James Meets Johnny Depp In London! With Armie Hammer! Gore Verbinski! Jerry Bruckheimer! And More! Lone Ranger Goodness! Autographs!
I think everyone on MTF is a fan of Johnny Depp. Well… Who isn’t a fan of the Depp-ster to be honest? I mean… he’s freaking Johnny Depp! LOL…
James our buddy from the UK, headed out to the UK premiere of The Lone Ranger and scored some awesome success! Not only did he meet Johnny Depp, but also Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, and more!
Check out his recap below and make sure and check out his site as well… Cause he rocks!
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Another day, another Leicester Square premiere, this time the UK premiere of Disney’s The Lone Ranger, starring Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, Tom Wilkinson, William Fitchner, Helena Bonham Carter and Ruth Wilson. Now I must be honest, over the last couple of months I had gone off premieres, the last 2 I went to were a bit of a disaster, and I found myself having a better time at other collecting places. However, a friend of mine offered me a ticket to attend the premiere, and that was enough to get me back to Leciester Square!
Having met a couple of friends for some food beforehand we claimed our spot and enjoyed (well, not really) the wait for the arrivals to start, with security handing out free bottles of water, and PAs handing out Lone Ranger masks. It was a pretty nice set up for once, although I never understand the appeal of having a white carpet that is never white by the end of the day.
Anyways, the interesting stuff. The Lone Ranger himself, Armie Hammer, was the first person to arrive, and came straight over to sign. Star of films including J Edgar, Mirror Mirror and the awesome The Social Network, Armie was more than happy to sign and dedicate an index card for me.
Armie was followed by Ruth Wilson, who is known for her roles in Luther, Jane Eyreand Anna Karenina. Again, Ruth was happy to sign for as many people as she could, kindly signing an index card for me. She also posed for a photo with me, which was nice.
Harry Treadaway, who plays Frank in the film, and has previously appeared in Fish Tank and Hideaways, arrived next and was as friendly as ever (I met him previously back in March). He signed an index card for me. I didn’t get another photo with him since I got one last time I met him.
The next arrival was who I had most wanted to meet, the fantastic Tom Wilkinson. Whilst Tom is known for his roles in films including Michael Clayton, In The Bedroom, The Full Monty and Valkyrie, I know him best for his role in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, one of my favourite films. He came over and happily signed my Best Exotic.. DVD sleeve. A nice surprise was he was joined by his wife Diana Hardcastle, who too was in the film, so she also signed my DVD sleeve. Tom also agreed to a photo with me, but I’m not entirely sure what he was doing when it was taken!
Kevin McNally, best known as Gibbs from the Pirates of the Caribbean films arrived next, and signed an index card for me and posed for a photo with me.
Singer and former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts came over shortly after, signing an index card and posing for a photo with me.
The next arrival was the second person I most wanted to meet, producer and Hollywood legend Jerry Bruckheimer. I don’t really think I need to introduce Jerry, but just for good measure, his films include; Beverley Hills Cop, Flashdance, Top Gun,the Pirates franchise, Pearl Harbour, Armegeddon and Black Hawk Down. His films have brought in over $13 billion in earnings. Unreal. Jerry signed my autograph book, but sadly was too quick for me to get a photo with him. Still absolutely chuffed to meet him!
Oscar winning director Gore Verbinski came over next, and signed my autograph book. Best known for his Pirates films and The Ring, Gore took his time to sign for as many people as he could, even if his signature isn’t much to look at. Still very happy though!
I failed to mention during all of the above, Johnny Depp himself had arrived, and had spent the last 45 minutes doing press and starting his signing session. Where I was standing was about 1/3rd into his “route” around the premiere signing for the entire barracde. He was cutting it fine for the time our premiere tickets told us we had to be seated, but the security told us they’d make sure we would get into the cinema after we’d met him, phew (at the Dark Shadows premiere I also had a ticket, and missed out meeting Johnny as he signed for most people having introduced the film so I was already seated, d’oh). He got to us, and was as nice as I had been told he would be, although we were told (repeatedly) he wouldn’t pose for photos. I managed to get a Pirates photo signed and dedicated, and got my Corpse Bride DVD signed too. Helena Bonham Carter & Tim Burton had already signed it, so it’s awesome to have it completed!
and that was that. Oh, wait no it wasn’t, time to go and watch the film. I always enjoy getting to walk along the red (well, white) carpet, and I’m never one to miss a photo opportunity!
The best part for me is listening to the cast and crew speak about the film, something pretty unique to hear. Here Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski and Johnny Deppdid the talking. We were lucky enough to have front row seats, so were able t get some pretty good photos of the cast introducing the film.
and that really was that. I enjoyed the film much more than I thought I would, even if 149 minutes seemed a little excessive. Great to have a premiere where I was able to meet the entire cast and crew that turned up, which doesn’t happen often.
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Great recap!! Looks so calm and cool. No graphers trying to bash your head in to get their stuff signed over yours. 3 nice Johnny signatures too. I’ll get him someday.
Well done!!
Doesn’t it look so calm compared to the US….too bad that movie was a waste for even matinee price.
Great write-up.
Very nice! Sounds like a fun day…so glad you had so much great luck. 🙂
Where is the best place to stand at Leicester square I’m going to the Rush movie premiere and wondering where the best place to get a spot is?
Thanks everyone! 🙂 They do quite well with big premieres like this in London; they give out wristbands and limit the crowds in each area so it’s not too chaotic. Even gave out free water here as it was pretty hot.
@Daniel; it’s hard to say, it depends what cinema it’s at, and what the setup is. I’ve not looked into it as I’ll be in NY, but I’d say as close to the drop offs as possible.