Noah Centineo Says He Was Followed by Fans at the Airport
Becoming a mega-celebrity almost overnight is no easy feat; just ask Noah Centineo. The actor literally gained more than a million Instagram followers in one day after he stole fans’ hearts as Peter Kavinsky in the screen adaption of Jenny Han’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. And his fame hasn’t stopped there, thanks to his starring role in Netflix’s Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, and, well, his general existence. But there’s dark sides to being super-famous, and Noah recently opened up about some of the scarier parts of becoming a well-known celebrity.
As noted by E! News, Noah appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Friday, September 21, where he told the television host about a time when he was followed at the airport by a group of fans.
“I went to New York for work," the actor explained. "I was at baggage claim and I had my headphones on, and I was waiting for my bag to come out. I feel a presence approach me and without even knowing, I had to side step and take my headphones off and there's, like, four people looking at me.” When Noah casually asked the fans about their flight, they informed him that they hadn’t been on a plane at all. “‘We were here for you,’” the fans apparently said.
Noah went on to explain that the fans somehow figured out he would be at John F. Kennedy International Airport — and they didn’t stop there. “They walked us to the car, and then they followed the car to the city,” he explained, describing the entire experience as “actually kind of scary.”
According to Noah, the same group of fans tracked him down at JFK a second time. “They were there again,” he told Jimmy. “The same people, except they added another person.”
But Noah handled the situation like a pro, and was upfront with the fans about how their behavior made him feel. “I said, 'Look, I love your love,’” he recalled. “‘I love the fact that you care about me…. Just don't follow me. The rest is cool — just don't follow me.”
Noah’s experience serves as an important reminder that celebrities are real people with real emotions, just like everyone else. It’s understandable to feel excited if you spot a fave celeb in public, but following someone and invading their personal space is never OK.
As for Noah, he’s clearly taking his rise to stardom in stride. “I guess people just like Netflix,” he told Jimmy. “And they like rom-coms, and I was fortunate enough to book two random ones that got sold to Netflix.”
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