The United Kingdom, and much of the world, is currently mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II. Britain’s longest-serving monarch passed away last week at the age of 96 and a flood of tributes have since poured from various corners of social media. A number of notable celebrities have also joined the chorus of praises for the late royal, including Simon Pegg. The Mission: Impossible star paid his respects to the queen of England by fondly sharing a story, which involves her once wearing 3-D glasses.
It’s been interesting to hear various stars open up about their encounters with Elizabeth II during her time on this earth, and Simon Pegg may have one of the most unique tales to tell. The actor reflected on their meeting by sharing an Instagram post, which included a photo of their encounter. As the actor explained in his caption, he crossed paths with her during the UK premiere of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (streamable using a Disney+ subscription) in 2010. He went on to say that their during their meeting, he thought he’d “broken” the beloved leader:
When I got to meet her at the royal gala premiere of the third Narnia movie back in 2010, she took an age to start speaking to me. She looked at me, smiling for a long time and I thought I had broken her, until she eventually asked me what character I played in the film.
The fan-favorite actor has had quite a few notable experiences during the course of his career, like touching down in Norway before spending a year there shooting Mission: Impossible 7 (one of the biggest upcoming movies on the docket). Of course, he and Tom Cruise have also film some “crazy things” for the film franchise over the years. Still, even those situations can’t really hold a candle to a meeting with the queen. While the star’s exchange with her didn’t go as he likely thought it would, she (while wearing the previously mentioned eyewear) later surprised him in a way that he found quite gratifying:
Later, [I] sat three seats away from her, at the Odeon, Leicester Square, I became one of the few people to ever witness the queen of England wearing 3D glasses. At the end of the film, when my character Reepicheep makes his metaphorical journey to the east (dies), I looked over and witnessed her wipe a tear from her eye. I felt oddly proud.
It’s honestly interesting to think about the monarch donning a pair of 3-D glasses but, when you’re enjoying a big-screen spectacle like The Chronicles of Narnia, one must adapt. Simon Pegg’s story is incredibly sweet, to say the least. Actors aim to move people on an emotional level through their work and being able to get a response like that from someone of such a high standing is impressive.
Elizabeth II did have an interesting impact on popular culture and, on rare occasions, found herself taking part in some interesting projects. For instance, a writer recently recalled how the queen sweetly got involved in a James Bond sketch that featured Daniel Craig. Said skit was a promo for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, and it turned out quite well.
Though I still say that Star Wars and Star Trek alum Simon Pegg may have one of the sweetest stories about meeting Queen Elizabeth II. Surely, he’ll hold that memory close to his heart for years to come.
We here at CinemaBlend continue to send our condolences to the Royal Family during this difficult time.