25 Celebs That Surprised People By How Genuine And Down-To-Earth They Are

We are familiar enough with celebrities to know that most of them have a big ego and can be rather rude to others. Even if they have humble beginnings the sudden access to fame, money and power can change even the most down-to-earth individuals. These superstars usually live a different life to us ordinary folks but on occasion, people do have the chance to cross paths with an A-List star. Scroll below to read people’s honest reactions to these encounters and which celebrities they deemed as the nicest upon meeting them in real life.

#1 Paul Rudd - ended being one of the last people in the line at C2E2. They were literally turning lights off in the convention center. He stood up and said not to worry that he was gonna meet all of us.

Image source: HollywoodHalo560, Red Carpet Report on Ming/flickr When we got up to him he was great, shook both my wife’s hand and then mine, he got very excited that he was autographing a CrapBag friends mug and told me it was the best thing he signed all day. Wrote out a line from the episode and signed it. Then we asked if he would do us a favor, and he said anything. We asked him to do the air piano from the one of the episodes for our other family members who had been waiting on us in the half dark. He cracked a huge smile, stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and air piano-ed perfectly! We thanked him and he shook our hands again and thanked us for waiting. It was just awesome and he really was just amazingly nice.

#2 A friend went to a charity thing and the name card beside her said "Jack Black" and she said "how cool would it be if it was the real Jack Black"(we are in a different country to him) Then she hears someone behind her say "cool indeed" .... it was Jack Black

Image source: anon, Raph_PH/flickr

#3 Adam Savage!

Image source: libbillama, Gage Skidmore/flickr My husband and I went to a cocktail party that he was hosting as part of the convention package that we bought and we went and chatted with him for about 10 or so minutes. We ended up bonding over being makers -my husband and I both cosplay, but it's mostly me making stuff for him to wear, although he does happily help when he's able for other things like 3d printing and whatnot- and also hearing aids. I'm Deaf, and so we were discussing what we love about our hearing aids and how much the technology has improved over the years. He's so passionate about creating and making and his joy is infectious and tangible. It's something we have in common; I love talking to people about the things they are passionate about, and so it was great having a conversation with someone who shares that trait.

#4 I met Henry at a con. Instead of standing behind a table and singing without talking, he walked up and down the line talking to you before you even got to the table.

Image source: minnick27, Foreign, Commonwealth/flickr At the table he gives you a minute to pick which of the hundred or so pictures you want him to sign, which is when he works the line. He pretty much ignored me and talked to my daughter the whole time. In line he got down and did a magic trick for her. When we took the picture he was hugging her. Then he turned her around and said, "every once in a while you meet someone special and I am so glad I met you." Scripted line, but damn if it didn't make me tear up. Then he asked if he could have a hug and she practically leapt into his arms. It will always be one of my favorite celebrity moments

#5 I can vouch for Ian McKellan - he was an absolute angel to a very excited stage teen at the stage door of a broadway play he did with Patrick Stewart some years back.

Image source: feetofire, Pete Birkinshaw/flickr The kid told asked him if he’d received the letter he’d sent Ian at the interval and the good man said “yes”, patiently listened to the kid and was generous with his time and kindness. Kid and stage mum (and all of us who witnessed this) were big fans. Patrick Stewart and Billy Crudup were there too and they just did the blank faced signings and buggered off.

#6 Dolly Parton has been the nicest celebrity that I ever met. She even aggressively pulls you in for a hug. Making sure you’re all tight with her in a picture. A lot of stars don’t want you to even look at them. She complemented me on my hair and make up. I told her that I do hair and she said that “I can tell you do a real good job.” ❤️❤️❤️ LOVE HER!

Image source: TexturedEdge, pipilongstockings/flickr

#7 I met Angelina Jolie through my aunt's work and she was the nicest, most kind person you could imagine.

Image source: MessagefromA, Gage Skidmore/flickr I was a dorky teen, admitting to her that I wanted to be an archeologist because of her part in Lara Croft and that I thought the movie was so cool, yada yada... She probably thought I'm a weirdo but she took so much time out of her day to have a conversation with a twelve year old girl and she was super kind about it. She took a photo with me and told me to always be inspired by what I want to achieve. Such a cool moment, I'll always remember that.

#8 Rachel McAdams is by far the nicest celebrity I’ve met.

Image source: BuzRaho, Gage Skidmore/flickr We were sat next to each other in the audience at the taping of a reality competition show (she was a celebrity audience guest, I was just the next person over lol) and I was a MASSIVE fan at the time. This was 14 or so years ago but peak Notebook and Mean Girls fame. I told her what a fan I was and then as a 16 year old boy kind of blacked out lol. Later as we were leaving the building she ran up to say hi and remembered my name and walked back to my family’s car with us, took a photo with me, and then hugged and said goodbye. She was just SO genuinely nice.

#9 Bryan Cranston. I was the last person in line at a meet and greet event. He engaged with everyone with a genuine smile. Took a moment to chat with everyone. I said, "It's great to meet you Dr. Watley." and he had a good chuckle. We took a photo together and he grabbed me firmly by the shoulder. Good dude.

Image source: loose_lucid_elusive4, Philip Romano/wikimedia

#10 The late Debbie Reynolds was one fabulous babe with a wicked sense of humour, who at 80 years old and just recovering from a broken leg, still had the energy of someone half her age.

Her daughter, the late Carrie Fisher, was rather standoffish with most of the crew - until she learned I had worked with her mom for six weeks and adored her. After that, it was like we had been friends for years. Image source: theartfulcodger

#11 Robert Downey Jr. I had the privilege of taking care of a family member of his at a hospital back when I was a nurse.

Image source: Otherwise_Ad2804, Gage Skidmore/flickr He was so down to earth. Always joking. Hung out at the nurses station with us a few times and was always engaging. Ordered the entire floor In N Out for dinner one night. Never expected preferential treatment. And was there daily genuinely concerned for his family member, participating in his care dcisions , etc. just a cool dude. No assistant or better than thou attitude.

#12 Anne Hathaway. I was a cater waiter at a party hosted by Elton John once, so it was absolutely full of famous people. I was doing some restocking in the ladies toilets and a male counterpart (who didn't recognise her) asked her to grab me. She came in, introduced herself (as Annie), passed on the message, walked out with me, was just really sweet in a context where she absolutely didn't need to be. Like I wasn't a fan, I was just the staff, and she still was lovely and talked to me like an equal.

Image source: squashedorangedragon, Harald Krichel/wikimedia

#13 Olivia Newton John.

Image source: ringo5150, Eva Rinaldi/flickr She was my wife's hero/icon and we happened to be near her when she was doing a photo shoot about 14 years ago. I asked 'her people' about saying hello and they said to me 'unlikely... Olivia is working' and I accepted that and so we kind of hung around watching and trying to look cool. 15 minutes later when my wife was distracted Olivia walked over and introduced herself and we had a lovely chat.... well my wife couldn't speak so I did more of the talking. Olivia offered to pose for pictures and did not leave until she ensured we were happy with the pics. My wife met her hero that day and came away more enamoured with her. Lovely lady, RIP.

#14 Post Malone. I met him the other day and he's so sweet, he introduced himself with his actual name, and he held the door open for me to go inside the restaurant we were at.

Image source: Admirable-Treat-1114, Chrisallmeid/wikimedia

#15 Don Ameche.

Image source: Lelabear, NBC Television Admittedly I did meet him near the end of his life, but he was incredibly gracious. I was visiting my husband who was catering the movie "Things Change." Woke up at a guest cabin with no food or coffee and set out on foot in the rain to the nearest convenience store (which was quite a ways) and to my surprise a stretch limo pulled up next to me and in the back was Don Ameche! He was all decked out in fancy clothes for the shoot that day and looked marvelous. He not only gave me a ride to the store but waited until I was finished and gave me a ride back to the cabin. I've met a lot of stars in my day but he was the only one who actually made me swoon. Such a gentleman, everyone on the crew loved working with him.

#16 Gordon Ramsay.

Image source: purplepinksky, Leon Brocard/flickr I have worked on many seasons of his US shows, and I can confirm that he is one of the friendliest, sweetest, most down to earth celebrities I’ve met. Treats the entire crew with respect, and is happy to have a conversation with anyone. His turns on the temper for the cameras, but grins mischievously about it on the other side. I think that one reason he’s outlasted many other celebrity chefs is that he’s relatively easy to work with.

#17 Christian Bale

Image source: samuraiheart2398, Asim Bharwani/flickr Dad’s mate was at a film premiere (wasn’t Bale’s film but he was there) and he was stood talking to a group of people. My Dad’s mate is from Newcastle so speaks in a Geordie accent. Suddenly hears (in a joking cockney voice) “Who the hell let a f*****g Geordie in here?”. Turns around and boom, Christian Bale. Apparently he stood and talked to the group for a good 20 minutes, showing a genuine interest in them all and what they did.  

#18 I had the pleasure to meet Jeff Goldblum 3 times in my life. Sweet and fun dude.

Image source: WatercressSecure4586

#19 Julie Andrews. I spent an hour with her. She IS practically perfect in every freaking way.

Image source: llc4269

#20 Kevin Smith!

Image source: ITDONTWORKMANG, Gage Skidmore/flickr I used to work security at music venue and he came to do his podcast live. He ended up coming in a little later after the crowd got into the venue and I was the guy who had to put an artist wristband on him. He walks up saying hi to everyone around as he's walking up. He extends his hand out to get a wristband but I go to shake his hand instead. He says " nice to meet you too bud but am I getting one of those as well". After his show ended he was taking pictures with my coworkers and I wasn't able to at the time with them because I was still on the clock and in uniform. And right before he was about to leave he asked if anybody else wanted a picture. My coworkers pointed at me and I said I couldn't do it yet because I was on the clock but my manager had told me to go clock out and Kevin said " go clock out get out of uniform and I'll take a picture with you. I'm not leaving just yet so don't worry." I'll never forget that day and how genuinely nice he was to not just me but his fans clamoring around him.

#21 I used to run into Robin Williams occasionally in San Francisco and he was always nice to people who went up to talk to him. Once I was at Tower Records and two women went up to him and told him they were fans. He thanked them.

Image source: sf-o-matic, Veni/flickr They said he "sounded different than in the movies" and he told them he had two sets of vocal cords, one for movies and one for real life and they seemed to believe it. It was pretty funny. He'd also show up sometimes at a comedy club in Cole Valley and do improv with a bunch of very intimidated and scared amateurs but he didn't try to overshadow them.

#22 I am a massive fan of “Weird Al” Yankovic. I even have his signature tattooed on my leg, and a big reason for that is how nice he is. And not only that, everyone he surrounds himself with is nice.

Image source: minnick27, Kristine Slipson/wikimedia I've met him over 30 times, but one of my favorite ones was in 2019. A little backstory: in 2018 my family and I went to LA and got to see him receive his star on the Walk of Fame. We also did all the touristy things like Disneyland and studio tours. A few weeks later my 13 year old daughter was heading into class and her teacher, who was known to ask random questions at the start of class, pointed at her and said, "Best vacation you ever took?" She said we had just gone to LA and the teacher asked what she had done. She then told him that we got to see Al get his star and then go to a private party thrown by him for donors. No mention of Disney or anything else. I told Al this story and he actually got a little misty eyed and said, "You don't know how much that means to me."

#23 Years ago I worked with Jamie Lee Curtis. She's super nice and kind to everyone on set. I remember talking to her about Lindsay Lohan, back then she was still getting in trouble. They had done a movie together and she seemed genuinely worried about her. I am glad they have stayed in touch and they are apparently working together again.

Image source: Zoe_Hamm, Gage Skidmore/flickr

#24 Kevin Costner. Years ago in the mid 90's my uncle bumped into him on a run (Costner was also running) and they got to talking. Apparently super nice and down to earth however my uncle wanted to continue on, and Costner wouldn't stop chatting lol

Image source: TheHeyHeyMan, Gordon Correll/flickr

#25 I love Charles Barkley. He is so genuine and also knows that he is rich and famous bc of the fans. Ran into him more than once..he frequents a local bar and remembers everyone's name..never says no to photos. You think he'd have enough at some point and he just keeps going.. actually pretty amazing.

Image source: dtcstylez10