Let me tell you about how I met Tom Hiddleston…

and the best 4th of July EVER.

It had been a rough week for me. When I heard Tom Hiddleston would be in Detroit I made it a goal to meet him somehow. I met up with a few people from Tumblr at the film studio in Pontiac where ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ was rumored to be filming. We waited all day with no sign of him…

The following week, I decided I’d have to make a trip of it and head down to Detroit where I knew he must be. I’d found out where he had met all the other fans on the previous days so I was confident that my friends and I would have no trouble seeing him. On the day we were set to leave the downpour happened. Hail and lightning and rain coming down harder than I’d ever seen it. I had to make other carpooling arrangements as one of my friends couldn’t make it. When we finally did get to Detroit, we waited for hours with still no sign of him. Deciding to walk around Detroit for a bit, we were caught in the downpour and then informed that one of my friends had just met him. When we get back to where she was, he was already gone. We had missed him by 20 mintues. 

At 11pm, we called it quits and went home. We did get to speak to the director Jim Jarmush, who was very nice and told us what a delight it was to work with Tom.

I slept at my friends house that night because we decided to give it one more try the following morning. Waking up at 9am, we made the 40 minute journey back to Detroit. Instead of thunderstorms, this time we were mercilessly greeted by sweltering sun and humidity. 6 hours dragged by with no word at all. My friend and I were extremely depressed and losing hope. We almost left.

But the first to appear was Anton Yelchin. He was very nice (and adorable!) and had no problem taking pictures with us. He also signed a few autographs for some other people that were waiting. We chatted a bit, made small talk, and then he was off. And our hopes to see Tom were raised considerably.

Another hour went by before we heard that the rest of the cast was making their way out. I didn’t believe it myself until I saw Jim Jarmush followed by Tilda Swinton (who we said hi to but didn’t dare stop for pictures or autuographs because we knew who would follow) and then finally the man himself, Tom Hiddleston. 

The next 5 minutes (or God knows how long really) seemed like a dream. I couldn’t really even believe it was happening. There was no time to think. He came out in dark sunglasses and a red, white, and blue flannel shirt. He was surrounded by crew members who were ushering him towards a car. But we were 10 feet from him and the moment I said his name, he turned towards us, smiling, and came over. 

We were in a daze. The heat, the hours without food and water, and Tom Hiddleston in our presence were more than our bodies or minds could handle. PICTURES. AUTOGRAPHS. ME FIRST. How were we supposed to do this?! Luckily, Tom offered in his low, velvety, and soft British accent, “How about autographs first, then pictures?” (I really have no idea how he worded it, but it was beautiful.) Papers, posters, pictures, and dolls were signed. I told him how to spell my name, but mostly I just stared at him, oddly focused on his ear for some reason. Someone reminded me, “YOUR CAMERA!” I had brought a video camera with me. I took a couple minutes of shaky footage of Tom signing autographs. Then the pictures came. I was eager to go first (at least I think I was first; I stood closest to him anyway). Something on him smelled heavenly and I tried hard not to shake too much. I felt him holding me steadily (or did I imagine it?), his hand on my arm.

I watched in a daze as he took pictures with the other girls. Despite the fact I was shaking so much, I even took a few pictures for them myself (really hope they turned out OK). All this time, the crew was trying to get him into the car but he stayed until every fan was satisfied. Lastly, hugs were exchanged, and as I gave him my one-armed but very heartfelt hug, he squeezed me and planted a kiss firmly on the side of my head (I KIDD YOU NOT). With that, he bid us farewell. When he was out of earshot, we all screamed.

SORRY for the long post, but I felt I simply could not leave out any detail (except for the detail of where he was staying. Some of you may already know, but please do not ask me to reveal it). It was the most amazing experience of my life and I know I’ll remember it forever. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, Tom Hiddleston is exactly as everyone describes him. Polite, kind to a fault, and incredibly sexy. It is truly my hope that every fan will get to one day meet him. 

THIS HAS BEEN A POST. THANK YOU. KEEP CALM AND HIDDLESTONER ON!

Edit: The video I made of the trip (complete with ‘shaky footage’) is here.