I met Olivia Colman, otherwise known as Sophie from Peep Show, on Charing Cross Road late last night. She stopped me to ask for directions. It was a little surreal – her talking to me exactly as she always has, only suddenly without the anticipated medium of a television screen. As I stared back at her I couldn’t help but become very conscious of a somehow bitter and cynical internal monologue I wasn’t previously aware of.
She was very nice though, particularly as I couldn’t help with her directions and then perhaps slightly perplexed her by asking for a hug.
I like it. I think asking ‘celebrities’ for hugs is the way forward. But I’d draw the line at Britney. I wouldn’t want to get nits.
Did you get your hug? What was it like. With the last chap on the Britney
thing. Did you know that’s the reason she shaved all her hair off?
Crawling with them.
You did well, as the golden rule with celebrities is: always ask a question, never make a statement. Asking for a hug seems perfectly appropriate. A question opens a welcome door to one or two simple exchanges before tedium well and truly sets in. Statements don’t provide much levity, and to avoid controversy, the erudite will demur from comment. It should be cited that the George Michael approach, whilst short-circuiting these conventions, can leave one with the feeling of having bitten off more than one can chew.