Touched by a star! People reveal their chance encounters with the ‘nicest’ celebrities
A fan snaps a selfie with the surprisingly friendly Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in Melbourne. Photo: Faez Muhammad Taib
If reports of celebrities’ diva demands, bad behaviour and public meltdowns are getting you down, a recent online thread is here to restore your faith in humanity.
On Wednesday, a user on internet forum Reddit started a thread asking people to identify the celebrities who are “genuinely nice”.
Firsthand accounts of surprisingly pleasant encounters with the rich and famous poured in.
Among the names that continually reappeared on the list of Hollywood’s nicest were Tom Hanks (who’s been known to do the Forrest Gump wave at fans), Keanu Reeves and, most unexpectedly, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
Here are the other celebrities who were notably lovely – from the unsurprising to the entirely shocking.
Taylor Swift
The thread was awash with stories of Taylor Swift’s charitable acts and compassion towards her fans.
“I wasn’t even a fan until I met her,” one user admitted, recalling one backstage run-in with the singer.
“[She] came around to everyone there and spent a few minutes talking with each person. You can tell she genuinely cares about her fans.”
Another recalled going to a job interview at their local children’s hospital: “[I] was told one of the most frequent visitors there was Taylor Swift. Made me appreciate her.”
Matthew McConaughey
Actor Matthew McConaughey was similarly beloved.
One man had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of sharing a spa with a naked McConaughey while on honeymoon in Hawaii.
“I was sitting in the hot tub at the spa and I hear his unmistakable southern drawl. Next thing I know, he is wading in to the hot-tub…. naked,” the user recalled.
“[W]e ended up having a 10 minute conversation, he was the nicest guy, so down to earth. We talked about what I do, some of the movies he was considering at the time, and then he wished me congratulations on my marriage.
“He introduced us to Penelope Cruz [his girlfriend at the time] and shared the info that we were just married.”
“The rest of the trip, he would give me a head nod or say ‘what’s up’ when we passed each other.”
Bill Murray
“I met Bill Murray once and asked for a picture,” one Reddit user posted.
“He responded with ‘Who the hell do you think you are?’. I kind of had a shocked look on [my] face and he finally told me he was kidding, gave me a handshake/bro-hug and took a picture with me.”
Bill Murray shares an ice cream with fans. Photo: CVT Soft Serve
Sarah Jessica Parker
The notoriously private Sex and the City star is apparently very keen for a chat with strangers.
“Ran into her in a deli in NYC,” one post recounted. “Me and my work partner were in uniform on break sitting down having breakfast. We are city workers. She started a conversation with us. Even signed stuff for us. I’ve met quite a few celebs in NYC … She was by far the nicest.”
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Despite his reputation for being difficult, rapper Kanye West is apparently a gentleman and a mild-mannered person.
One user who worked as security for West and his wife, Kim Kardashian, called them “terribly nice”.
“Kanye was quiet and reserved,” he said, calling Kardashian “the sweetest lady ever”.
“She asked about my military career and seemed genuinely interested.
“Fantastic lady and I hate every time I see people hating on her.”
Harrison Ford
One fan described Harrison Ford as “stupidly handsome and taller than I thought”.
“[He] came to my lab to do research for a movie role. Super inquisitive and very respectful of our time.
“The one thing we were told beforehand was to not ask him about Star Wars or Indiana Jones. I had a hard time with that one.”
Chris Hemsworth
Thor star Chris Hemsworth was also widely beloved.
“He’s even more beautiful in person,” one Redditor revealed.
“I worked 12 hour days with him and he would crack jokes during downtime and was incredibly nice and accommodating to his fans.”