so we made a hasty exit to consult the building directory.

Scurrying into the next elevator we joined a single occupant, standing along the back wall at the far left, humming to himself.  "We've seen a few of your movies," I said casually, trying to distance myself from the ordinary star-struck fan.  "Our whole family is a big fan."

This is true. 

A Chance Encounter: Will and Talya

A year earlier, I, my wife and our two kids made a day of it standing in line and waiting endlessly as movie extras, just so we could watch Will Ferrell film Semi-Pro in a mock stadium constructed near Chavez Ravine, not far from where the Los Angeles Dodgers play baseball.  At the time, the closest we got to Ferrell was row 135A.

Now we are standing alone with the movie star and Saturday Night Live alum in a closed elevator. He is my captive audience.  At least for another 15-30 seconds until the elevator deposits him on the next floor. (We got off with him and he kindly and warmly agreed to pose for a picture with my wife.)


Coincidentally, it's not been a week since my kids and I were standing in the checkout line at a Malibu coffee shop and I glanced over to recognize a very pregnant Minnie Driver paying for her order in the adjoining line.  Like Will -- (having shared that elevator moment I'm now on a first-name basis with him) -- Minnie seemingly went unrecognized by others.  Either that, or the Malibu crowd was just too cool (jaded?) to acknowledge her.

The paparazzi were so focused here...	...they missed Minnie and her pooch

As we watched Minnie leave the shop and recover her dog -- which had waited obediently outdoors for her return, we found it funny that 100 yards away a swarm of paparazzi were waiting to catch a glimpse of some lesser-light models who were doing a promotional gig for some cosmetic or fashion designer.  They were oblivious to Minnie, who wasn't wearing makeup and was quite unplugged from the usual celebrity trappings.

Beyond Will and Minnie, in the past year I've been at a urinal at LAX when TV and movie star Craig T. Nelson pulled into the stall at my left; sat behind legendary Cleveland Brown's football star Jim Brown on a flight from Newark to LA;

Even the 'Hulk' can't hurry the luggage

browsed for magazines at a newsstand with 3rd Rock from the Sun's John Lithgow, and waited to retrieve my luggage with Lou Ferrigno, who played the Hulk on the 1966 television series.

Actually, my most memorable celebrity encounter of late came about six months back when driving on Los Angeles' congested surface streets. I glanced into my rear view mirror only to see that I was being followed closely by Hugh Laurie, aka Dr. Gregory House.  Dr. House, em...Hugh Laurie, was driving a vintage two-seat red Porsche and glaring  at me as if I were responsible for the miserable traffic. 

I'm a regular fan and viewer of House M.D., so it was both exciting and a little eerie to think that for a few exhaust-fume filled minutes, House and I were bonded in inconvenience.

Besides giving me the opportunity to let you know how many cool celebs I've spotted, I was motivated to write this post because of a thought I had after sitting with (okay, near) Jim Brown on a plane, and then again when we ran into Will Ferrell yesterday.

I recognized these celebrities and struck up conversations with them.  Being inquisitive and I hope friendly, I regularly strike up conversations with people on planes and in elevators who I don't recognize. 

Hugh Laurie, in the red Porsche at right, got tired following me and eventually passed.

But most people don't.  My plane flights and elevator rides are typically marked by encounters with silent strangers who not only never engage me, more often than not they look vexed when I nonchalantly engage them.  What a missed opportunity.

The next time you fly or find yourself alone in an elevator with a stranger, ask yourself, 'Who is this unrecognized celebrity?'

Maybe she's not a movie star, but perhaps she is an awesome 5th grade school teacher.  Or a cardiosurgeon? Or an expert on mid-evil art? Or the spouse of the Governor of Montana. Or an heiress.  How much do you risk by striking up a conversation?

All of us - whether we live near Hollywood or not -- have unplugged encounters with genuine celebrities everyday.  Most of the time, we just don't know it.


Also See:  My Lunch with Tom Hanks