Recently, a thread circulated on social media among expats in Turkey asking who the most famous star they encountered in real life was. I pen this column because despite my name being Turkish and my father being a Turk, I was actually born and grew up in the U.S, in Los Angeles no less, for a prominent portion of my life. I truly had a hard time answering the question, because as someone who grew up among the stars of Hollywood, there were literally too many to mention.
This is a fun fact rarely shared by LA locals as in Los Angeles, we keep our cool when we see someone famous, plus it is such an everyday experience that sighting stars eventually stops being that exciting. Nonetheless, my answer in no particular order includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Spielberg and Keanu Reeves as my top three, but as you will see there are many more. I hesitate to share my story, but rather than let it just disappear, I thought there might be value in shedding light on what life is like living in Hollywood.
I grew up in Santa Monica (between the years 1976 to 2000), a coastal neighborhood of Los Angeles, which is about a 15-minute drive to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. The first time I remember going out to Hollywood was for a Bob Dylan concert when I was 12. While driving to the show, we stopped at a red light and in the driver’s seat in the car next to us was none other than The Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr doing what he does best, keeping rhythm on the steering wheel with drumsticks in LA’s famous traffic. On that same drive, we also spotted Sharon Stone in another car driving beside us. As you can see, sightings are everyday experiences in Los Angeles, however, I do have some funny exchanges with stars I believe make for a fun story.
Founded in 1891 and with an average enrollment of 3,000 students from all over Los Angeles, my high school Samohi (Santa Monica High School) is hailed as one of America’s most famous high schools, sitting by the Pacific with ocean views. Samohi was also the school where James Dean’s most famous 1955 film "Rebel Without a Cause" was filmed. Notable alumni from the film industry include George Ford, Sean Penn, Rob Lowe and the Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr., but there are also astronauts, politicians and sports figures among its graduates.
Ryan Hurst was a friend, whose rise to fame I have gotten to witness all the way from Turkey. He played starring roles in "Walking Dead", "Sons of Anarchy" and "Remember the Titans". Despite these serious roles, Ryan was always the funniest (and sweetest) kid in class. You can hear Hurst as the voice of Thor in the new upcoming PlayStation game "God of War Ragnarök" coming out this year.
My first true foray into the world of celebrities was at 15 with Drew Barrymore, whose exciting energy and charisma had a big influence on our group of friends – plus she literally introduced us to the game “spin the bottle,” leading to a number of my peers’ first kisses. One night I had the pleasure of crawling under a table with her as an earthquake rattled beneath us, another regular occurrence in LA. I also remember one Halloween hanging out with "The Fifth Element" actress Milla Jovovich, whose beauty, tall stature and captivating accent made me stumble for words myself. As teens, we would regularly hear the news of Leonardo di Caprio’s rise to fame, as he was just two years older than me growing up in a parallel neighborhood in LA.
A major catalyst in my interaction with Hollywood stars was my mother’s cafe Gourmet Gala, which was located in the Pacific Palisades, a secret second “Beverly Hills” for some of the highest and mightiest in the entertainment industry. Not to brag, but my mum’s shop sold the most delicious food, from rotating soups that had people lining up the street to customized salads, sandwiches and pastries, many of which were specialties from different regions of Europe.
In fact, one of my weekly chores in high school would be to make an early morning delivery to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s house. While he wasn’t yet the governor, these were the "Terminator" years, there was still a stealthy security detail at the gate. I remember the morning they started just automatically buzzing the gate open for me when they saw my little BMW pull up. I am not bragging, it’s just having a car at 16 was a near prerequisite in LA where they are extremely affordable. Other regulars of my mum’s shop included Anthony Hopkins, the entire Osbourne family, Goldie Hawn, Charlton Heston and Michael Keaton. We once ran into the former “Batman” at a restaurant in Venice Beach, at a lunch with my mother celebrating my middle school graduation, and Keaton had a bottle of champagne sent to our table. When trying to find photos for this piece, I found articles written about my mother’s cafe published as recently as 2019, despite it having closed in 2000. Even though just a memory, Gourmet Gala was still described as a top pick for breakfast and the article recalled the author’s account of meeting Ali Graw there.
In addition to occasionally helping mum out, I had a number of fun side jobs at cafes while in high school. My very first customer at my very first real job was none other than Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and I kept that tip he handed me for many years to follow. Actress Meg Ryan, Patrick Dempsey “Doctor McDreamy” from "Grey's Anatomy" were also regular customers.
The peak of my interactions with famous people came when I began delivering pizza for a restaurant in Beverly Hills. I had just switched to an ‘86 red convertible Mustang, and all I wanted to do was drive it. So, this was the perfect job, plus little did I know I would be delivering to the stars.
Customers who ordered pizzas to their home included Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg and the Goldie Hawn estate. One night, the famous actress’s just as famous daughter and son, Kate and Oliver Hudson, ordered pizza. Just as I arrived, their mom Goldie Hawn and her husband Kurt Russell were on TV presenting at the Oscars, a special family moment that I had the blessed opportunity to witness with them. As for Keanu Reeves, who I have also seen many times at concerts, he was just as surprised as me when he opened the door shirtless to a lost delivery girl in the depths of Malibu. Tongue-twisted, I ended up gifting him that mushroom pizza, and he thanked me profusely.
My next job was at a vegan cafe in Hollywood, where actor and musician Jared Leto became my regular customer. Mickey Rourke was a customer and once asked if he could use the chopsticks holding up my hair to eat with, which I gave him and he used. Jean Claude Van Damme is an actor I have actually shared a breakfast with, when he asked to join my table at a crowded cafe with no seats left at the time to dine. We talked about feeling foreign in America.
After that, I became a hostess at the Ye Olde Kings Head, the region’s most prominent English pub and shop that takes up a whole block off of the Santa Monica Promenade. The venue worked with a local radio station to host surprise concerts for listeners and some of the guests included the bands The Cure and Oasis. With The Cure, I personally guided a reluctant Robert Smith from the ladies’ bathroom (where there was a plush couch) to the stage, chatting along the way.
As for the band Oasis, well as per usual the two frontmen, brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, had a dispute with one walking out, leaving the other to perform the concert alone. But, did you know that there is a third Gallagher brother? Well, I found out that night when he needed a ride back to his hotel. The next day, the band delivered a package to thank me, in it a huge puffy roadie jacket that read “Oasis” and tickets to their upcoming show at the Greek Theater. As for the Greek Theater and concerts in LA, well I don’t even know where to begin, but I could list off bands like Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, the Moody Blues, Guns N’Roses, the list goes on and on.
Ending on a note: As my name is Leyla, it phonetically sounds like the same name in the Eric Clapton hit “Layla." You know that one where he sings, “Layla, you got me on my knees.” Well, needless to say, I have also been lucky enough to be serenaded by a number of musicians who I adore, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis, James Taylor, Axl Rose and Slash, seriously.
