School in Upstate NY Shocked by a Movie Star ‘Mystery Reader’ !
Inviting a "mystery reader" into a school can be a lot of fun; it breaks up the day and gives teachers and students something to look forward to. Sometimes the guest is a local celebrity, a doctor, maybe a first responder, an athlete, or perhaps even a parent - all great choices, btw! But sometimes, this happens...
Teachers and students alike were shocked at a local elementary school on Friday when a Hollywood celebrity made good on a promise to return to the school as a mystery reader!
Yes - that's Billy Baldwin at Slingerlands Elementary Schoo in Bethlehem, NY. He was there on Friday - see the pictures below!
Alix Messier, a second-grade teacher at the school told us that Billy is the uncle of a student from her class last year, and Messier has been trying to get him here for a while.
"With it being covid last year & guidelines in place - we could not have visitors/mystery readers," Messie would explain.
But she remained persistent, and since Baldwin lives in California, she had resigned to the fact that he may only be able to appear as a virtual guest which he was all set to do adding that the next time he was in town, he'd stop in.
But, would Billy Baldwin make good on his promise to visit the school in Bethlehem on his next visit to the area? Incredibly, yes!
What was Billy Baldwin doing in the Capital Region?
According to Messier, he was heading to visit some friends in Binghamton where he attended college, and along the way planned on seeing his cousin in a band that was performing at Turning stone.
Billy is the second-youngest Baldwin of the four Baldwin brothers. He has starred in the films Flatliners, Backdraft, Sliver, The Squid and the Whale, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which he portrayed himself, and the Netflix show Northern Rescue.
"Anyway - it was my lunch period and there was a knock at the door and it was the mom and Billy Baldwin! He made good on his promise & he came to visit. He was incredibly nice and tall - way taller than I thought!"
What kind of guy was he?
It should come as no surprise that Messier described Baldwin as very down-to-earth and relatable, not wanting any special treatment, and truly seemed happy being there and able to make others happy. Messier told us he stayed out for about an hour, taking pictures and hanging out with staff and students.
"He was praising the world of teaching and praising my sister (who is) a radiologist who specializes in mammograms and since his mom was a survivor of breast cancer - the profession was near to his heart," Messier explained.
See the pics from local teachers who had a chance to hang with the actor at the school on Friday!