Seth Green

I MET a movie star, I think — actor Seth Green. Maybe.

Usually when people say they met a celeb, they’re humored with "Oh, really?" unless a picture taken with said star is in hand. The proof’s in the Polaroid, which, unfortunately, I do not have.

Some time ago, I was stranded alone on Maui. Somehow wires got crossed, and what was supposed to be a few fun days ended in a solo vacation. Cutting my losses and visit short, I strolled the beach with the hours remaining. If the worst thing right then was being stuck on a deserted beach in Kaanapali, life was all right.

It was an odd and liberating paradox, somewhat of a revelation within itself; and hoping to capture the abstract concept on film, I grabbed my touristy box camera and snapped away at my surroundings.

About then, a man sauntered across the sand, snorkeling gear in hand, drenched locks holding their curl. Up closer, he seemed familiar, like someone I’d seen on TV. I made eye contact, we smiled and I asked for a favor: Take my picture with the hotel in the background (to add to my ’Abstract Moment’ collection). It was the last shot, I believe, and he kindly obliged.

I studied his features while we exchanged a few pleasantries — the auburn hair, the freckles, the chiseled cheeks — and I wondered if he was who I thought he might be.

Couldn’t be. I never come across celebs. "Lost" has been filming on Oahu for two years, but I’ve yet to bump into any one of the cast or anyone who has. Don’t those people need groceries? Buy gas?

Listening to him speak, words of my own took form on the horizon like English subtitles on a theater screen, but I could not speak them. Somehow, "Did anyone ever say you look like Seth Green?" would only disturb what would inevitably end. Plus, he just might say, "No."

It was over; his silhouette slowly shrank into the hotel lobby.

This might not be such a sticking point, except that I’m a fan. I first noticed Green’s work in the short-lived "Byrds of Paradise" series filmed in Hawaii and then again in the "Austin Powers" and "The Italian Job" movies. These days, I catch his diverse talents on "Family Guy" occasionally and also see his hand in "Robot Chicken," both thanks to my teen who makes a point of watching.

Wait, Seth! Come back, whoever you are! I have time before my flight. Join me for lunch! I stopped short, opting to appreciate, as is, the breath of fresh air that was a charming cap to my Maui trip.

He was gone. Just a brief encounter. But those little uncomplicated interludes that spice up the day, as a whole, make life more interesting. For instance, bantering with a cute guy in the elevator or with the suave passenger next to you on a flight — times when you teeter on that fine line between savoring or seizing the moment. Sometimes its enough to simply savor it, abstract or not.

I filed it and kept it to myself. But when the Star-Bulletin ran an article about Green, I mentioned to a friend at work, "I met him. I think."

"Oh, really?" she said.

"Yeah, on Maui. But I’m not sure it was him," I said. "I asked what he was doing there."

"You TALKED to him? And?"

Maybe it wasn’t him. He said he had just left Bora Bora, Tahiti, some exotic place, I forget, and stopped over en route to L.A., where he lives.

"I BET it was him!" she said excitedly. "And then?"

I asked if he was on vacation, and he said no, he was working but his job allows him to travel a lot.

"It WAS him!" she squealed. "The story says he’s unassuming and people often don’t recognize him."

I recognized him, I said. But I wasn’t sure.

"And?"

I asked him to take my picture.

"You WHAT?!" Hysterical laughter ensued. "Without HIM in it?" More laughter as half the department became involved.

I didn’t even bother explaining my "Capturing an Abstract Moment" theory. To them I had let one pass me by.

My colleagues have since extrapolated it to the point where I could be attending Hollywood soirees by now and even throwing some, with their names topping the VIP list. The other day, I checked my in-box to find someone had slipped a magazine clipping about Green in it. Ha, ha.

Maybe it was Seth Green. Maybe it wasn’t. I don’t really want to know either way. As far as I’m concerned, Seth and I will always have Maui; and whoever you are: Thanks, the picture turned out nicely.