Live from another red carpet

Sunday, April 30, 2006

I'm filmed out after seeing all these films this weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival, taking notes and analyzing. Not that I'm complaining I just feel a bit 2D. To break it up a bit yesterday, I got to briefly ask questions to the talented Laura Linney and Harry Potter's Rupert Grint at the premiere of Driving Lessons. The film is about a shy teenager (Grint) living in London who is trying to escape from the clutches of his religious mother (Linney). He finally gets his chance when he meets a retired actress (Julie Walters) who whisks him off to Edinburgh, where he learns to drive, dance and pick up girls.

Dressed in jeans a camouflage jacket and weathered Converse sneaks, Rupert Grint was sweet and spoke in a soft voice. Outside the screening room meanwhile was a line of screaming fourteen year old girls wanting to meet him, who knew Ron Weasley was such a heart throb? I did notice that his eyelashes like his hair were red but a lighter shade. Either way he was barely 5'6 and still doesn't have his license. He told me that he never drove before but had to for the film. He laughed remembering how he forgot to put up the parking break and the car started rolling backwards down a hill towards the film crew. He also said that he goes every year to NYC for the Harry Potter premiere, but he said that he likes the city and that he especially like's New York gangster films like Goodfellas. It was his first time at Tribeca Film Festival in fact he said it was his first film festival in general.

Laura Linney dressed in a brown trench coat, jeans and heels. Her smile was constant but not fake. She spoke elegantly and was very nice to me but got flustered on my question of her favorite New York film since she said that their are so many great ones but she kept trying to think of one, then she apologized with a smile and said that she was tired. Regarding an easier question she immediately said that what most attracted her to the role in Driving Lessons was the script and director Jeremy Brock's charm and enthusiasm when he flew out to meet her and to discuss the project.

This time I took a quick video of the red carpet arrival instead of still shots. Enjoy! Sorry I couldn't film my interview with them myself, I'm not that ambidextrous.