How to Meet a Famous Person

Last Updated: February 3, 2023

Famous people are usually like regular folk in almost every way. Unless the fame and fortune has really gone to their head, they are human beings and think and feel like others do. Even in knowing that however, the prospect of meeting a famous person can be both nerve-wracking and very exciting. Whether you're already set to meet a schedule, or simply want to brush shoulders with the elite, there are certain things you should know before interacting with a famous person.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Crossing Paths With Famous People

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Consider your location. Location is everything. If you want to maximize your chances of running into celebrities, it's important to consider where you live and how likely famous people are to frequent your neighbourhood. Cultural hubs like Los Angeles, New York and London are far better-suited to meeting celebrities than any small town.
- The majority of working actors and actresses live in places like Beverly Hills or West Hollywood.
- Check online to see if there are any places in your city where celebrities are known to hang out.
- Even if you're already living in a right city to meet somebody famous, you should consider the spots you frequent. Different environments will attract different kinds of famous people, but ritzy environments like nightclubs and fancy restaurants are the most likely place to run into celebrities.
2
Get involved in something that brings you close to celebrities. Think of the kinds of people that brush shoulders with famous people on a regular basis. Media and field-specific professionals (like film set crew etc.) are used to dealing with celebrities because it's part of their job to do so. If you're interested in meeting a famous person, you might try getting involved in something that will put you on the front lines. Start a webzine, and try to get press passes into media events. Send requests to press agents to interview celebrities. Depending on the level of fame the person has, your chances of getting a response may be low.
- Doing something like this will make your interaction with a celebrity much more fluid and natural than if you were approaching them purely as a fan.
- Many celebrities use their fame to advance pet causes they are personally passionate about. For instance, you might show an interest in the VIP's charity of choice and volunteer time into it. This will immediately offer common ground between the two of you with which to build a mutually respectful relationship.
- It might help to get involved with a charity—a lot of successful and wealthy people love to give back.
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3
Attend a meet n' greet. Meet n' greets are specifically there for fans to meet their idols, and vice-versa. Although you won't likely have a lot of time to talk to the celebrity in question, its still a controlled and relatively certain way of meeting a famous person you respect. If you do end up chatting, make sure it's convenient for the celebrity.^{[1]
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- Check online for scheduled appearances. Most celebrities have a webpage that will catalogue or list all of their public appearances. If your availability permits, you might try going to one of them.
- Touring bands often have meet n' greets prior to going on stage. n the case of bands, you can sometimes purchase VIP ticket packages to meet the musicians before the performance as well. VIP packages tend to be significantly more expensive than regular tickets, so weigh the benefits and whether or not the cost is worth it to you.
4
Send your celebrity mail. Even if meeting the celebrity in person is out of the question at the moment, you can still send an email letting him know you respect his work and achievements. Given that the schedules of famous people don't allow much time for dawdling, it's important to keep your email relatively brief.^{[2]
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Research source} State briefly who you are and what you do, followed by a short body of the message where you'll speak your piece.
- Don't get bogged down in detail. An excessively long email will probably be deleted before it's ever read.
- If your email leaves room for the possibility of a response, don't hold your breath. Even if the person gets around to responding, it may be weeks or even months before a proper response gets through.
5
Meet a celebrity through a mutual acquaintance. Just like anyone else, the best way to meet a famous person is via a mutual friend. If you're meeting the VIP through someone they already respect, it will bode well for the way they react towards you. More importantly, you'll be meeting the celebrity on relatively equal grounds compared to the imbalanced fan interaction he is probably used to.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Acting Around a Famous Person

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Maintain your composure. Most famous people will react in a fairly predictable manner if someone is going nuts over them. Unless the celebrity in question is a total diva, chances are she isn't going to want to have a fuss made over her. If you are talking to a famous person, your best bet is to interact with them much as you would with a regular person you have respect for.
- If you don't think you can meet this person without bursting into hysterics, it's probably best to hold off on meeting the person altogether.
2
Treat the celebrity as you would anyone else.^{[4]
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Research source} Although it depends on their level of fame, famous people tend to be used to people sucking up to them or going nuts at their mere presence. If you stay calm and act towards them like you would anyone else, they will feel soothed by your presence. Act as you regularly would. If you're not focused so much on the fact that you're in the presence of a celebrity, the interaction will turn out much more fluidly.
3
Remember to be polite. If the famous person you are talking to has been featured in tabloids lately, it's probably not a good idea to bring that up. In fact, it is best that you try to steer clear of anything of a potentially inflammatory nature. Although it may be celebrity gossip to everyone else, this person has a life, and he may not want to talk about it, especially with someone he's just met.
- On the topic of politeness, you should ask before taking pictures. While it might feel very important for you to get a souvenir of the occasion, snapping a photograph is really inconsiderate.
- Politeness includes not interrupting a conversation between the celebrity and someone else. While you may be desperate to get an inch in, it's not gong to do anything to get you in the VIP's good graces.^{[5]
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Add your two cents to the conversation.^{[6]
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Research source} Most people approach meeting a celebrity as a one-sided ordeal. While it indeed may be more special to meet someone you've only seen before in newspapers or films, that doesn't mean the conversation should be all about the celebrity. Don't be afraid to give your opinions. Comment on things that have nothing to do with the fact that the person you're talking to happens to be famous. Not only will you feel empowered by sharing your opinions with a celebrity; the celebrity himself is also bound to get a lot more out of the conversation.
- If you want to have some kind of lasting relationship with this person, there needs to be mutual respect. That means you have to take your interactions to a higher level than simple fandom.^{[7]
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5
Know when to say goodbye. Keeping celebrities' tight schedules in mind, the last thing you want to do is hog up their time. In some cases, a celebrity may be too polite than to tell you he needs to get out of there. You should bear their time in mind, and don't keep them occupied more than would seem appropriate.
- When it comes time to say goodbye, extend your hand and give them a warm greeting as you would with anyone else. Treating someone with warmth and compassion will leave a big impression. That rings true regardless whether someone is famous or not.

Expert Q&A

Question

How can a regular person date a celebrity?

Alessandra Conti
Celebrity Matchmaker & Dating Coach
Alessandra Conti is a Celebrity Matchmaker, Dating Coach, and Co-Founder of Matchmakers In The City, a personal Matchmaking firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Alessandra is a Matchmaker behind MTV's, “Are You The One”, and is the go-to Celebrity Matchmaker for shows like NBC's Access Hollywood, and CBS's Face The Truth. Her dating and relationship advice has been featured on Forbes, Elite Daily, The New Yorker, The LA Times, and Fox News. For nearly 10 years, Alessandra has worked with clients ranging from celebrities to young professionals and leads a team of matchmakers responsible for hundreds of marriages through their knowledge of interpersonal relationships, body language, and lie detection. She holds a BA in Communications from American University and is a Matchmaking Institute Certified Matchmaker (CMM).

Alessandra Conti

Celebrity Matchmaker & Dating Coach

Expert Answer

Don't try to seek out someone just because they're a celebrity. Instead, approach dating from the perspective of meeting someone who's passionate about their career. From there, focus on getting in the proximity of where that type of person lives (like LA or New York).

Warnings

Don't let your love of celebrities go too far. Everyone's heard the horror stories about stalkers harassing celebrities. Despite the glamour, they are human beings as well, and should be considered with respect as such.

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Be realistic about your chances. Famous people tend to have very tight schedules.

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Famous people are very used to people wanting to meet them, and they're usually very busy. Don't take it personally if you're brushed off or if the celebrity is somehow rude to you. It's very possible of you just caught him on a bad day.

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