I worked in an f/x setting at an airport for a while and we often had well-known people at the bureaux; musicians, tv actors, footballers and other assorted persons of varying fame: Robert Plant, Krept & Konan, Danny Dyer, Kara Tointon, Douglas Henshall, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs, John Torode, Steve Beaton (darts) are a few that I remember. Kara Tointon in particular was memorable, really sweet girl and a great personality.
The oddest was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, purely because I had to do a KYC. 4am, as an Arsenal fan, knowing exactly who he was and what he must be earning, grilling him about his travel plans with Gibbs looking bemused in the background. An exercise in futility.
The most surreal encounter was Britney Spears. Late 2006, end of a world trip and the final leg was Los Angeles and Vegas. Touched down at LAX and got settled in our hotel. Other half decided to stay behind and rest, but I headed out with a friend, Chris, to find a place to eat. Decided to take a stroll down Sunset Strip as it was nearby and chanced upon a bar with a bunch of paparazzi lurking outside. I have zero interest in 'celeb' culture and was about to walk on by, but Chris convinced me to stop for a moment and he asked the paps who they were waiting for - it was Spears' 25th birthday party. This was thereabouts the peak of her fame, shortly before she went haywire. A couple of minutes later she arrived in a stretch black hummer and exited about 5ft from where I was standing, before the paps all charged in to get their money shots, scuffling with her bodyguards. Hung around for a short while and a few other Hollywood notables turned up - Chris Rock, the Hiltons, Stephen Dorff. Amusingly also watched the guy who played Nick Smith in Home and Away turn up with a couple of females on his arm and try and blag his way in, getting absolutely nowhere.
That was an interesting first couple of hours.
