Stacey's encounter with Matthew

"I became a huge fan of Ioan Gruffudd in 1999 when Hornblower was first shown on US television. I knew Matthew Rhys was his best buddy, but I hadn’t seen any of his work until I was on an airplane going to London in 2002. One of the in-flight movies on my personal video screen was The Abduction Club. I liked it so much I watched it three times! (It’s a long flight from San Francisco.) When I arrived in London, I discovered Matthew was in a play at the National Theatre…that had just closed! Undeterred, I found out that the play had gone on tour at some regional theatres around Britain.

I booked a weekend in Bolton, a small suburb of Manchester, where The Associate was playing at a tiny theatre. I bought tickets to see the play two nights in a row, and I had a nice chat with the box office about how I was coming so far just to see Matthew. When I went to the theatre on the first night and picked up my tickets, the folks at the theatre told me that everyone was talking about me, including Matthew, and I was invited to meet him in the theatre pub after the show!

The play was about two not-very-bright house painters who discover that the guy who’s apartment they’re painting is a mad serial bomber. Their attempts to blackmail him get them blown up (offstage) at the end. The theatre was so small and intimate I felt like I was onstage with the actors.

I was sooo nervous when I went upstairs to the little pub afterwards, but Matthew couldn’t have been more relaxed and welcoming and gracious. He bought me a drink and invited me to sit with him and the other two actors in the play. I can’t say I contributed anything worthwhile to the conversation, but I would sneak peeks at Matthew sitting to my right and I was perfectly happy. Then Matthew went outside with me and waited until the taxi came to take me to my Bed & Breakfast.

The next afternoon I went to the stage door after the matinee (which I didn’t attend) and I asked for Matthew. He came out and said he had a surprise for me, and he handed me an envelope with a personalized autographed headshot. I said I could take a better photo, if he’d pose for me right there (talk about nerve!). He let me shoot a whole roll of film, and we chatted the entire time. I dashed off to the 1-hour photo lab because I couldn’t wait to see how they turned out.

That evening I saw the play a second time, then I met Matthew in the pub once more. I gave him a set of the photos from that afternoon, and he had a good laugh at the number of times I snapped him looking silly or with his eyes shut. He apologized for not being able to hang out, but the play was moving to another city and they all had to pack things up. We said good-bye and then he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek! I don’t think I stopped grinning for at least three days!"

Stacey