From Charles Cheng
Reporting on the US Premiere of "Around the World in 80 Days"
I just got back from a hot and exhausting afternoon covering the premiere of Around The World in 80 Days, and I have both good news and bad news. First the bad news: to the utter dismay of yours truly and the Asian media outlets, none of the HK stars showed up. Worse, my press badge didn't entitle me to either the screening or the after-party (no freeloading; oh well!). The good news is that I was able to sneak in some off-the-wall questions with the principles, including Jackie himself, and got some interesting answers in return.
First, let me describe the scene: the premiere was held at the El Capitan theater on Hollywood Blvd (and the Walk of Fame) right across from Graumman's Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater (where the Oscars are held annually). The south side of the street was cordoned off to accommodate the red carpet and the media, while the north side was left open for west-bound traffic. I was fortunate enough to get a prime spot up front with KABC (the local Disney-owned ABC affiliate) and ETTV from Taiwan. We were sandwiched bewteen Axxess Hollywood and TV Guide channel, so we all got quality time with the principles and attending celebrities.
One interesting tidbit I got from writer David Titcher was that it was his idea to write the character of Wong Fei Hung (played by Sammo Hung) into the screenplay. Titcher is apparently well-versed in HK cinema and thought it would be fun to incorporate this popular character into the China portion of the movie. When asked what his favorite Jackie Chan movie is, he said Drunken Master 2 without hesitation. Strangely, female lead Cecile de France (who, by the way, is an absolutely gorgeous woman - the pictures I took and her movie stills do her no justice!) gave the same answer in an almost robotic fashion. Jackie Coogan, on the other hand, said the original Police Story is his favorite. He loves the movie's frenetic pacing, insane stunts and feeling of reckless abandon. Cool!
As for Jackie, he arrived in a replica of a turn-of-the-century steam coach to the deafening roar of the appreciative crowd. He spent a good amount of time posing for the still photographers before he worked his way to our position. Instead of asking him the same old questions, I decided to ask him about his son Fong Cho Ming and his budding acting career. At first, Jackie jokingly said he only wanted to talk about himself, but then said he was very proud of Cho Ming and hoped Twins Effect 2 will be a big hit. I then asked him whether he would like to see his son pursue a career in Hollywood, to which Jackie replied that there are virtually no opportunities for young Asian actors in Hollywood and that Cho Ming will for now concentrate on the HK market. Sad but true!
Jackie saved the best for last. After spending an eternity on the red carpet to accommodate all of the photographers and TV crews, Jackie decided to reward the throngs of fans (who were constantly shouting his name) behind the barricades on the other side of Hollywood Blvd. Without warning, he dashed across the street and proceeded to run the length of two city blocks to high-five all of the fans behind the barricades! The sight of him running down the street with hapless security personnel and scrambling photographers in tow was absolutely priceless! Ironically, most of the still photographers had already left (no doubt looking for the buffet line) and left the stragglers and TV crews to get their money shots. Hilarious!
All in all, it was a fun afternoon.