Sean Astin is officially my celebrity hero. He was so down to earth and kind and humble, it was almost astonishing. Though, of course, he is always the amiable character in his movies (for the most part) so one would somewhat expect him to be as much.
He spoke on Acting, Leadership, and Other "Very Important" Stuff, including following your dreams, knowing who you are, being a positive influence in the world,a shining standard in society, recognizing disabled people, and appreciating family. He also spoke of his acting career, particularly of his part in "The Lord of the Rings."
It was surreal, hearing him speak, knowing SAM was in the same room as me. Geez. So crazy. LOTR has been my favorite movie(s) ever since they came out. I've seen them all countless times. I never thought I would actually see an actor from it in person.
After, we waited in line for him to sign our DVDs and tickets--waited in line for an hour and a half, until 10:30pm--and we have early morning seminary the next morning. However, we all agreed that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we were willing to risk being exhausted for a day if it meant meeting a big-time Hollywood celebrity. Mmhmm. (We also agreed that if it was Orlando Bloom, we would have waited ALL night. MMHMM.)
Standing feet away from Sean Astin was like standing in a dream; we could hardly believe this was real. He shook my hand, signed my ticket, "Forever Strong" DVD (we were probably the only people in line to do so--outside of Utah/Mormonism, I suppose it's not the most heard-of movie, unfortunately) and our extended edition DVD case of "The Fellowship of the Ring", carried on a conversation with my friend. Nicest guy ever.
Molly commented how she never thought we would actually get a LOTR DVD signed. So cool!
Anyways. Pictures = Proof.
