Steven Spielberg Made Me Cry

As you know, Comic-Con International is well underway. So far, I've bought my tickets for next year, met up with an awesome college roommate, saw the cast of Napoleon Dynamite and chatted with a few of my favorite comic book creators.

Today, I went to the panel for Tintin, where Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson graced us with their presence. Spielberg was presented with a special lifetime achievement award from Comic-Con. Both men are eloquent speakers and made some interesting points about the upcoming film. After being treated to some footage, the floor was opened up for questions.

A cute little kid got up and asked Spielberg what movie he enjoyed making the most. He responded with E.T., and said that he had grown very close to the kids on the set. He explained that on all movies, the cast members become like family but when the movie is over, you go home and go on to other things. This time, however was different. He didn't want to go home and couldn't figure out why he was so sad. He then realized it was because this was the first time in his life that he wanted children and he had never felt this way before. He now has seven children, thanks to E.T.

I don't know if it was the fact that E.T. is one of our all-time favorite movies, or if it was because I was holding my sweet baby on my lap, but for whatever reason I began to tear up. It was dark, so I don't think anyone noticed. In any case, it was touching, and a beautiful declaration of what it means to have a family. A few minutes later, there was time for one more question. A man wearing a t-shirt that said, "if it's possible, I'd like to meet Spielberg and shake his hand and say thank you" came up and asked a question. The crowd started clapping as they read the shirt, and Spielberg invited him to come up on the stage. Peter Jackson started taking pictures of the shirt, and Spielberg followed suit. He presented the man to the audience, shook his hand, and the crowd went wild. Poor guy looked confused by all the attention he was getting. I got emotional again, because of how humble Steven Spielberg is, how much he embraces his fans. He even said that he shouldn't be up on the stage, that he should be in the audience with us. My favorite thing that he said to us was something like "Stay kids at every age. The day I grow up is the day I stop making movies, and that's not going happen anytime soon." Wonderful advice, from a legendary filmmaker.