A man shopping in his local Co-op was baffled when he saw another shopper who looked familiar – and then he realised it was an A-list actor at the self-service checkouts
You don’t anticipate bumping into Hollywood royalty while grabbing a pint of milk from the corner shop.
The vast majority of us will never encounter a celebrity in our entire lives, and many believe the only realistic opportunity of meeting one naturally tends to be during visits to London, where you might spot West End performers and models, or while on holiday in celebrity havens such as Los Angeles. But Birmingham has also emerged as a prime location for celebrity sightings due to its popularity as a filming destination – as one man on social media recently found out.
One shopper received the surprise of a lifetime while collecting groceries at his neighbourhood Co-op. He encountered a television superstar while paying for his shopping at the self-service machines.
Max, a surveyor based in Birmingham, posted a clip on social media capturing the rear view of another Co-op customer’s head – and viewers were stunned to learn their identity.
Wearing a cream-coloured coat with an upturned collar that partly obscured his face, the individual operating the Co-op self-checkout till was none other than Stranger Things actor Charlie Heaton.
Max captioned his footage: “Well, seeing Jonathan Byers shopping in my local Co-op in Birmingham wasn’t on my bingo card for 2026.”
Charlie portrayed Jonathan Byers in the Netflix programme and has been seen around Birmingham numerous times over recent months. While the actor resides in the US with his girlfriend and co-star Natalia Dyer (who portrayed Nancy Wheeler), he is thought to be in Birmingham filming the upcoming Peaky Blinders follow-up series.
His part in the spin-off, set a decade following the events of the latest Netflix film The Immortal Man, remains shrouded in secrecy. However, he’s anticipated to appear opposite Jamie Bell as Duke Shelby, a character portrayed by Barry Keoghan in the original movie.
The footage of Charlie doing his shopping was captured from a distance, and it appears that Max neither approached nor engaged with him. Yet viewers were divided over whether Max ought to have recorded him in the first place.
One person asked: “He’s literally just buying groceries in peace, why are we filming him?”
Another added: “Recording people secretly going about their daily lives is crazy.”
A third wrote: “He’s only an actor at the end of the day who plays fictional characters. Just your average human who deserves privacy.”
However, some commenters expressed envy at Max’s fortunate encounter, wishing they’d been the ones to catch sight of the actor while shopping.
Someone said: “Newhall St Co-op? Oh, now I’m p*****, that’s like my local Co-op.” Another lamented: “What?? I live in Birmingham, and I didn’t see him!”
Charlie, hailing from Leeds, is most recognised for his performance in Stranger Things but has also graced beloved British favourites, including Vera and Casualty. His film credits include The New Mutants, Marrowbone, and As You Are, which might ring a bell.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
