As someone who grew up watching films and obsessing over every celebrity I felt some kind of affinity to, the place of my dreams is the red carpet. As I’m not actually famous, however, standing behind the barricade next to the red carpet will have to do for now.
Thursday February 15 was the Global Premiere of Dune Part Two, held at the cinemas in Leicester Square, London. This functioned differently to the first premiere I did in 2021, as fans could sign up and win places on the carpet, rather than turn up in the early hours and get a number. Presumably, this system was to make the event more organised, but this didn’t work too well as fans camped (in vain) outside the cinemas to be the first ones there, despite the fact there were time slots for entry.
With different entry points and time slots, fans were escorted to different areas around the red carpet, which had been transformed into the Dune planet “Arrakis” for the event. In each of the different sections, fans then had to wait a few hours for the arrival of the celebrities.
The event wasn’t short of familiar faces, ranging from Internet personalities like TommyInnit, Caspar Lee and Max Balegde to film stars, like Greta Gerwig, Kaia Gerber and, of course, the cast of Dune. On the red carpet though, I found my specialities lie with recognising the siblings of actors, speaking to Raffie Pugh and Sam Holland, who I strangely greeted like old friends. (I also don’t think I’ve ever been as excited to see anyone as I was when I saw Ali Plumb walking past me!)
Due to the size of the premiere, two cinemas were used, so while everyone involved with the making of the film was directed to walk past us on the main red carpet, other invitees had to go on another route.
This means that people in my section had the chance to see the cast, though due to the disorganisation of the premiere, they could rarely stop to greet fans, as they were hurried past. After spending hours hoping to greet them, this led to some disappointment and frustration at the poor arrangement of the event.
Despite this, the premiere was enjoyable, and it was such a thrill being able to see celebrities you’re so used to watching through screens.
Featured image credit: Tess Bowen
