My First Celebrity Sighting
15 June, 2015
I love asking little kids what they want to be when they grow up. They decide based on their hopes and dreams instead of their fears. Little kids have imaginations I envy... if there's a will, there's a way. Based on the current kindergarden population, there's a projected 10,000 future presidents. So that's cool.
Some have dreams to become normal, everyday workers. My brother lived his entire childhood life (up to age ten, that is) dead set on becoming a street sweeper operator. Like, he told everyone. Or this litte cutie below, who said he wanted to be a mailman so "he can let people know when it's their birthday.”
I really hope he delivers my mail one day. Anyways, I know you're all dyingggg to know what I wanted to be as a youngster, right? (crickets) Well, I'll tell ya anyways. I, drumroll please, wanted to be aaaa...... movie director! That's right, an Oscar-winning, script-writing, sign-Brad-Pitt-for-my-next-gig movie director.
My parents were super supportive about the whole thing. They loved it. So much so, they allowed little 10-year-old me to attend a week-long film-making camp in California. It was held at Pepperdine University where, 9 years later, I entered my sophomore year of college.
I was the youngest at the camp, unsurprisingly, but I also think I arguably had the best time out of all the campers. It was my first time I had flown alone, and I had a ball from the second I stepped out of the plane. As a newbie to Los Angeles, the counselor who picked me up took me to In-N-Out for lunch before heading over to the worlds most beautiful campus. (leave your objections at the door) I was placed in a group of 5 other campers with a couselor serving as our "filming mentor." We spent the first day coming up with movie ideas, the second day writing a short, 5-minute script, and the next few days filming and editing our movie.
Our movie was titled "Game, Set, Mismatch!" and they chose, you guessed it, yours truly to be the lead (after I begged them, but that's besides the point). Our short film was about a girl (aka, me) and boy playing tennis against each other in a tournament. The duo tie with plans for a rematch the following day. We both wake up late for the game, and the movie follows us rushing to get to the tennis court. Once we get there, there's a sign that the tournament was postponed, so we play each other for fun instead. It's the cuuuutest movie. I have about 10,000 DVD copies if you're interested. Which I know you all are. Right.
One of the camp counselors, Joe (pictured on the left above), looked a little familiar to me, but I wasn't quite sure why. He was decently tall, had red hair, and looked to be about 20 years old. He was picked on quite often by the other counselors, light heartedly of course, about the movie Jurassic Park. It was nuts how often they brought it up. He'd ask if someone lost their badge and someone would answer "why don't you ask a dinosaur." Hilarious, I know......
A couple days into the camp, someone at my lunch table made another dinosaur joke, so I asked for the scoop.
"Why do people keep making fun of him? Does he really like Jurassic Park or something?" She laughed, "Aww, honey! You're so cute! He's IN Jurassic Park! He's the little boy!"
Whoa. Turning my head to look at Joe, it all clicked. No wonder he looked so darn familiar! Finishing my lunch with a grin I couldn't shake, I couldn't wait to go home and tell all my friends that I, Paige Nicole Weslaski, had met a real-life celebrity. If that didn't earn me 5th-grade cool points, nothing would.
Thoughout the rest of the camp, I watched everything Joe did. I even talked to him a few times, asking him everything I could about filming the movie. "Who directed it?" Steven Speilberg. "Was it fun?" Sure was, hun! "Is it hard for you to sleep at night thinking a dinosaur might ravage your house, eat your family, and bite your head off?" Gasp, how'd you know?
Looking back, it was one of the best weeks of my life. It gave me a sense of independence at a young age, it took me out of my comfort zone, and it broadened my horizons, eventually leading to me returning to Pepperdine for three college years. I also returned to film camp the two years following, enjoying the camp just as much as I did the first time.
Joe, who I'm sure is incredibly thankful to have acted in the original Jurassic Park film, is known for just that: being that kid in the dinosaur movie everyone's seen five times. Even years after the release, it was brought up hourly. Joe took a group of us to the beach one afternoon (in his purple porsche, no less) and believe it or not, someone lounging in the sand randomly asked, "hey, are you that kid? from the movie?" Nodding yes, you could tell he was asked all the time.
Is there something you're known for, either good or bad? Something no matter how hard you try, it can't be shaken? Growing up, I was Paige the swimmer. I swam a few hours every night and had a decent swim career, and whenever I met someone in town I'd hear, "hey, aren't you that swimmer?"
I've also been known for my mistakes. I've been known as the girl who cheated on a history test in highschool. I've been known to be the worst texter of all time. I've been known to duck out of work early and hope no one notices.
As humans, it's so (so, so, so) easy to get caught up in our image. How are others perceiving us? Do they know we did (blank)? Will they judge us based on our past faults? Are we known only for our sporting abilities, or our blog? Or our role in Jurassic Park?
Once I found the truth of Jesus Christ, I learned I no longer need to carry the burden of trying to please others. I no longer have to fill up my "life resume" to impress the world. I don't need to try to earn the love of God or my family or close friends, it's just there.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17
Accept Christ today, my friend, and you will no longer have to bear the weight of your past. You'll no longer have to hide away your regrets. They're washed clean. And, you no longer have to try living up to your past successes. Once this world ends, our real "success" is found solely in the victory of Jesus.
Meeting Joe at camp was a thrill I'll always remember. But the real question is, can you rest assured you'll someday meet King Jesus?
P.S. Joe's latest tweet: Okay so I wasn't asked back for Jurassic World. Bummer, but don't worry. I'm sure they're just saving me for JURASSIC UNIVERSE!!!
You're awesome, Joe.
