I Met Tom Hiddleston & Paul Rudd. No I’m Not Okay.
photo by jenna wirth
New York Comic Con (NYCC). What a crazy time, but also truly epic. Walking in I’m instantly captivated by everything going on around me. NYCC has literally taken over the entire Javits Center. As dozens of cosplayers walk past me, I can genuinely feel the excitement in the air.
Knowing I have a photo op with Tom Hiddleston soon, I start walking to the main photo and autograph area. I’m Group 1. By the time I arrive, they are calling Groups 1-6, so I quickly get into line.
Before I know it, I’m next in line. I can’t hear anything but a loud buzzing sound. I suddenly feel a slight push from behind. Plastering a huge smile on my face, I start walking towards Hiddleston. I ask him for a hug pose, and being the wonderful human being that he is, says yes. Still in shock, I wrap my arms around him and smile towards the camera. One blink and it’s all over. I’m already walking away when I realize that he smelled quite delicious.
Hands shaking from the experience, I pick up my printed picture and slide it into my backpack. I’d take more time to let the shock wear off, but I realize that it’s already time for me to get in line again… this time for a photo with Paul Rudd. Part of the Comic-Con experience is honestly spending 75% of your time in lines. Gross, right?
Once again, I find myself completely unprepared. At this point, my hands still haven’t stopped shaking so fixing my hair is a disaster. Then again, no matter what I do I’m going to look like a blob, so does fixing my hair really matter? Probably not. The first thing I notice when I initially see him is that he really grew out his facial hair. Not in a bad way. He’s still quite attractive. He just doesn’t look like that in the MARVEL movies. Walking away, I smile at myself as I relive the moment in my mind a billion times. No matter what happens after this, I can always say I HUGGED ANT-MAN… that’s gotta count for something.
Knowing I’m already late for my autograph with Hiddleston, I set out to find the separate hall that he is signing in. When I finally arrive as a sack of stress, I see a huge line of people still in line waiting for their autograph. Thank god! After an hour of waiting, I get to the front of the line. On my post-it note attached to my poster, I write “I am a God,” hoping he will personalize the autograph with a Loki quote. Then I come face-to-face with Hiddleston again and lose my shit. Seeing him a second time really gives me a moment to take in just how hot this supervillain is.
I, on the other hand, stand like a gaping fish for a full 30 seconds, but it’s fine. Everything is fine. Until I open up my big mouth, that is. Once I start speaking, I truly become a hot mess. I tell Hiddleston that even though I absolutely love Chris Hemsworth and Thor, he’s the main reason why I watch the Thor movies. In response, he tells me that that can’t be true, which only makes me love him more.
Of course, I’m not done nervous-talking just yet. I proceed to tell TOM HIDDLESTON how proud of him I am for his role in Betrayal on Broadway and go on about how I wish I could see him perform. Of course, he then tells me I should come, leaving me to explain that I attend Syracuse University and therefore live in the middle of nowhere. You’re welcome SU for the free PR.
As he finishes signing, I thank him for taking the time to come to NYCC as I know he’s extremely busy with his show. I mean the guy literally is going straight from NYCC to Bernard B. Jacobs Theater to perform. Crazy, right? I don’t know how he does it. Looking at my poster, I realize that he did personalize, write the quote, and write his character name along with his signature. That’s con goals right there.
Finally, I get in line for my last autograph with Rudd. Similar to my autograph with Hiddleston, I write “Pick on someone your own size!” on my post-it note. As I come face-to-face with THE Paul Rudd, I point out that his character, Ant-Man, is actually on the poster this time, since I know he usually just draws a dot on peoples’ posters and labels it “Ant-Man.” Kind of sad really. Since Rudd’s character is so rarely featured, I make sure to point out that he is, in fact, on my poster.
Let me tell you, he is ecstatic.
As he signs, I ask him if he’s in NYC to film the Ghostbusters 2020 film, but he just says he lives here. I know he says this to avoid spilling the beans, but I let it slide. As I’m leaving, I ask what he recommends I do in the city since I’m moving there over the summer. He says everything in NYC is so amazing. A west coast girl at heart, I give him a look and ask whether it really is better than L.A. He says yes. This is not the answer I’m looking for.
As he finishes signing, I immediately look down at my poster to see if he followed the post-it note as well, I see that he personalized it just like Hiddleston. What sweet guys, right?
After that, I sit to try and comprehend what the hell just happened. Did I really meet Tom Hiddleston and Paul Rudd? Am I okay? Honestly, if I am okay that’s probably a bad sign because I definitely should not be. And so I sit. Replaying the past five hours and every sight and smell that went with it. Just like that, NYCC 2019 is technically over for me, but I have to admit, it will be some time before I actually get over it.