For a lot of people, meeting their favorite television or movie star is high up on their bucket list. It’s why hundreds of thousands of people shell out big bucks and brave massive crowds at various pop culture conventions every year.
After all, they aren’t JUST celebrities; oftentimes they’ve been with us through some of the most significant periods in our lives (they just don’t know it.)
So, when one grieving fan heard that Alan Tudyk, the star of Resident Alien was going to be at the Boston Fan Fest, she knew she had to meet him. She wanted to thank him for helping her survive the darkest time of her life.
However, when the time came, her nerves got the better of her and she “blew it.” Fueled by embarrassment and remorse and needing to vent, she turned to Reddit to share her experience.
And that’s when fate…who looks suspiciously like Alan Tudyk…stepped in.
Reddit Post
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, Resident Alien is the wickedly funny sci-fi comedy about “a crash-landed alien (played by Alan Tudyk) who takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor,” per IMDB. Sent to wipe out humanity, he winds up having a moral crisis of conscience instead.
Since first airing in 2021, it’s quickly become a beloved favorite and has a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, in large part due to Tudyk’s brilliant performance.
Recently, the actor was a celebrity guest at a fan convention in Boston and met up with our anonymous Redditor.
“I went to Fan Fest Boston and met Alan on Saturday,” her post began. She wanted to tell him how much his show meant to her.
“I wanted to tell him that ‘Resident Alien’ was the first show that made me laugh after my husband died this winter, that it helped me to feel human again, and I wanted to thank him for that.”
Instead, she froze.
After witnessing the long lines of people and how “exhausted” Tudyk appeared, she “got too nervous about taking up his time.” Plus she knew she couldn’t tell him without crying.
So instead, she “stood there awkward and stupid,” and made a “dumb Firefly joke” while he signed her picture.
“…and [I] will now spend the rest of my days regretting how I missed my chance to let him know that his work really affected someone and helped them through a hard time.”
She figured the Resident Alien Reddit community might understand her remorse, but also just how greatly the show impacted her life.
She ended her post, “I know he probably wouldn’t care and he would forget by the end of the day so I’m not sure why it’s bothering me so much, but I just really wanted to say thank you.”
Alan Tudyk’s Sweet Response
Turns out, Tudyk did care. Thanks to the power of the internet, a friend of his saw the post and passed it on. He immediately created his own Reddit account so he could respond. And if you didn’t love him before, guaranteed you will now. (Move over Keanu Reeves!)
“My friend sent me this,” he wrote. “Sorry you feel like you missed your opportunity. I have read your message. I love that you have such a beautiful connection with the show.”
He continued, “I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. I’m glad you’re finding your laugh again and honored that I’m part of that. Your story and similar stories I’ve heard are so touching.”
“It makes me feel like my work, which I appreciate getting to do, has worth beyond the Hollywood hustle of it all and the BS business of show business.”
He then invited her to come back to the Fan Expo so they could meet. “I’d love to say thank you in person :)”
Unfortunately, the OP wasn’t able to take him up on the offer, writing in an update that she was “also a mother and my children and I had plans for our first Father’s Day after our loss.”
She also sent a personal comment back to Tudyk, thanking him for the offer and writing:
“Please know that the woman in the Loot Crate Wash shirt, who very awkwardly made conversation with you and said that I am a leaf on the wind was too sad when you autographed my picture, thinks the world of you and will absolutely come again next year if you are in Boston and I will be sure to say something!”
Here’s to there being a next time!
The Power of Connection
This story isn’t just about a positive celebrity encounter (although it is pretty cool). It’s also about the power of finding solace and comfort in connection. Whether it’s in real life or in the world of make believe.
By sharing our stories in whatever medium, we discover the greatest gift of all: we are not alone.
It’s this message that the OP hopes to send.
“Please know first that I’m well aware that my story is nothing special, I’m not the only person in this community to lose someone and find a connection or comfort in the show and I really shared my story thinking that others might share theirs and we could comfort each other,” she wrote in her update.
She ended her heartfelt post in the best (and frankly only) way possible. With a fitting quote from Tudyk himself (as his character in Resident Alien).
“Everyone needs to belong to something bigger than themselves. Yes, there is strength in numbers, but maybe it’s simpler. Maybe humans just feel better when they know they are not alone on this earth.”
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