Back in the day (and I’m not exactly sure when that ‘day’ was), this would have been a success story – one that I would have been thrilled to report. However, over the years things change – and what I once would have been ecstatic to report is now only arouses the basest of emotions. This could simply be because I’ve become spoiled over the past ten years, getting more one-on-ones with celebrities than the average person will ever dream of encountering across the span of ten lifetimes. But the fact is that seeing a celebrity in the flesh doesn’t thrill me in the slightest. Merely getting an autograph doesn’t thrill me in the least (see here). Getting a photo with a celebrity that they didn’t take the time to pose for is beyond lame to me (see here). And all of this is true of my encounter with one of the most popular actors working today: Tom Hanks.
It would be silly for me to have to explain who Tom Hanks is to you. Even if you didn’t know that he is one of only two actors in the history of motion pictures to win back-to-back Best Actor Oscars, or that he has been nominated for a total of five Oscars, or that his films have grossed over 4.2 billion dollars, then surely you realized that he is one of the most revered and respected actors working in the industry today. Not bad for a guy who starred on a dumb sitcom known as Bosom Buddies.
I saw Tom Hanks in the play Lucky Guy on May 29, 2013, at the Broadhurst Theatre in Manhattan. Hanks had the lead role of Mike McAlary, and he was not-surprisingly outstanding. My friend Bob and I had gotten some of the scoop on how things when down at the theatre after the show. The good news was: yes, he did come out and sign autographs. The bad news: he signed very few and spent very little time before jumping in his car.
The theatre had two sections fenced off around the stage door: one for ticket holders, and another for the general public. The consensus was that he’s sign for the first two rows on either side, and he would only sign items that related to Lucky Guy. So although we had photos of Forrest Gump with us, we scrapped the notion of even trying to get them signed.
I hightailed it out of the theatre the second the play ended. We were on an upper level, so it was haul to get out the front door and into the fenced off area. Our friend Michael Stern, although he hadn’t seen the play that night, had had a ticket from an earlier show and was already in place. I got in right beside him, which placed me in the first row right next to the stage door. The crowds mounted, and we waited. Bob finally made it down and got right behind me.
Unfortunately, the only actors to come out before Hanks were ones we didn’t know. Two of them signed my program; one was Stephen Tyrone Williams, the other one I still have no idea who it was. Being so close to the door, I could see Tom Hanks when he was ready to come out. Bob turned on my camera to snap a photo of me and Tom, as I hoped against all odds that he’d stop for a photo op. This meant much, much more than getting a signature on my Lucky Guy program.
From the second that he stepped onto the sidewalk from the theatre, Tom Hanks was highly animated, bouncing from person to person, chatting quickly to the collective crowd, smiling and laughing the entire time. The crowds waiting for him were massive, including scores of people across the street. Policemen on horses waited in the street in case the crowds got out of control. Bob has seen quite a few Broadway shows and had never seen anyone command a crowd like this.
As he got near me I asked him if he’d pose for a picture. As he signed my autograph (with the simplest signature possible, which was basically a T and a squiggly line) and then began moving down the fence, he said in a friendly manner “snap away, snap away.” Bob did so, yielding one photo that Hanks and I in together. Bob did as best as he possibly could, and I know I should count myself extremely lucky to have gotten what I did…but still I could not help but feeling rather disappointed with what I got, considering the hideous angle of my face and fact that he’s not looking at the camera…especially knowing that other key members of the cast that I would have liked to have met were coming out of the other doors as we were encountering Hanks.
I reached out with Bob’s program to get him to sign that as well, but he had already moved beyond my reach. I’m very grateful that Bob put forth so much effort, and got no payoff for himself whatsoever. He took a few additional photos of Hanks, including a strange one of his co-star Christopher McDonald (who also signed the program) taking his own iPhone photo of Hanks. McDonald’s flash happened to hit another fan’s flash at the same time and the result was that it looked like McDonald was blowing Hanks’ head off !
After maybe three minutes of signing, Hanks was off like the wind into the car waiting for him. In once regard, our encounter was a success, but not up to the kind of successes I typically enjoy. I can truthfully say that I spoke with Tom Hanks, got an autograph with Tom Hanks, and got a photo with Tom Hanks. But to be honest, I really can’t say that I met Tom Hanks.
Celebrity encounters in New York City will continue…
Return to Wednesday 2013 in New York City…
That is a wonderful success for an actor/celebrity of his caliber! Bob did a great job getting the photos!
Dave Chasteen
December 23rd, 2013