We’ve all been there - that moment when you spot a celebrity going incognito on the streets. You’re suddenly gripped with indecision as you frantically text your friends: do I say something? Should I say something? What if they’re - curse the thought - mean? But sometimes, especially when the celeb is important to you, it’s better for your future self to just take the chance. Take it from Nicholas Braun, star of the HBO hit series Succession, who had a fanboy moment with filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
Nicholas Braun, more recently known for playing Cousin Greg on Succession, sat down with GQ to discuss the latest season of his HBO drama, as well as a particularly insane celebrity encounter on an airplane. He ended up crossing paths with Academy Award-winning/cult favorite director Quentin Tarantino. The actor recalled:
I was like, ‘Quentin? Mr Tarantino? Hey, I just want to say I’m an actor. I love your films. I hope I get to work with you someday.’ He was in the window seat, so I had to lean over a person to give it to him.
The story gets better when you find out that Nicholas Braun was only 19 at the time. He had apparently handed Quentin Tarantino an ad for the movie he was currently in, the Disney Channel’s original feature film Minutemen. Presumably this was to prove his claim that he was, indeed, an actor. As an anxious mess of a 19-year-old, I don’t think I would have ever tried to talk to a celebrity, much less one as famous as Quentin Tarantino. I have to give credit where credit is due: Nicholas Braun must have been much more self-assured as a teen.
He would have to be, given his resume. Before Nicholas Braun was scheming to take over his family’s company, he was spending his teenage years as a Disney Channel mainstay. His credits with the House of Mouse include the aforementioned Minutemen, Sky High and Princess Protection Program. More recently, he’s been making waves on the HBO drama Succession as Cousin Greg. (“Everyone’s favorite TV character,” according to GQ. CinemaBlend also has some staunch Cousin Greg supporters). Nicholas Braun was so good, he was nominated for a 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
But don’t worry, fame hasn’t dented Nicholas Braun’s confidence, nor has it made him less likely to pull hilarious stunts. Last year, Braun released a satirical pop song called “Antibodies (Do You Have The),” which sent the Internet into a tailspin. And earlier this year, when Kim Kardashian announced her divorce from Kanye West, Braun threw his hat in the ring as a potential suitor. I’m pretty sure the video was a joke, but if it wasn’t, I wish him the best of luck.
Though it's not like he’ll need it. If Nicholas Braun had the chutzpah to approach Quentin Tarantino on a crowded airplane at 19 with a torn-out magazine ad, he’s more than capable of navigating Hollywood.
