We often think famous athletes and musicians are too famous to be relatable, but that’s not always the case. Curtis Jackson, or as most people know him, 50 Cent, once appeared on The Rachael Ray Show and shed light on a time he and LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant were mesmerized by another celebrity. The person who caused these two megastars to go ga-ga might be shocking.
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On the show, Ray asked Jackson when was the last time he’d been starstruck. He said it was when he sat next to Meryl Streep at a Knicks game. “I was like, ‘I’m regular,'” Jackson said. “I felt like I was normal again.” Being near the most decorated actress of all-time seems to have that effect on people.
Jackson said it even got to Kobe, one of the most famous people on the planet. “Her aura is so strong that Kobe Bryant, he had hurt his leg at the time, he was like, ‘Yo, we gotta hang out, I’m here…’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah yeah let’s do that,'” and then he said, “And then his voice changed because Meryl came around the corner, and he’s like ‘Heeey.'”
Jackson did an impression of Kobe and how his voice and posture changed in response to seeing Streep. “He just shifted to a whole new person,” he said. Jackson realized then that as famous as he was, he didn’t rate in Kobe’s eyes next to the star of The Devil Wears Prada and Mamma Mia. “What am I, chopped meat?” he remembers thinking.
Kobe Bryant is one of the most famous athletes of the last 25 years, but Meryl Streep turned him into just another fanboy
Bryant shared a picture on his Instagram after the encounter, and it’s especially hilarious because, while he and Streep are smiling wide, Jackson is in the middle looking like he can’t believe he’s the third wheel. He captioned the photo, “#50 #merylstreep #respect #legends That’s all..,” which just goes to show how meaningful it was to him.
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Bryant, whose “Mamba mentality” has inspired so many people in basketball and other walks of life, undoubtedly admired the work ethic of Streep, who has been and remains to this day one of the most respected thespians in Hollywood history.
Just as Bryant started his NBA career with a bang by winning Rookie of the Year, Streep also earned recognition early on. She received her first Oscar nomination for The Deer Hunter, just her second film, then won the Oscar a year later for Kramer vs. Kramer. 50 Cent saw success right away too, as his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, was certified diamond by selling more than 10 million copies.
All three stars went on to long, illustrious careers. Bryant won five NBA titles, two Finals MVPs, and one regular season MVP, and he even won an Oscar for his animated short, Dear Basketball. Streep has been nominated for 20 Oscars, the most ever, and has won three times while also taking home three Emmys. 50 Cent has sold over 30 million records and has been nominated for 14 Grammys, winning one, while going on to become a TV producer.
