Great Actress, Great Person

Being in this business has allowed me the privilege of meeting many famous people.  I’ve been fortunate to meet many athletes, actors and musicians over the years.   Today was one of those days.   Mariel Hemingway was in town for the Grand Opening of the new Cambria Gallery in Rochester.

She stopped by our studios this morning for an on-air interview.  Afterwards we had a gathering in our conference room where we got to spend some time with her.  Within about 2-minutes she put everyone in the room at ease.   She couldn’t have been nicer.  She was pleasant, charming and funny.  She really seemed to enjoy experiencing “Minnesota Nice”.   She even liked the way we say things like “hot-dish” or “pop” instead of soda.

One of my favorite Mariel Hemingway movies is “Star 80” where she did a great job of portraying the late Playmate Dorothy Stratten.  I mentioned to her that I had seen that movie many times, which I realize may have come off a little creepy.  She teased me about it and later thanked me for having her at the station and for being such a BIG fan of one of her movies.   While I am a fan of her movies, after spending some time with this nice down-to-earth woman, I’m an even bigger fan of hers.