I MET MARTIN FREEMAN AND IAN MCKELLEN!

[post includes PHOTOS and a VIDEO :D]

I literally CANNOT BREATHE FOR EXCITEMENT RIGHT NOW.

As some of you may have known, I was lucky enough to have purchased a ticket for Ian McKellen’s one man show, ‘Ian McKellen on Stage: with Shakespeare, Tolkien, and You‘. He’s been putting the show on all over New Zealand to help raise funds for Isaac Theatre Royal repairs, which was damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes. Good cause, plus the chance to see Ian McKellen in person – I couldn’t pass it up! I’d also heard whispers of maybe some of the other Hobbit cast members being in Wellington around this time, and that they might show up… but I thought about this only as a dream, not thinking for a moment that it would ACTUALLY COME TRUE.

Ian’s actual show was really fabulous. He started things off with a brilliant rendition of perhaps Gandalf’s finest and most memorable moment, from The Fellowship of the Ring when he confronts the Balrog, shouting “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” (and yes, he sounded exactly the same, squeeeee! :D) The first half was based around audience interaction, with Ian recounting stories, and inviting members of the audience to call out random questions about his fascinating life. The second half was pretty much a tribute to Shakespeare – he challenged us to name all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, and as we did so he acted out parts from some of them – including the Balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, where he spoke both Romeo and Juliet’s lines, pure gold hahaa! He gave us an epic version of Hamlet’s “The play’s the thing!” speech, and the emotional, moving “Fear no more the heat o’ the sun” ‘funeral’ speech from Cymbeline. As I am a massive fan of Shakespeare, as you already know (*wink*), I adored this part – Ian truly is a master of Shakespeare too, telling us all about the different roles he’s played over the years.

So that was the actual show. Which was epic!

But.

NOT AS EPIC AS WHAT CAME AFTER.

As a special treat for Wellington, and this being his second-to-last show, he called ALL THE  HOBBIT CAST MEMBERS THAT WERE PRESENT ONSTAGE WITH HIM. Obviously not all the cast was there. I eagerly scanned the growing group onstage, looking for familiar faces – I think I recognised a couple of the dwarves, but I haven’t done enough fangirl research to identify them or anything.

AND THEN.

My heart truthfullystopped when my eyes landed on… MARTIN FREEMAN.

*hyperventilates*

It was beyond exciting, you have no idea! To actually see Martin Freeman, one of my top most favourite actors of EVER, in REAL LIFE with my VERY OWN EYES. He was looking ADORABLE as usual, and gosh, I realised fully how short he really is! 🙂 Ian lead them all in a tiny spot of acting from Henry V, which basically consisted of the Hobbit cast and the audience members who’d joined them onstage all falling down dead. LOL. I took a video of it, which you can watch here:

(please excuse the part where I’m moving closer, and my aim goes all wonky for a few seconds, hahaaa. Martin Freeman is off to the left, looking all cute and short :D)

So anyway, after that, Ian and the rest of the Hobbit cast went out into the foyer to collect extra donations for the Isaac Theatre, and Ian said he would be available for photos and signing etc. Now, I hardly ever carry cash anymore, so I only had my EFTPOS card on me. And, as it happens, I’m having a particularly poor week (well, I’m used to it, being a poor student and all!!) and I only had $21 on my card. I was thinking that $10 would be an alright amount to give, and if it meant I got a photo with Ian McKellen, then why not!

However, the ATM machines outside only gave out $20 notes… decisions. I thought about it for three seconds, before dashing to the nearest ATM and withdrawing $20 of my $21 in the world (well, in a dramatic manner of speaking, ROFL – and anyway, next payday is on Tuesday :P). And besides, I actually do care a lot about theatre, so it was definitely for a good cause. I ran back inside, and braved the mass of people to finally squeeze my way along to Ian McKellen, and…

Ta-dahhh! 🙂

He also signed my little notebook, as it was the only thing I had on me. (KEEPING IT FOREVER.) He was honestly so lovely to all the fans, and so smiley – well, you can see for yourself! Adorable.

So now that I was happy with having met Ian McKellen, I peered around for Martin Freeman. BUT ALAS. No luck! It seemed that he wasn’t hanging out in the foyer – I overheard someone saying that he’d left already. I was a bit disappointed – but as I hadn’t really expected to see him at all, I was still stoked with just having got the video of him, and so left the theatre happy.

The story DOESN’T END THERE. *dun dun DUN* xD

As it happens, my friend was having a big gathering/party at one of the bars that very same evening, as she’s heading off to Harvard soon (just casually!!) to study, and so won’t be seeing us all for a long time! I must admit, I was feeling kind of tired, it was raining on-and-off, the bar was in the opposite direction to my home, and frequenting bars/clubs isn’t really my thing… BUT I really did want to see my friend before she left the country, and I knew that she really wanted to see me, so I made up my mind to stop by and say hi/bye! So off I went, and it really was lovely to see her again, and a couple other people I hadn’t caught up with for ages either. I didn’t stay very long, only around half an hour, so I was soon on my way home again. And, randomly, someone stopped me on the street for directions – amongst all the drunk crazy people walking around, I must have looked like one of the few sane people, hahaa (11pm Saturday night, folks!), so no wonder they asked me! Anyway, after helping them, I set off home again – BUT x2. I had to pass the theatre again on route to my house. I noticed that there were still some people milling about, and that Ian McKellen himself was still there, the trooper, giving photos and signatures.

And for SOME REASON, I went inside, just a few steps inside, forever hopeful.

AND THERE HE WAS.

Martin Freeman, looking like the most beautiful angel to walk the earth to my eyes just then, WAS STANDING THERE TAKING PHOTOS.

There were only about seven people waiting to get a photo with him, because most everyone had left the theatre already. I RAN over there, clutching my camera, and…

YEP. THAT HAPPENED.

IT IS SO SURREAL. Martin Freeman is seriously one of my MOST FAVOURITE ACTORS EVER. Like, he’s right up there with Karl Urban and Chris Pine and Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry and ALL THE BEST PEOPLE THAT I WOULD DIE TO MEET.

And here, in tiny Wellington, New Zealand… DREAM COME TRUE.

I told him that I love him in Sherlock, even though that didn’t really have anything to do with the Hobbit, to which he replied “Thank you!” And when I asked him if I might be able to get his signature in my notebook, he was like “Ohh, I see everyone’s run out of money to buy programmes to sign!” And I was like “Heh, I literally have $1 left on my EFTPOS card!” to which he kindly said “Ah, I won’t nick that from you, then.”

(nerdy fact: he sounded JUST LIKE JOHN when John says “Nicked all his smurfs?” to Mycroft. <3)

ALSO. MARTIN FREEMAN HELD MY PEN. NEVER THROWING THAT AWAY.

DAY = MADE. Actually, more like LIFE = MADE.

Bounced all the way home. Couldn’t contain my grin – poor passersby, wondering what I was smoking! – but did contain my fangirlish screams and dancing until I got home, thankfully. Ran around my room like a maniac. You know how it is 😉

But more than just meeting two incredibly amazing actors, all of this showed me – reminded me – that if you love, be kind, and give, good will find you, will come back to you. I gave monetary support to the theatre funds, gave my time and love to see my friend, and gave a kind word to the lost pedestrian… and I was repaid with the PRICELESS meetings with Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman.

Life is Love. ❤

LOL, so that’s kind of the “moral of the story” bit. And I feel every word as true! But. Anyway. The main point of all this really is…

I MET MARTIN FREEMAN AND IAN MCKELLEN AAAHHHHHHH *fangirls* xD

That’s my excitement for my week YEAR LIFE! Next up, the Hobbit Premiere this November at the Embassy in Wellington… BRING IT ON! (After all, still have Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry on the list! :D)

Have fun!
Bri xx