You'd think fame would start to get to you after a while, and maybe in some cases it does, but apparently a lot of celebs genuinely don't suck as people. Reddit asked people to talk about the nicest celebrity they've ever met, and these stories are honestly all kinds of adorable.
And right now we could all use a little bit of that. So let's let the celebs save the day and make us smile just by being their genuine selves. How incredibly meta.
L.L. Cool J Is In The Bookstooooooore!
I worked at a Barnes & Noble in high school. LL Cool J lived right next to it and would come in almost daily. He knew most of our names, really nice guy.
- Snufyou
He visited my best friend's nephew on the burn unit when nephew was 8. Nephew nearly died, had 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 80% of his body. LL Cool J visited and kept in touch for a while after.
Not my style of music, at all, but I will always be a fan of the person he is.
Down To Earth Dave
GiphyDave Chappelle and his family live a few miles from where I went to college, and he and I frequented the same Starbucks. I ran into him about ten times. One day he sat with me for about 45 minutes and talked about screenwriting. It was amazing. He's as down to earth as his stage persona suggests, and it's no wonder he opted to raise his family away from L.A.
Mine is Dave Chappelle too. I was in a college group that brought in speakers and performers so we brought him in. After his act we thought he left, so we started eating all the trays of food in his waiting room. He poked his head in and joked that we were hotboxing the room. Then he came and sat with us for an hour! He sat next to me, and when I told him it was my friends birthday and this friend was a big fan, he took my phone and called this friend and talked to him. It was amazing. This was 2005, I think right before he took a big break from everything.
Devito
Danny Devito. I ended up at a hotel bar in Philly with this girl I was hanging out with and her friend. Turns out the cast of Always Sunny was filming the 10th(ish?) season and staying at the hotel and hanging out downstairs. So girl's friend flags down Danny as he's walking by and he ends up sitting with us for a solid 2 hours. Buys us a couple rounds. And tries to invite the girl up to his hotel room; which was a weird turn but he also introduced us to Charlie Day so I'm calling it a win.
Not At All Like House
Having met Hugh Laurie in person, I can confidently state that he is one of the nicest and most humble celebrities out there. Not only is he completely happy to interact with his fans, but he also does so in a way that makes each and every one of them feel like they're a friend. He remembers names and personal details with amazing accuracy, and he makes each conversation seem like it's an extension of a treasured (and ongoing) dialogue. Add to that the fact that the man is outwardly hilarious, and you've got a recipe for a genuinely great guy.
A Wink And A Head Nod
Peter Dinklage is a lot of fun! Really cool guy. His laugh is incredibly infectious.
He and I had a funny encounter. We were both at a coffee shop in the Bowery at like 6:30 AM. We were the only ones there. He'd ordered a fancy drink of some sort so had to stand there and wait. I ordered a filter but it was a long process pour over type thing.
So he and I were stood there next to each other for 3-4 minutes. It was awkward because I don't really talk to celebrities / public figures. But at the same time it was weird because it was just the two of us and it was obvious I knew who he was.
In the end I gave him the chin nod. He winked and gave me the chin nod. That cleared the air and we were able to get on with our day.
Steven Tyler
My aunt met Steven Tyler and said he was super chill. Except she had no idea who he was, and he was just some guy who bought a lot of the musical instruments she was selling at a charity event. She posted a video of the two of them singing together on Facebook, and made a comment about how she was happy that this nice musician was making enough money to live off of. I had her go look up Aerosmith videos and she was shocked it was the same guy.
- othybear
My stepdaughter was maybe 7 years old. She and I were sitting in a coffee shop and she was complaining about her mom making her take piano lessons. A man behind her goes "my mom made me take music lessons too. And I've made a pretty good living ever since." And it was STEVEN TYLER! Aerosmith was in town for a show and our coffee shop was near their hotel. He sat down and chatted with her for about 10 minutes. I was blown away. The 7yo? Not so impressed by the random old guy talking to her about piano lessons. It was very kind of him to give her the pep talk though.
Colin Firth
Colin Firth
I saw him sitting in a cafe with his son. Extremely nice, I waited until they got up to leave before I went and asked if I could get an autograph for my mom (who's a huge fan). He asked me a few questions about her and wrote a quite nice autograph for her. He asked if I wanted one as well and I told him that meeting him was more than enough.
I had told him where she worked and he went in the next day and made a point to stop and chat with her. Truly a class act.
People Describe Their Best Chance Encounters | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Natalie Portman
GiphyNatalie Portman.
She came to my synagogue one day and gave a speech and then came around to our classrooms to talk with us a little. She was extremely sweet and incredibly beautiful. Seemed very patient and caring.
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder, but there's a story behind this...
I worked at a pharmacy in the '80s and was asked to deliver medicine to Gilda Radner (Gene's wife) during her cancer battle. After a long delay to make the delivery due to issues related to the getting in touch with her doctor, I was finally given the prescription and drove up to their house to make the delivery. During my drive, I was excited at meeting one of the brightest comedy stars of the time...
When I arrived, I rang the doorbell and Gilda answered. I knew she was sick, but even I was surprised at her gaunt appearance - she did not look well at all. Immediately, I realized she was very angry because of the long delay in getting the medicine to her. Unfortunately, she let loose all that anger at me. I apologized many times (even though I had nothing to do with the delays).
After she finished and I gave her the prescription, she closed the door on me. I was not upset at her, though - indeed, I was very sad - that this brilliant comedienne was sick and was going through such an absolutely awful ordeal... This was an awful situation and not at all as I had hoped my encounter would go.
As I turned around to walk away from the door, I went several steps before I felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around and it was Gene, letting me know that his wife was very sick and he apologized many times for her behavior. He then gave me a nice tip for the delivery service and shared his gratitude for the weekend delivery and work by my pharmacy.
I'll never forget the encounter and appreciate that I got to meet both of them, even for a brief time, under difficult circumstances...
Rob
My girlfriend works at a high end grocer in los angeles and among the many celebrities she encounters daily, Rob Schneider is not only the most genuinely nice guy, but has become a bit of a friend now. He picked us up in a van for her 30th bday and drove us to his comedy show, paid for our table, dinner, everything.. truly such a nice fcking guy
Emma Dumont
Emma Dumont.
At Comic Con. I spent about 10 to 15 minutes talking to which is way longer than you're supposed to. She went out of her way to be nice. She did this with every fan (making the line take a really long time but worth the wait, her people actually had to hurry HER on while she was talking to fans.) She also ordered pizza for everyone standing in line that had to wait and she was also giving out her phone number to some fans. Emma also specially signed my photo, leaving a personal note. She's great.
Trust me, not everyone does things like this at cons.
Uncle Phil
James Avery (Phillip Banks of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). I was walking with my three little kids and lots of baggage in the Philadelphia airport car rental parking lot and he offered to help me with my kids and bags to get to the shuttle bus. He was genuinely really nice.
- Catusa
And Obviously, Mr. Rogers
GiphyMr. Rogers. Absolutely as kind and gentle and lovely as he seemed on TV.
I was lucky enough to spend 6 hours sitting next to the man on an airplane. I was 7. Highlight of my life.
We ate lunch. I spilled on him. I thought I had ruined everything, but he just smiled and gave me his dessert.
A friend of mine used to work on his show. Apparently he was exactly the person his TV image conveyed.
I went to high school right next to the building (WQED in Pittsburgh), where they taped his show and we'd see him frequently coming and going. Now, for teenage guys, Mister Rogers obviously wasn't "cool" but since we all grew up watching him, so he was okay. This was around 1981 or '82.
And then one morning, we were hanging out at the Senior Smoking Area, a side door entrance to the school that faced the WQED building, talking with a kid named Randy. He was a bit of a stoner; not a great student, denim jacket with 'Led Zeppelin' written in black marker on the back, greasy hair, the whole deal. He was a funny guy and we hung out with him, but he definitely seemed destined for a difficult life, probably pretty lost, no plans for college, etc.
So as we stand there, we all see Mister Rogers walking up the path toward WQED, and we're all like "Hey, check it out, it's Mister Rogers," and suddenly he looks over at us, and his arm shoots up and he waves and says, "Good morning, Randall!", with a big smile, very energetic and sincere.
And Randy says "S'up Mister Rogers," and pulls another drag on his cigarette and just grins. We were speechless and were like "Dude, you know Mister Rogers??" and Randy said, "Yeh I mean, I see him like almost every day".
I'll never forget that morning because, as stunned as we all were as teenagers, I think back on it now (at well over 50!) and it reminds me just how nice and accepting Mister Rogers was of everyone. Here was this misfit of a kid, smoking and hanging out, looking a mess, and Mister Rogers cared enough to obviously find out his name and remember it and make an effort to at least say "hello" to him everyday. Incredible.
