I met A !!

    One of my dreams came true….I met A Martinez at the recent General Hospital luncheon in LA!  If you’ve ever met him, at a fan event or elsewhere, you already know what a delightful experience it is, and I’d love to know what yours was like. Since I’m a fan of all of A’s work (his many films and TV shows, especially Santa Barbara, his music, his writing, etc), we talked more about things other than GH….and I’m very interested in knowing what he and other people talked about as well.

    A is just as terrific in person as I thought he would be…..completely gracious and thoughtful and gorgeous!

    During the luncheon part of the event, our first time attending, my sister and I sat at a table for 10 near the back, chatting mostly with a man from Las Vegas who has been coming to the luncheons for at least 10 years. He had lots of stories and advice, and was fun to talk with. First on the agenda were door prizes and raffles. The one thing that I really hoped to win was a wonderful large framed color photo of my favorite guy....but no luck! The event was fairly anonymous, no name tags, etc....just 450 people in a huge room! Many were in groups...some that I chatted with in line met yearly at the luncheon...some had met each other through the net.

    While we ate, the actors gathered in a room nearby. John Ingle (Edward) introduced each one (in alpha order by last name) as they entered, waved to the cheering fans, and sat onstage. Like last year, A sat in the back row of seats, and I could barely see him from our seats way in the back. But since I planned to meet A at his table and also to buy a tape of the event to help fill in the blanks later, I didn’t mind. Although my main purpose in attending the luncheon was to meet A, seeing the other actors as well was also a real pleasure.

    This year the fan club decided to have John J. York (Mac) roam the tables with a microphone for questions, the goal being one per actor. I raised my hand along with many other fans, hoping to ask A what he hoped for Roy's story line. The woman who asked A’s question said that Roy has undergone a lot of changes, especially lately, and she seemed to assume that he was leaving the show completely. She asked why he was on GH a lot in recent weeks but just lately, not at all. A answered that he worked a lot for a block of episodes, then he said he was off for 10 days (his summer vacation?) and now he's back working another block. He also said that some people didn't understand Roy's motivation, but he felt that he did and that he likes Roy. Also that he has enjoyed working with the GH cast.

    I was so nervous during the luncheon that I couldn't eat a bite….and I was afraid that I would "toss my cookies" on his shoes or something awful like that. But as I watched him with his fans in line ahead of me, I began to relax, and when I actually met him, he was so absolutely thoughtful and natural, that I felt relaxed and comfortable. But I can't believe that I forgot to mention All A, All Day on Lifetime that was showing during that same day!

    He seemed even taller and bigger than I expected....and outrageously handsome, of course!  :))  His suit was silk, I think (possibly the same one he wore last year from the photos I’ve seen), very soft and flowy...light green/brown, with a brown shirt.  Since I’ve enjoyed so much of A’s work other than just GH, there were SO many things that I wanted to say and ask, but the line of people waiting to meet him was gigantic, and he spent a generous amount of time with me as it was. He listened intently and responded to what each person says. There is not a molecule of attitude, ego, or phoniness about him.  Instead, the words that come to mind about A are thoughtful, gracious, natural, real, and very classy.  I can certainly understand why A is so highly regarded by his fans, friends, and coworkers.

   Since he was already standing in front of the table for pictures, another fan in line first took a photo of me with A, and a couple more photos when I showed him my "vintage" June 1974 Tiger Beat magazine article about him! He seemed very surprised and delighted to see it and said that it brought back very good memories of his time making "The Cowboys" film and TV shows. I told him that I love his writing (A’s "messages" on his website) and hope that he’ll write lots more about those times when he has "a year off" sometime. He mentioned that For The People has a regular hiatus, as opposed to GH, and I said that I think FTP is a wonderful show.

    As he glanced through the article with his beautiful grin, he mentioned that he didn’t have a copy of this magazine, but when I offered to give it to him, A said that at his home it wouldn’t survive for long. I told him that I was gathering a wonderful collection of things about him that I planned to give to him eventually since I thought that with three kids and a large family, they would like to have extra copies of things. I mentioned that since I am the person that created his fan site, "you know that I have lots of great stuff!", and he seemed very touched by the thought of my giving him the things I have.

    I waited in A’s line again at the end of the day, to ask if he would sign the ABC Soap magazine (given to each fan there) for a friend who has been a devoted fan of A’s for many years, who has probably seen all of his work, who sent me many things for the fan site, and who speaks up for him on message boards. He said that it was generous of me to wait in line for her. I said, "I’ve loved getting to know her and your other fans….they are terrific people." He signed it for her, and then began to talk with passion and sincerity about his admiration of Meryl Streep, and her importance to him as a fan of hers. He told me that he had been deeply moved by her role in Sophie’s Choice, particularly when her character talked of her reasons for making the choices she had. He’d had the opportunity to work with her in Silkwood and thought he had blown it totally and would never be able to make it right, when he hadn’t been able to take the part. Years later he had taken his role in She Devil mostly in order to work with her, and loved being able to talk with her, person to person, instead of just being in awe of her as a fan. He said that he understands how sometimes being a fan can be very meaningful and give a lot back to the fan too, since that’s the way he felt about Streep. I replied that sometimes, you just reach someone, and touch their heart. We said goodbye, and he gave me a very warm handshake!

    A’s lines were HUGE, and he stayed way past the "closing time" in order to connect with each one….either A or Tamara (Carly) was the very last one to leave. At first he was behind the table, but he was asked so often to pose for photos that he decided to stand in front of his table instead. He never sat down or took a break that I saw, for at least 2 ½ hours! He had fabulous eye contact with everyone and really tried to connect with each person and give them his undivided and full attention for as long as they wanted. He sometimes posed for photos with fans and "Mac" and also "Johnny" as well.

    I was delighted to meet some of my other favorite GH actors that were there….Nancy Lee Grahn, who plays Alexis, was stunningly beautiful, vibrant, and very charming. I also enjoyed meeting the actors who play Rick and Leslie Webber, the new younger teens, and Mac. Since I had met Zander, Liz, and others at the Soap Bistro last year, I didn’t again. The only one that I really wanted to meet but didn’t, was Elton….he left before I could find him.

    The fans were generally pleasant and friendly, though some got "testy" as the temperature in the room rose and the lines slowed. Lots of complaining about the lines...more problems this year than usual, I guess, perhaps because some of the actors were seated very close together, and the lines got tangled, etc. And the room got very, VERY warm. Many of us felt quite sorry for the actors! Although they had pitchers of water at their tables, I brought A a bottle of fresh, icy water after he’d been meeting fans for an hour or so.

    A is everything that he seems and more….an extraordinary, delightful, and real man!  Meeting him will be a wonderful experience that I hope you will each have the chance to do. And if you already have, please tell me all about it!

  To comments on my "essay" from other fans who've also 

met A or would love to!!

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