Ever been starstruck?

Harry Potter movies are on the Cartoon Network. I've seen them all, some more than others. And of course, I've read all the books. J.K. Rowling did a marvelous job creating the characters, and just reading the books, her words painted a vivid picture in your head.

However, I have to hand it to Warner Bros, which produced the movie versions, for finding the right actors to portray the beloved characters. Eight books later, the image in your head of Harry, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley will always be of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Glint.

Which brings me to what I actually want to write about: feeling starstruck when face-to-face with someone extremely popular. I am taking off from an article where Filipino actor JC Santos recounted his experience running into Daniel Radcliffe when he was in the US.

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JC said Daniel asked how to find a pharmacy. So enthralled was he seeing Harry Potter in the flesh (never mind that he was way, way older then and no longer a boy), that he stammered in reply "Do you want me to take you there?" And he ended up escorting the actor to his destination, all the while speechless, then keeping him company as Daniel did his groceries.

Lucky guy, yeah? And the envy of many who read his anecdote and are fans of the Harry Potter actor.

I am sure that running into celebrities, especially the big-name ones, will have most people familiar with them, either giddy or tongue-tied. There's that effect of seeing them in your face without a movie or television screen separating you and it can be quite heady.

Have there ever been moments when I got starstruck? I can't quite call it that. Feeling the jitters, yes. But never in fan-girling mode, even if it was someone I really admired or looked up to.

And every time I hear of, or read about, anecdotes of people freezing up or getting fluttery in the stomach after encountering celebrities or important personalities, I can't help but think why I don't feel the same under similar circumstances.

At the top of my head is having covered presidents - three, in fact - and sitting across them, asking them questions, or just being around them when they don't wear their head-of-state hats. That can be pretty intimidating yet enjoyable as well. But since not everyone has that privilege, I'd like to think that's a feather on my cap, however edgy I may have felt at times.

Meanwhile, working in a newspaper, there have been several occasions of being around or introduced to celebrities who visit the office, and seeing them up-close somehow diminishes the glitter of their star and you just see people, whose jobs require them to be glamorous.

And to their credit, the more esteemed the celebrity the more ordinary they behave when people aren't fawning over them. So, that's probably one reason that keeps me from going all out as a fan. I see them as regular folks, like me and you, just well-dressed and made up.

Truth be told, I ended up more elated receiving answers to experimental fan mail I sent out as a teenager, even when the celebrity responding wasn't necessarily one I was a fan of. (The point of that experiment was to see who among celebrities reply to fan mail, and if they replied personally or sent out some generic, machine-generated response.)

Having rubbed elbows with important people (one of my favorites is being personally served by the Speaker of the House of Representatives with pasta he actually cooked for journalists, and later scooping more on my plate while he regaled us with stories), it kind of takes away the being starstruck or awed with VIPs and celebrities.

Besides, whenever I happen to be around popular actors or performers, my brain shifts to observation mode. And save for one or two actors who looked like they wanted to attract people's attention, most just go about their business, either trying to be incognito or not caring at all if people stare at them. I do appreciate those who take time to oblige a fan or two with a photo or autograph (that's from long ago when mobile phones were non-existent), and taking time to chat, however briefly.

I have also been around celebrities, who wear the badge all the time, and I don't much care for that, however skilled or talented they are. I appreciate those who do not behave like they were popular or think they are despite their achievements.

So, I am still waiting for that starstruck moment. And I really don't know who that person would be that will make me feel that way. But the more relatable the person, the more normal they present themselves, the more it makes me want to meet them.

Images from Unsplash (except with source cited)