I have a girl crush on Carey Mulligan.

Of course, this single-sided love affair has been going on since 2009 when she was spotted all over New York City with then boyfriend Shia LaBeouf, filming "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps" and prepping for a very busy awards season following the success of "An Education."

Without sounding like a stalker, I've had a few close calls at meeting her. I've passed her on the street, but was completely unprepared and therefore didn't have the courage to stop her for a chat. I spotted her outside the 2010 National Board of Review Awards. We mingled in the same crowd at Cipriani during "Wall Street 2" after-party, and I once saw her leaving another party with Emilie de Ravin.

I'd assumed all these misses meant our stars were never meant to align and I would have to suffer the fate of never having met one of my favorite girl crushes of this generation. Woe is me.

This past weekend's New York Times Arts & Leisure Weekend featured panels including Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig and, of course, Carey Mulligan. The panels are conducted in front of live audiences, kind of like long interviews discussing films, film making and anything else that comes up in conversation. I didn't manage to get tickets to any of the panels, but that didn't stop me from showing up!

I arrived at the New York Times building about an hour before Carey's panel was set to start. Thank goodness I got there when I did because only a few minutes after I got there, her car pulled up. Carey's handler was ushering her away from signing autographs and trying to get her inside when I asked the fateful question – could I get a photo?

My heart was pounding as I waited for an answer. "No." The handler said no.

Carey, on the other hand, said yes. She walked right over to me for a quick pic. And, while we didn't have time to chat (or schedule a shoe-shopping adventure), she thanked me for asking for the photo.

I wonder if she wants a copy.

Like many of you, Professional Fan Girl Lauren Cox has always had a fascination with movie stars. She's turned her hobby – hitting premieres and other events in New York City to meet them – into a blog, and now a NextMovie column. Keep up with her adventures meeting celebs by following her on Twitter.