In today’s world, with most content focused on attracting views and money rather than anything else, finding a piece of media that truly impacts your life feels magical, and getting to meet the wonderful people responsible for it can be a dream come true.
Of course, no plan is ever set in stone. For example, one Redditor was going to meet the star of her favorite show, which helped her through an incredibly tough time, but at the moment of their encounter, she fumbled it. However, when looking for solace, she shared her story online, and things took the most unexpected and wholesome turn. Scroll down to read the full story!
More info: Reddit
Fame, wealth, and status don’t have to cost people their kindness, and there are some who keep proving that to us time and time again
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
A woman who lost her husband not long ago finally rediscovered joy with the help of a TV show, whose star she went to meet at a Fan Fest
Image credits: ComfortableCommon439
She wanted to tell the actor all about how he and his work impacted her life, but after seeing him tired with lines of people ahead, she got taken over by nervousness and fumbled it
For the OP, the past year of her life was tough, as she lost her husband. With her and her children’s lives turned upside down, things like laughing or even feeling human seemed very distant. That is until the TV show Resident Alien starring Alan Tudyk came into her life.
Having joy brought back into her life, the woman really wanted to share her story with the man responsible for bringing one of her favorite characters to life. So, when the opportunity came, she took it and headed out to Fan Fest in Boston to meet Alan.
But the pressure of such moments is often bigger than we realize. The OP saw how tired the actor appeared and realized that he still had an hours-long line of people waiting for his autograph. Realizing this, she got really nervous, and when she finally got to him, all she could think of was a silly joke about his breakthrough TV show, Firefly.
Having left, regretting not saying what she wanted and feeling as if she had ruined the chance of a lifetime, the woman came online to seek comfort from the other fans of the show who might understand her best.
Image credits: superanton (not the actual photo)
The woman made a post online to share her story and, to her biggest surprise, received a reply from the actor himself
Image credits: ActuAlALANtudyk
The man kindly thanked her for the beautiful words and expressed condolences about her misfortunes, offering to meet again
The commenters were incredibly supportive and understanding. However, the very same day, a single comment appeared that completely changed the course of this story, and it was written by none other than Alan Tudyk himself.
Having been notified by a friend, the actor found the post and was so touched upon reading it that he couldn’t help but create an account and reply to the OP. The man expressed his condolences about the woman’s late husband, adding that he’s incredibly honored to be a part of her new-found joy in life.
Alan very wholesomely thanked the woman and everyone else who shared their own similarly touching stories for making it feel like his work is worth a lot more than just what the Hollywood business brings and offered her the chance to meet up again before he departed from Boston so he could thank her in person.
It didn’t take long for the OP to see the reply, and her surprise was immense, to say the least. She soon made an update thanking Alan and everyone else for their kind words, adding an explanation that she, unfortunately, couldn’t take the actor up on his offer, as it was the first Father’s Day the family was celebrating without their dad. Hoping for another chance next year, she had to put her and her children’s plans and needs first.
Image credits: tommumf (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ComfortableCommon439
While she was unable to make the drive again, the woman was positively shocked and thanked the actor as well as all the other commenters for their kindness
Some say that fame changes people, and they’re probably right. After all, whether you like it or not, becoming a famous movie star will impact your life in ways beyond your control. But that doesn’t mean that these people necessarily have to change for the worse.
Alan Tudyk is a perfect example of this. Being the wonderful human that he is, he brought countless stories to life through his acting, voicing, and real-life encounters, which people love and hold dear.
There are plenty of accounts online, just like this Reddit post, where netizens shared stories of the most heartwarming encounters they had with Alan and how equally great he is with his fans, regardless of their age, gender, race, or almost anything else.
Today’s story falls into the very same category as these other wholesome Alan Tudyk encounters. And yet, in its own way, it’s quite unique. And to the OP, u/ComfortableCommon439, who Bored Panda reached out to for an interview, it was definitely special.
“I was really shocked!” began the woman, explaining how she wasn’t expecting much of a response at all. She just hoped to get people to share their own stories of how they connected with the show and, in some way, bond over a shared interest. The thought that Alan himself would reply wasn’t even a consideration.
“I am so impressed with the compassion that he showed, reaching out in the way that he did. I’m a complete stranger, and I’m sure that he has a lot of people telling him how awesome his work is, how much it means to them, how much they love it, and I’m not sure what it is about my story that’s different, but I feel really grateful for his kindness, and he has a die-hard fan for life now,” shared the OP, praising the talented actor for his caring, human side, which we don’t get to see on the big screen.
“Alan Tudyk is an awesome human being, and I am forever grateful for his kindness,” continued the woman. “I’m in awe of how wonderful he is and hope he knows how much the show means to so many people out there. Resident Alien is hilarious, and I really hope it gets the attention that it deserves!”
Image credits: Helena Lopes (not the actual photo)
It wasn’t just Alan’s response but also a big part of the Resident Alien Reddit community coming together to share their support and similar stories that made this thread so wholesome.
“Everyone experiences loss in their lives, and everyone has moments where they miss an opportunity and wish they had done something differently, and that’s all that I saw happening,” recounted the OP. “In reading the positive responses from others, I appreciated the viewpoints that they gave and the supportive words and stories that they shared. It had been an emotional moment for me, and having such kind feedback really helped.”
Ultimately, it’s like the world’s favorite alien masquerading as a small-town doctor, Harry Vanderspeigle, said: “I see now it’s not the food that brings humans together. It’s each other. There is a basic human need to feel like you belong. It feels good.”
Being kind to each other costs very little, and the feeling that it provides for everyone involved is quite priceless. Therefore, whether you’re famous or totally unknown, wealthy or poor, human or alien, just try to be thoughtful, and you might be surprised at what it brings you.
What did you think about this story? Have you ever had any similar experiences? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
The commenters were incredibly supportive, pointing out positive things in the woman’s story and sharing experiences of their own
