A few days ago I had an interesting conversation at a party. I was with a bunch of jaded "Hollywood types"...the people who are in the background making the machinery run, and the subject of meeting people you idolize came up. I can't remember any of the specific names they mentioned, but the bottom line was many times celebrities are assholes when you meet them in person.
I was happily able to add my two cents that I know of one celebrity who has NEVER been an asshole in person, and I've had the opportunity to meet him more than once.
The first time I met Chris Jericho was in 2005, Wrestlemania weekend. I stood in line behind a Toys R Us with a bunch of people and was ushered into his presence for all of a minute, but he was incredibly nice, and even joked with me as I handed him my right hand to shake instead of my left. After that giddy meeting my friend and I sat on a curb outside to watch, and the line was cut off. Right as the last people were finally getting inside, a Toys R Us employee came over to us and offered to get us into the line, even though it was cut off. This just added to the good kharma of the day. We declined, but we waited to see Jericho leave.
There were lots of angry peeps that tried to cluster around him as they'd arrived too late to be in line, and he was gracious and pleasant to many of them, signing more autographs before he was whisked away.
In 2006 I had the opportunity to meet him again, after a Groundlings show. I stood there in front of the theater with a whole cluster of people, and watched him take his time to talk to everyone who was there waiting. Not just a "Hi, thanks for coming" but a conversation. Real conversations, I watched him listening. When it was eventually our turn, I let my friend do most of the talking, but as he walked away he said, "What were your names again?"...and it wasn't said "in passing."
We went for a Groundlings show a week later, and this time he politely told us he couldn't stick around, but very graciously agreed to take a picture with me. All in all we talked with him after five different Groundlings show. Sometimes it was a longer conversation, other times not, but every time he was courteous. Who can ever forget having Chris Jericho come up to you from behind, interrupt your conversation and say, "Hey you guys, how was your Christmas?"
In November of 2007 I went to have my Lion's Tale book signed, and I hadn't seen him in nine months, but as I approached the table, he looked up and said, "I know you." Clearly, Chris Jericho has a good memory for faces. He didn't remember my name, but he again was so outgoing as he signed my book, and I had a mini mental meltdown where all I could think in my head was "Oh my God...he remembers me!"
I didn't have another opportunity to meet him again until this year in January. Now more than three years had gone by, and I was sure he wouldn't remember us! My friend and I got VIP passes to see him at the Whisky-A-Go-Go, and in a strange sort of deja vu, we were standing on the sidewalk in front of the club when we first saw him, quite reminiscent of the Groundlings days. He walked past us, looked at me first, then my friend, there was a moment of recognition and then he said "Hey you guys." I was speechless, that was exactly how he used to greet us in the Groundlings days. No time to talk then, but later after we got inside he said to me, "Don't I know you from somewhere?"
Seriously, this wasn't smoke and mirrors. Later we had a heart to heart, Chris and I, where he gave me good advice about ignoring criticism from fans.
These are just my own personal experiences, but I've heard of many other times that Jericho was the opposite of a typical celebrity with his fans. I listened to an Eddie Trunk show one time when a girl called in, clearly clueless about heavy metal music, and the rest of the crew ridiculed her while he was kind to her. I heard from the webmistress at Ohio Valley Wrestling one time about how he made a special effort to see a fan who hadn't had the chance to see him when everyone esle did.
Chris Jericho is not a typical celebrity, and I for one, am glad.
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