What if you met Will Ferrell or Julie Benz and couldn't remember it

In the second half of the 1990s, in addition to my work as a newspaper columnist and editorial writer, I had a third job that was a lot of fun.

I was writing movie reviews, which also gave me the opportunity numerous times to drive downtown to interview the stars of the movies, usually in Century City or the Wilshire District.

I interviewed major stars and minor ones, including Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Peter Ustinov and Drew Carey. I interviewed directors like Alan Ball ("American Beauty") and Todd Solondz ("Happiness").

I have numerous memories, but the oddest of all to me is the time I interviewed someone who is now one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and I don't even remember it.

By the mid '90s, I had pretty much given up on "Saturday Night Live." As for movies made from SNL skits, with a few exceptions they were pretty horrible.  In 1998, I was assigned to review a movie called "A Night at the Roxbury," starring two guys from SNL I hadn't heard of.

Neither of them impressed me. The movie itself was godawful, maybe the second-worst movie I ever reviewed. (There was one called "Wing Commander" that if it had lasted 10 minutes longer, I might have clawed my eyes out).

I didn't expect much from either of the stars, and when I was asked to review another SNL movie the next year, I didn't even notice that one of the stars of "Roxbury" had a supporting role.

Molly Shannon's "Superstar" might have been even worse than "Roxbury," although nothing could ever top
"Wing Commander." The strangest thing about "Superstar" was that Shannon was so unlikable. And when I had the chance to interview her and her co-star, she was every bit as unpleasant.

The co-star, I didn't even remember.

By now you probably realize I'm talking about Will Ferrell, who finally broke through in 2003-4 with three big hits -- "Old School," "Elf" and the first "Anchorman" movie.

In his next film after "Anchorman," he started earning $20 million a movie, the top tier of the big leagues. He's probably as close to a sure thing as there is in movie comedy these days, and I have no memory of the fact that I met and interviewed him.

Julie Benz in "Angel"

It isn't the only time it happened to me. Another movie I did in 1999 was the teen black comedy "Jawbreakers." I interviewed the three female leads of that movie -- Rose MacGowan, Rebecca Gayheart and Julie Benz. I remember MacGowan was sort of brash, Gayheart somewhat demure. I didn't remember Benz at all.

It wasn't until five minutes ago, when I looked up "Jawbreaker" on IMDB, that I realized the third actress, Julie Benz, was someone I later saw as Darla in six episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and 20 episodes of "Angel."

There might be only one thing worse than a lifetime of never meeting interesting people.

Meeting them and not remembering.