Brushes With Celebrities You Failed To Realize At The Time

[AdmiralMemo]

Have you ever done something pretty routine, and then, later, someone says to you, "Did you realize you just [did something] with [famous person]?"?

Of course, the three reactions to this are:
"Who is [famous person]?" if you're not familiar with the reason why they're famous.
"That was [famous person]??" if the reason why they're famous is not their looks and/or voice (like a novelist, or just seeing a person you've only heard on the radio)
"Holy crap! That was [famous person]?!?!?!" if you simply failed a spot check [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FailedASpotCheck]

This happened to me at Shore Leave 32 [http://www.shore-leave.com/], specifically, Variant 3. I was getting in the elevator on my way up to get my picture taken with Dominic Keating [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4984900&id=657020755]. The elevator was pretty crowded, and I just got in, faced the door, and waited for it to get there. Someone behind me was singing "Angie" by the Rolling Stones, and then said, "You've got that stuck in my head, now." I didn't think anything of it, and just exited the elevator. I got in line, waited, did my photo op, and went back to the elevator to get to a panel I wanted to see. While waiting for the down elevator, a girl was telling someone else that she was on the elevator with Dominic. I was like, "Really? Wow!" She turned to me and said, "Dude! He was right behind you!" I was like "What?!" She went on to say that when she was getting an autograph and he asked who to make it out to, she said, "Angie. Just think of the Rolling Stones song." That made me go, "That was him singing that?" I was left stunned at how oblivious I was to that. I think the three reasons I failed to notice him right there were: 1. The elevator was crowded. 2. He's shorter than I expected. 3. I was expecting him to be in the picture-taking room already, so I didn't think he'd be in the elevator with me going up to the room.

So, has anyone else interacted with a celebrity and not realized it until later?

 

[Radeonx]

Well, they aren't full on celebrities, but I've sparred with a few fighters, and didn't realize until after I've fought with them that they were professional UFC fighters.

 

[Ultrajoe]

A few years ago I stood for ten minutes at an airport waiting for baggage listening to some burly men behind me discuss football. Come to think of it, most of the men waiting for bags were of a large and developed stature. Huh, you'd think that would have clicked.

Half an hour later, realize the guy I had confused bags with was Beaver Goddamn Menzies and I had been standing around the entire Sea Eagles team for almost a quarter of an hour. As in, my favorite team. They're not exactly celebrities, but to miss an *entire sporting team*? Yeah, not so Ultra from the Joe.

God. Damnit.

 

[Zeromaeus]

Obama was in a restaurant down the street from me back during his campaign. Didn't find out till a week later.

 

[Skuffyshootster]

A few years ago I stood for ten minutes at an airport waiting for baggage listening to some burly men behind me discuss football. Come to think of it, most of the men waiting for bags were of a large and developed stature. Huh, you'd think that would have clicked.

Half an hour later, realize the guy I had confused bags with was Beaver Goddamn Menzies and I had been standing around the entire Sea Eagles team for almost a quarter of an hour. As in, my favorite team. They're not exactly celebrities, but to miss an *entire sporting team*? Yeah, not so Ultra from the Joe.

God. Damnit.

I wouldn't think you would be able to see very well with that big ass helmet on, anyway.

OT: Nope, never. Celebrities don't come around Maryland very often.

 

[arsenicCatnip]

My roommate and I ran into Dog the Bounty Hunter and his wife at the mall at one point. Almost literally... we almost walked into whatserface when we were leaving the bathroom.

And yes, her bazongas ARE that obscenely enormous in real life, and she displays most of them in public.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

My parents left and met Johnny Depp without telling me where the were going, then they came home with Pirates of the Caribbean 4 t-shirts to make me feel better.

They did say they were gonna have dinner with him before he leaves Kauai, so they better bring me.

 

[UberLemonBoy]

My aunt used to watch Frankie Munez(butchered his name) and i walked in on her wipping his ass when he was a baby
Didn't learn who that was until i was older

 

[zHellas]

Well, they aren't full on celebrities, but I've sparred with a few fighters, and didn't realize until after I've fought with them that they were professional UFC fighters.

How did the fights go?

 

[Cheery Lunatic]

Well, this didn't happen to me, but when my dad was in Iraq, apparently the Schwarnegger (fuck the spelling!) made an appearance during their lunch. However, he was so flocked by bodyguards, and was packing on so many pounds, my dad didn't even realize he was there until his coworkers were talking about it later.

 

[AdmiralMemo]

OT: Nope, never. Celebrities don't come around Maryland very often.

Depends on who you consider celebrities. I'm a Baltimorean myself, and Shore Leave comes yearly. True, it caters to the sci-fi celebrities, but, still... I'm pretty sure many people know who the following people are: Kevin Sorbo [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4984902&id=657020755] (Hercules), Nichelle Nichols [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3071667&id=657020755] (Uhura), George Takei [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3071668&id=657020755] (Sulu), and Malcolm McDowell [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3071666&id=657020755] (too freaking much to list).

Also, several celebrities are from the area, such as Jada Pinkett Smith, David Hasselhoff, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Kathie Lee Gifford. So, if they ever stop back at their old stomping grounds...

Plus, with its vicinity to Washington D.C., Maryland is likely to get political celebrities in the area.

 

[Harkonnen64]

I wasn't paying attention at the time, but my sister informs me that one time when we were at the airport we were within 100 feet of Paris Hilton. Sorry I couldn't have met a more inspiring celebrity than that to share with you...

 

[Omikron009]

I didn't really interact with him, but apparently I was once within 5 feet of the captain of our local NHL team (the Vancouver Canucks) at a movie theater without even knowing it. I don't follow hockey.

 

[hobo_welf]

Your face is scary.

OT: I hung out with John St.Johns, the voice of Duke Nukem. But I knew who he was and he's not really a celebrity.

 

[Girl With One Eye]

Yeah I remember seeing a really hot woman on the tube sitting opposite me, later on I found out it was:

Spoiler

Paloma Faith

Not really a great celebrity but I'd never even heard of her until I saw her on TV.

 

[Karthesios]

I worked at a Radio Shack (Wentzville, MO) a couple years back, and it took my manager telling me who it was after he came in for me to realize that Chuck Berry (rock and roll pioneer) was a semiregular customer there.

 

[Jumplion]

I said "Hey" to Jonathan Lipnicki [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Lipnicki], a person I only know because I saw the Stuart Little film [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Little_%28film%29] when I was waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy young. Just said hey, he said hey, and we walked away.

Little awkward now that I think of it.

 

[Luke5515]

Well this was a little less surprising because I was at a concert, but there was a man in a ski mask with dark glasses signing things. After a while, they guy with him pulled the wheelchair away from the table and started walking. I brushed past and said sorry for being in the way. Later I found out that sid wilson, the DJ for slipknot, had broken both his ankles on one of the first tour nights and was confined to a wheelchair. So bumped Sid Wilson's wheelchair.

 

[era81]

A few years ago I was at a uso show in Herat and we where standing around a tent out back and apparently Gary Senise walked up behind me and tried to ask where a bathroom was I snapped at him and he left and everybody went around saying I made Lt. Dan cry.If I knew it was him I would have been nicer.

 

[manaman]

Had pizza and beers with the guys from some band playing at Ozfest. Had no clue who they where at the time, eight years later I can't remember the band. Didn't see them on stage either, but they "bought" us the pizza and beer. Should have figured something was up when they got the food for free.