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Celebrities are no strangers to weird fan interactions, from receiving bizarre gifts to downright stalking. Some fans may cross personal boundaries, making uncomfortable requests, and while most interactions are harmless, the line between admiration and obsession can get uncomfortably thin.
English actor Jason Isaacs, who played the elitist pure-blood wizard and devoted Death Eater Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, has had a few odd exchanges with fans throughout his decades as an actor. Still, one specific encounter stuck to the actor’s mind when asked by The Telegraph about his worst fan interaction.
Isaacs recalled the cast trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, where they spent the day delighting fans, signing autographs, and posing for selfies. As the event wound down, a particularly enthusiastic woman approached him with a request that wasn’t something the actor was expecting. “Will you sign my breasts?” the woman asked before promptly opening her top and presenting the designated surface.
The actor was scandalized by the unusual request but kept his composure, managing to say, “Madam, please stop. There’s kids everywhere.” Unfazed, the woman waved off his concern, proudly declaring that she had eight kids. Isaacs, grasping at reason, asked, “Well, what would they say?” Unfortunately for him, the woman’s children sided with their mother and immediately started an enthusiastic pep rally, chanting, “Sign them, sign them!”
Although Isaacs considered that one of his worst fan interactions, he found it quite amusing. However, he has also had other “actual worst” experiences in the form of fan stalkers. “Proper stalkers. Court cases and people dragged away outside my house by police and dogs. When I saw Baby Reindeer, I thought ‘I should have written it first,’” he shared, referring to the dark comedy thriller series involving a deranged stalker.
Isaacs recounted his stalker ordeal to The Sun about 20 years ago, revealing that a particularly persistent female fan had followed him obsessively for eight years. Things escalated to the point where he had to take her to court — multiple times — and file restraining orders. Yet, even legal intervention wasn’t enough, as she resumed her stalking the moment the orders expired.
Authorities couldn’t do much about the situation, suggesting Isaacs change his phone number, move homes, or change jobs — none of which felt like real solutions. He later discovered that the woman lived two hours away by train yet still managed to track him down with unsettling dedication. He even considered a shift to just doing theater acting, but he quickly realized it wouldn’t help — she’d simply purchase a front-row seat to his shows. “Friends make jokes about it, but then I explain what it is like having someone standing outside your door banging in the early hours of the morning,” he told the outlet.
Despite the unsettling stalker experience, Isaacs has also enjoyed plenty of rewarding fan encounters. As he told The Telegraph, he’s been deeply moved by Harry Potter fans who share how the films changed their lives, with some even expressing how important Lucius Malfoy was for them despite his villainous ways. “I feel like they haven’t had quite enough therapy… but then, it might be the hair. I’m not sure,” the actor jokingly added.