What Happens at a Movie Premiere? - DAMSEL!
An Author Hits the Red Carpet at a Netflix World Premiere
Hello, lovelies!
Wow. Just… wow. The Damsel World Premiere on Friday night was incredible. From walking the red carpet to hearing Millie Bobby Brown speak before the screening, to watching the finished film to the epic Hollywood after-party… I would say that I have no words, but I’m a writer, and I have So. Many. Words.
Come walk through this author’s dream-come-true with me…
Picking up Tickets
On the night of the Damsel World Premiere, our first stop was the Will Call tent to grab our tickets. It turns out that I didn’t have to do that because Netflix had people who would have gotten them for me (I had people!). But I didn’t know this, so we went into the Will Call tent ourselves and picked up the envelope with my name printed in bold on it.
There was a long line of fans waiting on the street, in hopes that some of the invitees on the guest list wouldn’t show up. Any unclaimed invitations (as of fifteen minutes before screening time) would be released to those in line, first-come, first-served.
On the Way to the Red Carpet
Security whisked me off to the red carpet, which was set up inside The Oak Room at The Plaza. Along the way, I got to walk through a small model of the Damsel dragon caves. There was a section made to look like the “Safe Cave” (if you’ve already read my book, you know what this is). There was also another section of the cave, full of “anthodite” crystal flowers lit up with color-changing LEDs.
The Red Carpet Moment
You know how in movies when there is a red carpet, there’s always a huge line of photographers, and shutter clicks and flash bulbs going off all over the place, and shouts like, “Evelyn, over here!” “Evelyn, can I get a smile for me here?” “One this way, Evelyn, please!”
Um… that’s REALITY. If being styled for the premiere was like being in a movie makeover montage scene, walking the red carpet was my moment of acting like a movie star. It was surreal, and those minutes in front of the press will be part of the highlight reel of my life forever. (Waking up the next morning to find photos of myself all over Getty Images, right next to the stars of the film, was also unbelievable.)
Damsel Screening at the Paris Theater
After walking the red carpet, we headed over to the Paris Theater (just across the street from The Plaza). There were movie posters, Damsel-themed popcorn, and drinks.
Our seat assignments were on the backs of our tickets, and ushers showed us to our row. We sat just across the aisle and a couple rows back from Jon Bon Jovi and his son, Jake (Millie Bobby Brown’s fiancé).
Before the movie began, the director—Oscar-nominated Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, whom I had the pleasure of meeting previously when I had visited the film set in London—spoke to the audience about the making of the movie. It was amazing to remember how many people are involved in making a film. I have so much appreciation for everyone involved in any creative industry, especially those who value the importance of storytelling.
Millie Bobby Brown—the star of the movie
And then Millie came on stage, and the audience erupted in cheers and applause. She thanked us all for being there and hoped we enjoyed the movie.
And she told us to channel our inner dragon.
After she finished her speech, the movie began! It was such a unique experience because the audience was full of those who had played a part in the making of the film, including their families and friends (who are the unsung heroes of the creative industry—thank you for all your support while we writers and artists hole ourselves up in our writing caves/studios and talk to the characters in our heads!)
The After-Party
I’m not usually a late-night person—most evenings, I’m in pajamas and cozying up on the couch with a book by 7pm—but there was no way I was turning down a chance to attend a Hollywood After-Party.
The Oak Room at the Plaza was transformed into a Damsel-themed wonderland with a live DJ up in a balcony, an extravagant spread of food including bite-size tuna tartare in crisp cracker cones and mini lobster-rolls (I ate four—they were so good), and beautiful people everywhere (including actors who weren’t in the movie but were on the guest list, and models because it was NYC.)
There were also specialty Damsel-themed cocktails:
I chatted with the very sweet actress Brooke Carter (who plays Floria, Elodie’s little sister) and her family, who had flown in from the U.K. for the premiere. Keep an eye on Brooke’s career—this girl can put so much emotion into just one look or a single line. She’s a rising star for sure.
After partying for a while with my Penguin Random House publishing team (by which I mean, we stood in one spot and ate lobster rolls and macarons together while people-watching), Tom and I took one last selfie of our exhausted but exhilarated selves and headed back to our hotel for bed.
An Author’s Dream Come True
I’m still pinching myself that it was all real! And now that I’ve seen the final cut of the film, I’m even more excited for all of you to watch it when it comes out on Netflix next Friday, March 8th. Mark your calendars!
Get your copy of DAMSEL!
My Book and Movie Release Calendar: 2024
March 5th - Damsel movie tie-in paperback edition
March 8th - Damsel movie releases on Netflix
May 7th - The Hundred Loves of Juliet summer paperback edition
July 30th - One Year Ago in Spain - NEW RELEASE
I KNEW you'd pick the red dress! You look amazing in it. So glad you had an amazing time.
Wow! That looked amazing. You look stunning! Congratulations!