It is not everyday one gets the pleasure of attending a Hollywood premiere, let alone one with Oprah and other A-list celebrities like Forest Whitaker, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr in attendance. The film in question is Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” currently number one at the box office.
“The Butler”
The film itself is a master example of the classic Hollywood biography. The film is based on the real-life story of a man who was a born a slave in the south and end up the head butler at the White House for 35 years, a career spanning outlasting four different US presidents. In the film we are introduced to the title character, “The Butler,” as he deals with very human problems such as losing a son to the Vietnam War, and having to face the challenges of having his other son become a Black Panther. Yet throughout the film there are very positive highlights, including when the lead character played by Forest Whitaker gets his fellow African America workers equal pay to the white workers during the Reagan presidency.
The film ends on a sublime high note, when this former slave turned White House butler gets to meet the first African American president, Barack Obama.
In my opinion this film is a definite Oscar contender, not to mention a contender for the Golden Globes as well.
It is no surprise that Hollywood is abuzz about this film, not because of what I saw on the silver screen but also because the calibre of talent the film had in it.
The premiere itself held the glamour of old Hollywood premieres, with so many stars and film icons in attendance. The main cast in attendance were Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr, Alex Pettyfer, James Marsden and Minka Kelly.
As I waited for the film to start I had the pleasure of watching Oprah walking the red carpet and doing 54 different interviews. Oprah, the female lead opposite Forest Whitaker did much for the film by lending her impressive acting abilities to the role, but also by helping to promote the film as well.
At the end of the premiere, Lee Daniels called all the main cast in attendance up to the front of the screen and introduced them by name. At the end of this introduction, Jane Fonda, in a surprise move, kneeled in jest to pay homage to the great Oprah and the room was alight with laughter. I was lucky enough to say a brief hello to Forest Whitaker before we all headed over to the Afterparty.
During the afterparty I had the pleasure of flirting shamelessly with Cuba Gooding Jr. while enjoying a rather deliciously fruity cocktail made with Purity Vodka. As I walked around the room I got to a chance to see an amazing gown from Canadian fashion designer Marie Saint Pierre.
It was towards the end of the night that I spotted Captain America aka actor Chris Evans who was in attendance and kind enough to take a picture with my guest of the evening.Special Note –
As the director Lee Daniels made a note of saying at the end of the premiere, this film would have not seen the light of day without Harvey Weinstein, and The Weinstein Company stepping in to provide the national distribution for the film.
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