What Do You Say to a Celebrity?
Seeing stars can be fun...
Even the slickest Toastmaster can suffer a tongue-tied moment when caught off-guard by a close encounter with a star. What do you say? Should you say ... anything?
Scoring Points with a Sports Celebrity
Lisa Jenks, of the Marsh Winds Toastmasters club in Plymouth, Minnesota, was surprised while working in a local lumber yard as a cashier. She says, “Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins baseball team came through my line. It was early in his career, but he was already a very popular player. He wrote a check, and I began to say ‘Can I see your driver's license?’ Embarrassed, I caught myself part way through the sentence – ‘Never mind, I know who you are!’" But as she regained her composure, Lisa figured out exactly what to do. She notes, “Being a huge baseball fan, I could not believe I almost asked Kirby Puckett for identification! I grabbed a scrap of paper and asked for an autograph, which he cheerfully signed.”
Clark Luby of the Bay Street Breakfast Toastmasters, in Toronto, Canada, hit a home run, as well. “A couple of years ago, A.J. Burnett of the New York Yankees baseball team was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays,” he says. “While standing in the will-call line, I struck up a conversation with his mother, who was there to see him pitch that day. Whenever A.J. pitched, he got a luxury box, so his mother invited us up to watch the game with her and a family friend.”
Luby found the experience amazing, yet came to the conclusion that celebrities are human, like the rest of us. “The Jays were playing the Boston Red Sox that day and any time Manny [Ramirez] or Big Papi [David Ortiz], [of the Boston Red Sox baseball team], came up to bat, she couldn't even watch, she was so nervous,” he says. “We just acted like ourselves and didn't try to impress, and I think that was the best way to be. I will always thank her for her hospitality.”
Making a favorable impression is always a good idea, because you might just meet that person again, someday. It happened to Jenks with Kirby Puckett. She says, “I did meet him [Puckett] again a few years later at a charity event and had a brief, but as I recall, funny and engaging conversation with him while we had a picture taken together.” Good thing she’d left a favorable first impression!
Jenks notes, “I would suggest being respectful of them as people,” she says. “Don't approach at an inappropriate moment, like during dinner. Be gracious and polite. And last, don't be afraid to speak to a celebrity, if the situation is appropriate. You don't want to regret a missed opportunity, and you may end up with a great story!”
Seeing Stars From TV and Film
Gina Salamone, of GMACR Toastmasters in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, met Emo Phillips, a comedian Jay Leno refers to as “the best joke writer in America.”
“I saw his stand-up routine recently, and after the show I waited in a line for an autograph,” says Salamone. She overheard the people in front of her bantering with him. He turned to the next in line, Salamone, and that’s when she froze. “I suddenly realized I had no clue what to say! I didn't have an interesting story or clever remark,” she says.
She managed to thank him for telling one of her favorite jokes that night. But she was so surprised at being able to get some words out, she didn't catch his reply. Finally, she calmed down enough to get a picture with him. Salamone advises others to keep calm in such situations. “There's no need to get all worked up and have to stutter and struggle through a simple comment,” she notes.
Should Stardust Blur Your Vision?
John Haran of the Simi Valley Toastmasters club was born and raised in Los Angeles and has seen celebrities many times. What’s more, he’s worked with them. “I was a bodyguard for a couple of them at movie premieres or provided security at their homes,” he says. “Put simply, they are just people like everyone else.”
One important message seems clear: Follow the Celebrity Golden Rule. Treat a celebrity as a person – who might just have something personal going on at the moment. Be aware of that, and be respectful. Beyond this simple courtesy, try to be friendly! You never know who might smile back.
Do you have a tale to tell about a speaking experience? If you want it published in this section, tell us in 400 words or less and send it to letters@toastmasters.org.