I Tried to Be Cool, But it was the Highlander!

In the late 1990s, I loved the show Highlander, with Adrian Paul as the Highlander. I had every episode of the show. When I learned that he was to be at a conference in Los Angeles dedicated to the show, I made reservations on the spot to travel from Atlanta to Anaheim to see my hero.

We arrived at the conference center, and I was appalled at people dressed like the characters from the show, complete with swords that had to be registered with the local sheriff’s office. It was scary, and I thought I was not a fanatic like them.

Later, a murmur went through the crowd, and I learned that Adrian Paul was on his way to the stage. When I saw him, I lost it, even as I promised myself to stay calm and cool and not act like a fool! But I found myself screaming how much I loved him and jumping up and down, trying to see him more. It was so out of control.

Then, he was on stage, and I said, “Wait a minute! Who is that guy?” He was shorter than portrayed in the show and slighter in build. I was so disappointed! I felt like I had been cheated out of the real hunk of a guy. I listened to him answer foolish questions like one girl wanted to know if the head was cut off, would the Highlander still return. He asked her if she realized that it was just a show.

That’s when I realized that he was right. He was just a regular guy who played a hero quite convincingly. He wasn’t the character he portrayed by any stretch of the imagination. I don’t think I watched the show again when I returned home. I was “in love” with a figment of someone’s imagination. I also never attended any more conferences about shows.

But it was cool to get my picture taken with his car! In fact, it might have been the car, a sweet, black 1964 T-bird I loved all along!