The British really know how to host a red carpet. Young fresh up-and-coming talent mingled with the already known – and very much loved – faces at this year’s BAFTA red carpet, proving to us all, that despite the cold, a little bit of glitz and glam never goes out of style.
Like with any other trendy film event, much of the action actually happened before the cameras switched on and the viewers glued themselves to their TV screens. Yesterday night, before the sun dipped beneath the horizon and the lights were turned on, a line of eager journalists and cameraman lined the long and elegant carpet to do a round of preparations for one of the biggest nights in cinema.
Supported by an eager crowd of fans cheering their every move, presenters Fearne Cotton and Dermot O’Leary walked up and down the red carpet preparing their live coverage intro for the E! channel. CNN, BBC and Reuters were setting up their cameras and prepping their scripts, all still huddled in their winter jackets, saving their elegant gowns for later in the night. And, it must be said, that despite all the famous feet that have and would still walk down the line of BAFTA red carpet history, at the time the most popular man of the moment was probably the kind assistant who delivered more than a dozen hot cups of Starbucks to a waiting crew.
However, soon it would be more than Starbucks that would be heating up the red carpet. Among the first to arrive were the stars of The Help, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis, whose husband Julius Tennon kept a caring arm around her shoulders to keep her warm as she moved from interview to interview wearing a beautiful pink Valentino dress, made out of recycled plastic bottles. Eco-friendly dresses seemed to be the trend last night, as other stars such as Michael Fassbender and Colin and Livia Firth also wore suits made of ethical and recycled fabrics.
And if the bunch above get the award for most environmentally aware, the award for most charismatic red carpet moments would probably go to The Help’s Jessica Chastain and the ever-charming George Clooney. With a relaxed aura and a coat lightly draped over her shoulders, Jessica seemed more than happy to pose for the cameras, along with any snapshot taken by a fan, while Clooney took time out from his excited fans and interviews to come and say hello to us, the bloggers, and the competition winners, shaking hands and demanding to know what you need to do to win a competition for the BAFTAs.
After this the action on the carpet really got serious. With the arrival of some of Britain’s biggest stars, came a whole load of cheer from their fellow fans. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe didn’t even need to be nominated to be one of the most sought after interviewees of the night. However it was the love for timeless actors such as Gary Oldman and Colin Firth that really got the crowd going, with chants of “Colin!” and “Gary!” echoing through the streets of Covent Garden.
At this time it seemed like nothing could top the level of handsomeness on display, especially after the arrivals of Eddie Redmayne, Michael Fassbender and Clooney himself (an ever present figure on last night’s red carpet). And who better to prove us wrong than Brad Pitt. Sporting a longer hairstyle than usual (rather in resemblance to Thor actor and Rising Star Award nominee Chris Hemsworth) he followed in the footsteps of his friend and charmer George Clooney, when he told his PR to wait a second, while he ran back to sign some more autographs for the screaming fans.
By this point, as most of the night’s biggest stars had arrived, the atmosphere at the Royal Opera House slowly started to calm down. The last jolt of excitement was provided by eccentric duo Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter. With an apologetic smile, Helena rushed along the red carpet pointing at her watch, as if to say, “I am running late.” And quite right she was. The BAFTAs were due to start any moment, and frozen from the cold we shuffled our way into the Royal Opera House for a live screening of the show.
