We asked the BuzzFeed Community about their wholesome encounters with celebrities, and man oh man, were they delightful as heck. Here's what they had to say:
Note: Some stories were pulled from this Reddit thread by user
u/LeCrowing and this Reddit thread by user u/Kdial2002.
Disclaimer: We can't confirm 100% of these stories, but some of these people are supposedly speaking from their own experiences meeting celebrities.
"I work at a restaurant in New York City, and the first time I served Margot Robbie, I treated her like a normal person. I didn't acknowledge that she was famous or anything like that (although she is probably my number-one crush of all time). I was really nervous to even talk to her, to be quiet honest. Margot and her [now husband] were EXTREMELY personable — we talked a bit about the Rangers. She paid the bill, left a very generous tip, and told me I created an outstanding dining experience and asked if they could talk to my manager. It was one of the biggest compliment boosts of my life. They come back, and I wait on them often — I would nearly consider us friends now, as we are on a first-name basis."
2. Gene Wilder
"When I was a kid (around 2 or 3 years old), I often saw an old man at a grocery store with a small, white dog. The man came up to me one day and handed me a basket. He said I could walk the dog while filling up the basket with candy, which he later paid for. This became a routine whenever I saw this man at the grocery store — walk the dog and get candy. The man was Gene Wilder — I got candy from Willy Wonka himself."
3. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
"I have to vouch for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. I met him at a Walmart when I was 11. I saw him in the home and garden section, I said something dumb like: 'Whoa, the Rock!' He was dressed in one of those $500 shirts with fancy glasses. He turned, took the glasses off, raised his eyebrow, and said: 'What are you looking at, jabroni?' then started laughing and shook my hand."
"In 2013, my sister and I got to be extras in the James Brown biopic movie Chadwick Boseman starred in (it was filmed in Jackson, Mississippi, near us). We were shooting the scene where he sits on a doorstep and gives the kids toys on Christmas (thus, we got to see Chadwick Boseman and shake his hand). He gave all the kids candy and stuffed animals, and was really sweet and shy. He was surprisingly timid for being a celebrity — he seemed to not like the attention. This encounter hurts differently after his death — he was a legendary actor."
5. Lady Gaga
"I used to bartend in New York City when Lady Gaga was still doing her indie cabaret electronica act (hula hooping, setting hairspray on fire, etc.), and she was always the best. Some of the performers in that scene were real pains in the ass, but she was genuinely wonderful to work with. I didn't understand her act at all, but she remembered everyone's name, always gave a proper thank you to everyone at the bar, and was respectful and friendly while still a real pro."
"Once Lady Gaga gave me a huge hug, listened to me, and genuinely thanked me for my support. She had someone from her team come over to look at my homemade outfit that was based on one of her outfits."
6. Jessica Alba
"I met Jessica Alba when I was working in Whistler in 2006 (I was a concierge at the Four Seasons hotel and worked in the rental shop). On the fourth day of her stay, she came into the shop in tears and told us her snowboard had just been stolen — she said someone must've recognized her while she was putting it on the rack, and grabbed it when she went inside. After letting her know that we could only give her a new board to use for the rest of her stay that was essentially identical to the one she had, she calmed down and was super chatty. She asked where I was from (Australia), how long I had been working at the Four Seasons, and where she should go to potentially buy another board. My friend ran the women’s department of the biggest snowboard shop in town, so I recommended she go there to buy new gear. She came back two days later with a new setup and gave a huge thanks with a $100 tip — she was a top bird."
7. Taylor Swift
"I met Taylor Swift at the Reputation celebration release party. She ran over to hug me as soon as I walked in the room to meet her. She was so kind! I opened up to her about how much her music has helped me, and she proceeded to call me an angel, and then listened and talked to me about my anxiety."
8. Tommy Chong
"I smoked a joint with Tommy Chong. The tip of the forefinger of his smoking hand touched the tip of the thumb of my smoking hand as we passed it. I was really touched. :) A friend of mine was playing backup in his band (Tommy plays electric guitar and sings blues — sometimes solo — and sometimes with a hired band). We were up in Tommy's dressing room after a comedy gig. His first joke was: 'Wow, you sure have some good fucking weed up here, and I should know — I brought it.'"
9. Aretha Franklin
"Aretha Franklin let me cut in front of her in a checkout line at Walmart in the middle of the night when only one register was open. Aretha and her entourage were buying sodas, and this Walmart was the only 24-hour store near the Mohegan Sun where she had just performed. She saw that I had my normal groceries, and because I would have been waiting behind her whole group for a long time, she offered me the chance to go first."
10. Samuel L. Jackson
"Samuel L. Jackson was hands down one of the kindest and sweetest people I have ever encountered. In the '90s, he ran a celebrity golf tournament a few times — when I was 12, I remember asking him if I could bother him for an autograph. His response — word for word — has stayed with me every day since: 'Sweetie, don't ever apologize for wanting to talk to me or ask for my autograph — I wouldn't have a job if it wasn't for you!' He gave me a sweet smile and hug (with an autograph, of course). I'm 36 now, and still feel like he's one of the most gentle and true spirits I have ever come across."
11. Julia Roberts
"When I was little, my dad was playing with me in a pool on vacation, and the woman next to him was playing with her child as well. He noticed that the woman gradually started to approach him and clearly wanted to engage with us. She eventually made her way over, and her child and I played together that afternoon. We later found out that woman was actually Julia Roberts! I'm so glad we didn't know it was her and treated her like a normal human being (which she is, of course). It's too bad that celebrities are often forced to keep to themselves."
12. Ricky Martin
"Ricky Martin came in to an outdoor furniture store I worked at in Miami — he was slightly disguised (wearing a hat, sunglasses, and beard). The only other customers in the store had a young daughter who recognized him immediately — he took the time to talk and take photos with the young fan. I can only imagine the excitement of an 8-year-old girl around the peak of 'Livin' la Vida Loca' meeting Ricky Martin in such a quiet and personal environment. He was a super nice guy — I couldn't find him the double outdoor chaise lounge he wanted, but he wasn't mad at me."
13. Madonna
"In 1989, teenage me was learning to rollerblade in Central Park — I hadn't mastered stopping yet, so I usually just crashed into something stationary or threw myself on the ground. Well, I was trying to move out of the path of a biker and fell into two joggers, one of whom turned out to be Madonna. She was very sweet, she brushed off my apologies, and she reminded me to always wear my helmet."
14. Amy Poehler
"I sat next to Amy Poehler on a flight from NYC to LA, and funnily enough, Aziz Ansari was sitting in front of us. She wanted to mess with him because he didn't know she was sitting behind him — he thought it was me messing with him, and looked annoyed until he realized Amy was there. She also made small talk with me during the whole flight, and she seemed so genuine and nice."
15. Donald Glover/Childish Gambino
"It was at the Rock the Bells festival, and I saw Donald Glover/Childish Gambino watching a performer on stage at the side of the pit with his guitarist Ludwig. I went over and called his name (there was a barricade between the pit and the path where the artists walked). He came over, took off his sunglasses, shook my hand, and asked me what my name was. I didn't want to be a huge bother, so I was just planning on asking for a picture. Instead, he proceeded to ask me questions about the festival, like who I was most excited to see (I thought it was really cool that he was interested in carrying some conversation). In the end, I asked to take a picture with him, and he offered to take it for me. It's my favorite picture ever — he's a really cool dude, and has the softest hands."
16. Malcolm McDowell
"Malcolm McDowell was super awesome. I worked at a small FBO airport, and he flew in. I was recently obsessed with A Clockwork Orange. So when he came over to introduce himself, my dumb ass said: 'How's the wine?!' He started laughing uncontrollably for a minute or two, and said NO ONE had ever quoted that to him. We spent about 30 minutes talking about the film — he's such a great dude."
17. Nelson Mandela
"Nelson Mandela had a Christmas party every year at his house for the less-fortunate children in the area where he grew up. My dad worked for Coca-Cola, and they sponsored free stuff for the kids — so, my family would always get invited. He was very nice and always gave me ice cream — I even called him uncle Nelson."
18. Beyoncé
"My friend was super nervous and panicked when she met Beyoncé, so Bey held her hand until she felt OK."
19. And Ryan Gosling
"Ryan Gosling paid for my parking on Hollywood Boulevard once (we had parked in the same parking lot). He was leaving as we were arriving, and I struck up a conversation with him real quick. He asked where I was from and why I was there/who I was with (I was on spring break with nine friends, and we had two cars between us). He said, 'Don't worry about parking today, man, I'll cover you all for the weekend. Have a fun spring break!' It was so cool — he is JUST as nice in real life as you think he would be."
Note: Some stories have been edited for length and/or clarity.