Yesterday, with our hair and make up all done up, P & I walk out of our hotel for our press session followed by our screening. Right away the paparazzi “Paola… Paola!” (with perfect pronunciation) so she smiles, waves and signs! We continue… We arrive at the red carpet (which was a NYC block long) and then “Paola! Gloria! Paola! Gloria!” sign & wave… We’re escorted to our photo session and on-camera interview. LOVELY!
After champagne in the green room, we have our very dramatic and thrilling entrance to the 1,500 seat theater (a la Rocky) with loud pounding music – Boom, boom, boom – boom, boom, boom! And since they don’t do a post Q&A, they call us on stage to introduce the film. We stay for a few minutes to make sure sound and pic are great and then head out to find food as we are now starving and have a whole night planned.
We find our spot in an outdoor restaurant. We debate about getting back to the theater before the movie ends or just staying for a nice meal and catching up- although we would risk getting the audience’s reaction. But once we sit down and I take my shoes off (auch) we’re not getting up.
After a nice talk and lunch, we stroll back to our hotel (with my shoes in my hand) and notice droves of people bc the movie just let out… then from acoss the steet we hear OUT LOUD, “Bravo Paola! “Bravo Gloria!” (my shoes go back on- auchies) and more to sign and pics to smile… then more people come up to us and so warmly congratulate us on the film right in the middle of the steet. In our best French (and only word we know)… Merci, merci, merci! So much love… we were so touched. Like the best things in life, if we had planned it, it would not have happened so beautifully!
On a different but important note, yesterday was September 11th. We were way, but our hearts never left home.