Lists

The Most Joyfully Puzzling Celebrity Friendships of the Time 100

From Leonardo DiCaprio and Jane Goodall to LeBron James and Warren Buffett.
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All from Getty Images.

The big list is out. Time has identified the 100 top people in the world, and there are actors, singers, politicians of all stripes, both sides of the Kavanaugh/Blasey Ford hearings, people who are trying desperately to save the earth from climate change, and people who don’t believe it‘s real. Time, in its wisdom, has also wrangled an incredible list of luminaries to write little tributes to the honorees. There’s Viola Davis on Regina King and Tim Tebow on Chip and Joanna Gaines and Elizabeth Warren on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Yes, influence comes in the form of ceiling-shattering oratory, and it also comes in the form of shiplap.

In many of the tributes, the writers explain a bit about their relationships with the honorees, but leave some extra space for speculation on the details. Take Leonardo DiCaprio, who wrote a few paragraphs on his friend Jane Goodall, honored in the “Leader” category. Their shared interest in environmental activism probably fills hours of conversation, but his words reveals some real affection there. So meet Jane Goodall, humanitarian and honorary member of the Pussy Posse.

There are writers, too, who reveal exactly what they talk about with their counterparts on the list. Justin Timberlake, for example, wrote that he talked to “Titans” honoree Tiger Woods about their respective children as these kids become conscious of how famous their dads are. Others don’t explicitly say what they chat about, but it’s pretty obvious. Like, Gal Gadot and “Artist” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson must talk exclusively about roundhouse kicks and how to do them.

For others there’s room to dream. LeBron James and Warren Buffett probably have plenty to talk about. Leadership styles and March Madness bracket strategies and having money. But my best guess as to what they really enjoy talking about is wine. They love wine. Well, Buffett famously doesn’t drink, but that’s why he likes chatting with LeBron. LeBron can describe the wines.

Celine Dion, who toasted Lady Gaga, on the other hand, probably just clutches the younger chanteuse at her elbows and says, “You are everything,” over and over, and then Gaga says it to Dion several times, and then they go back and forth with it. “You are everything.” This lasts about 10 minutes and everyone has enough awe and inspiration to shore us up for another year. The bigger mystery of it all, however, is how Dion sent her kind words to the Time folks. We know she’s handled a large drill, but has she ever written an e-mail? Can you imagine Dion writing an e-mail? I can’t. Dion sitting down and opening the Hotmail account that René had someone make for her sometime in 2007 and hunting and pecking her way through a thoughtful tribute? No, certainly not. She must have dictated it, and it must have sprung fully formed from her head on the first go.

And finally there is Emma Thompson writing on Emilia Clarke, presented with a lot of joy and little comment here: “Bear in mind that I despise the word bubbly, but my first encounter with Emilia left me with the impression of having just drunk a glass of high-quality champagne rather quickly. Steady on, I thought. First impressions can mislead. The intimacy of a nine-week shoot will reveal all. Especially one that starts—starts, mind you—at 2 a.m. What was revealed was a woman of mickle might, whose instincts, whetted by years of hard work in environments that were not always safe or healthy, are as finely honed as any I’ve encountered. She has the courage of a small lion, the stamina of a Welsh pit pony and the soul of a clown.” They worked together on the upcoming Last Christmas, which already has a 100 percent approval rating in this Rotten Tomato heart based solely on Thompson’s words.

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