Seriously. 
There he was, sweating away on the treadmill at my local gym. I had to do a double take, and then check again, but it was definitely, definitely him. 
I'm not talking definitely him in the way that that bloke in the film"Notting Hill" thought he had seen Ringo Star, (or maybe Topol) from a distance and then on reflection had come to the conclusion it probably hadn't been him at all. 
No, it was absolutely, 100% him.
I wasn't the only one who spotted him, either. There were a few other people looking as surprised as I was. 
I wanted to go and say hello, but somehow it didn't feel right to interrupt him during what looked like a particularly taxing workout.
OK, so it wasn't actually him, it was a bloke who played him on the TV a while back. 
Either way, I'd never met someone who had played him either.
So eventually, after he had finished on the treadmill, I went up to him and said, "Hi"
He smiled.
"I just wanted to tell you I thought your portrayal of Jesus was really pretty good."
"Thanks," he said.
"Yea, I thought the way that you portrayed his compassion towards the woman caught in adultery was spot on."
"Thanks!" the bloke who played Jesus replied.
"And I loved the way that you portrayed his interaction with the robber who repented on the cross-it was just like him," I enthused.
"Thats really kind, thanks" he said.
"The thing is" I continued, "I wondered if you have ever considered whether the person you did such a great job of playing was ever real, and what that might mean."
"Yea, I guess I have, kind of" he said.
"Have you ever heard of the Alpha Course?" I asked.
"It's a great way to explore who he was further."
"That sounds really interesting, I'd be up for that" he said.

OK, so I didn't have the conversation either, but I'm kicking myself that I didn't.
If i'm honest it was just because I bottled it. And that bothers me a little bit.
Next time. 


This blog entry was originally posted here