It’s no coincidence, as far as I’m concerned, that the months when “nomination” films are released coincides with the time spiders emerge to mate. Seeing a celebrity is a bit like seeing a spider in that, if you’re expecting to see a spider, like, if you’re in a park, looking at a dew studded web and there’s a spider in it, you can appreciate how beautiful and mysterious it is, how unique its technical skill. BUT, if you are tidying your child’s bedroom and lift up a pile of jellycat plushies and a large, fast moving spider zooms out from within them, it is just horrific, for you, and for the spider.
I thought of this because one of my favourite, most soothing celebrity encounters was a long time ago when my sister and I landed at Boston airport. At baggage claim, we were delighted to see The Hollies and Crosby, Stills and Nash legend, Graham Nash, collecting his luggage. Imagine our amazement when, from the other side of the carousel, appeared Stephen Stills, elated with the speed at which he’d found his bag. We were exiting the airport, pondering how incredible this was to see them together, only to find David Crosby waiting at the kerbside pick up behind the wheel of a car, going “toot toot!”, so they’d see he was there to collect them. Listen, this was a while ago, it might have been Stephen Stills driving the car because, come to think of it, David Crosby probably had his license revoked. A bunch. But it was a beautiful moment.
Compare this with a recent incident at a cinema in north London, when I walked in to find the staff behind the counter (who were all young women) clutching at each other, whispering in apparent distress “What should we do? What are we meant to do?” I assumed a weird man was hassling them and internally struggled with stepping in to help diffuse whatever was unanchoring them so visibly, especially as I had my young daughter with me. “He’s still here, Oh God! Oh no, he’s right over there!” they whispered to each other. I pulled myself together, the oldest one there, ready to be tough. Until I turned around and saw that was just their reaction to the presence of the Scottish actor James MacAvoy who was going, with his family, to the movies, purchasing movie tickets.
Gathering my nerve, I cupped the petite film star gently in my hands and placed him outside on the pavement.
🥰🥰🥰👍👍👍
I used to see Mr Tumnus in Crouch End fairly regularly, I remember him walking past me when I was crying outside Gails once and I was momentarily distracted from my distress. Funnily enough my least soothing surprise celebrity/spider encounter was also when I was working in a cinema and Jared Leto came in to watch Master and Commander.