When Tanner Grover started The Cinema Clubhouse, he expected friends, family, and community members to come to Harbor Theater for movie screenings. In an unexpected twist of fate, an actor from this month’s film joined in.   

John Michael Higgins and wife Margaret Welsh were guests of honor at the Nov. 16 screening of "Best in Show," a 2000 comedy about a dog show and its colorful competitors. Higgins happened to be in the Boothbay area helping a friend and came to Pier 1 Pizza for a drink, where bartender Winter Page was working.   

“I recognized him right away. I fangirled pretty hard. He had a very recognizable face to me,” Page said, adding she is familiar with many of his roles. "He's an actor that everybody knows, but you wouldn't necessarily bring his name up in your brain right away.”  

With an IMDB filmography spanning 165 roles, Higgins is known for his work in the "Pitch Perfect" movies and several "mockumentaries" from director Christopher Guest, including "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind" and 2025’s "Spinal Tap 2." Page said the interaction was a blur for her, but she remembered clearly how kind the couple was.  

“It was a beautiful coincidence, very bizarre,” Page said. “I told him about our movie club, and without hesitation, he was like, ‘Maybe I'll be able to make it down.’”  

When Grover got word of the sighting, he quickly reached out. Without a number to contact, Grover found Higgins on Instagram. “I was like ‘All right. I'm just going to slide into his DMs,'" he said, referring to the app's direct messaging.   

By the time Grover woke up the next morning, Higgins had agreed to join. Grover said the actor wanted to support the club providing an environment to get people together, off their phones, and experience something together in person.  

“(He was) completely and super gracious,” said Grover. “He's even just as funny through text message as he is in person. I shared an updated poster (with his photo) that announced that he would be in attendance for Q&A. And he said, ‘I think it was great, but my wife, she says it's going to scare people away.’”   

After the movie, people asked questions about Higgins’ career, acting, and even dog grooming. Grover said the actor shared a little gem of wisdom: Embrace yourself and try to do the best with whatever talent you've been given.   

In a clip from the event and posted on Cinema Clubhouse's Facebook page, Higgins said early on he determined he wasn't a leading man, but a character actor. He accepted and embraced it, “If I were relying on my looks, it just goes away. Poof! But I was never that type of talent. That helped a lot. That and whatever dog I had at home.”  

For Grover, the lesson was a little more direct: Take the risk and send the DM. “I think that it's proof that you never can tell what the cosmos has in store for you. Coincidence is a crazy thing, and we just happened to be the recipients of some good fortune,” he said.  

The Register DM'd Higgins for comment, but did not have as much luck.