Etiquette with Celebrities

Last Saturday, I was returning to Kansas City from Chicago on a United Airlines flight. When I found my seat in aisle 5, I sat down next to a guy that had already settled in and was going to sleep. As I put my bag away, I thought the guy looked familiar. It was hard to tell, seeing him in profile, inches from his face. He had the right body type. As he readjusted several times during his nap, I looked for evidence of his identity. At some point, his left hand became visible, and there was my evidence: A World Series Championship ring. It was George Brett. He woke up for the last twenty minutes of the flight, and we said only a few words to each other. He was polite but clearly not looking for conversation, so I let him be. No requests for autographs or freakish fan behavior. I suspect others identified him as we left the plane because he was right behind me as we exited, but it was a few minutes before he came out of the jetway.

A few years ago, I walked into a First Watch Restaurant at almost 2:00 in the afternoon on a slow day. As I waited for someone to seat me, a guy seated in the booth ten feet from me lowered his newspaper to turn the page, and his eyes met mine. I thought, "That guy looks just like Cal Ripken, Jr." It turns out it was. It was just after he had completed his consecutive game streak. Apparently, he was traveling with the Orioles but wasn't playing that day. I didn't pester him either, but some folks did later. On another occasion, I found myself standing beside NBA great Bill Russell at the baggage claim in Baltimore. Once folks figured out who he was, he got mauled.

So here is my question. What do you do when you find yourself in the presence of a celebrity? Should I have pestered these folks for autographs or attention while they were functioning as private individuals? What do you think is appropriate etiquette when confronted with a celebrity? 

Comments

[Denis Hancock]

Well, if it's George, make sure the pine tar doesn't go past your elbow, then shake his hand. Optionally, you can offer him a pinch of your Bull Durham.

Seriously, you probably did the right thing. If they aren't forthcoming with small talk, they may just want to have a little anonymous time.

[Michael W. Kruse]

Actually, just before landing, he retrieved a can of Bull Durham from his bag and took a pinch. :)

I've got no problem approaching a celeb in a venue where they are "on display," so to speak. But it just doesn't seem right to me to pester these folks when they are just out and around like the rest of us.

I've heard nothing but positive comments from folks who have dealt with him and I don't blame him a bit for wanting privacy.

[Peggy]

Agreed...people are people and everyone needs space to just "be". The life in the spotlight is exhausting and invasive.

Shalom (to you...and to them ;^) )

[Dana Ames]

When we lived in LA I saw Tony Dow ("Wally Cleaver") in the grocery store. I grinned at him like a fool, but I left him alone :) He was just getting a carton of milk, for cryin' out loud...

Not to change the subject... but a very interesting article was one of Jordon Cooper's links last weekend:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/120/motorhead-messiah.html

[Michael W. Kruse]

I think the appropriate etiquette would be "Gee Wally. Can I have your autograph and stuff."

Interesting article. Sort of reminds me of the stories of bicycle enthusiasts in the 1890s who experimented with welding two bicycles together with a platform inbetween for a motor.

As to the turbine, visions of the Batmobile and the Batman theme song kept going through my head.

[Ben]

Celebrities are humans too, and some of them like to be recognized but not pestered. Since I almost always at least say hi to the person next to me on a plane, I probably would have said something quietly like, "It's not every day I get to sit next to George Brett." Then I wouldn't have said anything else unless he indicated that he wanted to talk. Kind of like you did. (I, like you, would have left Cal Ripkin alone since I don't talk to everyone I see in a restaurant.) I did this once with a celebrity I met on the Paris metro, and he was quite happy to have a normal conversation as a human being.

Another friend of mine had a similar type of normal conversation with Andre Agassi when they happened to be watching their kids in a Paris playground.

I used to drive a lot of famous authors on book tours, and you have to develop a nice balance of I recognize and respect you for who you are, but I'm we'll only talk as much as you want.

[Michael W. Kruse]

Your approach is more or less what I've strived for in such circumstances. I can tell you one thing: I would not want to be a celebrity.