SARA GILBERT

Greek Theater

Griffith Park, CA

September 23, 2024

Photo credit: Sara Gilbert

Back in 1988, an edgy sitcom took the country by storm. Roseanne distorted the image of the buttoned-up American family and presented us with a new, sarcastic middle-American version. I was a fan. This program was on and off the air multiple times over 30 years, until 2018, when it was reworked and returned as The Connors. My favorite character was Darlene, whom we met as a 13-year-old middle child with a dry wit and perfect timing. She was played by Sara Gilbert.

It’s hard to tell if Sara adopted her character's unflappable personality over the years or if Darlene Connor grew up to behave like Sara Gilbert. Whatever the case, when I met Sara, it felt a lot like I was meeting Darlene.

A friend and I were at the Greek Theater to see Amos Lee. We had fantastic seats, second row from the stage. Between acts and before our guy went on, I spoke with the lady sitting in front of us who had stood up and was turned around looking for celebrities in the crowd. “Who do you see?” I asked. She said, “Well, the guy behind you was in Weekend at Bernies, comedian Paula Poundstone is in the 3rd row over there,” she pointed to the side, “and standing right here on the aisle is Sara Gilbert.”

“Oh! I’ll ask her to take my picture!” I excitedly said. I left my group and headed over to say hello to the Emmy-Award nominated actress. 

She was talking with a friend, but when I approached them, she paused their conversation to speak with me. She said, “Hi.” I said, “Hi,” and not wanting to take up too much time, I cut to the chase.

“First of all,” dramatic pause, "I think you’re hilarious.” “Thank you.” She said humbly. “Second of all,” I said, “I have this celebrity photo album, it’s just a bunch of pictures of me taken by celebrities…” “So you want me to take your picture?” She deducted. “Yes, please,” I said.

She held her hand out for the camera and spent some time framing the shot. Her friend looked at the screen and said, “Oh, that’s a good one.” Sara pushed the shutter button and handed my camera back. Similar to the stoic character she played as Darlene, Sara didn’t show much emotion and didn’t seem to want to chat, though she was polite. I thanked her and went on my way.

I could have given her a little more fan-love. And, I could have mentioned that I used to play pub trivia against Norm Macdonald, who also took my picture. Darlene Connor probably wouldn’t have cared two cents, but Sara may have thought that was interesting. Norm and Sara go way back as he was a writer on Roseanne during its very first season. His writing and Sara’s delivery were a winning combination. 

Months after I got this photo, I was watching an episode of the last season of The Connors. In one scene, a giddy young couple approached Darlene in a bar and asked her to take their photo. The similarity to my interaction with Sara caught my attention. In the show, the woman continued to request a variety of photos. It was too much, so, fed up, Darlene aggressively threw their phone across the room. This sparked a bar fight that resulted in blood dripping from an onlooker. Sure glad that didn’t happen in my situation. 

Thanks so much for taking my photo, Sara, and for your decades of entertainment. Darlene can be sidesplittingly funny, but I’m grateful to have met you instead.