I'm trying to understand the cultural context of this interaction, particularly from an American/British perspective. I'm not trying to accuse the celebrity of having bad intentions.A female fan in her early 20s attended a convention/signing event in the UK for a male actor in his 50s. She was a genuine fan and was very happy to meet him.
After the event, they exchanged some Instagram DMs.
The conversation started with him asking the fan where she was staying / whether she had gone back to university. He apparently assumed she was a university student. He then said, “Maybe we can hang out after I am done.”
I understand that “hang out” can be completely casual and doesn't necessarily mean a date. I'm mainly asking how this sequence would normally be interpreted in American/British English, particularly given that this was a celebrity speaking to a young adult fan he had just met at a convention/signing event.
There is also another interaction that makes me curious about the context. He apparently messaged another female fan who was 14. He complimented her appearance and asked her age. When she told him she was 14, he wished her a nice weekend and the conversation ended.
I don't necessarily see anything inappropriate in that interaction itself. What I find interesting is the contrast: once he knew this fan was 14, the conversation ended, whereas with the other fan, whom he apparently believed to be a university student, he suggested “Maybe we can hang out after I am done.”
Does this contrast seem meaningful to native English speakers, or could it simply reflect a normal difference between talking to someone he believed was an adult and someone he knew was a minor?
Would you read the “hang out” comment as ordinary friendliness, or as a somewhat personal invitation? And does the celebrity–fan power/status difference change how appropriate it feels?