You could feel winter yesterday all around London: cold, windy and a bit drizzly. I got in Leicester Square around 1-2 pm and did a tour of the whole place. When I first saw the queues of fans that they planned to let in, I just thought that the organizers have really bold plans, but they proved me wrong in a few hours.
The fans are indeed very dedicated ones. Mostly girls but considering the amount of handsome actors attached to the movie that is not a surprise at all. You could see pointed ears, Gandalf’s hat or dwarfs beards everywhere. Also, I got to see a few really good costumes that would truly be appreciated at the next year’s comic con. Everyone was represented by a fan in costume: elves, Gandalf, dwarfs, hobbits and even the great Smaug.
The actors started to arrive around 5pm and I swear you could hear the excited and adoring screams from Green Park.
It was my first world premiere and I was simply amazed by how fans react to the cast, how much they wish for a selfie or an autograph. I saw grown-ups excited as much as the teenagers. People that came from all over the world for a few hours with the cast. What am I saying? For a few actual minutes.
As I am sitting on the tube and writing this, my playlist shuffled to Ed Sheeran’s song “I see fire”, which almost made me miss my station. He was there too, casual and smiling, which to be honest is what I love about this new generation of artists. They are not at all stiff, they tend to show more of that human side. Billy Boyd also attended. Most of you might know him from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, where he played Pippin, but for this movie he was the one that got the chance to compose and sing the final song through which we will bid Middle Earth farewell – “The last Goodbye”.
Some were crazy for Orlando Bloom (most of us had that moment at one point in life, including me as a teenager), others for Richard Armitage, Luke Evans or Lee Pace, but their reaction was priceless from my point of view. Let’s put it like this: children on Christmas morning are nothing if you compare them to the fan girls. I mean, yes, I saw their reaction online for the previous premieres but nothing can prepare you for the live one. The patience the actors have is absolutely amazing. Especially considering how cold it was.
Orlando Bloom had his bad boy look and seemed very comfortable; Sir Ian McKellen was funny and charming as always; Richard Armitage had his serious but sweet side with him, which a lot of people want but few manage to obtain; Lee Pace wanted some love for his parents with whom he came and I am sure he got a lot of it as he talked and joked with fans while signing autographs; Luke Evans looked sharp and stylish, and at one point was walking around saying he will be back to sign more stuff; everyone knew when the dashing Benedict Cumberbatch came, as the screams went over the roof; Evangeline Lilly looked amazing and seemed so excited; Aidan Turner also got a lot of attention and Martin Freeman, the hobbit confessed how amazed he is each time by the number of people who love and support them. Also, a very funny moment was the one between reunited Sir Ian and Orlando sharing a short kiss.
Of course, nothing could have been possible without Peter Jackson, or how he put it “the lucky fan that got to make the movie”. He looked both happy and sad, as most of them, and put a huge emphasis on how much he appreciates the support of the fans.
All in all, I can say that the last world premiere was indeed a grand one. A true night to remember! We had a fun MC, adoring crowds, music, most of the cast and it was a special one for everyone. The carpet was green, not red, the dwarfs joined us from New Zealand from time to time, and everyone left home realizing a huge period of their, actually our life, just ended. It was an amazing experience to be there and share the last goodbye, one last time, with the fans, the cast and the crew.
This article has been written in partnership with Edge and Back.
