People who have ‘bumped’ into a celebrity, what happened?’ – 23 encounters with the famous that are actually pretty wholesome

We tend to think of celebrities as egotistical prima donnas who have no time for ‘civilians’, as they so patronisingly call the rest of us. But is that entirely fair?

Maybe not, as they’ve been discussing on the AskReddit page after user SprinklesSolid9211 posed this question:

People that have ‘bumped’ into a celebrity in a non-curated (not like an event, meet and greet, job etc.) way, what happened?

Lots of people jumped in with stories about the rich and famous who were actually pretty down to earth, like these…

1.

‘An Austrian friend of mine bumped into Arnold Schwarzenegger in a gym. He asked if he could take a picture with him. Arnold said, ‘Not now. I never take pictures while I’m working out.’ My friend walked away into another room and continued his workout. To his surprise, some time later, Arnold came up to him and said, ‘I’m able to take a picture with you now if you still want one.’

I think that is kinda cool. A lot of celebrities would have just left without taking a picture.’
-11111v11111

2.

‘In the late 90s I ran into Heath Ledger three times in the same elevator in LA over the course of a six month period.

First time was nothing…just two dudes in an elevator not talking. Second time, he smiled and nodded at me. I did the same. Third time he audibly chuckled and said, ‘I swear I’m not stalking you…’.

Pretty sure this was just before 10 Things I Hate About you.’
–BobbyGrichsMustache

3.

‘I was helping my father do a/v work at a museum. Turns out it was an installation for Leonard Nimoy’s photography. I had just finished putting in a TV to display a video when the man himself came up beside me and thanked me for doing a good job.

We had a bit of small talk and he was exceedingly nice and friendly. As he was about to leave he thanked me for my help. I thanked him back saying that Star Trek had given me great joy over the years. He smiled, gave me the Vulcan sign and said, ‘Well, in that case, live long and prosper’.

I still feel like I’d been blessed by a space-pope.’
–SWO6

4.

‘Martha Stewart and her young grandchildren sat at the table behind us for brunch at Russ & Daughters (New York City, Feb 2016). I had the worst stomach issues from the night before, and was in the single stall bathroom for what felt like a very long time.

When I finally emerged, Martha Stewart and a grandchild were waiting in line, and went in after me. I immediately made us pay and leave before they got back to their table. No, I have not emotionally recovered.’
–haleboppbopp

5.

‘In a similar vein, I once did a large poop in a toilet and it wouldn’t flush. Not because of said poop but because it turns out the entire building had lost water and the cistern hadn’t filled. I opened the door and its Noel Gallagher standing there and he went in and closed the door. I washed my hands and made sharpish for the exit not wanting to face him after that catastrophe. I thought I was in the clear until he came into our showroom 10 minutes later to browse and we locked eyes. He looked at me with a face that said disgust.’
–thecremeegg

6.

‘I saw Jake Gyllenhaal in SoHo in New York like seven years ago. He saw me recognise him (we were on the sidewalk walking towards each other) and his body language very clearly said ‘please do not talk to me’. I thought I’d play it cool and just give a little nod or wave as I passed, and my brain turned that into doffing an imaginary cap as I walked past him. I ‘M’lady’ greeted Jake Gyllenhaal and the look of withering pity on his face will haunt me forever. I’m a man and was like 30 when this happened.’
–Togaz

7.

‘I saw Danny DeVito in New York years ago. He noticed me staring at him and said, ‘I’m going down the street to get some food. They got great Italian.’ And off he went.’
–psidioni

8.

‘I was playing pickleball in Santa Barbara with a co-worker when an older couple comes by and wants to play us in doubles. After we finish a couple of games, they invite us to a tournament they are hosting called ‘Kenny Loggins Danger zone tournament’.

I thought, what a silly name for a tournament, only to realise the next morning that old guy Kenny I was playing with was the Kenny Loggins. Nice dude, pretty spry for his age.’
–RebelStarPilot

9.

‘My favorite celebrity story: I was headed into work when I spotted the most precious boxer puppy I’d ever seen in my life just outside the front door to my office building. The dog was so cute I basically lost my mind and just petted and cooed at it for a full minute, until it occurred to me that there was a person attached to the other end of the leash, who turned out to be Macaulay Culkin. I think he got a bigger kick out of the whole thing than I did.’
–greenwoodgirl11232

10.

‘Woody Harrelson chatted up my husband and me as we were waiting for a table at a restaurant in Asheville, NC. He was in town filming the Hunger Games, and he took an interest in us because of our baby. He was very nice.’
–Aruaz821

11.

‘I rode an elevator with Mark Hamill once. Me and my buddy were absolutely star struck and he obviously noticed but no words were exchanged. When he got off he turned around like a dramatic chipmunk and let out an evil laugh in his signature Joker voice. It was glorious.

The end. No selfies or autographs or hugs or nothing. Just gaping awkwardly at Hamil and an ounce of fan service.’
–EntertainmentTrue588

12.

‘Ben Stiller walked into the store I worked at. He was polite but I was surprised how tiny he was, almost like he’s an actor for ants.’
–Saint–Jiub