This will be a long post so if you’re interested in my lovely encounter with Robert Sean Leonard, keep reading 🙂
I want to start by saying this: Before the evening took place, I mentioned to @slowburningechoes that this day was going to feel different than my other brief encounters with Robert, that is if it was actually going to happen. It’s never a guarantee that the actors will come out after a show but we were cautiously optimistic! Previously, I was so afraid of sounding like a jackass and embarrass myself that I mumbled a few words to him (the 1st time I barely said anything, the 2nd time I said a little more) and got out as quick as possible, never giving myself the chance to properly engage him. But this time, after reading people’s encounters with him during the run of Betrayal, he seemed very open (not that he wasn’t before, I didn’t give him the chance to engage) so I decided that I was going to roll with whatever was going to happen.
Okay..here we go!
- @slowburningechoes@occultbooks and I were the first people he saw (there were a few others waiting too) so he greeted us with an enthusiastic “Hello” It was @slowburningechoes and mines goal to be the first near the desk.
- I started with the usual, “the show was great, you were great”, etc. and I told him I found Betrayal to be an extraordinary play and was totally hooked and he says “I don’t like Harold Pinter plays but I did it because I love Helen and when she called to say she wanted to do this with me..” and he paused so then I interjected and said “well then you gotta go do it!” And he said “Exactly!” I love how he does not GAF and is honest about how he feels.
- When I met him a 2nd time on March 20, 2016, I briefly mentioned how I skipped my high school senior prom to see him on Broadway (it was 15 years ago then, it’s 24 years ago now!). He gave me a sweet smile at the time. I decided I was going to tell him again because it was long ago when I said it and I highly doubt he remembers. So I tell him and he says “wow, you’re a rare bird for skipping your senior prom for a Tom Stoppard play.” So I said “Oh no, I skipped my senior prom for YOU!” (giving him a famous RSL point 👉🏻) He was taken aback, blushed! and then said “I didn’t go to my senior prom because I dropped out!” And when he said “dropped out”, he moved up close to my face like he was telling me a secret 😆 He briefly talked about how The Invention of Love was a challenging play to get into and how Richard Easton mentored him throughout the run of the show and I said “…and then you went on to win the highest honor in theater!” and he said rather sheepishly and slightly shaking his head, “Yes, that was unexpected and (he paused) wonderful.” 😌
- Then I said, I brought something with me that I would love for you to sign and I told him I’ve been holding on to it for 27 years; I pulled out the VHS Emmy screener for In The Gloaming. So he takes it and inspects it (like you would inspect a new book 😆) and I tell him it’s an Emmy screener and he goes “oh my goodness, yes it is!” So to keep the conversation going, I asked if he had fond memories of working on the movie (he did, we knew that because he’s talked about it before but I wanted to hear it for myself and keep him talking) and he said “oh very much so. We shot it in westchester county which was close to home and working with Chris Reeves was so great”. I got a bit personal and told him that this movie hits close because we had a family member pass away from AIDS and it happened around the same time the movie was released. He offered his condolences on that and said “it was a wonderfully important film and I was happy to be a part of it.”
- So at this point, I felt like I’ve taken up so much of his time (although, I’m pretty sure he would have kept going. Yapper Bob was activated!) so I asked if we can take a photo together and he says “yes of course”. Now, he didn’t realize my Mom was with me (she was standing off to the side documenting this encounter) so we shuffled around a bit to get into better lighting and he went into Dad Mode and asked someone, who turned out to be @slowburningechoes , if she can take our photo and I said “My Mom is right there ready to take it” and I point her out and he says “Hi Mom!” Lol. He pulls me in tight and if you look at the photo, I’m just going with it and leaning into him. I was so close to putting my head on his shoulder but I stopped myself 😆 I thanked him again and he thanks me again for coming and for “sticking by me for so long”. From our chat, he recognized that I was a long time fan (almost 32 years!) so that comment made me 🥹. I believe he was genuinely sincere when he said that.
My Mom happened to take a photo of him leaning on his coffee cup, listening to me speak and it’s my favorite photo. I asked her why she took that photo and she said “you probably weren’t noticing it but when you were speaking to him, I could see his expression appear to soften and was really interested in what you were saying to him. I wanted you to see how the moment looked from my POV”. The cynic in me can say he’s a great actor and he’s just acting interested but after this experience and seeing (and reading) how he’s been interacting with others during the run of this show, he is 100% genuine in his approach to people.
- I hung back to watch @slowburningechoes have her moment with Robert and it was so wonderful to see. I know what that first meeting feels like and to witness it happen to someone as cool as her, it was just fantastic. I was so happy to see Robert appreciate the amazing artwork she gave him and in return @slowburningechoes receiving that amazing hug from our guy!
- I did say Hello to Ian Barford as he was leaving. We crossed paths so I put my hand out, shook hands with him and said the usual pleasantries toward an actor you know nothing about 😆 He thanked me a couple of times and that was it.
The whole moment with Robert lasted about 5 minutes or so. It was more than I could have asked for. It’s the dream scenario encounter that people wish to have with their favorite actor/actress/musician, etc. I will say it again, Robert is the absolute fucking best and the sweetest man. He needs to be protected at all costs. It was an unforgettable evening and a moment in time that I’ll cherish forever ♥️
I wish my Dad were still alive, he used to goof on me so hard about my crush on Robert. He would have gotten a kick out of this encounter.
I donated quite a few of my VHS tapes when I upgraded them to DVD. The only VHS I kept was In The Gloaming since it’s an Emmy screener and it’s kind of rare to own. My I Inside DVD is missing, I think it’s at my brother’s house.
Latest additions to the collection. Gotta include the good Reverend Luke Forte and I kinda forgot about Killer: A Journal of Murder. I haven’t seen this movie in 25 years plus I kinda can’t stand James Woods. Found a cheap, slightly used copy online.
The original “Til There Was You” kiss on YouTube isn’t even the best one?!
AND…
My upload of RSL in The Music Man (2001) is available NOW on YouTube!
I did promise you all NO GATEKEEPING! But — the caveat is that this video will remain unlisted on YouTube. Why? Two reasons. The first is my concern of potential copyright issues. The second (and more important) is to show respect and appreciation for the bootleg community.
Please show this recording the respect and care that has been shown for ones like The Invention of Love (2001). I hope you all enjoy!
Thursday, April 3, 2025
BTS on set of Falling Skies
Photos by Greg Beeman
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Robert and Rosie Perez take part in “24 Hour Plays” on September 24, 2001 in New York City to benefit the non-profit arts education organization Working Playground
Robert Sean Leonard as “Harold Hill” in The Music Man (2001).
Excerpt from W Magazine’s feature from December of that year, entitled “Robert’s Rules”:
As his long fingers slide gently over the smooth fabric of a white silk jacket, Robert Sean Leonard is practically cooing.
“Oooooh, feel this,” he says, gesturing with a sleeve of the made-to-order outfit, which also includes a pair of tailored slacks with a white-on-white tuxedo stripe running down the side. “This is the most beautiful suit I have ever, ever, seen.”
Lucky for him, since Leonard has been wearing it practically every night since mid-August for his role as Harold Hill in the Broadway I revival of The Music Man. It’s his first foray into song-and-dance territory, and while the actor is best known for his ability to make heavy drama seem almost light, his lanky frame seems particularly well suited for gliding across a stage; his theatrical voice custom-designed for romancing a girl with a tune.
Robert Sean Leonard at the opening night after party for The Iceman Cometh (1999).
this one took some digging and editing, but I am so happy to have found this image — partially because there aren’t many RSL pictures from The Iceman Cometh, but… mostly because I adore the scruff.
