Pretty much all of Comicon was awesome. However, there was one thing that was decidedly not awesome, and though I had initially decided not to talk about it in public, it's bothered me since it happened, so I wrote about it on G+ earlier today.
I'm cross posting it here, though, because it's important to me:
On the way out of the Syfy party on Saturday night, a pretty horrible thing happened. I wasn't going to talk about it in public, but I can't stop thinking about it, and I think this needs to be said.
When I was a Teen Idol*, and I traveled to New York for publicity all the time, it was fairly common for a handful of super weird people to hang out all day in front of my hotel, or in the lobby of my hotel, so they could pounce on me whenever I tried to enter or leave, and demand as many autographs as they could. It was really creepy and awful, and I always hated it. It was more than a little scary. I mean, who in the world spends an entire day sitting in one place waiting for someone? Oh, I know: crazy people.
So, crazy people, pay attention: If you camp out in front of my hotel while I am on location or visiting a city, if you camp out in front of a party I'm attending … basically, if you camp out anywhere so you can shove a stack of 8x10s into my face when I'm trying to enter or leave a location, I'm not going to sign them, and I'm not going to be nice about it.
I refuse to reward or validate that kind of behavior, and I'm done being polite about it.
When we walked out of the SyFy party on Saturday night, a pack of people — probably 12 or 15, I'd guess — appeared out of nowhere, and surrounded me. They shoved pictures into my face, thrust pens at me, and made it so that I couldn't even move. They separated me from my friends and my son, and, quite frankly, terrified me.
Let's stop for a second and think about this: in what kind of world is it acceptable to surround a person you do not know, separate them from the people they are with, and essentially trap them? Maybe in crazy entitled psycho world, but not the world I live in.
I tried to scrawl my signature on a couple of things, just so some of those people would move and let me keep on walking, but whenever someone took something away, something new immediately took its place. Somehow, +Felicia Day saved me. She reached through the mob, grabbed my hand, and said, "Sorry, we have to go meet some of our friends," before the literally pulled me away, to safety.
This is when the mob lost its shit. They yelled at me like I had done something wrong. They called me names, and they booed at me. (Seriously). A woman stormed up next to me and said, "If you don't sign these things for me, I'm going to tell Twitter what an asshole you really are."
I don't respond well to threats like that. Though my instinct was to explode at her, I took a deep breath, looked her square in the eye, turned on my dad voice, and said, "Really? Are you serious? We're done here." I quickened my pace, and for the next two blocks she followed us, screaming and ranting and raving about how she'd waited there for hours, driven all the way from someplace far, and that I basically owed her as a result of her choice. I eventually tuned her out, and I guess she went back to the Syfy party to harass whoever else came out next.
The whole thing was really scary, made me feel like a sideshow freak, and made me really, really angry. I was just trying to walk out of a hotel and go meet up with my friends. I didn't do anything wrong, and I'm not going to apologize forgetting upset about it.
This is important: I realize that just about anyone reading this on my blog isn't one of Those Guys. Please don't think the "you" here refers to, you know, you.
This is also important: When your motto is "don't be a dick," a certain kind of person is vigilantly looking for moments like this when you can be accused of violating your own motto, thereby proving to the entire world that you are, in fact, a giant lying pile of shit. I'm fairly certain that reasonable people can see who the dick was in this situation, and hopefully agree that it was not me. For everyone else: go fuck yourself.**
In Dancing Barefoot, I wrote about signing autographs at conventions:
Over the years, I've learned something from this experience: it's never about the signature. It's about that brief moment, that brief encounter with a Star Trek cast member, that is so important to the fans. That 30 seconds or so of hopefully undivided attention is what they're really paying for, and I always do my best to make sure they get their money's worth. Contrary to popular belief, sitting at a table signing hundreds of autographs for several hours without a break is hard. It's not just mindlessly scrawling my name; It's stopping and listening to the always excited, sometimes shaking, always sweating, sometimes scary dude who wants to know exactly why I did “X” on episode “Y” and would I please sign his picture in silver, because Marina signed it in gold and now he wants the men in silver and the women in gold, and I hated your character and here are 25 reasons why and I expect an answer for each one of them and I'm not leaving until I'm satisfied.
The crazy people who camp out don't care about that brief moment, that brief encounter. The crazy people only care about taking a piece of $Celebrity.person and possibly selling it, or hording it, or … you know, I don't even want to think about where that path leads.But that's why they behave the way they do. It isn't about our work, or about saying "thank you" or "high-five!" or anything about that. It's about entitlement and being crazy, and I will not validate or condone that kind of behavior ever again.
I realize that a crazy person who thinks it's entirely normal and not psycho to camp out in front of a hotel for hours and hours so they can trap a person isn't going to understand why I will not validate that behavior, but I need to make this clear for the future: I'm a person. I am a human being and if you cut me I will bleed. I'm happy to sign things and take pictures with people in appropriate situations, but if some dude violates my personal space or freaks me out, and then gets mad at me when I try to get away from him, I'm not going to do anything beyond telling that person to go fuck himself, and I'm not going to feel bad about it. To paraphrase Neil Gaiman, I am not your bitch.
Finally: In before the inevitable "you're an actor and you chose this so you deserve what you get so suck it up because my life harder than yours because blah blah blah" comment (probably not here, but definitely at G+.)
*LOL.
**See? I don't even feel bad. (Well, maybe a little bit. I need to work harder on it, I suppose.)
Discover more from WIL WHEATON dot NET
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Note to self: Do not camp out at Wil’s hotel at Dragon*Con. 🙂
Seriously though, I can not understand that behavior as when I see a celeb outside of an appropriate setting to get things signed (signing table, signing session) I won’t even say hi to them for fear that they may *THINK* I am one of those crazies.
Some people just have a few screws loose I guess.
I start tonight! Tonight! Tooooonnnniiiiggghhhtttt!!! (oh … oh …)
My apologies. I didn't mean to be insensitive toward you or anyone else with mental illness.
Good on you.
I have never understood the “you’re an actor and you chose this, it’s all part of fame” argument. No one chooses to be stalked by crazy people. You chose to act because you wanted to act. You got famous because you’re good at it. You have a private life just like everyone else, and people should respect that.
THIS.
That really sucks, it’s never good when people send you in to fight or flight mode. Totally sending long distance good vibes.
I have an acquaintance that sells autographs at conventions and the one time I asked about what he does he told me how so and so always signs stuff or someone else is super rare because they rarely sign stuff.
None of this stuff makes much sense to me because what is the point of having a random person’s signature with out the amazing experience of getting to chat with said person. I also don’t genuinely understand why people sometimes just go unhinged around someone “famous”, I blame this partially on growing up around congressmen and television studios.
My favorite “why the hell are you acting that way?” moment happened when I was working in Whole Foods in Baltimore. Scott Speedman walked in to hit the salad bar and my crazy coworker started having convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and squealing “I’m going to have his babies!”
O.O
I spent most of that time laughing at her and telling her she would “so be fired from the Hollywood store”, where you are to treat everyone like valued customers, famous or no. Seems like a good rule of thumb anywhere , no? Not being the Hollywood store after a week of his post shoot visits her and a few others mobbed him a few isles over from my department. I could hear their eerie tittering, as I prepped muffins, floating over the displays. He took it with epic grace, I don’t think I would have.
Anywho, crazy people aside, glad SDCC was kick ass. The twitter updates from everyone made it look like a great time! I can hardly wait to see some of the you tube videos from w00tstock.
What a horrible situation. I hope Ryan wasn’t too freaked out. I also hope that you are able to laugh about it someday. Your response was that of a complete gentleman. You deserve your space, and these vultures were completely out of line.
That experience sounds terrifying to me. That sort of thing results in a reaction I call “crowd claustrophobia”, and I sometimes experience it just commuting to work on a packed subway car. I can’t imagine how much worse it would be if people were shoving things and shouting in my face. If you can make it to PAX East next year and want some extra enforcement by your side, just say the word. Boston’s got your back.
I’m doubly sorry that this happened after what you and Felicia have have clearly described as such a fun night, and that your son was involved. That adds an extra level of not-cool to those people’s behavior. I scowl at them virtually. I hope that someone they know will see this and give them a stern talking-to for real. (Also, I love that you used your Dad Voice on them. They seem to need more of that.)
The few times I’ve run across entertainers I enjoy “in the wild” as it were, I’ve left them alone because they were just going about their day like I was. There’s a time and a place to let the fan flag fly, but walking past [actor / singer / writer] in the park during our respective lunch breaks or whatever isn’t it.
It is a real shame that you have to deal with things like this. I promise to never be that kind of “fan” to anyone. Being a sweet mild mannered southern girl, my first instinct is to tell you to buy a rape whistle and a taser. You make a couple of weirdos wet themselves from electric shock and people will start to leave you alone. Realistically, I know this probably isn’t the best answer, but it’s kind fun to think about.
wow. that… just wow.
and i say that as a person who once saw you in portland and didn’t approach you because you were clearly with family and i didn’t want to be an annoying spaz. you’re human and should get to drink a beer without someone bothering you. you should also be able to walk down the street and not be terrified.
wow. people can suck.
Thank you. I know it’s just a word but…
Thanks for being a stand up guy.
Wil, sorry you were accosted by such a douche canoe. I vote that next year you and Felicia hire The Bloggess to accompany you to provide security. If her witty repartee doesn’t sufficiently distract them, she can tell them to shut their whore mouths. Then you can throw a metal chicken at them and run. Sounds reasonable.
My brother and I were in speeder bike costumes and ran into you on the Comic-Con floor. We wanted a picture and you sad you can’t on the floor of the con. We were just curious why you can’t do that?
Or did we fall into the crazy category? =)
i met you at ECCC a couple of years ago. You were going from your panel to your spot for signing autographs. And you were very gracious. As you said, it was about ‘the moment’ to meet someone I admired, and a chance to tell you i enjoyed your work.
but, then again, I tried to keep it quick and not hold you up to long.
ie. Since *I* wasn’t a dick about meeting you, you were very gracious. I expect if I *HAD* been a dick, you would have responded in kind. i think that’s the point. These people were being dicks, thinking you owed them because of ‘what they went through’ to get there. Even though you never asked them to. Plus, there are always proper venues for getting autographs, and they felt that they were entitled to bypass that.
Was Felicia drawing on her work in _Dollhouse_? She certainly has some experience at leading people away from hordes of brain-damaged attackers. You need to write this up in D&D terms, maybe make it part of your next game. Let’s see…You experienced a random encounter with a roving mob of autograph-zombies that had you surrounded and separated from the group. They were whittling at your defenses when another member of your “party” came to the rescue…
We need to find you an amulet that is “+5 defense against autograph-zombies”. Or an entourage.
Wil,
I’m so sorry that happened to you! I also saw you on the floor at the con but you looked busy and were with your son so I walked on by. I had just wanted to thank you for your kind comment on my poem. But being stopped on the street by strangers is so incredibly scary. I get stopped on the street at times by guys or whatnot trying to hit on me and I never paid it much mind until I got jumped just a few weeks ago by a large man looking to steal my bag and phone. What followed was the most harrowing two minutes of my life as I fought (physically) what I considered a life and death situation. Since then I’ve been incredibly wary of people stopping me on the street and I can’t imagine how I would react if a group surrounded me. I’m glad you got rescued woman power style but I’m sorry you had to go through that. It’s not ok ever to put people in a vulnerable position and no one would blame you if you went all honey badger on their asses next time. Doesn’t make you a dick, ever. 🙂
I’ve met a lot of “famous” people. I’m not bragging, it’s just a fact. I seem to have a knack of being in the right place at the right time. Something I’ve learned is that famous people are, first and foremost, people. They have good days, they have bad days. They like uninterrupted time with friends and family, and they appreciate their fans even though they don’t always have the time to show it like their fans want them to all the time.
That said, you, Wil, and Henry Rollins are by far the most approachable “famous” people out there. It is easy as pie to get a picture and/or an autograph from either of you, and it won’t cost a cent. I think that both of you have not only this in common, but also a curiosity(or humbleness) as to why anyone would want their autograph. Moving on, it makes zero, and I mean zero, sense to camp out to get autographs from either one of you. Let me repeat, it is EASY to get your autograph in an appropriate setting so why would you waste the time and effort to camp out for it? Oh yeah, right, crazy people. You were fine to do what you did (Rollins would have yelled in a low, guttural, “I’m going to kill you if you don’t back off” tone, so you could have been much worse). Crazy people will always be crazy, you can’t change that, and no matter what you did or said, they would still be crazy and say crazy things about you. That’s their problem, not yours. If they can’t understand that you are HUMAN, they have issues.
Go ahead and vent, it’s what we, your FANS, are here for, and know that we appreciate you and what you do for us. 🙂
Wow, I’m really sorry that happened to you…but glad you had good friends there to help out. It boggles my mind why people who perpetrate this kind of crap can’t understand why it upsets the object of their affection.
I’m sorry, Will. That’s a prime example of why people PISS me off. Typically, when I have run into a celebrity, I give them a wide birth and at most give a wave. I figure that I like being an anonymous person in public, everyone has the right to the same.
PS> I can totally see Felicia doing that! She is so cool and sweet. I met her at Blizzcon at the guild booth a couple years ago, and not only did she chat with me, take a picture AND make a video message for a friend, she later visited the blog I posted about it and left a super nice comment (basically “I’m sorry I don’t specifically remember you, but I’m so glad you had a great time” but way more politically correct, lol). Anyway, if more people were like you a Felicia, I think the world would be a less annoying place. (that really is a compliment, lol)
Man, now I feel a little guilty for making fun of you for the caffeine thing at Wootstock a year ago! Hope that wasn’t being a dick!
The autograph thing is something I’ve never understood. Sorry to hear that you went through that, it really does sound awful. I just don’t understand people sometimes. If they see you as being “worth” camping out for in the first place, why not be respectful of you, rather than abusive? I mean if you’re going to put that kind of an effort into meeting you, why ACTIVELY work to make it a negative experience?
That’s just WAY more crazy than I can wrap my head around.
Hope it’s an isolated incident from here on!
I’ve never understood celebrity culture. I don’t care who is snogging/cheating/babying with anyone else, and I certainly don’t feel entitled to any of their time, any more than I would have it expected of me. I hope you’re finding solace in the comments here, it’s probably good to know the number of crazies out for your bodily fluids/hair/skin is at least less than the ones that made mostly coherent sentences here.
Strangely this reminds me of Rebecca Watson and Elevatorgate, in terms of someone acting inappropriately and totally not getting why.
It is not cool to mob people down the street, whether that person is in a movie or on tv or works in the comic store. Don’t feel bad about telling them to F off out of your space – you wouldn’t hesitate if it were your wife, or your sons, or your friends being mobbed.
For a brief moment, when I first started reading this, I felt bad because I’m one of those people who would wait someplace for a day just to see someone. Then I read on and stopped feeling bad because there’s a difference between my shy, awkward, QC-Hannelore-type stalking and… well, being a self-entitled dick. That, and I’ve never actually done that to anyone famous and now that you’ve said something about how creepy it is I know to avoid doing it in the future. I think I was going to make some kind of point with this but I have ADD and I completely forgot what it was in the time it took to write those first two sentences, so, uh…
On another note, thanks for the explanation about signatures. I never really understood the point of autographs, but I kinda get it now.
Wil (hope you don’t mind the familiarity), you were NOT a dick – and I wouldn’t waste another second on it. Growing up, I saw some of what you are talking about – my uncle (who I’ve had a fallen out with so nobody expect any connections from me to him) is Don McLean of American Pie fame, and I was born in ’66, so I saw a lot of the fame aspect second hand. IMNSHO, the creepy ones are the real strange ones (saw a guy one time at a concert of my uncle’s that was wearing a sports coat, slacks, and no shoes…and moving around in a creepy way…made even weirder when I found out after the fact that he had gotten a death threat just before the concert), the ones who hang out and try to bully you into signing are the ones who then turn around and try to sell it all on ebay/craigs list/whatever the latest sale site is. I’ve been following you on twitter, and now google+, at first because of the fame, but now because your someone I can relate to on many levels, and I like your sense of humor – that means a bunch in life. 😀 BTW – I first played D&D using a little 5×7 booklet…wish I still had it. *snaps his fingers* Curses, foiled again. Enjoy life while it’s here, Wil – it’s far FAR too fleeting.
It’s not enough that you’re on Eureka, The Guild and Big Bang Theory?
Now you want to take over the Emmys from Neil Patrick Harris as well?
I’m sorry, I really am. But when I got to this part…
she followed us, screaming and ranting and raving about how she’d waited there for hours, driven all the way from someplace far, and that I basically owed her as a result of her choice. I eventually tuned her out, and I guess she went back to the Syfy party to harass whoever else came out next.
All I could think of was Sheldon. Curse you! 😉
Haha! I’m gonna tell Twitter on you!!
I Don’t understand why people think artist (actors,musicians,writers) are public property.
If someone camped outside my hotel room then ambushed me
I would probably call the cops. Or maybe pepper spray them and run away.
Yikes! In certain circumstances, I have a hard time being in the midst of very dense crowds (ex: some areas of the PAX East Expo hall during high traffic times). I would be (and am) terrified if a group of people separated me from my friends; I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be waylaid by a gaggle of crazies like that. Seems like those people are some kind of nutso celebrity autograph highwaymen group.
I really don’t understand it. My husband and I have both seen/walked right past famous people. They were obviously busy and on their own time, and there is no way we’d interrupt. I just find it incredibly rude. If we happen to make eye contact, I just smile and nod and hope for one in return (I find genuine smiles much cooler than autographs). This probably ties into “the moment” concept you were talking about, Wil. Eye contact and a smile are much more personal than a head-down scrawl on paper, and therefore a more valuable “moment” for fans like me.
I just hope that this incident won’t deter you from doing organized, planned signings/meet and greets/what have you. I know all of us here are very grateful for your generosity of your time.
I moved to LA three years ago to transition from computer gaming to motion pictures, and it has been one crazy acclimation to a totally different culture in entertainment. I never get why fans act so entitled, and it boggles my mind why someone bothers a celebrity of any degree. In no other profession, save maybe politics during a campaign, do people do this. (Mostly because once you are elected you generally have goons stopping people from doing this, but I digress.) I work with other industry people all the time; if I am interacting with them I might take the time to acknowledge their work… in context to what we are working on together. But even then it’s a “Oh, very nice to meet you… I really enjoyed XYZ show you did” and then it’s down to business. I guess it’s a bit like sometimes meeting someone new and pointing out that you heard good things about them. I dunno… anyway.
At Comic Con I got to meet Gil Gerard and I was super stoked as I loved “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” when I was a kid, and it was really cool to see he was indeed a really big brawny guy (if not now much older… as am I apparently) But I went over and introduced myself and related that I loved the show because he was at a table signing autographs and his purpose was to meet and greet fans. Had I seen him walking in the crowd at the convention, at dinner, living his life, etc. I would have though it was cool to see him, but I never would have bothered him short of a polite nod of the head or a smile as if to say “hey, thanks!” if he happened to look my way. It floors me when I see everything from paparazzi to fans swarming someone and, as you pointed out in your case, separating them from their children. As a father, if that happened to me, I would totally loose it. You just separated me from the one thing I can without hesitation say I will kill and die for, not very smart. Granted, my son is only five so my fear would be a bit different than if he was a young man… but still. I have watched this happen so many times that it’s all I can do not to start heckling the mob. (Ok so I have been known to say a few snide remarks.)
So sorry this happened to you, and even more sorry it will probably happen again. Good for you to write about it!
I cannot imagine there would ever be someone who was totally comfortable with people waiting for “hours” to get dozens of signatures from someone famous.
I would only ask for an autograph in an appropriate setting (like a convention) and even then it would probably end up being my husband talking because I go stupid star struck (even at the guy who does the traffic report when he was at an event I was also at) and become mute.
I remember when I got to meet you at a convention (a tiny one) and my husband and I were the first people in line (actually, we were there before the line even became a line) and I felt guilty having you sign all of the books I have by you (I think we have all of your books and I have read them all) because once there was even one person behind us I felt like we should let the next person have their moment. And you are right, it wasn’t really about the autograph, it was about getting to meet the actor I have been watching since I was 10 (when the first episode of Star Trek TNG aired) and whose blog and books I have enjoyed reading. I was amazed you were willing to sign all of the books for me (and one tee shirt) and thought you were very generous with your time. You answered every question my husband asked for me and you even posed for a picture; it made me very happy I got to meet you.
As you said in your post, this really isn’t for people who follow you here, but I do think it is a good reminder that there is a place and time for everything whether it be getting autographs or anything else; there is no reason to be crazy psycho over anything.
Wow…just wow (not the game, ahem). I’m no expert on humanity or anything, but I always do my best to follow to ye olde golden rule and treat others with respect. I have mild PTSD issues so I really value my personal space and I sometimes get very uncomfortable in large social groups…but being that I’m also a life long martial artist I go from smiley to stabby in a heartbeat if someone intentionally violates my person space. I think you responded admirably and far, far kinder than I would have in a similar situation.
And I will apologize in advance for this – but I hope I wasn’t the only person reading your post who had an image of Homer defending Mark Hamil pop into their head. 🙂
I never respond or comment, normally but this post REALLY hit home, Wil- you may or may not remember me- I work for Gen Con Operations, I am one of the guys who have helped run the show for years- I ran into you at Gen Con SoCal (when there was one) and I handle the Exhibit hall you were signing at in Indy last year. I HATE the ‘entitled’ as one of my many jobs is to sometimes pick up guests- I was assigned to Daniel Logan and his GRANDMOTHER (who was acting as his guardian then) for Star Wars Celebration 2 in Indy. They got off the plane and we met up- then were IMMEDIATELY accosted by 6 ‘stack fans’ shoving picture after picture in this 12-13 year old’s face and sectioning him off from his Grandmother. I stepped up and did my job- getting he and his Gran out of there. I was berated and cursed, but I am not exactly ‘friendly looking’ when I am working. When we got in the car, Daniel was very curious as to how to handle things like that as it was his first brush with that kind of Mania… I taught him a bit about how to say no, and to this day he has been a very cool friend to have. We stay in touch and have bonded over the years…and he credits me with ‘the guy who taught him how to deal with the crazies’ (although I’m not sure how that would look on a business card).
I’ve handled hundreds of guests, and I will say this: YOU were fantastic to the lineups at Gen Con… you were respectful of the fans…and the other gamers (we know our own) and especially nice to us…the staff. This is the unseen role we play, we take a lot of guff from fans and attendees when we have to enforce a rule or move a line along… Trust me, we sometimes think it sucks too…but we’re really only concerned with the people being safe (sometimes a big line is a fire code violation) and having a good time (sword fights are cool…just not in an aisle with kids around guys!)
I also realize that some people seem to take their modicum of power a little far… just know this- at each convention I work, we always are keeping an eye out for both the crazies and the power mad so we can sort the best people into the best jobs.
I would hope that you never lose your zest for the fans as it was truly refreshing to meet you and hang out at the utilikilt booth after closing with Dammit Liz, joking and carousing… I really appreciate guests who know WHY they are on the other side of the table signing…and those who appreciate those who are lining up for them.
Wil, it makes me happy to know that you follow your own philosophy… you are not a dick.
(That’s my job). All the best- till we meet again.
Wil,
What I appreciate about you most is that you’ve chosen, from Dancing Barefoot forward, to share your life and your feelings about things in a really public way. It’s too bad that sometimes there’s a dark side to being that exposed. Sounds like you were even nicer than you should have been in that instance. Standing up for yourself or others is never a dick move. I would hope you’ll always be able to recognize the fans from the famous-chasers. And above all else, I’d hope you never think it’s just not worth it to share yourself like you do.
As you know all too well, you can’t please everybody, but for what it’s worth, you were awesome when I met you. I met you ever so briefly in the receiving line at w00tstock Minneapolis, and you were gracious and grateful for an audience. You were standing next to Adam Savage and meeting you two was exactly why I’d stood in line. But once I got there, I wasn’t sure what to do. I got to the end of the table with both of you sitting there, and said “I feel like a dog chasing a car. Now I’ve caught you and don’t know what to do with you.” I muttered something about being a big fan of your writing, and you thanked me as though I’d been the one who had just sweated out five hours of nerd cabaret. I really appreciated that. So stay classy Wheaton.
-Nathaniel
Wil, it is so messed up that people could be such dicks to someone they supposedly like enough to be trying to get an autograph from. Is seems like that sort of behavior should be reserved people you really hate 🙂
Like other people who have commented, in the few opportunities I have have had to meet famous people I have not done it because I didn’t want to intrude on their time without invitation. Sometimes I regret that because it would have been cool so say “Guess what? I just met Grant Imahara!” or whatever but I guess that is just the price of trying not to be a dick.
A few months ago my wife saw you standing in line at a cafeteria in the place she works in Portland. She said she couldn’t decide if she should ask for an autograph or not and before she did you left. She went back and told her coworkers that she had just seen Wil Wheaton which did lead to some of them wondering the hallways hoping to bump into you, without luck. So for the last several months when we see you on Eureka or whatever she has been saying “Why didn’t I get his autograph or at least just say something to him?”.
Luckily it was recently announced that you are going to be Joco Cruise Crazy II so hopefully she will get another chance. And hopefully it will be at a convenient and respectful time and not part of some mob assault 🙂 //Dylan
Remember… it’s dangerous to go alone!
http://i.imgur.com/UOYGN.png
(and psycho people were jerks. Sorry you had to experience that.)
Honestly, this is why I avoid “celebrity” fannish events. I just… don’t want to be in the middle of that kind of vibe. It’s disturbing.
There’s one celeb that I’ve had contact with in recent years, in relation to a place where my non-fannish life crosses over with his alternate “job” and I find myself bringing non-fannish friends with me on those occasions, to be a buffer between me and some folks who are, yes, wildly inappropriate and kind of scary.
I can’t even imagine having to deal with it day in and day out. Gah.
We have a phrase for people like that down South: “they act like they’ve got no raising at all.”
The fact that they are fans and may (or may not) have contributed to your livelihood does not give them the right to be fucking rude.
Wil,
I am very sad that this happened to you! You have a right to be angry!
You are always so nice about signing things wherever you are and we all love you in Seattle. I know SDCC is supposed to be MECCA for us all, but….argh! You shouldn’t have to give people a secret hand shake or nod idea when they see you. Decency would dictate that people would leave you alone, but I guess I (and most of your regular fans) grew up in a different time and have learned about respecting ones space. When was this idea lost?
Wow, not sure how I’d react to that. I’d like to say non-violently but you never know until you’re in that situation. Totally unrelated and off-topic: Great work in DC Universe Online, by the way.
I’m really glad you shared this, because as a fan who likes to call all attractive actors “future pretend ex-boyfriends” it’s nice to know which lines not to cross.;) Not that I would ever consider waiting outside your hotel for hours on end – one’s the limit, my bladder has never had much staying power. Just sayin’. lol
That being said, I wish i could supply a permanent solution but the only one I can think of is what you’ve already done. Telling people how you feel. Because trust me, you’ll probably have fans that will try to deter the nut jobs if not directly c-block them.
It’s a completely alien mindset, this entitled demanding. And Wil’s job isn’t being famous — if anything, the lunatics were getting in the way of his job, at least the networking that enables it.
If I buy someone’s work, they owe me a copy of the work, as advertised. Anything else is bonus.
I believe you are citing the Don’t Be A Dick Unwarranted Aggression Reciprocity Clause. There is precedent. I find in your favor.
That sucks. You have every right to your space and to have it respected.
I dare someone to say you are a jerk for refusing to do as you are told by a stranger. You have no idea if someone is just rude or possibly dangerous – no time for a formal diagnosis.
People should be mortified to intrude on another’s space like that.
We saw Billy Zane in our hotel, my hubby leaned over and whispered “hey, it’s sweet Billy Zane” to me. We looked, smiled and kept walking. The woman in front of us FLIPPED out and started screaming – “OH MY GOD, YOU’RE THAT GUY FROM TITANIC!”
Embarrassing.
I’ve never, ever, understood this kind of behavior from people. I am so very sorry you had to go through this.
It really boggles my mind how people can be like that. I feel pretty damned privileged just to be able to read stuff like this and see your tweets. I just… yeah, that kind of stuff truly makes me wonder about what goes on in people’s heads. It’s all very WTF!? to me.
So, fuck them and kudos to you for not hauling off and kicking the shins of people who deserved it.
I don’t know why you would deserve to be hounded by crazies just because you chose to be an actor. Then again, I’m not a crazy. I’ve met Michael Dorn & Robbie McNeill at conventions. Lucky for them I get shy & tongue tied when I meed my Trek heroes so the line just kept on moving XD
I have to say that if I’d witnessed something like this, I may have gotten myself into trouble by yelling at the lot of them for being selfish gits. Then again, I’ve been known to intimidate/guilt-trip people off of elevators at DragonCon so handicapped folk who COULDN’T just take the escalators or stairs could get on them.
I went to DragonCon every year for nine years, and only missed it last year (and look to probably miss it this year) due to finances, and I’m quite glad that every single time I saw a celebrity outside the signings and panels, they were treated like every other con-goer just trying to make it through the crowd, though they tended to get a bit more space afforded to them than everyone else.
Sure, I’ve almost been run over by Peter Mayhew, and my roommate almost got bowled over by George Takei, but people actually care if the people hosting the panels or doing signings are late, so they have to move a bit faster than most folk.
Good for you for standing up for yourself. As Bart said to Comic Book Guy, “They’re giving you thousands of hours of entertainment for free. What could they possibly owe you? If anything, you owe them!”
Any one of your actual fans knows you’re not expected to reward psychos or be demeaned and threatened as a person. That’s dumb. I’m really glad you chose to say something.
P.S. You rock!
This is why the two times in my life I’ve seen famous people on the street I didn’t say anything to them. I’ve always figured you get harassed by enough assholes during other times you don’t need me doing it too.
I understand earlier in the comments you’ve said it’s a different situation but I don’t like to chance it (especially with how insane the media can get – and considering both times I’ve seen famous people was in NYC). I for one would absolutely hate it if that happened to me… But then again, I might snap too and berate her much more than you did. I know this is going to sound weird, but I do have to congratulate you on keeping it together. It doesn’t seem like it happens often enough.
I had to take a Xanax after reading this. Just the thought of people converging on someone like that, treating you as a thing, not a person, terrifies the ever-lovin’ shit out of me. I wouldn’t take that kind of treatment from people who were paying me, so people who aren’t handing me wads of cash do not get to treat me–or you or Felicia Day or anyone–as if they own them, as if you’re a product. That’s a form of bullying, is what it is. And like Captain America, I don’t like bullies.