Mistaken identities can give you food for thought

It was late into the evening in Supermacs and the guy was absolutely convinced he knew me – or at the very least I was a doppelganger for a movie star.

I didn’t think for a minute he had confused me with Brad Pitt (although some have compared me to Brad in terms of what his name stands for in Cockney rhyming slang) but I’d hoped for someone who might score over five out of ten on the movie star index.

Not a chance.

“You’re John Lithgow,” he told me.

John Lithgow, talented actor and writer, star of the World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment, and more recently on the big television hit comedy, 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Talented and winner of 24 top awards, including two Tony Awards, six Emmy Awards, three Screen Actor Awards and with his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

But screen idol? No.

Character actor? Yes – a euphemism for someone with good expression rather than movie idol looks.

Or, without putting too fine a point on it … grey, bald and decidedly average.

And actually, I got it; the guy in Supermacs didn’t have the actual John Lithgow ordering a five ounce burger with bacon and cheese – but he was closer in his call than if he’d suggested Tom Hanks or even Dustin Hoffman.

A while back, in a foreign country, a taxi driver went down a similar rabbit hole – not literally of course, because that might have meant not surviving to tell the tale.

“You remind me of a movie star,” he said, in English which wasn’t his first language.

“Oh yeah?” says I, and because this was before the John Lithgow event – and there had been a few drinks taken – I dared to dream upwards at first.

“Yes, one of the Life of Brian people,” he said, as he searched for the name.

“One of Monty Python?” I replied, as if for the first time I saw a passing resemblance to Michael Palin.

“Yes, the big, tall one with the funny walk.”

John Cleese. He thought I looked like John Cleese.