The Harry Potter Premiere Experience

Aching legs, sun burnt shoulders, ringing ears, and less respect for the children of today; all from being at the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix premiere held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 8, 2007. All for the fleeting chance that, for two seconds, any of the stars from the Harry Potter series would glance my way or come into my view.

So was it worth it?

Around 1:30pm, my friend and I stepped outside the Hollywood & Highland Center, only to be greeted with massive crowds and so much buzz of conversation we could hardly hear ourselves. Looking around to gain some perspective of how the premiere was set up, we realized we were ten feet left of the press section and two feet in front of the red carpet itself! Gates lined both sides of Hollywood Boulevard between Highland Avenue and Orange Drive, not permitting anyone without a VIP pass to step through.

Despite the premiere not supposed to start until 3:30pm, there were already thousands of people crammed against the gates on both sides of the street. The crew was still setting up the equipment for the press and for the red carpet, causing the crowds to constantly have to shift around and jostle each other. Hundreds of faces could be seen anywhere you turned, carrying expressions of anger, anxiety, excitement, disbelief, and any other emotion you could possibly link to this exciting event.

Finally settling on a spot to stand, my friend and I stood where we were for an excruciating 4 hours. I am by no means a newbie at high-capacity events or massive crowds (though this premiere does rank as one of the most hectic), but even this pushed my limits. Some of the people standing around us had camped out from days before, while others were tourists who happened to be there that day and wanted to know what was going on. People were shifting, shoving, screaming, and some even stumbling. The sun was beating down, and for those that are not familiar with Hollywood, the several buildings lining the streets offer hardly any shade. If you moved from your spot, you were most likely not going to get it back. It became territorial and catty.

When it neared 3pm, the press began to prepare themselves for the arrivals and tapings they would have to do. Many reporters had the intention of showing the thousands of people who turned out for the premiere, so cameramen walked up and down the streets, pointing cameras at the crowds. People had already been chanting and hollering; with a camera shoved in their face and assistants waving their arms telling the crowds to make noise, the hollers became close to deafening while the shrieks became even more piercing. Camera after camera, from stations as big as national ones to as small as webcasts on independent sites to even V-Casts for cell phones repeatedly went up and down the gates, hyping up an already over-hyped crowd. Interviewers chose random people from the crowd, approaching them to ask Harry Potter questions such as, "Who is your favourite character and why?" or, "What do you think will happen in the seventh book?"

My friend and I, as it turned out, had chosen a prime spot to stake out because TV personalities and cameramen were frequent visitors to the section, whether it was to get the crowds yelling or interview crowd members. And while we were excited to have the possibility of drawing the stars to our section, it was quickly becoming aggravating. Hot, dehydrated, and feeling our knees starting to lock in standing position, the cameramen were riling up a crowd that was already hitting decibels inappropriate for even the outdoors.

In my short two decades of life, I have encountered and been a part of some of the biggest, craziest fanbases in history; I am well acquainted with insane crowds, massive events, and general pandemonium. But nothing measures up to the Harry Potter fanbase. People of all ages, statuses, and types were shrieking into the air: children as young as 5 were pushing between peoples' knees as they squealed character names, teenagers grouped together decked out in full Hogwarts robes chanted cheers at the top of their lungs, and adults in their mid-60s sporting the tattooed initials "HP" enclosed between two lightning bolts on their forearms called out their impatience. The Harry Potter series truly does transcend the ages, and it was more than evident at this premiere.

And to think, all this and the premiere hadn't even officially began.

Almost exactly at 3:30pm, the security men were spotted holding their hands close to their ears, trying intently to listen to the in-ear monitors they were all wearing. In the next moment, their arms went up, waving papers. And if I was at all annoyed at the screams that were happening minutes before from cameramen, those had nothing on the moment when a black SUV with tinted windows drove slowly down the street in front of the gates and stopped five feet to my left.

It is impossible to accurately describe the absolute chaos that resulted when a red mop of hair became visible from behind the SUV. The crowds surged forward, pressing harder into the gates while the screams increased tenfold. Cameras were raised, shutters clicked, and the screams to gain the attention of the star began. I myself had been standing on the curb; the second the red hair became visible I immediately felt three bodies shove into my back, a camera lens bump my head in its haste to begin snapping photos, and had to step one foot down onto the street to gain my balance back.

The premiere had officially begun. Rupert Grint, who plays the lovable sidekick Ron Weasley, had arrived.

Grint had been driven to the red carpet's edge, which was only about half the length of the crowds gathered at the street. Immediately after exiting his SUV, Grint turned and walked back to the beginning of Hollywood Boulevard surrounded by security and press, waving at the crowds as he went. Slowly making his way down the street, he grabbed as many pens and signed as many items as he could, slowly being ushered along by the security with him. Fans were yelling and screaming at him, snapping pictures right in front of his face and trying to touch him.

When Grint came into my section of the crowd, I admit I got a little "star struck." I have met my fair share of celebrities, but I will never get used to seeing such glamourized people in front of me. However, he reminded me just how much of a regular person he was when I saw him smiling easily at the fans, calmly signing pictures, and trying to answer as many questions yelled or asked of him. Grint was laid-back and accessible to the fans at that moment, taking in everything he could. He had no jaded or pretentious air about it - just the look of someone partially overwhelmed but enjoying every minute of it. Showing that Grint had not forgotten about the people who could not get close enough to get his autograph or a decent picture, he managed to look up and over the first few rows of people to the dozens of other rows of people jammed farther behind the gates, smiling at everyone, shouting a "hello" and waving.

Shortly after Grint arrived, the next SUV that came rolling through had a petite brown-and-blonde-haired girl in the backseat waving from the window, wearing a massive grin and kind eyes: Emma Watson, who plays the girl of the HP Trio Hermione Granger, was next to raise the screams of the fans.

Watson dittoed Grint's move of walking back to the beginning of the street to talk to all of the fans, waving to both sides of the street as she went by. Trailed by the press, security, and her younger brother Alex, she slowly moved down the lines, talking and signing, giving a kind smile and sweet "thank you"s to the crowds. While she was making her way down the street, another SUV passed by and stopped to our left. The crowds had been deafening for Watson and Grint; but when the door opened to this third SUV of the afternoon, the screams were earth shattering.

Daniel Radcliffe stepped out, a wide smile on his face and arms raised in greeting to the thousands of fans. It was Harry Potter himself. In the flesh.

With his mother behind him, Radcliffe stopped to talk to some of the officials on the red carpet. He was not able to go back to the beginning of the street, but he did make his way over to halfway through the street and begin signing autographs and talking to fans.

Both Watson and Radcliffe were around my section at the same time, and that much star power in such small people is a little overwhelming. The power they had over the crowd was utterly astonishing, as everyone became completely focused on catching the stars' attention. "I love you Emma!" earned a smile in the direction it had come from and a soft "thanks" followed by an embarrassed giggle from Watson herself. An obscene holler earned a sharp glance from the security guards and reproving stares from parents in the crowd. Neither Watson nor Radcliffe were anything short of pleasant, doing everything they could to give back to the fans.

Rounding out the rest of the Harry Potter actors in attendance was Imelda Staunton (who plays the Ministry of Magic senior undersecretary and Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for the fifth book Dolores Umbridge), Robert Pattison (good-natured Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory), and Chris Rankin (Percy Weasley). Staunton and Rankin went through the lines of the crowd, signing posters and books and other memorabilia; Pattison milled around the red carpet, waving towards the fans but not coming over to the gates.

It was a treat to see the rest of the stars that came out and see them interact with other stars and people they recognized (other notable stars in attendance: Miley Cyrus and her father Billy Ray Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, Rick Fox, Jeff Foxworthy, Rachael Harris, Seth Greene, Masi Oka and Greg Grunberg). Actors, families of actors, and those affiliated with Warner Brothers milled about the red carpet, talking to anyone and everything around them and enjoying themselves. On occasion a few actors would be called up onto the ET stage set up in the middle of the red carpet to be interviewed, but the entire scene reminded me vaguely of getting together with friends to go see a movie - except this crowd happened to be carry some heavy star power.

As the premiere died down, fans began showing their fatigue, snapping at the people around them and getting desperate for fulfillment of their expectations. The ones that stuck around began hollering louder and louder towards the celebrities, making up chants such as "Red rover, red rover, send [insert celebrity name] right over!" Which, unfortunately, did not render any results. People began packing up and leaving around 4:30, many complaining about not being able to see their preferred star up close and personal or not being about to take recognizable pictures of the celebrities.

The entire process of a premiere is most accurately described as "organized chaos." Thousands of people crammed against gates, yelling and hollering and bantering while hundreds of red carpet workers, security guards, policemen, agents, and coordinators are speaking into headsets and making sure everyone is where they need to be. Dozens of interviewers, cameramen, boom microphone operators, and other people of the press are jockeying for the most accurate and interesting coverage. Everything is crazy, but somehow, everyone knows their position, place, and what they are supposed to be doing.

So, to answer my initial question of it was worth it...the fans were annoying, the sun was hot, and standing for 4 hours is never how I want to spend my Sundays. But I came with the expectation of an experience and the hope to see someone who is remotely part of the Harry Potter crew. I definitely gained the experience of being among thousands of fans, and I was more than satisfied with who I saw. And it was extremely gratifying to see the main three stars of the movie, and see their down-to-earth, accepting personalities shine through even the most hectic of situations. I may be one of the few, but I want to know the true personality of celebrities; and I think I definitely gained insight into three of the most powerful stars in today's media world.

Despite the circumstances and the other fans at the premiere, somehow the Harry Potter Trio delivered again; even though I am sure none of them saw me clearly (Grint appeared to make eye contact with me, but I will never know if he truly saw me). To have seen how pleasant they are and have my expectations met...it was most definitely worth it. The magic of Harry Potter extended beyond pages and screens for me; it was there at the premiere too.