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Girl Jen's Day Trips to Peacock

Odebolt, Iowa

by Girl Jen

Let me start this story with a disclaimer: I have never tried to meet a celebrity before, and Cillian is the only actor I would ever drive an hour to try to meet. I'm sure I looked like a huge loser, but I doubt I will ever have this opportunity again: never in a million years would I think Cillian Murphy would be in Iowa!

Odebolt, the town where Peacock was being filmed on the two days that I visited the set, is an hour from where I live. It is so small that I was able to plop down on a window ledge of an abandoned building in front of the local bank to watch the filming. I couldn't believe how close I was able to get to the set. I met a few of the security guards, who were Odebolt locals, and they were all so nice and helpful—it's funny when set security is giving you tips on how to meet an actor! However, every time one of them would say something about Bill Pullman, I would just smile and say, "I'm here for the Irishman."

On the first day, I didn't get a chance to meet him, because they were filming inside of the bank. Once in a while, Cillian would venture outside, but he always stayed within the barricades. Still, I was content that I got to see him in person, even if it was from far away, because I know that he is a private person and I didn't want to seem like too much of a freak.

Eventually, a set staff member approached me and asked, "You have nothing better to do?"

"Well of course I have things I should be doing," I told him, "but I have a crush on the Irishman."

He replied that Cillian was a really nice guy and asked if I had had a chance to meet him. I told him that I hadn't and that it was time for me to return to my own town to pick up my kids. He suggested that I return the next day, and I told that him I just might.

Originally, I had no plans to return to Odebolt the next day, but the suggestion from the staff member was all the encouragement that I needed. I ended up getting a late start, but finally I arrived back at the bank after noon on the final day of shooting there, with only an hour and a half until I had to return home. The poor crew looked as if they were all thinking, "Oh, great, here she is again." I was pretty much the only spectator, which I just don't understand. Cillian was again shooting inside the bank and did not come outside. I befriended yet another security guard, and another staff member was so kind as to tell me where I should go in the upcoming week if I really wanted to meet him.

Finally, it was time for me to leave, and Cillian had not yet left the building. As I sadly resigned myself to leaving, guess who came out of the bank? Yup! Wearing a brown polyester suit, hands stuffed down in his pockets, Cillian walked around to the back of the bank and then back again to the front. I don't know what came over me, but I just marched in his direction. I approached him from behind, but just as he was sitting down in a chair, he must have seen me (and the determined look on my face). He turned to the crew at his side and threw them a look. I don't know if he thought I was a crew member and that I was just coming to join the rest of the staff, or if he was shocked that they would allow a bystander on the set. I walked right up to where he was sitting, stuck my hand out, and said, "Hi, I'm Jennifer."

Cillian shook my hand and said, "Hello, Jennifer." Imagine how sexy that sounded, to hear the man say your own name, and in his Irish accent! I don't know if he could tell that I was a fan, or if he thought I was simply a staff member, there to ask him what he wanted for lunch.

I immediately blurted out, "I am a huge fan of yours."

He said modestly, "Really? You are?"

"Yes!I have been sitting here for two days waiting to meet you. I have all your movies. I even have The Trench." That made him laugh.

Cillian is so soft spoken, I'm not even sure what he responded to this. I just kept talking so he didn't have a chance to tell me to beat it. He was polite, quiet, and sweet as he answered my questions, such as how he likes Iowa.

I am a grown woman, but here I was, blubbering on like an idiot and shaking in my boots. I have always thought of myself as confident and bold, but my heart was pounding. He was wearing sunglasses, and since I will probably only have the chance to meet him once, I asked him, "Would you please take off your sunglasses?"

"You really want me to take them off?" he asked in a kind voice. I'm not sure if he was amused, or if he felt inconvenienced, or if he feared what else this nut job would ask him to do. It also could have been that he is so humble that I embarrassed him.

"YES!"

So, he took off the sunglasses. I leaned in close, squinted, and gazed into his eyes as he stared back in mine. This lasted a good five seconds. I'm sure my stunned expression was that of someone going to a Wayne Newton concert and finding out it's an impersonator. In horror, I blurted out, "You have brown contacts in."

"Yeah, I know," he said.

Then my dumb ass blurted out, "You are still gorgeous!"

Cillian reacted shyly, as if he doesn't know how beautiful he is, which I found to be so sweet. I will be honest with you, I was in such a daze, I'm not even sure if he put his sunglasses back on after that, but I believe that he did.

"OK, I can die a happy woman now," I confessed. I thanked him for talking with me and touched his shoulder.

He said, "It was very nice to meet you, Jennifer." He remembered my name. I wasn't expecting any more than an "Okay, bye," or a "Yeah, nice to meet ya." He made my name sound beautiful.

Then, I turned around, got in my minivan, and went home.