Meeting Chicago's
Other Finest

“Chicago's finest” usually refers to the city's police force, but I've always thought it should include the fire department, too. As a fan of Chicago Fire, I've always thought the city's firemen are a cut above the rest. I'm sure they actually are, but to me, they've always been heroes. Especially after I watched Backdraft.

If you haven't seen this 1991 action-thriller, you really should check it out. It tells the story of Chicago firefighters chasing after a serial arsonist. The story seems simple enough, but with a cast that includes Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert De Niro, and Donald Sutherland, you know you're in for a good time!

I'm sure people lost their minds when they saw this cast. These were some of the biggest names of the era, and a few were already bona fide legends. The fact that Ron Howard, himself an amazing director, got these icons to star in a movie together still blows my mind. And I've seen the movie a hundred times now.

You can then imagine how starstruck I was when I met these same actors and got their autographs. My aunt got me a new copy of the movie poster back in 2009, and I had just graduated college and was preparing to move to Los Angeles. Since I was gonna live near Hollywood, I figured I'd track that cast down and ask them to sign it.

It was easier said than done, but I still did it! I met the movie's biggest stars throughout the 2010s, and each encounter was more awesome than the last. I still can't believe I got to see these legends in person, much less get their autographs on my movie poster.

I even met them consecutively. The first I saw was Robert De Niro, when Silver Linings Playbook premiered in New York in 2012. It was a premiere benefiting the Tribeca Film Institute, and he was there front and center with the movie's lead, Bradley Cooper. (Jennifer Lawrence, who'd go on to win Best Actress for it, had flown back to film Catching Fire and missed that night.)

The next year, I met Donald Sutherland at the LA premiere of Catching Fire, the second movie in the highly successful Hunger Games franchise. He was just as imposing as I thought, and I was happy he got to be part of a popular franchise that hit with younger audiences.

Years later, I met William Baldwin at the LA premiere event for the third season of Hit the Floor, where he played the recurring role of billionaire Jackson Everett. I admit I hadn't even watched the show before that, but it was the only time I got to meet him.

And then there was Kurt Russell, who, in contrast, starred in a lot of awesome films throughout the 2010s. I finally met him at the LA premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017. He walked the red carpet with his longtime partner, the beautiful Goldie Hawn, and he was just as jovial as I expected. He was the nicest of the four main cast members.

I then met and got Ron Howard's autograph years later, but it was such a quick interaction that it's barely worth mentioning. I just had to include it because I got him to sign the same poster, too, and I think it makes the poster even more special to me.