From East to West
with Walter Mitty

Out of all the movies I've watched, which is likely about tens of thousands by now, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty touched me the most. I love a bit of whimsy in my films, and this one had it in spades. I also loved its message of encouraging you to live in the moment, not just dream about it.

The film follows the titular Walter Mitty, expertly played by Ben Stiller, as he gets lost in his daydreams amidst his ordinary days as the negative assets manager at Life magazine. He dreams up all sorts of scenarios to color his normal life, and each is an adventure you'll want to join him on.

It's a perfect example of movie magic. It shows that you can dream big and encourages you to pursue those dreams, no matter how impossible they may seem. The movie never fails to inspire me whenever I watch it, especially because one of my dreams actually came true when I first saw it.

I've loved movies for most of my life, and I always dreamed of meeting celebrities. I don't want to be famous myself; I'm happy enough to meet and interact with the famous faces I see on the big screen. And as a huge Ben Stiller fan, seeing him in person was one of those lofty goals.

Little did I know that I'd actually meet him at the premiere of this very movie. It was on a cool October day in 2013 at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City, on October 5. The film was the centerpiece gala of that year's New York Film Festival, and many of the cast attended the red carpet.

There, I saw Ben Stiller, posing for the cameras with his beautiful wife, Christine Taylor. I had idolized the man since watching Zoolander and discovering he also directed that comedic cult classic. He also directed The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, so I really wanted to get his autograph on my copy of this movie poster.

When I finally got it, I think I hyperventilated a bit. I didn't let him know about it; I stayed as calm as possible as he signed my poster. But still, I remember finding it hard to breathe after I interacted with him.

Fortunately, my friend accompanied me that night, and he calmed me down just in time for me to meet the rest of the cast. I also saw Kristen Wiig and Adam Scott that night, and got their autographs too. They were both really nice despite how disheveled I must've looked.

After getting their autographs, I suddenly felt inspired to get more, especially from the rest of the cast. Sean Penn was there that night too, but he didn't see me call out to him. I regretted not meeting him that night, so I decided to go to the LA premiere, which happened about a month later at AFI Fest 2013 at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

There, I met Sean Penn and Kathryn Hahn, and finally got their autographs on the same poster. It was the best ever! The next year, I met Patton Oswalt and had him sign the poster, too.

Each interaction was a dream come true, and this may sound corny, but I remembered Walter Mitty every time I saw a celebrity. Not too bad for my first time doing this sort of thing!