Whenever I’m looking for a pithy anecdote to share at a cocktail party, I don’t have to look far.  My husband Ian has a hilarious story about running into Tom Hanks.  I used the phrase “running into” very literally.

Back in college, both Ian and I worked at Walt Disney World.  We didn’t know each other at the time, but we would later discover it was one of the many things we have in common.

Ian worked at Disney MGM Studios while Tom Hanks was filming and directing “From the Earth to the Moon”.  Ian was running very late for his shift one day and was literally running to get to work through the backstage part of the theme park.  As he was rounding a corner, he ran right into Tom Hanks to the point of almost knocking him over.  Mr. Hanks had all kinds of papers in his hand including the script to the movie, all of which went flying everywhere.  Of course, Ian apologized to him profusely and helped him pick up the papers.  Ian said that he truly lived up to his name as Hollywood’s nicest guy.  He treated the incident as if it were no big deal and wished Ian the best.

I’ve always thought this was such a cute story because, one, Ian literally bumped into an A-list Hollywood celebrity and, two, it shows just what a kind and understanding guy Tom Hanks is.  There are great people in this world!