Thursday 1.13.2011

I had seen on a calendar of events for Hollywood that today Colin Firth was receiving his star on the Walk of Fame. His location was in front of a British pub, the Pig ‘ n Whistle, where fellow Brit Emma Thompson received her star. I had no idea what sort of crowd to expect so figure I’d drive down an hour early, and if the place was absolutely mobbed I wouldn’t hang around. It actually was much less crowded initially than I expected (to my luck!) I parked and got a spot on the rail in the second row. Photographers and cameramen flooded in right in front of us, but I still had a view. Once the ceremony started, Colin came out.

They said that they always have a fellow actor who has worked with the honoree. They mentioned that today’s guest worked with Colin on the King’s Speech – I got excited and hoped it was Geoffrey Rush. It was Guy Pearce who played his older brother. Pearce is Australian so has a great accent (and is easy on the eyes).

After Guy’s speech, Colin took the podium for several minutes. He attributed much of his success to the support from his wife, Livia. After his speech, they unveiled the star, had a photo op and he did some interviews..

The photographers talking to us beforehand mentioned that the stars typically come over for autographs and photo ops, but that not all do. Colin had initially gone to another section further down the barricade before returning to some interviews. Guy Pearce came over and I got a picture with him! 

Colin soon followed and I was able to get a photo with him as well! 

Throughout the whole experience, both seemed very humble and genuine (as I would expect). It’s nice to have that sort of experience with a celebrity you respect, as opposed to them being a complete jerk. I also found that just being down-to-earth and having manners goes a long way as far as meeting celebrities (calling them Mr. So&so….please/thank you…) as opposed to some crazy fans who scream at them and absolutely lose their minds.  At the end of the day, they’re everyday people…not some animal at the zoo. After going back to the apartment to upload pictures and get lunch, I went back to the driving range to hit some balls. Tonight I returned to Gingergrass in Silver Lake to meet up with my old guitar teacher/fellow friend from Lexington who is moving to LA (Silver Lake) in several weeks. His sister (a fellow Lexingtonian) came as well.   Once he moves out, we plan to hang out some more. After dinner, I laid low at the apartment and got to bed early.