I started writing for the site around August time, and it’s been an incredible few months. Amongst the many, many highlights has been interviewing one of my favourite actors of all time (the great Vincent Cassel) during the Black Swan premiere at this year’s London Film Festival. To be stood face-to-face with such a tremendous and commanding talent was a huge thrill.
I’ve also had the opportunity to talk to two directors whose films have really resonated with me during different periods in my life. In September I attended the press junket for 3D kids feature The Hole and interviewed director Joe Dante. It was a surreal and wonderful feeling to be sat talking to the guy whose films (especially the likes of Explorers, Innerspace and The ‘Burbs) were virtually on a continuous loop in the family VHS player, 20 or so years back. Dante’s love of fantasy and trash cinema really shone through in the short period I had with him, and I think he could sense he was in the presence of a like-minded fan of those films he was referencing. When I presented him with an old, dog-eared Gremlins Making-of magazine to autograph, he was more than happy to sign it. Geek nirvana.
Attending the premiere for Jackass 3D at the BFI Imax, I found myself positioned next to the actual camera crew from the film and TV series, who were shooting additional material for the Film’s DVD release. Executive Producer Spike Jonze was one of the first up the red carpet, and upon finishing the promotional rounds (which was clearly something he was uncomfortable with) in a down-to-earth and very un-Hollywood move, he decided to hang out and chat with the Jackass crew while the rest of the stars appeared. This afforded me to chance to have a little off-camera chat with him myself in the interim – an amazing occasion which caused more than a few high-fives on the way home afterwards with my friend Luke, who was filming the event.
I’m truly grateful for having had the chance to meet and chat to figures from the industry who mean so much to me on a personal level, and I’m really excited as to what next year will hold. If the latter part of 2010 is anything to go by, there will be many more Jim’ll Fix It-type scenarios to come.
