There are a handful of reactions that one typically assumes when meeting a celebrity. Usually, folks either get starstruck and (or) try to play it cool so as to not draw attention to this one-of-a-kind encounter. Why? Well, a lot of things can happen. Probably awkwardness and embarrassment because you’re starstruck.
Folks online have been and will continue to talk about these particularly oof moments with celebrities. So, scroll down to read the best stories from Redditors.
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It goes without saying that celebrities are people too. As such, they roam the same streets, breathe the same air (essentially), eat the same food (also essentially), and do pretty much everything else any other human does (again, essentially). So, they are for all intents and purposes deserving of the same neutral and polite behavior any other stranger would get if they were sighted randomly in the streets.
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If you, however, need a refresher on how to best approach the situation of having sighted a celebrity, consider exercising appropriate methods of approach.
Arguably the best thing that you can do when a celebrity is nearby is to ignore them. This is considered a classic approach, one that doesn’t impose any sort of commitment on either side of the encounter and hence leaves it at that.
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Ignoring means adopting an indifferent expression (and, maybe, even preferably an attitude too). Don’t focus on them, but rather on anything else that’s unrelated to them until they are out of sight and life moves on.
The upside of this is that you don’t succumb to the temptations that second hand fame does, all the while respecting and protecting their privacy. Now, if they’re the kind of celebrity who thrives on attention, then you might consider another tactic.
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Another etiquettally appropriate approach is to embrace the celebrity. Not literally, but verbally and without drawing attention, but also respecting them if they give you a celebrity equivalent of “leave, foolish peasant”.
In order to do this, you can casually and sincerely acknowledge their accomplishments. Make sure your conversation is not a committing one—more like small talk—and you’re done within a minute of chatter. This way, you get to speak with someone you admire, but there is always a non-zero chance of you being told off or ignored. So, high risk, high reward.
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There is also a more hands on approach that might be considered shady, but still kinda sorta viable because managers and other folk in the industry do be mingling like that, and that is luring a celebrity. By that, we mean if you’re in a social event or something, nonchalantly louden your own conversation to possibly make it irresistible to the celeb to ignore.
Once the attention is drawn, smile and see where that takes you. Who knows, they might join your table. They might also invite you to theirs. They might also not like that. Proceed with caution.
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Another quasi-questionable tactic is using your kids. We say quasi because it can happen naturally that your kids become friends with the kids of the celebrity, this might become your ticket to befriending the celebrity too.
The potential for unlimited play dates is certainly there, and it’s even better if you’re not the one initiating them, but don’t count on kids being friends to ultimately mean you’re gonna be friends with the celeb. So, be ready to accept defeat too.
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Lastly, there’s always, you know, the old fashioned intellectual charisma approach. You know, if you’re chilling at the pool and they are chilling nearby and you’re both reading a book—not even a Kindle, but an actual book. And not something banal, but a proper good book. That alone could be a good conversation starter, and if that doesn’t work out, hey, you’re reading a good book. Sure, you might be disappointed in their taste in books, but when was reading a book a bad thing?!
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Since there’s always a risk-reward situation with these, consider what you would do if you were the celebrity. Would you want people approaching you? That alone could be your answer to whether you should utilize any of these tactics.
Any approach, even mere recognition, might run the risk of upsetting them, which can mean a number of other things.
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Besides that, if you are in the business yourself, don’t approach a celebrity to try and further your own career. The celebrities might not have the power to do much for you anyway. And since nobody likes ads, you pushing your brand randomly sounds like an awkward situation to be in, celebrity or not.
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So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Have you ever encountered a celebrity and it went south really quickly? Share your takes and stories in the comment section below.
And it doesn’t have to stop there as there’s always more entertainment to be had in terms of celebrities and awkwardness.
