Bill Murray surprises fest-goers in at Longhorn Caverns in the 2008 edition of Fantastic Fest
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Celebrities: They’re just like us — especially during South by Southwest.
For a few magical weeks every March, Austin turns into a pop culture collision zone. Actors duck into dive bars between premieres, musicians wander down Red River Street to catch a late-night set, and comedians show up at house parties.
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Stars may be in town to perform, attend premieres and mingle with industry kinfolk, but who can blame them for breaking into the real world for a bit of queso and conversation?
With the festival’s 40th anniversary this year, take a stroll down memory lane as festivalgoers reflect on celebrity sightings of years past.
When celebrities take over Austin bars during SXSW
Few celebrity stories circulate more than sightings of actor Bill Murray unexpectedly working behind a bar.
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One festivalgoer, Reddit user manofthepeopleSMITTY, recalled seeing him serve drinks upstairs at Chupacabra Cantina on Sixth Street around 2009.
Another person said Murray later turned up at one of Jack White’s shows, climbing onto the bar to sing along with the crowd.
“I left to go see Bob Mould right before Bill jumped up on the bar to shout/sing along,” wrote Reddit user ChekhovsZombieBear. “I’m not even joking when I say it is my biggest regret.”
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Other celebrities get their hands dirty during the festival, too. Reddit user Lyngay downed a margarita made by the one and only Eva Longoria, who appeared at the Fairmont Hotel to promote her tequila company.
Meanwhile, Adam Devine of “Pitch Perfect” fame hosted a house party at Icenhauers on Rainey Street to promote his Comedy Central show, “Workaholics,” back in 2012. Reddit user RumorsC said they played a game of beer pong with him.
03/15/2016 Wooden Wisdom (Zach Cowie, left, and Elijah Wood) perform a DJ set at FLOOD Magazine’s “bEAT” event at Weather Up during SXSW.
Austin 360
Elijah Wood — who briefly lived in Austin before selling his historic Bouldin Creek home — DJ’d a set at a party using just his iPod in 2005. At that party, wrote Lyngay again, they also met English actress Claire Forlani and gave her a smile and nod when they passed each other in the bathroom. Forlani and Wood co-starred in “Green Street Hooligans,” a crime drama that premiered at the festival that year.
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Celebrity sightings along Red River during SXSW
Red River Street is home to some of Austin’s most iconic venues, and during the festival, it has long been ripe for celebrity run-ins.
One festival attendee, Reddit user OpportunityBox, said they crossed paths with singer Beck walking toward Mohawk along Red River Street back in 2022.
“I think he was going to see Japanese Breakfast,” they wrote. “We exchanged a head nod. I haven’t washed my head since…”
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Reddit user fortyone said they remember chatting briefly with famed chef and author Anthony Bourdain outside of the old Emo’s location on Red River, where Cage the Elephant was slated to perform. That Emo’s location shuttered in 2011.
Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman 3/13/12 Anthony Bourdain speakes at SXSW Interactive at the Austin Covention Center.
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Down the street at Stubb’s, Reddit user Sufficient_Ease recalled introducing themselves to Paul Reubens — who played the iconic Pee-wee Herman — while Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher stood just a few feet away.
Michael Cera and his band even performed in a downtown parking lot one year, and memories from that show surfaced, as did memories of a show by Jesse Plemons’ band shortly after his appearance on “Breaking Bad,” according to Reddit user YouDontSurfFU.
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When SXSW celebrity sightings get awkward
Not every celebrity encounter happens in a bar or concert crowd. Sometimes, it’s just another awkward moment in a hotel elevator.
One attendee said they found themselves stuck in an elevator at the downtown Hilton with Adam Duritz in 2011 — along with several drunk tech guys.
They “kept singing his songs to him,” Reddit user chlavaty recalled. “He wasn’t happy.”
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Reddit user Lyngay accidentally found themselves on an elevator with Terry Crews and a man who appeared to be his bodyguard. They said they averted their eyes and gave the “I know who you are but won’t bother you” smile.
Actress Charlize Theron walks the red carpet for the premiere of the film “Atomic Blonde” during the South by Southwest Film Conference held at the Paramount Theater on March 12, 2017 in Austin, Texas. SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP
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Another festivalgoer, Reddit user SequentialSounds45, said they accidentally wandered into the green room during the premiere of “Atomic Blonde” at Paramount Theatre in 2017.
“I ordered a free drink from the bar and Charlize Theron bumped into me, then apologized,” they wrote. “I then turn around and James McAvoy was staring me down because he knew I wasn’t supposed to be there.”
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The person said they left with their drink and enjoyed the premiere unscathed.