Jennie

I’m happy I finally have something to report on! So this past Tuesday was Sean Astin’s book signing at the Mall of America. I got there bright and early at 7:30am because the Barnes and Noble people had me thinking that they were going to run out of wristbands fast (turns out they had a ton). When I got there, there were already about 20 people in line and eagerly waiting. So I bought a book to read and sat down in line…and waited, and waited, and waited.

Finally around 5:40 Sean came out. He was wearing a Minnesota Tolkien Society shirt that some fans had passed along to him. (my Barnes and Noble friend said that when they showed it to them, they didnt even have to ask if hed wear it. apparently he just saw it and said “cool! i have to wear this!”) So he started out by singing part of a Christmas song-noting the decorated trees on either side of the stage. Then he took a few questions from the audience (nothing really new-just the normal questions about lotr). Then it was time for signing. Since I was pretty far ahead in line, my time came up fast. I got up on the stage and he signed my book. Then, in a shaky voice I said something like

“I…wrote you a letter because…I didn’t think I’d have time to get to say what I wanted to.” He smiled and thanked me I think. Then I said “I would really appreciate it if you would read it.” He smiled and said that he would. I had written a note just because he wants to direct and I want to work on movies and I wanted to offer my services to him. It sounds kind of dorky but I figured that I’d give it a shot. My friend went after me and said that Sean was skimming the letter when he was signing his book. That made my night that he was so devoted to his fans that he would actually take his time to read it. My friend and I walked around the mall for a while and came back at 8.

I was waiting for my friend at Barnes and Noble to come off the stage when I saw Sean’s wife and kids come on. The oldest one stuck by her dad and the youngest one was running around in circles. It was really cute. So that was my day. Sean Astin really is as nice as everyone says he is and if you ever get a chance to meet him, don’t pass it up. It’s nice to see that not all actors take themselves so seriously and that they can be down to earth. Send good vibes out that he’ll write me back or even that I get to be hired on one of his projects. That would be the best!

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Carrie

I attended Sean Astin’s book signing in Bloomington, MN on Tuesday the 23rd. I was very very pleased with the outcome! He only showed up about 20 minutes late and when the woman on stage announced him the crowd went wild! I didn’t even recognize him either because he was wearing a baseball cap and a baseball tee. He just looked like a regular guy.

When he got up he complimented the Mall of America (biggest mall in the country, mind you) and then noted the earliness of the Christmas Trees.. Then, he sang “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” which I was a bit confused by. Then he answered a few questions from the audience like how he trained for Rudy and what a ‘typical’ day was on the set of LOTR, but since I wanted to get up there fast and get my book signed, I yelled out “go watch the DVD!”… After a while the signing started and it went relatively fast.

He stopped to give people hugs and autograph non-book items and take pictures with people. He was a really generous guy. When I went up to see him he shook my hand and said “hi” and I think I just about died. I said “Hii..” kind of nervous-like. And he said “are you okay?” With a smile. He then signed my book and I said I was a huge fan of his, and he looked up into my eyes and said “Thank you! That’s so sweet of you!”. Then I told him that my sister loves Rudy and she was sorry she couldn’t be there (she also told me later that she was a huge fan of Patty Duke’s show, stayed up until midnight just to watch it, and also is a fan of his brother and the Addams Family!) and he said that he was sorry she couldn’t be there too and thanks for the support. He was really an outstanding man and I really enjoyed the few moments I had with him. If the rest of the cast is anything like him, I cannot wait to meet these guys!