Entertainment

Australian radio hosts recall awkward Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio moments

August 5, 2022 5:00 pm

Nova's Ryan "Fitzy" Fitzgerald, Michael "Wippa" Wipfli and Sarah McGilvray with Kiwi comedian, Rhys Darby.[Source: NZ Herald]

Three hosts of Nova Australia’s popular radio show Fitzy & Wippa, aren’t immune from brutal celebrity snubs.

Ryan “Fitzy” Fitzgerald, Michael “Wippa” Wipfli and Sarah McGilvray shared their awkward encounters with Hollywood heavyweights this morning, recalling the shame of being rejected for photos in public.

For Wippa, it was spotting Remember The Titans star Denzel Washington in a restaurant overseas that led to his humiliation.

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“We were at a restaurant overseas one time and Denzel Washington turned up to the restaurant,” he recalled.

“I started to make my way over to Denzel Washington to get a photo [and] the guy who ran the restaurant was like the middle man, so he jumped in between us and I’m going ‘Denzel! Photo?’

“So he jumps in, looks at Denzel and Denzel shakes his head as if to say no, the guy then looks at me and says no,” he said, adding: “It was so cold, and in front of everybody I just had to wander back to my seat.”

His story prompted Sarah and Fitzy to chime in with a similar fail involving Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio, who they’d spotted out one night at LA’s Roosevelt Hotel when they were visiting the city.

“You’d had a few drinks, Sare, and I dared you to go over and [ask for a photo],” Fitzy began.

“He had his hat down, he had a cigarette in his mouth … the hand went up, ‘I don’t do photos’, and Sarah just turned around and came back,” he recalled, with Sarah joking that people should “be friendly at 3am”.

“And then I tried to get the sneaky [photo] on the side anyway and security got my phone,” Sarah added.

The radio stars don’t always strike out with celebrities, however, having formed a close friendship with British superstar Ed Sheeran.

The Shape of You hitmaker even sent Fitzy and Wippa personalised gifts earlier this year; giant matching marble penises painted green and gold.