We waved to my mom and friend. We were looking around at the others who were waiting, and my sister noticed a woman standing near us wearing an Old Vic pin, just as I was, but the actors started leaving then and I didn't have a chance to speak to her. The other actors started to leave, but they look so different, that they were gone before we would realize who they were. I got a picture of Paul Giamatti. And a picture of Clarke Peters.
Robert Sean Leonard signed my window card. It was strange seeing him sign it while I was on the other side of the barrier. I took his picture. Kevin came out of the stage door. He started to walk past my mom and friend, but when he saw my friend standing there with a copy of A Bug's Life, he stopped to chat. We could see Kevin talking to him and I turned to say something to my sister, and she said "Look, he's signing your Hopper cover!" So I look over and he's leaning down signing my video box! I took a picture of Kevin, my friend and my mother. Kevin moved down the row and you should have seen the proud look on my friend's face. We were talking about that and my sister said "Now he's signing your poster!" I couldn't believe it. The woman near my sister commented on that cute kid over there talking to Kevin Spacey and getting his autograph. My sister said he'd been planted there. Who could resist a cute kid with his Hopper cover? The woman said she wished she'd thought of that!
Kevin moved down the row chatting and signing, and then came over to our side. My heart started pounding. There was a larger crowd on our side of the barrier and I think it made Kevin nervous. He was smiling and signing and letting people have their pictures taken with him, but was very quiet. I don't recall him speaking to anyone, and my sister said she didn't think so either. He might have talked to some of the girls who were near the wall, but I can't be sure.
He was suddenly in front of me and he took the glossy I was holding out and started to sign it, and noticed that I was holding a blue Sharpie, took that from me and signed my picture, placed the cap back on, and handed them both back to me. I said that the show was incredible and he gave me a smile and moved to the girl next to me. My sister said to tell everyone that I saw his dimple up close. My friend said that wasn't his dimple, it was a wrinkle. I say it was his scar that turns into a dimple when he smiles.
The girls standing near us had their pictures taken with him. He put his arm around a girl near me, and his hand was on her back and I thought, there is his hand, right in front of my face. I was about to lose my cool and he left. One of the guards started to grab the girl's hand but stopped when he noticed it was just a hand and nothing more sinister.
Some time during this Tony Danza came out. I don't know if he came out before Kevin or after. He signed my poster and spoke briefly to my mother. As soon as Kevin left, the crowd and security left, so my mom and friend came over, and my friend walked over to the group of people around Tony Danza and got his autograph on my sister's PLAYBILL®. So I walked around the barrier, went up to him and he signed my program, and hands it back to me, looks me right in the eye and says thanks for coming! Tony Danza is quite attractive up close. Although short. My friend hands me my Hopper cover and Kevin has signed it ..To Lisa With Thanks K. Spacey !! I was shocked. My mom said that my friend told him the cover was for someone else and she told him it was for her daughter who was seeing the play and was a member of his fan club and had contributed to the theater restoration project (Old Vic pin) he was involved in. She said he told her to "tell Lisa thank you very much." And then when he signed the poster the pen leaked and he told her to tell her daughter that he was sorry she had a leaky pen. All this was going on and we didn't have a clue. They actually had a conversation with him!! Too bad he'd clammed up by the time he got over to the other side.
Well, my heart was pounding about then. I have three autographs and each one is different. The window card has a very nice Tony Danza signed on it. And a lovely Robert Sean Leonard signature. Kevin's name has an ink blob plus 3 gold droplets with a 3 or 4 inch ink run but that's all right with me! Kevin was pressing down too hard with the pen. Very intense guy. TD used the pen, as did RSL and I've been using that same pen in my scrapbooks for nearly two years and have never had a leak. Don't think the problem was my pen, Kevin hon.
My sister let our friend keep her PLAYBILL® with Tony Danza's autograph. We went back to the hotel and had a late dinner from a fast food place. The next morning we went to FAO Schwarz and Tiffany's, but didn't buy anything and then came home.
When I was putting my photos in my scrapbook, I noticed that one picture had the stage door open and the hand pushing the door open had a very distinctive thumb and was holding a Sharpie. And so many fans had reported that Kevin was so sweet because he always came out the door without having a pen to use. He seemed to think that someone that was there that night was waiting for him.
We also had a shot of the light bulb changer's feet.
Once the play ended in July I wrote short letters to the TIC actors who's addresses I'd found on the Portraits of an Enigma site. Michael Emerson sent me a very gracious note in reply. Tim Pigott-Smith was nice enough to put his autograph on the back of the note he sent me. I'd mentioned that the actors had left the theater so fast that people weren't able to get their autographs. He was very nice. I also had a reply from Robert Sean Leonard.
I hope you enjoyed my story.
Driving Mr. Spacey!: The positively untrue life and times of Kevin Spacey,
with a few real facts thrown in for fun.
All collages and photo enhancements were done by me using Microsoft® Picture It!® 99
