Ewan McGregor stepped out of his limousine onto the red carpet for his new movie, Alex Rider: Stormbreaker. I caught my breath as our eyes locked. He walked up to me and said hello, that he would only be in New York a bit, and asked if I would like to grab a drink or three with him…Actually, that was more how it happened in my imagination. Sadly, the truth is Ewan walked right past me without even a glance, but a girl’s got a right to pretend. He was too short for me anyway.

The Alex Rider premiere took place at the Intrepid Museum - an enormous WWII aircraft carrier-turned-museum - a fitting nod to the film’s theme. In a nutshell, McGregor’s character, spy Ian Rider, dies (or disappears, depending who you ask) during a covert operation. His nephew Alex Rider, played by 16-year-old newcomer Alex Pettyfer, is a perfect replacement, having been trained by Uncle Ian in rock climbing, scuba diving, and other spy games. Unlike most awkward 14-year-olds, Alex Rider gets the chance to live like a teenage James Bond. Naturally, all the girls in high school worship him (we’ve all been there).

During my time on the red carpet, photographers chaotically yelled at the stars, publicists choreographed celebrity interviews, and actors tried their best to answer various stock questions. Before I knew it, I was staring into the eyes of a surprisingly tall Bill Nighy, a.k.a. Billy Mack, the aging rock star from Love Actually. In a moment of panic, I stared down at the chicken scratch on my note pad and realized I couldn’t read my own question! Then I remembered it:

“The world wants to know: are you dating anyone right now?”

The truth is, I didn’t ask that question. I was going to, but he was so nice and I didn’t want to be rude. Well, and I ran out of time. It seems we were talking too long about his love of animals - he has two dogs and one cat adopted from shelters. We also talked about how every day on set was embarrassing because of his character’s costume, that he has a new animated movie, Flushed Away - in which he plays the voice of a lab rat - coming soon, and that he will make his Broadway debut this fall opposite Julianne Moore in The Vertical Hour.

Also on the red carpet? Tight-faced, tight-lipped Mickey Rourke, who does not stop for interviews. Missing: Alicia Silverstone, who doesn’t work on her birthday.

As for the film’s young star, Alex Pettyfer, I must admit, I was ready to write him off as a “total snot” from the beginning. I learned quickly not to ask him if he has a girlfriend; he doesn’t, and the best advice Ewan gave him was to keep his private life private. However, I was surprised to see that none of Alex Rider’s cockiness was there, but rather Pettyfer stood before me like any nervous 16-year-old. Amid all the flashing lights and screaming paparazzi, he was just a kid quietly talking to his agent and gathering the courage to speak to millions. Resembling a young Ryan Phillipe (with an accent), he brought out humor and provided some good quotes.

So, all you young ladies out there, watch out! At the next movie premiere, he’ll have the suave sophistication of a real James Bond – and in 2 years he’ll be legal.

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker is in theaters this Friday, October 13th.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 at 1:16 am and is filed under Movies, Events, Celebrities, Broadway, Glamour, New York City, Men, Red Carpet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.