P&P Fan Encounter: Emilia Ravenna's unforgettable meet and greet with Matthew Macfadyen at Roma Fiction Fest 2012

A P&P fan encounter from another ardent Pride & Prejudice/Matthew Macfadyen fan, the lovely and wonderful Emilia Ravenna (from Italy) had a great pleasure in meeting Matthew Macfadyen up close and in person when he attended the Ripper Street - Roma Fiction Fest (in Rome, Italy) last October 2012.

Here's an account of Emilia's M&G experience (she's sharing here) of meeting MM...
 RIPPER STREET - ROMA FICTION FEST 1 OCTOBER 2012

All this started thanks to my curiosity. First of all, all we knew for some time that Matthew was working/starring on BBC's Ripper Street and had already finished, but not only we knew also and we have been following his wonderful premiere in London for Anna Karenina and for this and for this reason he and the team (cast and crew) were present at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

A few days later, I was looking on the excellent fansite of Matthew,  Darcylicious, which I found this information of him attending the Ripper Street worldwide promotional event at Roma Fiction Fest 2012...

Finally, the long awaited desire to meet him became a reality. Welcome Rome!

The eternal city does the sun and here was I, Giancarla and Simona ready to experienced this exciting day. We arrived well in advance to be able to pick up our tickets for the hall for the international premiere of Ripper Street's first episode that they will have in the evening after the Pink Carpet with the participation of the very expected Matthew Macfadyen in the hall!

There was hardly anyone there yet, we searched the best place to view it. The sun was hot and in the meantime, we were joined by another friend Roy.

Simona and Giancarla went away, but briefly, and returned with a bewildered look ....they were followed by Matthew and a group of journalists! We remain all at once "frozen" we look him the eyes and instinctively I took a fan's billboard/banner to attract his attention, but unfortunately he was by my shoulders and journalists snubbed me.

I cannot believe....I was lucky enough to have him there a few steps away from me!!! I've envied so much the fans in other events and now he is here and I do not know what to do. The minutes passed by and he got away! My discretion fighting the desire to communicate all the ardor, but the time expired and I tried to reached him as he went on a Mercedez ride....I unroll out the fan's billboard and I'll show him while the car moves away...still laugh when I think about it!! I do not know if he saw me and if so, I preferred for my bad performance. ;)

At the appointed time, we went to the ticket office and know other fans came to see Gillian Anderson, who was present for both The Great Expectations premiere and Ripper Street in the BBC Worldwide Day. We know Silvia and then Julia...deceive the time dreaming and planning the evening...noticed us and they have also been interviewed. :)

Q. Who are you waiting for girls?

A. Matthew Macfadyen!!!!

(source: LumsaNewsTv)

More people arrived, actors and actresses of the various Italian series begin to walk the pink carpet...Now it's dark and I'm tired but the wait is too exciting...music and flash surround us when you hear...

He (Matthew) has arrived!!!

Believe me when I saw him coming...I was startruck...high....awesome....heavenly....he was in front of me and I had not even pulled out my pen...he has not lost his nerve, he got it from my neighbor and before signing my card he had read aloud my name, "Emilia". Ok, I'm already satisfied. So was he! I cannot say more...only a confirmation! He was smiling, polite, helpful,  and charming in his blue suit. He enchanted the fans and he allowed fans to take as many photos! :))))))

These beautiful photos of Orgoglio-e-Pregiudizio (Italian P&P Facebook Fan Page) enclosed the magic of the day here: Roma fiction Fest - Matthew MacFadyen

Then, the premiere (and onstage Q&A) is going to take place in the projection room with Matthew. I was going to go up on the steps but I was stopped because of the backpack I was carrying and was told to deposit it in the cloakroom, which I run and kept only the precious posters and a photo album to give to him. I sat near to my friends in despair. I cannot find the ticket for the withdrawal of the wardrobe. I go down to the wardrobe to do it again and when I return into the hall, Matthew is already gone! :( That was a disappointment!

My only consolation remain the videos posted by my friends on his performance. ;)

Watch Giancarla's MM video...

(source: Elizabeth Bennet)

and see Silvia's MM video too...

Read Emilia's original post here: RIPPER STREET - ROMA FICTION FEST 1 OCTOBER 2012

Emilia Ravenna's photos

Emilia's MM Signed/Autographed card

(images and MM video links courtesy of Emilia Ravenna. Thanks a lot!)

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NOTE: Were you lucky enough to have met Matthew, Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone and other  and crew (ie. Joe Wright, Dario Marianelli) or got a letter reply (with a signed autograph photo) from any or one of them? Contact and email me your fan story so we can all be jealous of you! See more fan stories archived here: P&P Fan Encounters.