Here’s a photo of Sebastian Stan at the opening of King Lear‘s off-Broadway production last week. He’s rocking a three-piece suit by Zegna. Seb has come a long way since Gossip Girl and The Covenant. He’s always possessed the talent to go far but often ends up being the most memorable part of lackluster projects. The man is insanely talented. Now he’s getting his due thanks to his performance as the Winter Soldier.
The Marvel effect is amazing when it comes to fandom. Sebastian is the latest darling to shower in the glory of this studio. His Tumblr fanbase is absolutely insane. (Don’t look. You really don’t want to know.) Stan’s fans call themselves Winter’s Children, which is hilarious. He made up the term himself in an Empire video interview. I’ve written about Stan a handful of times. The reaction here has been positive but restrained. As Kaiser says, “honk” if you want to hear more about this guy.
This story has to do with Sebastian’s 32nd birthday. Some of his die-hard fans put together a tribute video, which was an epic devotional. It’s a 17-minute slideshow of girls holding up birthday signs. Kind of embarrassing, really. Sebastian was into it. He Instagrammed the this photo (from Rome) with an effusive thank you:
To @allofsebastianstan and each and every single one of you who contributed to the incredible 17:19 sec video that I just watched, who have written me and who have stood with me through the years then and now…words can not express the immense gratitude that I am feeling. To be alive. To be able to work. To be able to share with you guys that which wouldn’t be possible without you. Through all my times growing up…I have realized…This. Is. What. It’s. All. About. To be able to touch someone else as you all have touched me. If I can promise anything in this ever unpredictable world we are in, it is that I will always do everything in my power to do so and never let you down! Thank you for the constant unconditional support and love!! I stand with you!! Much love!
[From Sebastian Stan on Instagram]
Does Sebastian encourage his fandom’s obsession with this note? This could bite him back. Maybe he was drunk when he wrote it — Italy is a great place for the alcohol. I get it though. He’s feeling the sudden swell of popularity, which is disorienting for an actor who’s been toiling away in thankless roles for a decade. Overall, it’s fantastic how Sebastian goes out of his way to acknowledge his fans. Stories of him being utterly gracious at his most recent Comic-Con are strewn all over the internet. His panel appearance with Anthony “Don’t Make it Weird” Mackie is worth watching.
All of this reminds me of Tom Hiddleston’s admission that he receives truckloads of Loki mail and reads all of it. Tom used to embrace his Dragonflies so much that he sometimes revealed details of his whereabouts. He used to tell them where he went running! Tom has since stopped revealing so much to his fandom, for good reason.
Sebastian is currently wavering in the Hiddles phase of fan appreciation. That’s a wonderful sight to see, but I worry. It only takes one bad experience with a fan to completely change a celebrity’s attitude. In Sebastian’s case, I suspect there’s more than one “crazy” fan out there, as evidenced by the internet’s reaction to Seb’s new girlfriend.
Anyway. This is a great opportunity to share this amazing “fat” photo that Sebastian captioned, “Glory days…” I thought it was a subtle attempt to head off the fandom.
Photos courtesy of Sebastian Stan on Instagram & WENN
So much second hand embarrassment.
It’s Captain America’s buddy who “was” dead but finally is alive and became baddie with fake arm?
He looks totally different in real life
His message was like he was crowd surfing over his fandom.
What’s the opposite of a honk? Whisper sigh?
It may be overload but I appreciate it. I’d rather have this than the celebrities who think they are better than us mere peasants.
Exactly. Yes a bit cringe-worthy but I’m not gonna dog the guy for being appreciative. Better than the alternative.
I think I’ll honk just because he’s someone other than Hiddleston or Cumberbatch.
Honk for diversity! Yay!
haha yes!!
HONK for appreciation!! HONK for diversity!
Being thankful for your good fortune, when the odds are against so many people who try to make it in that industry, is fine. I hope he and those like him can keep their upbeat attitude and that they aren’t burnt by the more fanatic fans out there. He and Hiddleston seem like such great guys.
I think he’s hot. I loved him in Winter Soldier and thought really hard about how he could use that cyber arm…..
OAN yeah I think he’s adorable and reminds me of Hiddles. It has to be nice to these guys to get this huge wave of popularity thrown at them.
The fan pandering will bite him in the ass later.
See the entry for “Hiddleston, Tom” under fan pandering and you’ll see what’s next for Mr. Stan. ALL THE CRAZIES!
I wonder if the fan pandering is part of Marvel’s vilain contract.
Yup. He is Hiddleston 2.0
Agreed with @Kate and @Freebunny.
Seb Stan’s stans are embarrassing, it was really sweet of him to respond like he did though.
People here can be so damn cynical. Man has never had this much attention in his life over what he loves to do. So what if he’s riding a little high and happy, on his birthday no less, because he’s got a solid fanbase now?
Plus, I don’t think thanking your fans for something nice they did for you is pandering. Hiddles pandered all over his press tour, and I don’t think we’ll ever see that level of pandering from Sebastian.
Exactly. He was just being appreciative. No need to throw shade at him for it. Can’t a guy just be nice without it being scrutinized by gossip media? Must be a slow news day.
What is up with that top pic? He looks grey, and shiny.
Perfectly good looking guy…but the lighting or someting (or my monitor) is so off that he looks like he is makeup to play a vampire.
I was about to comment the same. He looks a bit clammy/sweaty in those pictures …
I probably should have used some more flattering photos in post. The gallery is nice though!
Nothing against Stans, but is the dorky but not socially awkward guy going to be the new thing now? Not that it’s a bad thing, but it seems like after Hiddles and Cumberbatch there are a bunch of new stars that market themselves as that type (see also Chris Pratt).
I actually think that most of them are genuinely dorky. Actors tend to be geek-types who obsess over film/theater as opposed to say, comic books or fantasy novels, but it’s the same nerd-drive powering them.
Also, I think these days we’re a lot more accepting about what makes people unique. Look back at previous generations of movie stars, and everyone fit into a few, precise molds. Action heroes presented themselves one way (butch, macho), drama actors another (sensitive), comedians as yet another type (class clown). You can see remnants of how they were molded clinging to older actors like Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and it wasn’t as common for an actor to work outside their genre like it is now. Now, everyone does a little bit of everything, and we’re more tolerant of action heroes admitting that they’re into fantasy novels (Henry Cavill), tap-dancing (Chris Evans), etc. I’m sure there’s some cynicism to it, in terms of marketing and presentation, but I also think we’re just better at recognizing/accepting people’s dorkier traits.
Also, Chris Pratt is a legitimate dork. He’s such a natural comedian, it’s in his nature to make himself the butt of a joke to get a laugh.
I love Chris Pratt and have a huge amount of respect for this guy.
All of the honks! He is the cutest.
I saw the title and immediately thought of Tom Hiddleston. So he is becoming the newest Marvel obsession, I wonder what will happen to the old one.
The old one will thank the angels in heaven for a little break. 😉
The old one is currently heading into doing his 3rd lead-man srs bsns film project this year, is offered Ben-Hur’s role in MGM/Paramount remake (and rumoured for a couple of other big projects) and is generally using his time off Marvel’s villain duties to build his career before he comes back for Thor 3 and sneers everyone off their feet again 😛
I adore THE COVENANT. Then again, I love cheesy teen drama/horror/romcoms. *hangs head in shame*
Honk! I love him. Love that he appreciates his fans. He always looks like he just got finished having frenzied public sex in a dark corner but then he opens his mouth and blushes stammers and says things like “Winters Children” and “Captain Rum.” Bless.
HONK!
Ok, admittedly it’s only because of his role as Jefferson/Mad Hatter in Once Upon a Time. I haven’t seen Winter Soldier, but he absolutely killed it as Jefferson. He is genuinely talented and considering how many wooden and dry actors get lauded in HWood, I am all for supporting the ones who make shows and movies enjoyable.
He was great on OUAT. Much better than the show deserved, but that happens a lot with his gigs.
All in all, I guess I will take an overly grateful star instead of the usual aloof a$$hole anyday. At least he isn’t slapping fans in the face at concerts, or throwing money and lawyers at servers. Happy B’day, newly minted Marvel dude.
Eh, I think it’s cute, but I admittedly have a high tolerance for this kind of thing. I’m sure he’ll tire of being a celebrity soon enough, but for the moment, I’ll be happy that he’s happy.
He’s gorgeous. I don’t think ANYTHING trumps the Dragonflies, sorry. Sebastian’s fans seem in the younger age group, maybe early 20’s, whereas Tom’s fans are a bit older, which makes it just a little nuttier. Either way it’s nice to see actors appreciate their fans and acknowledge that they got somewhere because of them. But I’m honking loudly, more Seb please!
He’s had me since the Mad Hatter in Once Upon a Time. I’d totally add him to our stable of lovely British guys. Lilacflowers? What do you think?
That said, he is totally following in the footsteps of our dear Hiddles. He’ll learn. Hopefully before the crazies make him all angry and guarded.
I don’t think he’s British though – I might be wrong but I thought he was from Romania?
But I totally agree about Once Upon a Time – always hoping he’ll be back 😀
You are correct! I don’t know WHY I thought he was British. He doesn’t even have an accent. Apparently he was born in Romania! The rest of our stable, minus Jack Bauer I believe (and technically Kiefer was born in England, but I don’t really think that makes him British, since I think he only lived there a few months!) are Brits, so branching out will be a good thing. 🙂
He really does need to come back to OUAT, but he is a movie star now.
We can add him to the stable, even if he isn’t British, but he has to wear the Winter Soldier make-up around me. Because.
And the hair? Normally I don’t go for longer messy hair, but he really was quite hot with it in Winter Soldier.
BTW….Did you happen to catch our beloved Sean Bean in Legends this week? It was confusing, but decent. The ratings look like they were pretty good too. It was a good decision to let him out for filming. Plus, since he is the lead, he likely won’t die……yet.
Yes, definitely with the hair. It’s part of the total look. Didn’t get a chance to watch Legends yet.
He’s adorable in an “aww bless him” way.
My favorite thing about this site is the links to past blogs I may have missed. I learn more from you ladies than anywhere else.
So cute – love him and yes, he HAS come a long way since Carter Baison 😀 He does look like the love child of Jeremy Renner and James Marsden. Drool.
Lol another marvel villain could have ghost written that.
I liked him in Political Animals and as the Mad Hatter in OUAT. I don’t think his note is bad, but the more a celebrity opens themselves up, the closer crazy fans feel to them.
I might be in the minority here, but I think it’s great when celebs embrace their fans in this way. They shouldn’t go to far by revealing whereabouts and secret personal places that they hold dear. I just might join the Sebastian Stan fan base. He certainly did a damn good job as Buckey in WS. He also looked reasonably hot in it with the longer hair.
I remember being really impressed with him on Kings back in the day.
I’ve always wondered what it must be to have such a huge and crazy fandom. To be worshipped as a God (quite literally). I have no idea how I’d react to that.
Anyway… a celebrity who is genuinely thankful and nice to his or her fans is always welcome in my book.
Agreed! He seems so sweet.
The Comic con panel was good. I never noticed That AM had so much energy and SS really mellows him out. AM is sort of needy for attention like Hiddles, but in a less elegant way, but he is also hilarious. If I’m gonna crush on SS, it’ll have to be with the shoulder length hair and make up from winter soldier. SS seems like a pretty mellow dude. Loved AM’s story about Morgan Freeman. It was hilarious when he called him “Black Jesus”.
Well… as anybody might guess, his thank you note isn’t exactly something that drives me off. It sounds genuinely sweet and nice and I think he’s a good guy. And yes, it’s somewhat reminiscent of Hiddles, maybe that’s why I like it. Let’s see where it ends. Fans have a way with taking these kind of things for granted, unfortunately.
The birthday video on the other hand was quite unwatchable to me. I’m not even sure I’ve seen something like this (with the gooey music and reverent voice over) from the Hiddleston fangirls. Unf… I guess I’m officially too old for this.
I missed a Seb Stan post! I think he is just adorable. Not to mention, extremely talented!
All the honks! I think he’s a total cutie, and while the note was a little too it’s nice he’s appreciative of the people that support his success.
Awww, he’s adorable. He can gush about his fanbase on his birthday if he wants to – it’s cute because he’s generally more laid back and mellow. I love the recent coverage of him, please keep it up!
Even though Seb has replaced Hiddles I think Seb knows how to control his fans a bit more.
He’s giving them information but asserting a subtle authority at the same time. Seb also tends to stick to one thing and stands by it.
Hiddles could of stayed like how he was but he made the mistake of keep changing his PR. one minute he’s all pally pally with fans then he’s ice cold. It’s confusing so it’s no wonder he has an out of control fan base trying to find out which one is the ‘real Tom’
In other words Seb looked at what happened to Hiddles fandom and just fined tuned his a bit more.
I hope you’re right about Stan, I liked how he came off in his interviews and I like how appreciative he is. However, I don’t think he’s yet hit the same stage Hiddles has gone through with his fandom, and I also get the feeling Stan has a different personality. I’ll wait and see how it all works out for him.
Also, I don’t think Hiddles has even been ice-cold towards fans. We’re talking about the guy who’s been consistently signing and posing for selfies with his fans throughout Crimson Peak and High Rise shoots. Don’t think stopping to gush over Twitter (thank God!) and not answering ILURVEYOUFOLLOWMEBACK tweets qualifies as ice-cold 😀
Ice cold is what one of the passionate fans had once described him when he was off twitter.
Seb does have some very out there fans but like you said Innie his personality can cope better with it.
As for the I love you tweets to Hiddles. I don’t blame him for getting annoyed with them. I wouldn’t respect h if ever favourited or replied to one of theses tweets because he would only encourage them more thus digging himself in a already big hole
nothing to be embarrassed or worried about here. just teenagers showing their appreciation in a way that is appropriate for their age. that video was rather sweet, and sebstan was very courteous to respond the way he did.
Honk!
My vote is for sweet!!
I always wondered what’s with Sebastian Stan and his what seemed like forever random guest role teen show appearences until suddenly, bam, Winter’s soldier and I hear he’s got like 8 movies contract with Marvel. Somebody has A LOT of faith in this guy. Insanely talented though?
All the honks! I think Sebastian is not only amazingly talented, but also incredibly sweet. I thought his post was lovely and earnest. He seems to me like the kind of guy who’s amazed to have this much attention and is extremely grateful for it.