by Maria Ingmire
Depending on the celebrity, a face-to-face encounter can either be a real shock or a nice surprise. There have been times when I’ve discovered that a “star” is both literally and figuratively uglier in person.
For example, there was an unpleasant, though distant, encounter with actor Christopher Lloyd, whom I thought was some homeless dude bumming a smoke next to the Hyatt. As I was walking past I caught a glimpse of him and made the mistake of glancing in his direction just a little too long; honestly, I was crossing the street with my child and had to look around beforehand, and something about the disheveled gentleman seemed really familiar. The man actually scowled at my daughter who happened to make eye contact. |
By the way, she had no idea who Christopher Lloyd was. Can’t imagine how she’s going to feel when she gets around to watching Back to the Future. So maybe he was just having a bad day. Stars are just like us, right?
On the other hand, sometimes an actor can barely be recognized because his looks have been downplayed for film roles. Matthew Lewis is a perfect example.
On the other hand, sometimes an actor can barely be recognized because his looks have been downplayed for film roles. Matthew Lewis is a perfect example.
That Time I Discovered that Neville Longbottom is Pretty Cute
My daughter is growing up in the Harry Potter generation, and I’m so happy that she has read and enjoyed the series. The movies are like old friends to her, and she still watches them whenever they rerun on cable. Any Harry Potter guest who has ever come to Dragon Con is a must-see guest, so we always go to those panels and get those autographs. Once upon a time at Dragon Con, lining up to get an autograph often meant that the celebrity didn’t mind taking a quick photo with us. (Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, so don’t even ask at conventions these days!)
Matthew was really sweet to fans, especially the young ones who approached his table, and he is one of the few guests my daughter Katie Beth has revisited more than once during a convention. We probably went back to his table three times that weekend whenever we saw that his line was short or empty, and he always smiled and greeted us like regular folks. When I mentioned that I’d never have recognized him on the street, Matthew confessed that they were putting a fat suit on him and padding out his cheeks for the part of Neville. Let’s just say he grew up.
The funniest exchange we had with him was about his then-upcoming battle with the giant snake in Deathly Hallows. Ray Park (Darth Maul from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace) was also at that convention at the time, and I suggested to Matthew that he should go to Ray and ask for some fighting pointers. Matthew chuckled at that and said, “Right then, I’ll just go get that sorted out with him!” |
When the film opened in theaters, I was sorely disappointed when Neville didn’t use a double-bladed sword, nor did he do any fancy spins or jumps during his climactic battle scene, but then then director probably had his own vision for the film.