News: Spider-Man 3 European Premiere

Joel at the European Premiere of Spider-Man 3, London
Monday 23rd April 2007

A gloomy afternoon outside the Odeon, Leicester Square was severely brightened with the onslaught of glitz and allure as celebrities ranging from Fearne Cotton to Thomas Haden Church waltzed the red carpet in front of thousands of ear-splitting fans. Prime photographic positions were gained by my fellow correspondents and personal questions were on standby for impromptu interviews as Arsenal and England’s Theo Walcott kicked things off. Certain unrecognisable figures jumped out of a constant convoy of Mercedes and they seemingly disappeared into a sea of red carpet without trace. Snow Patrol, Sugababes and Fearne Cotton continued the stealthy entrances with only the audiences’ steady screams of “Wooooo!” exemplifying the constant anxiety and excitement of the impending main showstoppers. Rosemary Harris, Spidey’s aunt, who I inadvertently kept calling Eva Marie Saint after my confusion with the Superman Returns star, was the anomaly of the fan hostility and she was the precursor to the photo/autograph session. She seemed like a cracking lady and I was therefore very confused as to why she never bothered to compliment my knowledge of her “amazing performance in Hitchcock’s North by Northwest” or “the famous glove scene with Brando in On the Waterfront”. Luckily she never corrected my stupidity à la Julia Roberts’ Notting Hill heroine when she corrects Martin the bookshop worker about his cock-up with Demi Moore, and the photos came out relatively well in the end.

The main event was excellent. Topher Grace just zoomed passed (obviously desperate to see the film in the world famous auditorium!) but James Franco was a tad more hospitable, and, after giving his driver a near-empty bottle of red wine, he was his usual grumpy self, but he still allowed a few snaps. Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire were different class though. I actually managed a small conversation with both in addition to the standard handshake. The highlight with Kirsten was my acclaim towards her great performance in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, to which she stopped signing Spidey merchandise amongst the bustling crowd and said very calmly, “Thank you so much, I love that picture too!” The handshake with Maguire was everything you would expect from a superhero but the magical conversation we shared seems to have escaped memory. The main reason for this was the red carpet inclusion of director Sam Raimi and Michael G. Wilson, producer of the James Bond franchise. With Raimi I had the longest interaction of all, and after the complimentary, “Hi, I’m director Sam Raimi, how are you?” handshake, we got down to magazine interviews, shooting schedules, work commitments involved in creating a blockbuster spectacle, the possibility of a fourth instalment, and much more. Raimi seemed like a real down to earth cinematic legend in the making, if he isn’t seen as such already, and I confirmed this by pointing to him and mouthing the aforementioned word as his son captured the episode on his HandyCam – embarrassing but worth it. Michael G. Wilson – I was the only person who recognised him - rounded off the enjoying couple of hours before I sloped off to produce this report. The Claudia Schiffer missed appearance which happened seconds after my team left is a lifelong regret however. In all, Caprice was stunning, DJ “Master of Ceremonies” Spoony was idiotic and Graham Norton, well, need I say more. In all seriousness though, the actual A-List stars justified their luminous stature and created an awe-inspiring environment for, hopefully, a grand film.

> Rich's Spider-Man 3 review