[Why not go for the hat trick of blog posts?]
Friday night, I was crossing 1st Av in the East Village. A couple of people next to me started whispering.
1: Is that an actor?
2: I... I think. Yeah.
1: Yeah. He is. Hey!
2: He was in... what was he in?
1: He was in...
2: Um, um, um... Oliver Twist
1: OLIVER TWIST!
2: OLIVER TWIST!
(third and fourth guys come up to them)
(mumbled conversation)
3: OLIVER TWIST!
4: No, not Oliver. Oscar Wilde.
1,2,3,4: Hey, OSCAR WILDE!
Until the end, I wasn't sure they were talking about me. Rescue Me was filming in the neighborhood, so I thought maybe one of the actors from that show was walking around. But when these goth kids started yelling for Oscar Wilde across a busy intersection on a Friday night, I had a pretty good idea that they were yelling at me.
I have been recognized in Minneapolis for roles I've played, but I have to admit, I never thought I would be recognized by strangers in New York City.
This wasn't the crazy stalkerish fame, they didn't chase me down or try to attack me for playing such a "gay character", just a little taste of recognition. I realize they were probably undergrads who had to see the show for a class or something, but it still felt kind of nice.