Here is how our convo went:
Tiff: I read the Emerald City Comic Con Outlander SamCait meet up was $500. Is that true
Bekah: I have no idea, but for pics, autographs, ability to smell Sam, that sounds like an fair price.
Heidi: As an actor, I wouldn’t think twice about taking the money. They earn it with the prom poses.
Beth: All that touching!
Tiff: Yeah they are basically well paid animals in a petting zoo
Beth: Also those pics are taken so fast – like people are rushed through and pay A TON for the pic so you know that the talent makes ???
Tiff: It’s pretty humiliating to meet a celebrity this way
Beth: I don’t think it’s humiliating. I’ve never done it but I sure AF wish I HAD done it w Carrie Fisher at NYCC bc … now I can’t
Bekah: We posted a recap of a TN reader’s experience meeting Sam and Caitriona. It’s pretty detailed. She waited around ALL day.. only ate a few things for breakfast, never peed, just waited. and waited. and waited
I would do it in a HEARTBEAT for someone I was “blah” about. But someone I REALLY want to meet…? No
Tiff: Oh my god! Literally no one is worth that much of my time to me
Bekah: Oh I’m sorry.. I’d do it for FREE in a heartbeat. Yeah no i’d not pay even $100 for anyone. Honestly.
But….this is coming from someone who has a chance to see/speak/interact with celebs because of my job. So maybe if I didn’t…. I would feel differently
Tiff: Maybe if I lived in Bible times I’m not sure if I’d do that to meet Jesus. I’d be like meh I’ll meet him in heaven.
Heidi: I would do it to meet Obama.
Tiff: Like meet Obama or stand next to him for 3 seconds for a picture?
Heidi Herbert: Same thing
Tiff: I might do it to spend time with him but not to take a picture real quick
Bekah: hmmm Obama is a good one. I’d love to meet Obama. I hope Obama starts doing Comic Cons
Heidi: That’s how it was when I met Michelle and Jill Biden. (But free because of my husband’s job). It’s a Piece of history.
Bekah: you did a paid photo op?*
And ever since that conversation, I’ve tried hard to think of who I might pay for a photo op with. Who is worth the funny prom pose embarrassment? Who do I want memorialized in a $350 photo I may never bring out from its hiding place under my bed?
Here is a list of who you MAY think is an obvious choice for me and my thoughts on each:
Robert Pattinson
You might assume I’d want my 15 seconds of memories with Rob Pattinson, not while carrying a cardboard cut out of him to a premiere:
or asking him hard hitting questions about his career:
Isn’t it time I have a real life Bekah-Robert moment together on camera for me to make as my Facebook profile picture on December 8, 2018 with the caption FULL CIRCLE as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the launch of LettersToRob.com?
No.
I’ve stood in line and had to pee for hours waiting for a glimpse of Rob. I’ve gotten blisters on my feet because I wore new heels and waited for a Rob-event in the LA cold in a tiny dress for longer than it takes to gestate a vampire-human hybrid. I have blurry pictures of Rob getting in and out of black SUVs, plus bonus photos of his dad shoving tiny egg rolls into his mouth at an after party.
I’ve spent enough time on the likes of Robert Pattinson (But I’d carry a half-naked cardboard cut out of him around Downtown LA again in a heartbeat.)
A Female Hero
The fact that I’ve titled this section “A Female Hero” should clue you in to the fact that, I can’t even think of one. Sure, Michelle Obama is great. I appreciate Sheryl Sandberg and the Lean-In movement, even more so after her beautiful words about the passing of her husband. Malala Yousafzai is one of the most incredible young women doing great work today, and I’m a big fan of Cheryl Strayed (the author of Wild which I haven’t read or seen) and her work on Dear Sugar Radio. But for all the incredible women who have impacted me (and there are so many more, non-famous incredible ladies), there are zero I’d want to pay to meet in a short, rushed through a line for a photo, kind of way.
Leonardo DiCaprio in 1996
This Leo DiCaprio:
Back in 1996, I would’ve done ANYTHING to meet Leo and have him fall in love with me. Well, anything other than spend money on a photo op or autograph session. I don’t know what it is in my personality, but I am always concerned I’m going to be embarrassed or humiliated in some way. It’s gotten better as I’ve gotten older and realized that being overly cautious means I’m taking less risks, but for my dreamboat (circa 1996-1999) I would have NEVER met him under any circumstance that wasn’t us meeting serendipitously at a cafe called Serendipity in NYC (which would have been my fantasy had the movie been out before 2001)
Stevie Nicks
I love Fleetwood Mac, and Rumours is my favorite album of all time. But the idea of ruining my love for the band by hanging out with Stevie Nicks for 20 seconds in a convention hall sounds TERRIBLE. I’d much rather join a boy band as a teen, dodge rumors of bisexuality for years, be the subject of some beautiful songs by a popular American drama-Queen songstress, start a solo career, completely reinventing myself and then invite Stevie Nicks on stage during my secret LA show to sing a few duets.
So that’s me. Musicians, Hot actors, Women, even the owner of Meowingtons.com, there is no one I would pay for an opportunity to meet, even for a memory or a funny, quirky photo. Does that mean I don’t have enough celeb-type heroes that have made a big impact on me? Is this a good thing? Is it because I’m really bad at pop culture?
What about you? Who would you pay for a photo op with?
*I never got my answer from Heidi. DON’T LEAVE US HANGING, HEIDI
