Once upon a time, when you’d meet a celebrity, you would ask them for their autograph. But that analog era is long gone. Now, as we’re all armed with smartphones, the common thing to ask for is a selfie—much to the chagrin of Sarah Jessica Parker. Recently, though, Parker has started saying no when fans ask to take pictures with her in these fleeting encounters. “I much prefer to have a conversation,” the And Just Like That… star recently told Howard Stern.
“I was just at the airport on Friday. A woman came up to me and she didn’t say hello,” Parker explained. “She just said, ‘Can I take your picture?’ And I said, ‘We didn’t even meet. You didn’t even introduce yourself. What’s your name? When you tell me your name, I’m gonna tell you no. But we’re gonna have a conversation, and I guarantee you it’s gonna be so much more meaningful.’”
Stern quipped that Parker sounded like a teacher explaining to others how to behave. But she clarified that she doesn’t find these interactions irritating; instead, she welcomes fan meetings that come without sudden camera flashes.
“I kind of prefer it to somebody walking up to me with the camera already ready, asking as they’re clicking,” Parker explained. “I always am startled by it. And I tell you, I much prefer to have a conversation—for someone to come up to me and say, ‘Maybe this isn’t your best time. My name is Veronica, and I’m just here, and I’m excited to see you.’”
In April, Robbie Williams wrote a post on Instagram explaining why he too is uncomfortable taking photos with fans every time they ask—but offering a solution akin to Parker’s. When Williams was on a flight traveling across the US, a fan wrote a note asking for a photo. “I wrote a note back. I explained I’d been up since 4:30 a.m., had two hours’ sleep, and wrangled four kids through the airport. I’ve got bags under my eyes and I’m dealing with anxiety.
“I explained that if they came and took a photo with me, my anxiety would spike – because then the whole cabin would start wondering who I am. And I’m not famous here,” he wrote, referring to his lower profile in the States. “That kind of attention would only pile more anxiety on top of my already-thriving ‘being outside’ unease. I didn’t say no—I wrote back, offered the letter, and said: ‘Lots of people have photos with me, but no one’s got one of these.’”
Original story in VF España.
The post Why Sarah Jessica Parker Won’t Take a Selfie With You appeared first on Vanity Fair.
