We were lucky to get to interview Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven from ‘Stranger Things’ at the AsiaPOP Comic Con 2016. However, that doesn’t even come remotely close to the awesomeness that Chappy Callanta’s 3-year-old daughter Essy was able to experience last weekend. Read this letter that Chappy wrote for his daughter on Facebook to cherish the memories – it’s long, but worth it!
Dear Essy,
I’m writing this to you because yesterday you told me in the elevator, “I miss my friend” so I asked which friend? And you said, “the one who played with me and gave me a toy.” Since there are numerous people who fit that description I prodded deeper. “Is it someone from school?” And you said “noooo, the girl with the short hair who played snapchat with me, what’s her name?” So I said “Millie, the girl who’s an eleven, remember?” To which you shrieked, “yes her!”
This is why I’m writing this to you, so that you NEVER FORGET that you once hung out with a Hollywood TV superstar. This is the story of that day.
You see papa and your titos chef Edward Bugia, Kelvin Yu and Jugs Jugueta are partners in a restaurant called Backyard Kitchen+Brew. You know, where you love to eat cheese pizza? So backyard was the official caterer of the AsiaPop Comic Con in 2016. This meant we had free passes for the event. It was the day after my birthday and your mom couldn’t come with us because she was on bed rest being pregnant with your sister. So it was just me and you, like how we do it often times.
We got there and of course your dad didn’t research on the details. I didn’t know that it cost extra to have pictures taken with the special guests for the event. On the way there you said “I want to see the girl with the short hair. So I said sure, we’ll see her there not knowing that it would’ve been close to impossible with the throng of fans blocking our view, not to mention the loads of security.
So we got there and right away you got scared because it was loud inside. There was a wrestling match on going and even a walking dead booth. Walking dead is a TV show about zombies, it wasn’t really a booth of undead people. Thankfully you mustered enough courage to walk (or be carried, you were 16kg already by then ????) around. The prospect of toys being bought kept you going. We saw some pretty cool stuff including cosplayers, comic book artists, and of course the Jolibee friends. You wanted a picture with Hetty Spaghetti. After taking that picture we heard a loud cheer and people running towards the autograph signing area. It was for Millie Bobby Brown or the girl called Eleven in the show called Stranger Things. We went closer but we couldn’t see her because there were too many people. You kept on saying “where’s the girl with the short hair, who’s an eleven?” And I said she’s there but we just can’t see her. This upset you and at this age, Essy, when you get upset, you go boneless, and sometimes inconsolable. So I did what any dad in comic con would do. Buy you toys. We got our toys: a Jollibee candy catcher, and 3 Funko Pop toys.
We were there for 2 hours and we were ready to go home already when tito Kel texted and said that he had extra all access passes that could get us backstage. However security was tight so we doubted if a child could be allowed backstage. Tito Chef Ed fetched us outside and did his Jedi mind trick to the guards posted outside the backstage area and we got in.
We saw some pretty cool people inside like Nicholas Hoult from the X-Men (mommy got so jealous of this), and Joe Dempsie from Game of Thrones. There were also Marvel and Netflix Executives, none of which you were interested in. Then Millie entered the room. She was tired from her presscon so she lied down to rest. Your dad, tito Kel, and tito Chef Ed were just hanging out talking about totally appropriate things, like we always do (????).
Then suddenly Millie approached you and said hello. You were shy at first, refusing to speak. So your dad, keeping as cool as he can be but failing like a middle school boy meeting a girl for the first time, said “she’s the short haired girl we see on TV! She’s Eleven!” (I promise I didn’t sound like a 12 year old girl as a I said this, cross my heart).
Millie asked if you wanted to play, and of course you said yes. You guys couldn’t find a table to play at so you just played on the floor. Your dad at this point was smiling from ear to ear, freaking out inside. You were just happy to have a playmate. You played with your toys and she also shared her toy (that funny looking Ewok with a spear in your room who looks like Luke? That’s from her) as well. You ran around the room and played hide and seek. I didn’t want to disturb you, and I’m sure Millie just wanted a break from work and hang out with a kid so we let you guys be, but not without taking a few paparazzi shots to share with your mom and our friends.
Stranger Things was one of the best shows to come out this year so Millie was pretty popular. I don’t know what you guys talked about but she asked me if you were born here in Manila because you spoke great English and at this point in your life, still had remnants of a British accent (hello Pocoyo). She also said that she told you she was Eleven and that you said you were Three. I have no idea what else you talked about but judging from her snapchat pics of you guys, I think you guys had fun.
After 30 minutes of playing with you, Millie had to go back to her celebrity duties. But she told you she’d come back and to make sure that the toys were fed while she was away. You assured her they would be and also well rested.
When she got back, you had your fairy wings on and was running around the room, she chased you and gave you a big hug. Tito Jugs said it right, “Grabe appeal ng anak mo”. After a few minutes you turned to me and said that you wanted to go now because you were tired. I told Millie you were gonna go and she said “you’re leaving? Why?! Ok, but can I get a cuddle first?” So she carried you, and I snapped the picture that you see here.
When we got to the car, at your insistence, we sent her a snap thanking her for your toy and for playing with her. I told you we don’t know if she’ll ever get to see it but you were adamant. Too bad I couldn’t save that video. It was classic you. A minute later you were asleep, oblivious to the fact that your parents were freaking out, and that you became one of the coolest girls we ever knew (no bias :D)
So that’s the story of how you met Eleven. No big deal right? :p #essygram
PS. She also said that you were the cutest kid. Then when she was giving you back to me, you sneezed. And she got worried. I said you just sneezed. She thought she hurt you, and she said it was the cutest sneeze ever. Ikaw na.
You may read the original story on Facebook here with more photos.
How cool is that? Got any cool celebrity stories of your own to share with us? 🙂
